Hypnosis

Clinical Applications of Hypnosis

Role of hypnotherapy in medicine

Hypnosis has been used as an adjunct to medical practice (or as a stand-alone medical treatment) for centuries, but only in the last decades have medical applications of hypnosis been extensively researched.

As a result of scientific studies proving that hypnosis can be just as effective (or sometimes even superior) to many standard treatment procedures, in 1958 the American Medical Association officially approved teaching of medical hypnosis in medical schools. The American Psychological Association did the same in 1960 for the field of psychology. The National Institute of Health technology assessment panel has recognized hypnosis in the treatment of a variety of disorders and recommends its integration into medical practice.

Many hospitals and medical centers throughout the US now offer hypnosis to their patients in operating rooms, pain clinics, amputee clinics, burn units, cancer centers, GI departments, labor and delivery units, weight loss clinics, addiction treatment centers, integrative medicine and mental health clinics. Examples of hospitals offering hypnotherapy services are: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, Stanford University Hospital and Stanford Health Care clinics in California, Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York, Mercy Hospitals in Missouri and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.

Even the U.S. Veterans Administration published VHA Directive 1137 – Provision of Complementary and Integrative Health in May 2017, which stated that “Clinical Hypnosis (or Hypnotherapy) is one of the evidence-based complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches covered by the Veterans medical benefits package when deemed clinically necessary”. “Based on literature review these approaches were found to be safe and have sufficient evidence of benefit to be recommended as appropriate components of care for the Veteran population.”

At New Body – New Mind we use hypnosis either as a stand-alone intervention or as a complement to other medical treatments and services. We provide medical hypnosis services as well as hypnosis for self-improvement and attainment of professional and personal goals.

We work both with adults, children and adolescents.

What specific medical conditions can hypnosis help to treat?

Listed below are some examples of medical conditions which respond favorably to hypnotherapy, as evidenced by medical research studies:

  • Bruxism (teeth grinding and clenching)
  • TMJ
  • Headaches (including muscular / tension headaches) and migraines
  • Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
  • Chronic and acute pain of any origin (musculoskeletal, neurological, post-surgical, etc.)
  • IBS, SIBO, peptic ulcer, esophageal reflux, colitis, Crohn’s disease, and other GI disorders
  • Insomnia (inability to either fall asleep or stay asleep) and other sleep disorders (e.g., restless leg syndrome, snoring, etc.)
  • Depression
  • Inability to manage stress and anxiety
  • Panic attacks
  • Fears and Phobias (e.g., fear of flying, claustrophobia, stage fright, fear of public speaking, social phobias, etc.)
  • Medical anxieties (e.g., fear of needles, fear of dental treatments, fear of medical procedures)
  • Preparation for surgeries and medical procedures to decrease anxiety and improve outcomes
  • Preparation for childbirth and hypnobirthing to facilitate relaxation, sense of control and decrease pain
  • Prenatal and postnatal interventions (e.g., coping with morning sickness, bonding with unborn baby, instilling positive beliefs and anticipations, rapid healing after childbirth)
  • High blood pressure (hypertension)
  • Nausea and or regurgitation (without an obvious medical cause or as a side effect of medical treatments or medications, e.g., nausea caused by medications used in cancer treatment)
  • Infertility (either to promote fertility or to support IVF treatment)
  • Menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, sleep problems
  • Dermatological conditions (e.g., eczema, warts, psoriasis)
  • Raynaud’s disease
  • Behavioral issues (e.g., impaired impulse control, affect regulation, anger management, etc.)
  • OCD (obsessive thoughts, behaviors and compulsive actions)
  • ADHD, ADD
  • Vocal and motor tics, Tourrete’s syndrome
  • Habit disorders (e.g., nail biting, picking skin, pulling hair, eyelashes, eyebrows, biting lips, thumb sucking)
  • Stuttering
  • Eating disorders (including Avoidant / Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, “picky eater”)
  • Excessive body weight (weight loss)
  • Addiction to sugar, other food cravings, overeating
  • Cigarette addiction (smoking cessation)
  • Bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis) – typically in children, but also in adults
  • Urinary Incontinence
  • Bowel incontinence
  • Erectile Dysfunction, Impotence / Premature Ejaculation, Anorgasmia and other sexual disorders
  • Negative sexual self-image

Other applications of clinical hypnosis:

In addition to using hypnosis to treat medical conditions we also utilize hypnosis to help children and adult clients function better in everyday life, improve school, work or athletic performance or to facilitate self-discovery and self-growth.

