Thank you for your interest in my practice and I am sorry for the additional inconvenience, but I am not accepting new therapy requests during the COVID-9 pandemic until this notice no longer appears here.
"Know Thyself"
An honest therapist will not exact an absurdly high fee, and neither will many sessions be necessary. Painful and frightening traumas, often long-forgotten, remain deeply rooted in the unconscious and generate a variety of troubling or debilitating psychological or physical symptoms. My practice of hypnotherapy is a depth approach aimed at uprooting the very cause and eliminating the symptoms entirely.
If you are searching for an ethical, compassionate, and affordable practitioner of hypnotherapy, you have come to the right place. Usually only 2-3 sessions are required to complete treatment. Intensity replaces frequency and quality replaces quantity. A FREE consultation allows you, the prospective client, time to decide to proceed with treatment or to leave without financial obligation.
This page does not use testimonials for advertising purposes. A binder of self-reports from former clients, redacted to preserve their confidentiality, is available upon request. If you have questions that are not addressed here, including fee, please contact me by the phone number or email address at the top right of this page.
© Photo credit to Alun Salt, The Temple of Apollo at Delphi, Greece
Greetings, and thank you for your interest in my practice! I am certified as a Diplomate and Fellow in Clinical Hypnotherapy by the National Board of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists (#544 www.natboard.com). I am also a licensed Florida Mental Health Counselor (MH1412), and hold the following credentials issued by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC): National Certified Counselor, Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, and Master Addictions Counselor. In your search for a hypnotherapist, it is advisable that you select a practitioner who is licensed under one of the recognized mental health disciplines (with a professional code of ethics), and one who is qualified to practice hypnosis and hypnotherapy for the treatment of psychological problems.
Please Be Advised: Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy, by themselves, are not regulated by The Florida Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance. They ARE regulated when implemented as a specialty under one of the licensed mental health disciplines. This means that non-degreed, unlicensed, uncertified and clinically untrained individuals are able to call themselves hypnotherapists in the state of Florida. "Caveat Emptor!" ['Let the Buyer Beware!'].
I began the licensed practice of mental health counseling and psychotherapy in 1985 and added hypnotherapy to my practice in 1989 having received my initial training in the Dave Elman method of hypnosis from the late Gerald Kein, director of the Omni Hypnosis Center, DeLand, Florida (formerly Fort Lauderdale, Florida). I received additional training from Jon Connelly in Rapid Trauma Resolution™, from Stephen Lankton (who trained under Milton Erickson) in Milton Erickson's Metaphorical Method™, and in Neurolinguistic Programming™ from Maryanne Reese. My preferred technique of hypnotherapy is the 5-Path™ method developed by Cal Banyan in collaboration with Gerald Kein (see my LinkedIn® page for full credentials by clicking at the blue and white "in" link at the top right corner of this page). However, fluency in English is necessary for the prospective client to receive treatment. I have treated individuals across the lifespan from children to nonagenarians, (my doctorate is in lifespan Human Development Education & Clinical Psychology), but owing to 27 years of counseling experience with middle school children, the minimal age for my hypnotherapeutic treatment of children is 11 since this is the beginning of the age-range with which I have extensive clinical experience.
HISTORICALLY, the word hypnosis was first used by the French Mesmerist Étienne Félix d'Henin de Cuvillers (1755–1841) as early as 1820 but it was popularized in English by Scottish surgeon and hypnosis pioneer, Dr. James Braid (1795-1860) around 1841 who adapted the name from the ancient Greek god of sleep, Hypnos. About the same time, another British physician, Dr. James Esdaile (1808-1859) was using hypnosis for surgical anesthesia and who performed some 300 major operations including limb amputations, painlessly, using hypnosis alone as anesthesia! An even earlier pioneer in the field, Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), had named trance induction after himself, calling it Mesmerism. But it was Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893), the French neurologist, who introduced hypnosis to the great Viennese Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Charcot's pupil Pierre Janet (1859-1947) in turn introduced hypnosis to the great American psychologist William James, and to the famous depth-psychologists C.G. Jung and Alfred Adler, and thence to modern times. Well known postmodern hypnotists include Dave Elman, Gil Boyne, Harry Arons, Rachel Copelan, Dr. Herbert Spiegel, Dr. Milton Erickson, Gerald Kein and Cal Banyan.
