I have pursued extensive training in clinical hypnosis and guided imagery techniques and have incorporated these approaches in my clinical practice for over thirty years. There continues to be a great deal of misconception regarding hypnosis, including such myths as the client losing control, being controlled by the hypnotist, being unable to avoid doing things suggested to them, and having amnesia. These myths unfortunately are reinforced by the way hypnosis frequently is portrayed in the media and in stage hypnosis. In fact, hypnosis is a completely natural state frequently experienced spontaneously by people. For example, people often speak of "flow states", "being in the zone", or experiences of being so absorbed in an activity (concerts, books, television shows, museum pieces, a beautiful sunset) that one loses the sense of space and time as their focus is so complete. These are all hypnotic states.
Hypnosis can be conceptualized as a state of focused attention whereby an individual shifts his/her attention and sensory experience from the external world to the world within. This permits a passive awareness of internal experiences, including those generally considered to be outside volitional control. A key to experiencing hypnosis is the willingness to allow the mind to entertain images, thoughts and feelings previously dismissed, minimized, forgotten or not yet imagined in a state of detachment from preexisting beliefs about the world and Self. This creates the opportunity to integrate new perceptions that provide the foundation for changes of all kinds.
Given this definition, the potential applications of clinical hypnotherapy are limitless, and can be an extremely effective treatment approach by itself and in conjunction with other forms of therapy. Over the last thirty years I have served as teaching faculty for the Southern California Society of Clinical Hypnosis as well as teaching a seminar on guided imagery through the UCLA Department of Psychiatry. In addition, I have facilitated workshops for the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, and have published a book regarding the use of guided imagery for dynamic exploration.