Here are a few examples of personal goals our clients frequently ask us to help them achieve:

  • “Increase self-confidence, self-esteem, self-respect and self-worth / develop positive self-image”.
  • “Improve ability to create and maintain good relationships; to give and receive love”.
  • “Increase patience, understanding and compassion in order to mend a relationship with a partner, spouse, child, friend, business partner, boss, etc.”
  • “Increase tolerance and become more flexible and more forgiving”.
  • “Learn how to respond appropriately to stresses of everyday life and turn stress and anxiety triggers into triggers for relaxation, confidence and calm”.
  • “Develop effective study / work habits, improve focus and concentration to perform better at school or at work”.
  • “Improve athletic performance, dance / theatre / music performance”.
  • “Increase creativity” in order to better write / compose / make business decisions, etc.
  • “Resolve performance anxiety when interviewing for a job, performing on stage, giving lectures or presentations, participating in work meetings, participating in a class, etc.”
  • “Improve interpersonal skills: feel confident, relaxed and comfortable in social situations (e.g., dating, parties, etc.), become an effective and engaging communicator and develop body language signals to match verbal communication”.
  • Improve specific skills necessary for job performance, “excel at my job”.
  • “Improve focus, concentration and information retention” while preparing for exams (e.g., licensing exams, bar exam, school tests) and to generally improve work or school performance.
  • “Reduce test anxiety / improve test scores and grades at school”.
  • “Learn how to control impulses, anger and anxiety at school, work or in social or family environments” (behavior modification).
  • “Find peace and closure” after a relationship breakup, divorce, loss of a loved one, etc.
  • “Develop positive attitudes, beliefs and expectations”.
  • “Stop smoking”, “eliminate excessive use of alcohol”, “stop food cravings”, “stop sugar cravings”.
  • “Lose excess weight”.
  • “Develop discipline and motivation to exercise” (or to take steps to work on any life goal).
  • “Resolve internal conflict”.
  • “Leave past behind and move on to a better future”.
  • “Clarify in what direction to go / chose the road most aligned with my destiny and life purpose”.

testimonialsHypnosis has had a very positive effect on my life. I came to Teresa because I was overwhelmed by my hectic schedule. I have three children who participate in many after school activities and athletic events. I am often also responsible for picking up their friends and driving a number of excited, loud kids in my car. As a result of that I was feeling frazzled, anxious and getting everyone to where they needed to be on time was really overwhelming to me. I felt that this stress was contributing to my headaches, which were usually worse in the afternoon. The hypnosis sessions with Teresa were very helpful to me. I especially liked the suggestions addressing directly this rushing around. In hypnosis Teresa told me that the internal time flowed much slower than the external time, so that as long as I remain peaceful and calm I will always have plenty of time for everything and that the more I relax around the concept of time, the more I will find time stretching and expanding. To my amazement I was quickly way less stressed while driving the kids around and I no longer feel anxious about getting everyone where they need to be. In fact, now that I am not stressed we actually arrive everywhere much earlier than before (while when I used to be stressed, we were always late). This may seem like a small achievement but getting kids to multiple places happens 7 days a week at multiple times per day, so to me it is a big thing.

I would recommend hypnosis to anyone, as it is safe and non-invasive and can be maintained in the comfort of your home after initial sessions. Self-hypnosis is my best tool for relaxation. Even though my work with Teresa is complete, I am still using recordings from my hypnosis sessions on a regular basis because I like the relaxation effect and I see the positive effects of my practice in all areas of my life.

– Female, 41

testimonialsHypnosis helped me pass my bar exam with flying colors and made the process of studying less stressful and more enjoyable. I would recommend use of hypnosis to anyone who is preparing for any important test or exam.

– Male, 28

testimonialsThanks to Teresa I have improved by lacrosse and basketball game tremendously. I’ve been listening to the recordings from hypnosis sessions before each game, which helps me focus much better than ever before and ignore distractions to the point that I don’t see or hear anything not related to the game. My goal is to go to college on athletic scholarship and I know that it will happen. Thank you, Teresa.