The phenomenon that we call hypnosis today has a very ancient history. Indeed, one of the most famous instances of the use of trance was among the Oracles at Delphi in ancient Greece, who may have elicited trance through a method of self-hypnosis by inhaling naturally occurring psychoactive gas arising from a fissure over which she sat on a tripod chair. The Oracle's inhalations would have had psychological effects similar to modern narco-hypnosis (narcosynthesis) or hypno-sleep technique using Barbiturate medications. The exact chemistry that affected the Oracle is still a matter of controversy (e.g., https://www.livescience.com/4277-theory-oracle-delphi-high.html ). In an altered state of mind, the Delphic (or Pythian) Oracles were sought out by troubled individuals for insight into their own maladies from the 8th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D.
RECENTLY, perhaps the most famous individual in modern times who has utilized trance for insight into the maladies of others was Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) called "The Sleeping Prophet" by one biographer. While every prognostication has not proven to be true, many have. Additionally, the the science-fiction author Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) envisioned in trance the exact birth defect that would have imminently killed his young son. With no medical training, he was completely accurate in his spontaneous diagnosis and it saved his son's life. While worth noting, both Cayce's work and Dick's biographical disclosure leave the realm of psychology and open into parapsychological considerations which surpasses the general subject matter of this webpage. My intention is to pique the interest of the reader with regard to the curious subject of trance. Please set aside every association you the reader have absorbed from TV, the movies, news stories, comic strips, or cartoons before reading on. Everyone has them!
Trance, the altered state of consciousness which characterizes hypnosis, has been an important part of the art of healing in ancient cultures. In addition to the Oracles at Delphi there were the Therapeutae of Greece, the temple priests of ancient Egypt, the yogis and Ayurveda practitioners of India, the lung-gompas (runners) of Tibet, Siberian and Laplander shamen, and the medicine [wo]men of the Plains Indians of North America. These are but a few well known examples. There is all of Asia, Africa, Australia, Central and South America, Polynesia, Eskimo-Aleut, and no doubt other cultures to consider. Historically, trance has been at the center of diverse healing traditions for millennia. Wisdom traditions the world over have been the trustees of techniques which would come to be understood in modern times as hypnosis. Psychotherapy that is conducted while a client is in a hypnotic trance is called hypnotherapy, and it is a brief, intense, and highly effective form of therapy.
Hypnotherapist Dave Elman defined hypnosis thusly: "Hypnosis is a state of mind in which the critical faculty of the human is bypassed, and selective thinking established." This means that hypnosis is a matter of consent, never force. Once the "critical factor," or analytical mind is bypassed, one's mind becomes extremely open to suggestions, but not to any suggestions, only to suggestions that one actively likes. Suggestions towards which one is neutral or averse to will not be accepted. This means that a hypnotist can never seduce someone into doing something that [s]he is morally opposed to, despite what one has seen on TV or in the movies! Also, the use of the command, "Sleep!" in hypnosis, does not mean actual sleep. In hypnotic trance one is neither asleep nor does one lose consciousness or control. In fact, in hypnosis an individual takes back control over things that have gotten out of control! Remember this - ALL hypnosis is self-hypnosis, and the hypnotist is merely a guide into that wonderfully useful state of mind.
SUBJECTIVELY, subjects sometimes say that they thought they were asleep or on the verge of sleep which is correct. There may be a sense of time distortion similar to what occurs under the influence of Nitrous oxide ('laughing gas') that is used in dental offices for otherwise painful procedures. The session can seem to have lasted no more than a few minutes when it has been an hour or longer. Also like 'laughing gas,' hypnosis elicits a pleasant sense of dissociation. I have never known a client who said that [s]he did not like the condition upon emerging from hypnotic trance. There may be sensations of floating, sinking, gentle swaying, pleasant heaviness in the limbs, and tingling of the fingers and/or toes upon emerging. On rare occasions there may be a bit of dizziness or disorientation but these quickly pass long before a client needs to drive home. These effects are due in part to a healthy temporary lowering of one's blood pressure. Some subjects might feel a bit cool or chilly as their blood pressure lowers (so I usually cover clients with a light blanket). For those prospective clients who think they have difficulty relaxing - remember that if you sleep at all, you have relaxed. What you mean is that you have difficulty relaxing by conscious decision. Correct! You cannot relax by an act of will, but by an act of surrender. Once trust is established, you will not have difficulty in the therapy chair.