- Female 16

testimonialsOur son suffered from perseverative eating disorder (“picky eater”): there was a very limited list of foods he was willing to eat; he would not touch any fruit or veggies because he was repulsed just by a thought of them. Inadequate nutrition affected our son’s health and rate of growth. We got to the point that if he hadn’t improved his food intake he would have had to be hospitalized. We worked with a psychiatrist, psychologist, GI doctor and a dietitian but the situation was not improving. Eventually we became so desperate that we followed an advise of a friend whose daughter did hypnosis with Teresa and we scheduled hypnotherapy sessions for my son. We were amazed at the results of hypnosis. Teresa has real talent for working with children. Our son adored her and really liked his hypnosis sessions. Teresa was very creative, coming up with age- appropriate pictures, metaphors and messages that were meaningful and appealing to our son. She was boosting his self-confidence and praised him for even small accomplishments. Within just a few sessions we started adding some fruit and veggies to his diet and we were gradually expanding the menu. We also noticed a dramatic improvement our son’s his mood, ability to handle unexpected situations and new ideas. He also became more assertive and more confident and much more open socially. We had no doubts that all these positive changes were a direct effect of hypnotherapy. I am now a firm believer in hypnotherapy and I would highly recommend it as a treatment for both children and adults.

- Male 9

testimonialsI did hypnosis with Teresa because I wanted to eliminate sweets from my diet (my sugar and chocolate cravings were causing a lot of stress and frustration and feeling of being out of control, not to mention they contributed to my weight gain). I was surprised how easy it was for me to go into trance – I thought it would take me a lot of practice, but I was able to do it at the first session. I was able to easily visualize every detail of every cookie and cake and chocolate bar I used to crave and then I followed specific images Teresa was describing to me, which made me change my attitude towards sweets. I had two hypnosis sessions for sugar cravings and I haven’t eaten any of that stuff since then (and it’s been way over a year now). It’s not that I sometimes don’t think of eating sweets or chocolate, but now I don’t feel compelled to have them. If I see sweets now I can consciously think: ” This is not good for me. My body doesn’t need it. Never mind!” and I lose interest in them. And even if I try eating them, they just don’t taste as good to me anymore and I think: “this wasn’t worth it at all”.

– Female, 54

testimonialsI was in my first year of college when my fibromyalgia pain stated preventing me from attending school. I was devastated and depressed. I was staying in bed all day because of pain. I lost all my friends and had no idea how I would live my life. My psychiatrist wanted me to see Teresa for hypnosis and physical therapy for pain. I did not believe it would work, but I had nothing to lose, so I gave it a try. And it worked! It was a slow process, but now I am able to study full-time, I am going out with my friends and I know that as long as I take care of myself (doing my daily exercises and self-hypnosis) I will be O.K.

-Female, 19

testimonialsI suffered from tinnitus for many years. I contacted Teresa because I exhausted all treatment options and I wanted to try hypnosis as the last resort. I found hypnosis very helpful. I am now able to ignore sounds in my ears, so even though tinnitus is still there, it did not bother me anymore. In fact, most of the time I don’t even notice it. Hypnosis also improved my sleep and my ability to manage everyday stresses. Even my wife noticed a positive difference in my mood and overall functioning.

-Male, 38

testimonialsI decided to do hypnotherapy with Teresa because I was struggling with insomnia for over 20 years and I got to the point that no matter how tired I was, I could not fall asleep without high doses of sleeping pills. Ever since I saw Teresa 2 years ago I have been sleeping all night without any medications.

Male, 61

testimonialsSelf-hypnosis I learned through hypnotherapy with Teresa helps me control symptoms of IBS I have struggled with for many years. I have finally stopped being a victim of my disease and took control over my body.

– Female, 53

testimonialsDear Teresa, I wanted to thank you for my first hypnosis session. I was completely calm and relaxed after our appointment and enjoyed the rest of the day more than any other in recent memory. It truly was the first time in many, many years I didn’t feel anxious. I cannot wait for my next session and I am looking forward to working with the recordings you gave me. I feel like a new person and now I believe I can change and become the calm and peaceful person I have always wanted to be, but until now I did not believe I could be.

– Female, 43

testimonialsI saw many ear doctors for ringing in the ear. The ringing was so annoying that it was difficult to focus on my work. At night ringing was even louder, so I had issues with falling asleep. Everyone was telling me that there was nothing wrong with my ears. Eventually one doctor told me that if I found someone who could massage face muscles, I might be able to get some relief. I am so glad that I found Teresa’s web-site. We started working together and her manual therapy made a huge difference. In addition to working on the muscles I also did hypnosis with her to learn how to stop focusing on the ears all the time and it was very helpful too. I highly recommend this kind of therapy to anyone who suffers from tinnitus.