SCIENTIFICALLY, a modern and technological description of hypnosis should not be overlooked. Electroencephalogram (EEG) studies of brain waves suggest four major types of brain waves designated by the Greek letters Alpha, Beta, Delta and Theta. A fifth type, designated Gamma has recently been posited, but this Superconscious state is not part of the hypnotic process. Hypnosis typically begins with ordinary thinking which is characteristically Beta wave activity (14-30 Cycles Per Second or CPS). The process shifts from Beta waves to slower Alpha waves (8-13 CPS), which heralds meditation and deep relaxation. Finally, one elicits Theta waves (4-7 CPS) which characterize 'the working state' of hypnosis. It is intermediary between waking and sleeping, a reverie state that we all pass through every time we awaken from deep sleep or begin to fall deeply asleep, which is the Delta wave state (0.5-3.5 CPS). From this perspective, hypnosis is not an alien or unfamiliar condition. What the hypnotist does is to elicit Theta wave activity, guide the subject from Beta to Alpha to Theta, while preventing one from entering the Delta wave state (you're not here to snore)! In Theta wave states, one is able to experience great insights.
CLASSICALLY, there are varying depths to the hypnotic trance, but we call the 'working state of hypnosis,' somnambulism. Like the word sleep, the word somnambulism has a special meaning in hypnosis. It does not mean 'sleep-walking.' One reclines on the therapy chair throughout treatment, in a profoundly deep and pleasant state of relaxation, in which one can comfortably re-experience formerly uncomfortable or even painful life experiences. This re-experiencing is not merely vivid memory (hypermnesia), it is living through an experience again in order to have the pain associated with the experience removed. However, by the establishment of a pleasantly dissociated state of mind, the client will not be re-traumatized. This process is called revivification, and it is part of a wider procedure called age regression. Whereas hypnotic suggestion serves to alleviate or even replace symptoms with a pleasant condition, age regression aims at eliminating symptoms entirely. A lighter state of hypnosis which does not cross the threshold into somnambulism is referred to as being hypnoidal. This condition can be brought about by doing self-hypnosis with a pendulum for example, but it is of insufficient depth to be somnambulism.
Some of the clinical issues that I have had excellent treatment results with include:
If you are unsure if hypnotherapy is indicated for something not listed above, simply phone me to ask. Unfortunately, I do not treat cigarette smoking addiction. I specialize in trauma-based symptoms, and cigarette smoking is not the result of a trauma but a choice influenced by social learning processes and belongingness needs usually during adolescence. For this concern I recommend hypnotic treatment at a center that is oriented solely for smoking cessation.
METAPHYSICALLY, a word on past-life regression. While I am knowledgeable about this phenomenon, I will remind any prospective client who is seeking a past-life experience that in such matters, I remain a clinician not a metaphysician! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_life_regression . Because I take a psychological position toward such phenomena that may arise in hypnosis, I do not attribute metaphysical or spiritual significance to such spontaneously arising material because it is entirely possible that the unconscious creates past-life experiences in the same way that it creates elaborate dreams every night. Additionally, there are significant differences in the concepts of past-life phenomena in different cultures. For example, Buddhist rebirth has a very different premise than Hindu reincarnation. There are different versions of transmigration among the ancient Greek Platonists and Pythagoreans (metempsychosis), among Jewish Orthodoxy (gilgul), or among today's Neo-Pagans (e.g., Wiccans, Neo-Druids, Heathanry). Different concepts are sometimes in direct contradiction with one another. The result may be confusion instead of clarity, complication rather than simplification. A significant disturbance of one's world-view can result in a spiritual emergency or spiritual crisis. Therefore, for ethical reasons I prefer not to see a client and receive a fee for the express purpose of searching for past-life experiences.
Description of Services
Phone Consultation: Your initial contact may be by e-mail but I require a brief phone conversation, even for minors! Through this medium I can discern nuances in emotion and determine readiness for treatment unhampered by 'best behavior' personas that typically emerge in face-to-face interactions between strangers. I do not charge for phone-time and this is part of the FREE consultation which will be extended to a face-to-face consultation at my residential office prior to the 1st session.
1st Session: This is usually the first 15 or 20 minutes of the session - enough time for you to decide whether to go ahead with the procedure or leave without obligation. My wife is always available to greet clients, and to ease any trepidations my prospective clients may have. A brief history-taking will be conducted, a consent form signed, and a fee collected (or directly following the session, it's up to the client). A hypnotic pre-talk is included in the first visit as an important means for dispelling misconceptions about hypnosis, for the development of trust, and to build positive expectations. Some pre-talk may have been covered during a phone conversation which we will have had prior to an actual visit. Sometimes a few brief tests ('convincers') of hypnotizability may be conducted depending on the client. Lastly, the first session will end with a hypnotic induction, and a suggestion will be made to go into trance more rapidly and more deeply on the following visit. There will also be a suggestion to sleep more deeply than one has in a while, and to awaken more refreshed from sleep than one has done in a while. (I liken this process to restarting one's computer after a new program has been downloaded in order to fully install it). The client will be allowed to enjoy the hypnotic trance state for a while in order to become familiar with it, and to more firmly establish the trance state which is usually ignored on the way into normal sleep. In hypnosis this state, intermediary between deep relaxation and sleep, is isolated and concentrated for therapeutic use.
2nd Session: Begins the actual hypnotherapy. A hypnotic induction is done as with the first session, changed up somewhat. Once somnambulism is attained, therapeutic techniques are applied. One of those techniques is called the Affect Bridge™, another is the elicitation of a flashbulb/snapshot memory, an intuitive rather than a thinking response. Remember, psychotherapy that is conducted while a client is in a hypnotic trance is called hypnotherapy. (Sometimes clients worry that they will 'mess up' or give a wrong response. Not to worry! There is no such thing as a wrong response in this process)! A further depth of hypnotherapy includes hypnoanalysis. One result of this process is a new understanding of the cause of one's symptoms. In common language, one will 'connect the dots,' which will reveal the 'big picture' formed from discrete events in one's life (the 'dots'). The relaxation, receptivity to change, and enhanced suggestibility greatly reduces the amount of time and money that traditional psychotherapy would require making it cost effective. Moreover, through dissociation, the trance makes dealing with difficult material much, much easier to handle. When I accept a client it is because I am confident that the problem can be resolved in 2-3 sessions, however, two sessions are necessarily minimum. With hypnotherapy, one is trading the lengthy duration of standard talk therapy sessions for intensity. This is how only a few sessions can achieve results more rapidly than months of psychotherapy. I endeavor to eliminate symptoms in as few sessions as possible. Please be advised that even though most people feel noticeable relief at the end of the first hypnotherapy session, complete disappearance of symptoms can take 2-3 weeks. The unconscious is a living, organic reality and complete change occurs gradually, more like a flower unfolding than the flip of a mechanical switch.
Payment: Is due at the time of service in the form of cash or check. (I do not accept credit cards at this time). A cash receipt is available. You pay for one session at a time with NO commitment to a series of sessions (commonly called a 'package') and NO money down prior to treatment. I am confident that the total cost for treatment is less than others you've researched. Please phone me for information on the fee. At the conclusion of the final session (to be determined by the client based on the reduction/elimination of symptoms), I can teach you self-hypnosis and the use of the Chevreul pendulum. Following that instruction the client will leave with a complimentary pendulum!
Follow-Up: Following the hypnotherapeutic removal of a problem, sometimes repressed emotions may emerge 1-3 weeks afterwards. This is a natural healing process called catharsis. These emotions can be surprising and sometimes upsetting because they arise spontaneously with no apparent external trigger for the sudden emotional state. They usually resolve themselves shortly thereafter. Feel free to phone me if you'd like for support and clarification. There is no charge for this kind of aftercare. Infrequently, symptoms return. This does not mean that your therapy failed, it means there is a second issue that needs to be treated. It may be sufficiently similar to the first issue that was addressed in therapy so it remained hidden as it were 'behind' the first issue, but it may not become apparent until a week or so after the resolution of the first issue. Or, it may mean that you dismissed something that arose in treatment as insignificant and did not disclose it but it turned out to be significant. If additional treatment is needed, only then is a 3rd Session typically made for a fee. I have not yet encountered a client with more than two significant events that required separate hypnotherapy sessions (so do not worry that you will require more and more sessions). Lastly, while you are not beholden to me after your treatment and final fee, any feedback by way of e-mail is greatly appreciated because it helps me to make corrections and improve my skills for future clients.