-Female, 51

testimonialsI used hypnosis for weight loss. I have always struggled with my weight, but once I went through menopause I completely lost control over my body. I could not control my sugar cravings and developed a huge appetite for any food. As a result of that I gained a lot of weight and felt awful about myself. Hypnosis is the only thing I have done that helped me not only lose weight, but to maintain it. Thank you, Teresa!

– Female, 56

testimonialsI did hypnosis with Teresa because I wanted to stop biting my nails (I had been biting my nails since I was a young child). In the past I was always embarrassed when people looked at my hands, but it was only when my child was born that I became determined to stop that habit. My brother used hypnosis to stop smoking and it worked very well for him. I thought that if it worked for smoking it may work for nail biting. I was really surprised how well hypnotherapy worked for my problem. I had 4 sessions with Teresa and I am fully “rehabilitated”. My nails are long and I have no interest in biting them at all. I have also noticed that in addition to solving my nail biting problem, hypnosis also helped me sleep better and feel generally calmer and more optimistic. Overall, I had a very positive experience and I would recommend hypnosis to anyone who wants to change a bad habit or just to become a calmer person.

– Male, 39

testimonialsI have had fibromyalgia symptoms since I was 16, I was diagnosed at the age of 30. In addition to providing pain relief through myofascial release, craniosacral therapy and ultrasound, Teresa has taught me how to control my thoughts and manage flare ups through self-hypnosis. I also learned how to pace my activities and what exercises to do every day to maintain my body as comfortable as it can be, given my condition. I know I will have fibromyalgia for the rest of my life, but now I also know how not to let it get to me.

-Female, 49

testimonialsBefore working with Teresa I could not control my temper. I was impulsive and always agitated. Hypnosis made it possible for me to learn how to control my emotions and behave in a calm way. Now when I look at people who behave the way I used to behave, getting angry and agitated over nothing, I just think: “I used to be this way, but I no longer am” and I feel great.

– Male, 45

testimonialsI am writing it to you to thank you for my first hypnosis session we had yesterday. It was truly a new beginning. During the session I felt like I was in a lullaby, floating around on a cloud without knowing or thinking about time or about where I was. I didn’t have my “guard’ up and even though we were addressing my key issues – somehow I didn’t concern myself with them. Hypnosis was the most liberating mental experience I have ever had – when I was in your office I felt released from all the issues I had been spending the majority of my time thinking about. Released, yet totally tuned in and connected to the positive messages I was hearing from you. It was the calmness that I always have wanted, but had never been able to find. I loved it! Yesterday night, just before going to bed, I listened to the recording you gave me. I find your voice very soothing and calming and within a few minutes, again, I experienced the same feelings of total relaxation I felt in your office. I didn’t expect that I could get so relaxed on my own before bed since I usually stress out about being able to fall asleep. I fell asleep really fast and I slept until 7:30 am today! I woke up feeling great and I enjoyed my coffee and a quiet mind. I can’t stress enough what a HUGE achievement it is for someone like me who’s been wound up all the time. I used to wake up at 3 in the morning and feel like I had already run out of time in the day. I always worried about how I’d get it all done. Today was the first time in many, many years I felt completely different. Thank you Teresa and I look forward to our next session.

– Female, 38

testimonialsI have tried many different treatments in order to help me wear a CPAP mask. I have had 12 sleep studies, tried nearly 20 masks, attended special mask fitting sessions, and even went to a psychotherapist who specializes in helping people tolerate wearing the mask. But none of these treatments were successful – I still could not wear my CPAP mask.

I was desperate for sleep, so when I learned that my physical therapist was also trained in hypnosis I decided to give it a try. (I knew Teresa Sienkiewicz very well and I figured that if she believed in hypnosis and spent her time and money studying it, then I should give it a try.)