PLEASE NOTE: FOUR CAUTIONARY POINTS
(1) If you are currently taking ANY Benzodiazepine medications (e.g., Xanax®, Valium® or Diastat®, Librium®, Ativan®, Klonopin®, Tranxene®, Halcion®, Serax®, Dalmane®, Restoril®, Paxipam®, ProSom®, or their corresponding European names), this class of drug prevents one's ability to enter into hypnotic trance to the depth necessary for a successful hypnotherapeutic outcome. With the guidance of your prescribing physician, it will be necessary for you to be free of the influence of these medications in your body before beginning hypnotherapeutic treatment. If you are a habitual user, even as clinically prescribed, do not stop taking any Benzodiazepine medication abruptly! Very serious and potentially life-threatening withdrawal reactions can result! Similarly, I will not treat someone who is under the influence of any controlled substance (legal or illegal), currently addicted to opiates, opioids or alcohol, or experiencing any withdrawal symptoms from these substances. A client's nervous system will need to have been detoxified before treatment can commence.
(2) If hypnotherapy is being sought for the alleviation of physical pain, I require a written note from your physician that indicates it is safe to proceed. A prescription pad note is acceptable. (Masking pain of undiagnosed medical conditions with hypnosis can have grave consequences).
(3) Please do not wear contact lenses during hypnosis as occasional lachrymation (tearing) can cause irritation. It is suggested that eye glasses be worn instead, or removal of contacts prior to treatment.
(4) Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages (coffee, tea, energy drinks, soda) shortly before arriving for treatment.
Please extend the courtesy of a timely notice of postponement or cancellation. Promptness is greatly appreciated! Feel free to email me at drmarkabrahams@yahoo.com or if you have questions about my credentials, click on the LinkedIn® button at the right top of this page. Of course, if you have questions and want to speak to me directly or set up an appointment, phone me (do not text) on my land line at (305) 653-4841 from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, 7 days a week. Thanks again for your interest in my practice!
Sincerely,
Dr. Mark Abrahams
835 Northeast 206th Street
Miami, Florida 33179
USA
Serving Greater Miami-Dade County, North Miami Beach, Aventura, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, and Greater Broward & Palm Beach Counties.
Please Be Advised: Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy, by themselves, are not regulated by The Florida Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance. They ARE regulated when implemented as a specialty under one of the licensed mental health disciplines. This means that non-degreed, unlicensed, uncertified and clinically untrained individuals are able to call themselves hypnotherapists in the state of Florida. "Caveat Emptor!" ['Let the Buyer Beware!'].
I began the licensed practice of mental health counseling and psychotherapy in 1985 and added hypnotherapy to my practice in 1989 having received my initial training in the Dave Elman method of hypnosis from the late Gerald Kein, director of the Omni Hypnosis Center, DeLand, Florida (formerly Fort Lauderdale, Florida). I received additional training from Jon Connelly in Rapid Trauma Resolution™, from Stephen Lankton (who trained under Milton Erickson) in Milton Erickson's Metaphorical Method™, and in Neurolinguistic Programming™ from Maryanne Reese. My preferred technique of hypnotherapy is the 5-Path™ method developed by Cal Banyan in collaboration with Gerald Kein (see my LinkedIn® page for full credentials by clicking at the blue and white "in" link at the top right corner of this page). However, fluency in English is necessary for the prospective client to receive treatment. I have treated individuals across the lifespan from children to nonagenarians, (my doctorate is in lifespan Human Development Education & Clinical Psychology), but owing to 27 years of counseling experience with middle school children, the minimal age for my hypnotherapeutic treatment of children is 11 since this is the beginning of the age-range with which I have extensive clinical experience.
HISTORICALLY, the word hypnosis was first used by the French Mesmerist Étienne Félix d'Henin de Cuvillers (1755–1841) as early as 1820 but it was popularized in English by Scottish surgeon and hypnosis pioneer, Dr. James Braid (1795-1860) around 1841 who adapted the name from the ancient Greek god of sleep, Hypnos. About the same time, another British physician, Dr. James Esdaile (1808-1859) was using hypnosis for surgical anesthesia and who performed some 300 major operations including limb amputations, painlessly, using hypnosis alone as anesthesia! An even earlier pioneer in the field, Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), had named trance induction after himself, calling it Mesmerism. But it was Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893), the French neurologist, who introduced hypnosis to the great Viennese Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Charcot's pupil Pierre Janet (1859-1947) in turn introduced hypnosis to the great American psychologist William James, and to the famous depth-psychologists C.G. Jung and Alfred Adler, and thence to modern times. Well known postmodern hypnotists include Dave Elman, Gil Boyne, Harry Arons, Rachel Copelan, Dr. Herbert Spiegel, Dr. Milton Erickson, Gerald Kein and Cal Banyan.
The phenomenon that we call hypnosis today has a very ancient history. Indeed, one of the most famous instances of the use of trance was among the Oracles at Delphi in ancient Greece, who may have elicited trance through a method of self-hypnosis by inhaling naturally occurring psychoactive gas arising from a fissure over which she sat on a tripod chair. The Oracle's inhalations would have had psychological effects similar to modern narco-hypnosis (narcosynthesis) or hypno-sleep technique using Barbiturate medications. The exact chemistry that affected the Oracle is still a matter of controversy (e.g., https://www.livescience.com/4277-theory-oracle-delphi-high.html ). In an altered state of mind, the Delphic (or Pythian) Oracles were sought out by troubled individuals for insight into their own maladies from the 8th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D.
RECENTLY, perhaps the most famous individual in modern times who has utilized trance for insight into the maladies of others was Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) called "The Sleeping Prophet" by one biographer. While every prognostication has not proven to be true, many have. Additionally, the the science-fiction author Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) envisioned in trance the exact birth defect that would have imminently killed his young son. With no medical training, he was completely accurate in his spontaneous diagnosis and it saved his son's life. While worth noting, both Cayce's work and Dick's biographical disclosure leave the realm of psychology and open into parapsychological considerations which surpasses the general subject matter of this webpage. My intention is to pique the interest of the reader with regard to the curious subject of trance. Please set aside every association you the reader have absorbed from TV, the movies, news stories, comic strips, or cartoons before reading on. Everyone has them!
Trance, the altered state of consciousness which characterizes hypnosis, has been an important part of the art of healing in ancient cultures. In addition to the Oracles at Delphi there were the Therapeutae of Greece, the temple priests of ancient Egypt, the yogis and Ayurveda practitioners of India, the lung-gompas (runners) of Tibet, Siberian and Laplander shamen, and the medicine [wo]men of the Plains Indians of North America. These are but a few well known examples. There is all of Asia, Africa, Australia, Central and South America, Polynesia, Eskimo-Aleut, and no doubt other cultures to consider. Historically, trance has been at the center of diverse healing traditions for millennia. Wisdom traditions the world over have been the trustees of techniques which would come to be understood in modern times as hypnosis. Psychotherapy that is conducted while a client is in a hypnotic trance is called hypnotherapy, and it is a brief, intense, and highly effective form of therapy.
Hypnotherapist Dave Elman defined hypnosis thusly: "Hypnosis is a state of mind in which the critical faculty of the human is bypassed, and selective thinking established." This means that hypnosis is a matter of consent, never force. Once the "critical factor," or analytical mind is bypassed, one's mind becomes extremely open to suggestions, but not to any suggestions, only to suggestions that one actively likes. Suggestions towards which one is neutral or averse to will not be accepted. This means that a hypnotist can never seduce someone into doing something that [s]he is morally opposed to, despite what one has seen on TV or in the movies! Also, the use of the command, "Sleep!" in hypnosis, does not mean actual sleep. In hypnotic trance one is neither asleep nor does one lose consciousness or control. In fact, in hypnosis an individual takes back control over things that have gotten out of control! Remember this - ALL hypnosis is self-hypnosis, and the hypnotist is merely a guide into that wonderfully useful state of mind.
SUBJECTIVELY, subjects sometimes say that they thought they were asleep or on the verge of sleep which is correct. There may be a sense of time distortion similar to what occurs under the influence of Nitrous oxide ('laughing gas') that is used in dental offices for otherwise painful procedures. The session can seem to have lasted no more than a few minutes when it has been an hour or longer. Also like 'laughing gas,' hypnosis elicits a pleasant sense of dissociation. I have never known a client who said that [s]he did not like the condition upon emerging from hypnotic trance. There may be sensations of floating, sinking, gentle swaying, pleasant heaviness in the limbs, and tingling of the fingers and/or toes upon emerging. On rare occasions there may be a bit of dizziness or disorientation but these quickly pass long before a client needs to drive home. These effects are due in part to a healthy temporary lowering of one's blood pressure. Some subjects might feel a bit cool or chilly as their blood pressure lowers (so I usually cover clients with a light blanket). For those prospective clients who think they have difficulty relaxing - remember that if you sleep at all, you have relaxed. What you mean is that you have difficulty relaxing by conscious decision. Correct! You cannot relax by an act of will, but by an act of surrender. Once trust is established, you will not have difficulty in the therapy chair.