I had just one session with Teresa and the results of it far exceeded any expectations I had going into it. My experience of hypnotic trance was actually not what I expected – I thought I was supposed to feel groggy and out of touch, just the way I saw in movies, but as I now understand I was completely wrong. During the session I felt very relaxed and peaceful, but not out of touch. In fact, I felt very alert (my body was extremely comfortable, but my mind was completely alert). Because of that I thought I was not hypnotized and I thought that the session in no way would help me wear my mask. But since I was already there, I decided to make the best of it and enjoy the beautiful sense of calm I was experiencing, even though I thought it would not solve my problem with the CPAP mask. I did enjoyed hearing the positive suggestions that Teresa gave me, and I really enjoyed the feeling of peace and calm in my body when I was sitting in the recliner chair. When the session ended, I thanked Teresa and went home, all the while thinking that the treatment was nice, but unfruitful.

To my surprise, I slept that night with the mask on! I thought it was a fluke, but the same happened next night, then the next night, then the next. That’s when I realized that I was hypnotized during the session. Nothing else could have resulted in such a drastic change (for years I had not been able to use the mask at all).

Teresa gave me a recording of my session and explained to me how to do self-hypnosis. I do self-hypnosis every day, but have listened to the recording only a few times – I feel like I don’t even need to listed to the recording because I have Teresa’s suggestions in my head and I refer back to them not just when I am wearing a sleep apnea mask, but also when I am trying to do other difficult things in my life. I think that self-hypnosis plays a role in my treatment being so successful and in the longevity of the success.

As a patient, I would say that the most important factor was to have complete trust in the hypnotherapist. I trust Teresa, as she truly cares about her patients and you can feel her healing energy when she is completely focused on you. She has a wonderful rapport with her patients. I believe that if she did not have this gift, hypnotherapy might have not been as successful (and its results would have not been as immediate) as it was in my case.

– Female, 48

testimonialsAfter years of psychotherapy I decided to use hypnosis to work on low self-esteem. I thought it would take me a while to see a difference, but I felt empowered and became more assertive even after my first session. I had 5 hypnosis sessions with Teresa and I must say that the results exceeded my expectations. I think that the best way to describe my transformation is to say that hypnotherapy did not make me a “new’ person – it helped me find my true self and learn to like and accept whom I found.

Female, 32

testimonialsTwo years ago I drove nearly two hours each way to see Teresa for treatment of severe headaches and migraines. It was difficult to fit the treatments into my schedule because I run a busy business, but I did not have a choice – I got to the point I was afraid I would not be able to work. I knew that stress played a big part in my headache and migraine symptoms, so once I learned that Teresa was also a hypnotherapist I decided to also engage in hypnotherapy with her. I was amazed that within two months of us working together I was feeling 75% better – my baseline headaches were practically resolved (I just felt a sensation of tightness in my head, but there was no pain) and migraine attacks decreased from 2-3 times a week to just 3 in a month. With continued treatment, my headaches completely resolved and my migraines became sporadic (I had just 2 migraine episodes in the last year).

I am very grateful to Teresa for her help because not only my headaches are gone, but thanks to hypnosis, I am now able to handle hectic job and stressful life in a way that does not harm my body.

– Female, 45

testimonialsTeresa Sienkiewicz of New Body – New Mind played a crucial role in my long journey back to health and well-being. I am so fortunate to have been referred to her – she is simply the best manual therapist, physical therapist and hypnotist I know.

I always looked forward to every visit with Teresa, not only because of her professional expertise, but also because I really like(d) her as a person. She is very intelligent, extremely hardworking and a joy to be with. She is cheerful and gregarious and gives patients her undivided attention. She really listens, truly cares and offers thoughtful advice and reassurance. Her office environment is beautiful and welcoming and made me feel very comfortable and at ease. During treatment, Teresa made me feel physically and mentally relaxed and well cared for. She exudes confidence and knows exactly what she is doing; you know you are literally in “good hands”.

Regarding my physical TMJ symptoms, I saw immediate improvements in pain, tightness, restrictions and trigger points in my face and neck fairly early on; I eventually saw marked improvements in these areas. Unfortunately, I had simultaneously developed chronic pelvic pain shortly after I began treatment with Teresa (a condition which must have begun years prior). While I continued with Teresa for treatment of TMJ symptoms, I needed to seek additional therapy elsewhere for this other complex and challenging disorder (Teresa referred me to an excellent practice for this). By this time, however, I was also suffering from serious anxiety and depression. All of these conditions proved to be overwhelming for me, and naturally, my progress slowed down.