SCIENTIFICALLY, a modern and technological description of hypnosis should not be overlooked. Electroencephalogram (EEG) studies of brain waves suggest four major types of brain waves designated by the Greek letters Alpha, Beta, Delta and Theta. A fifth type, designated Gamma has recently been posited, but this Superconscious state is not part of the hypnotic process. Hypnosis typically begins with ordinary thinking which is characteristically Beta wave activity (14-30 Cycles Per Second or CPS). The process shifts from Beta waves to slower Alpha waves (8-13 CPS), which heralds meditation and deep relaxation. Finally, one elicits Theta waves (4-7 CPS) which characterize 'the working state' of hypnosis. It is intermediary between waking and sleeping, a reverie state that we all pass through every time we awaken from deep sleep or begin to fall deeply asleep, which is the Delta wave state (0.5-3.5 CPS). From this perspective, hypnosis is not an alien or unfamiliar condition. What the hypnotist does is to elicit Theta wave activity, guide the subject from Beta to Alpha to Theta, while preventing one from entering the Delta wave state (you're not here to snore)! In Theta wave states, one is able to experience great insights.
CLASSICALLY, there are varying depths to the hypnotic trance, but we call the 'working state of hypnosis,' somnambulism. Like the word sleep, the word somnambulism has a special meaning in hypnosis. It does not mean 'sleep-walking.' One reclines on the therapy chair throughout treatment, in a profoundly deep and pleasant state of relaxation, in which one can comfortably re-experience formerly uncomfortable or even painful life experiences. This re-experiencing is not merely vivid memory (hypermnesia), it is living through an experience again in order to have the pain associated with the experience removed. However, by the establishment of a pleasantly dissociated state of mind, the client will not be re-traumatized. This process is called revivification, and it is part of a wider procedure called age regression. Whereas hypnotic suggestion serves to alleviate or even replace symptoms with a pleasant condition, age regression aims at eliminating symptoms entirely. A lighter state of hypnosis which does not cross the threshold into somnambulism is referred to as being hypnoidal. This condition can be brought about by doing self-hypnosis with a pendulum for example, but it is of insufficient depth to be somnambulism.
Some of the clinical issues that I have had excellent treatment results with include:
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Athletic Performance
- Confidence
- Depression
- Emotional Abuse
- Fear
- Grief
- Guilt
- Insomnia
- Nightmares
- Phobias
- Physical Abuse
- Procrastination
- Psychedelic Flashbacks
- Psychogenic Pain
- PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
- Public Speaking
- Self-Esteem Issues
- Self-Sabotaging Behaviors
- Sexual Abuse
- Shame
- Stuttering/Stammering
- Trauma
If you are unsure if hypnotherapy is indicated for something not listed above, simply phone me to ask. Unfortunately, I do not treat cigarette smoking addiction. I specialize in trauma-based symptoms, and cigarette smoking is not the result of a trauma but a choice influenced by social learning processes and belongingness needs usually during adolescence. For this concern I recommend hypnotic treatment at a center that is oriented solely for smoking cessation.
METAPHYSICALLY, a word on past-life regression. While I am knowledgeable about this phenomenon, I will remind any prospective client who is seeking a past-life experience that in such matters, I remain a clinician not a metaphysician! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_life_regression . Because I take a psychological position toward such phenomena that may arise in hypnosis, I do not attribute metaphysical or spiritual significance to such spontaneously arising material because it is entirely possible that the unconscious creates past-life experiences in the same way that it creates elaborate dreams every night. Additionally, there are significant differences in the concepts of past-life phenomena in different cultures. For example, Buddhist rebirth has a very different premise than Hindu reincarnation. There are different versions of transmigration among the ancient Greek Platonists and Pythagoreans (metempsychosis), among Jewish Orthodoxy (gilgul), or among today's Neo-Pagans (e.g., Wiccans, Neo-Druids, Heathanry). Different concepts are sometimes in direct contradiction with one another. The result may be confusion instead of clarity, complication rather than simplification. A significant disturbance of one's world-view can result in a spiritual emergency or spiritual crisis. Therefore, for ethical reasons I prefer not to see a client and receive a fee for the express purpose of searching for past-life experiences.