The pain, anxiety and depression, the fear of not knowing when and if I my pelvic pain would get better (because my TMJ was by that time almost resolved), and the lack of my daily marathon training (so vital to my mental health), was crushing. Teresa was with me every step of the way, always listening to me through lots of my tears, and supporting me in the way nobody else had ever done. I decided to ask Teresa for hypnotherapy as a way to help alleviate my anxiety. She created personalized hypnosis sessions that I benefited greatly from. The messages from my hypnotherapy sessions are still with me in my mind and I continually derive strength and courage from them. Teresa invested the same level of expertise and caring into these sessions as she did with my manual therapy.

I am now back to my normal self. I had gotten my life back and I amazed myself by running my fastest Boston Marathon time with very minimal training.

I am so grateful for all Teresa has done for me. Throughout the nightmare of pain and suffering that I endured, a silver lining was coming to know Teresa Sienkiewicz.

– Female, 45

testimonialsAfter years of conventional “talk” therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy for treatment of general anxiety disorder and claustrophobia (with fear of sitting on an airplane as one of the major issues), I decided to follow my friend’s advice and try hypnotherapy with Teresa Sienkiewicz at New Body New Mind (my friend was Teresa’s client and had great results with hypnosis for panic attacks).

I had researched the topic of hypnosis with great interest, but also with a good deal of skepticism. Despite my hesitations, due to the fact that I had not made any real progress with my other treatments, I decided I would give it a fair try. My additional motivation was that my 17 year old daughter really wanted to go to South America and I was determined to go with her, but to do that I needed first to be able to get onto a plane. And how was a supposed to do it when even a thought of entering a plane was setting off a panic in me? So I drove over an hour to meet with Teresa and discuss my case.

I was greeted at her office with friendliness, care and compassion and felt completely comfortable and relaxed in her presence. She was very thorough during my initial visit and wanted to understand every detail of the issues I had hoped to resolve. I trusted her competence and credentials and somehow I was confident that she could help me and I was correct about that.

After just three sessions with Teresa, I was amazed at the outcome: I no longer had fears of closed spaces and was overall a more calm, relaxed and confident person. But the true test came during the trip to South America (yes, I did go with my daughter just three weeks after my third session with Teresa). I was completely calm and relaxed on the plane, just as I was feeling during my mental practice with Teresa when in hypnosis. Then, when we were in Peru, every day I was sitting in crowded cars, mini-vans, busses, trains, etc. and I was perfectly fine with that. At one point during our travels, our train broke down on the tracks in the middle of the Andes mountains. We were trapped for nearly 3 hours in a very crowded car with no air conditioning and limited water. It was the ultimate “test” for me and I was in total control. No panic whatsoever. During that entire time, I never once felt claustrophobic, anxious or fearful despite many people around me having a very difficult time. I knew immediately that my reaction to the situation was a direct result of the help I had received from Teresa. Also, during one of our numerous hikes, we had to navigate through a long, extremely narrow, dark cavern with no sight of the other end and again I was able to do it with no anxiety at all. It was such a liberating experience and I cannot thank Teresa enough for all her help and expertise.

To this day, I am able to travel and live with confidence having overcome the fears and anxieties that had plagued me for years. Hypnosis has changed my life and the life of my family for the better in the most profound way.

– Female, 49

testimonialsI did hypnosis for facial tics. I am a business consultant and my tics were particularly bad when I was meeting new clients, which of course was making me very self-conscious and nervous. I was trying to avoid meeting people face-to-face, and I was getting nervous just packing my bag for a business trip. I have tried many interventions for this problem, but none of them worked. I was desperate, so I decided to try hypnosis. I must say that hypnosis was the only thing that worked for me. I may occasionally get nervous thinking about an important meeting, but now I know how to deal with it – if I start feeling slightly anxious, I go back to the recordings of my sessions and that is all I need to do to feel calm again.

– Male, 38

testimonialsI am not a relaxed person and I am an analytical skeptic, so trying hypnotherapy was a stretch for me. I did it because I felt I had no choice. The stress started affecting my health and I needed to learn how to handle it better. I trusted Teresa from the first time I saw her. I felt very comfortable in her office and I was completely comfortable with her – Teresa was very professional, but also warm and caring; she was a good listener and I immediately felt I could trust her.

I thought I would have difficulties relaxing and going into hypnosis because I had never been able to relax when trying to meditate at home. To my surprise, even at the first session I had no trouble following the messages and cues from Teresa and I relaxed very fast and very deeply. I was surprised how easy it was: I just listened to what Teresa was saying and before I knew, I felt so safe and so comfortable that I didn’t care about anything else. I could see every image Teresa was describing to me, from sitting in a cloud chair to pulling out a plug in a bath tub and sending stress down the drain. I couldn’t believe how comfortable and relaxed my body became – I did not feel my body at all (even though I was aware of it), just as I did not have any thoughts popping into my mind (even though I knew I could think if I wanted to).

At my next two sessions I went into hypnosis even deeper because I already knew how to relax and I practiced going into hypnosis at home (Teresa gave me recordings of my sessions). When in deep trance, I could still talk and remain in hypnosis. Just like the first time, all imagery used by Teresa promoted a sense of calm, peace, safety and comfort, but this time in addition to feeling relaxed and peaceful we were also working on my issues and imagining specific stress-producing life situations and developing new reactions to these situations.

The work I did through hypnosis has completely altered my life. I still practice with the recordings of my sessions because I benefit from it. As a result of my (self-hypnosis) practice I am a much calmer, more self-confident and more optimistic person. I am very happy with the results of my hypnotherapy with Teresa and because of my positive experience I often recommend hypnosis to my friends and family members.

– Female, 55

testimonialsI approached Teresa to help my daughter focus and perform to the best of her abilities during swimming competitions. She was an excellent swimmer, but she did not perform well under pressure. Hypnosis helped my daughter tremendously in the area of athletic performance, but what impressed me even more was that it empowered her in a way that also showed in other areas of her life. My daughter is now more assertive and more self- confident. She says that she is able to concentrate better during tests at school, which has resulted in improved grades. She says that she no longer needs to listen to the recordings from her hypnosis sessions because now she can relax and focus on her own.

– Female, 14

testimonialsI scheduled hypnosis sessions with Teresa when I learned that I needed a major surgery because I had anxiety related to medical procedures and I was terrified of needles. I was fainting every time I had my blood drawn (I was not able to do the pre-op blood work), I could not imagine having an IV line in my vein and I was feeling anxious just thinking about the surgery. Hypnosis helped me not only with pre-op tests involving blood drawing (after doing hypnosis I was perfectly calm during blood drawing, even though the nurse who did it had difficulties finding my veins and needed to repeat the procedure number of times), but it also prepared me for surgery and for post-surgical recovery. I felt no anxiety entering the hospital and going into the surgery – on the day of my surgery I felt exactly the way Teresa described to me when I was in hypnosis – and I felt completely calm when I woke up in the recovery room with IVs in my veins. My fear of needles, hospitals and medical procedure is fully resolved now, thanks to hypnosis.

– Female, 34

testimonialsI wish I had discovered hypnotherapy earlier in life. All my life I have struggled with low self-esteem and anxiety. I’ve been in therapy on and off most of my life and even though I have made good progress, I could never get to the point where I would feel inner peace. Hypnosis has allowed me reach that place of peace, acceptance, and harmony. As a result of hypnotherapy I’ve developed a positive attitude. My negative self-talk is almost gone and if I catch myself being negative again I know exactly how to handle it. Hypnosis has been the most positive and the most empowering experience in my life.

– Female, 67

testimonialsWhen my daughter was 13 she wanted to go to an overnight camp with her friends. But this was a problem: she was terrified of thunder and had panic attacks every time she heard it. The problem became so bad I could see she was getting anxious on rainy days or when she saw clouds gathering before rain. Unfortunately, we have many thunder storms in the summer, so if she were to go to a camp, she would have to resolve her anxiety and panic attacks.

My daughter had worked with a child psychiatrist on this issue but, unfortunately, she had not made any progress. Eventually her psychiatrist suggested hypnosis.

Teresa worked with my daughter for 5 weeks. Two weeks after her last session we had a chance to test how hypnosis worked – there was a major storm with thunder and lighting and, to our astonishment, my daughter was perfectly calm. (I became nervous and rushed to her room to console her and she was just sitting on her bed, reading a book, completely relaxed. I could not believe my eyes). Thanks to hypnosis my daughter is no longer afraid of thunder. She’s been doing what every child her age does: going to camp, having sleep-overs, going on trips, etc. and I no longer keep checking weather reports to keep her safe.

– Female, 13

testimonialsMy husband and I are very grateful we found Teresa. We were referred to her by our daughter’s child psychologist. Her hypnosis sessions with Teresa have completely changed her life (and our lives): she went from a shut-down, fearful child to an opened-up, happy child. She stopped sleeping in our bedroom and is happy sleeping in her own bedroom. She is no longer afraid of the dark. She enjoys going to school and playing with her friends. We could not be more thrilled with the results of hypnotherapy and we highly recommend Teresa to any parent who worries about their child.

- Female 10

testimonialsMy 13 y.o. son developed headaches. I took him to every doctor, but nothing seemed to help until he started treatment with Teresa. Teresa is great with children – my son absolutely loved her and allowed her work on his neck muscles, which was making a huge difference in his symptoms right from the beginning. My son also did hypnosis to learn how to relax and stop clenching his teeth (I had never thought that children his age experienced life as stressful, but now I am learning that this is quite common now). As a result of Teresa’s treatment my son no longer complains of headaches and seems to be much happier and more relaxed then he was before. We are so grateful to Teresa for that!

– Male, 13

testimonialsHypnosis in the best relaxation tool I have ever found. I have practiced meditation, I’ve done yoga and chakra work, I have many books and relaxation CDs and DVDs, but none of these has worked as well for me as hypnosis.

– Female, 46

testimonialsI am so glad my GI doctor referred me to Teresa for hypnosis. I have been struggling with GI issues all my life, but the last 10 years were just a nightmare. I got to the point I was afraid to leave the house because I was either constipated or had a diarrhea and I was always bloated and in pain. I could barely work (and it was taking me 3-4 hours just to prepare for leaving to work because of my bathroom needs). I did not have any social life – I could not date anyone and I even didn’t want to see my friends because I never knew when I would need to use the bathroom and I was in constant pain (either from gas or from constipation). I was afraid to eat because even foods I thought were safe for me were causing problems. I felt hopeless and depressed.

I was initially resistant to the idea of hypnosis because I didn’t know how it could help me. I had heard about people using hypnosis to quit smoking or to lose weight, but IBS is a medical problem, so I did not think it would do anything for it. The next time I saw my doctor for a follow up I was in tears and I thought I could not live like that anymore. Again, my doctor insisted I do hypnosis and this time I reluctantly scheduled an appointment. I felt foolish driving for the appointment and I remember thinking “This is crazy! How is she supposed to hypnotize me? I am in pain and stressed to the limits and I don’t even believe in hypnosis”.

That’s what I thought when I entered the office, but I immediately felt at ease when I started talking with Teresa. Somehow I just felt comfortable with her and I trusted she knew what she was doing. She was very professional and she understood IBS very well – it was obvious by the questions she asked me. I felt comfortable talking with her about quite gross and disgusting things like my bowel and bathroom habits. I was still concerned that I would not be able to relax enough to get hypnotized, but it was not the case at all. I actually relaxed very quickly. My body was very heavy even though I felt a floating sensation. The experience was so deeply relaxing that it would have been difficult to move if I had wanted to move. I remember becoming emotional because I felt so good! Once I was in hypnosis Teresa was telling me to think about things related to my body and imagine my stomach and intestines and what was happening there – she was describing everything to me and I just listened. I was surprised that, as we were going through the session, I was able to stop my stomach from churning and stop feeling abdominal pain just by imagining what Teresa was describing to me. I loved the image of a river slowly rolling down, down, down, … Teresa was using her words very deliberately – everything she was telling me had a meaning. When the session was over, I knew that hypnosis would help me with IBS.

We had two more sessions after my first session and I cannot even describe how helpful these sessions were. Until now, every time I imagine the river flowing down I feel my stomach and intestines relaxing, almost like unwinding, and I feel comfortable. Teresa also gave me a sign that I do with my fingers, which helps me relax and center myself. I can do it even when I am talking with somebody – they don’t notice anything, but I immediately feel relaxed and comfortable when I do that. I still listen to different parts of my sessions. I don’t treat it as homework – I really want to do it because it helps me feel good. I think anyone suffering from IBS should do hypnosis – it really makes a huge difference!

– Female, 43

testimonialsI could never thank Teresa enough for helping my 12- year old son to stop bed-wetting. After just one hypnosis session we already saw an improvement. We could not believe that with the total of three sessions the problem was permanently gone, which did wonders for my son’s self-esteem. My son is now able to participate in sleep-overs and we are planning to send him to an overnight camp without any worries.

- Male 12