Description of Services
Phone Consultation: Your initial contact may be by e-mail but I require a brief phone conversation, even for minors! Through this medium I can discern nuances in emotion and determine readiness for treatment unhampered by 'best behavior' personas that typically emerge in face-to-face interactions between strangers. I do not charge for phone-time and this is part of the FREE consultation which will be extended to a face-to-face consultation at my residential office prior to the 1st session.
1st Session: This is usually the first 15 or 20 minutes of the session - enough time for you to decide whether to go ahead with the procedure or leave without obligation. My wife is always available to greet clients, and to ease any trepidations my prospective clients may have. A brief history-taking will be conducted, a consent form signed, and a fee collected (or directly following the session, it's up to the client). A hypnotic pre-talk is included in the first visit as an important means for dispelling misconceptions about hypnosis, for the development of trust, and to build positive expectations. Some pre-talk may have been covered during a phone conversation which we will have had prior to an actual visit. Sometimes a few brief tests ('convincers') of hypnotizability may be conducted depending on the client. Lastly, the first session will end with a hypnotic induction, and a suggestion will be made to go into trance more rapidly and more deeply on the following visit. There will also be a suggestion to sleep more deeply than one has in a while, and to awaken more refreshed from sleep than one has done in a while. (I liken this process to restarting one's computer after a new program has been downloaded in order to fully install it). The client will be allowed to enjoy the hypnotic trance state for a while in order to become familiar with it, and to more firmly establish the trance state which is usually ignored on the way into normal sleep. In hypnosis this state, intermediary between deep relaxation and sleep, is isolated and concentrated for therapeutic use.
2nd Session: Begins the actual hypnotherapy. A hypnotic induction is done as with the first session, changed up somewhat. Once somnambulism is attained, therapeutic techniques are applied. One of those techniques is called the Affect Bridge™, another is the elicitation of a flashbulb/snapshot memory, an intuitive rather than a thinking response. Remember, psychotherapy that is conducted while a client is in a hypnotic trance is called hypnotherapy. (Sometimes clients worry that they will 'mess up' or give a wrong response. Not to worry! There is no such thing as a wrong response in this process)! A further depth of hypnotherapy includes hypnoanalysis. One result of this process is a new understanding of the cause of one's symptoms. In common language, one will 'connect the dots,' which will reveal the 'big picture' formed from discrete events in one's life (the 'dots'). The relaxation, receptivity to change, and enhanced suggestibility greatly reduces the amount of time and money that traditional psychotherapy would require making it cost effective. Moreover, through dissociation, the trance makes dealing with difficult material much, much easier to handle. When I accept a client it is because I am confident that the problem can be resolved in 2-3 sessions, however, two sessions are necessarily minimum. With hypnotherapy, one is trading the lengthy duration of standard talk therapy sessions for intensity. This is how only a few sessions can achieve results more rapidly than months of psychotherapy. I endeavor to eliminate symptoms in as few sessions as possible. Please be advised that even though most people feel noticeable relief at the end of the first hypnotherapy session, complete disappearance of symptoms can take 2-3 weeks. The unconscious is a living, organic reality and complete change occurs gradually, more like a flower unfolding than the flip of a mechanical switch.
Payment: Is due at the time of service in the form of cash or check. (I do not accept credit cards at this time). A cash receipt is available. You pay for one session at a time with NO commitment to a series of sessions (commonly called a 'package') and NO money down prior to treatment. I am confident that the total cost for treatment is less than others you've researched. Please phone me for information on the fee. At the conclusion of the final session (to be determined by the client based on the reduction/elimination of symptoms), I can teach you self-hypnosis and the use of the Chevreul pendulum. Following that instruction the client will leave with a complimentary pendulum!
Follow-Up: Following the hypnotherapeutic removal of a problem, sometimes repressed emotions may emerge 1-3 weeks afterwards. This is a natural healing process called catharsis. These emotions can be surprising and sometimes upsetting because they arise spontaneously with no apparent external trigger for the sudden emotional state. They usually resolve themselves shortly thereafter. Feel free to phone me if you'd like for support and clarification. There is no charge for this kind of aftercare. Infrequently, symptoms return. This does not mean that your therapy failed, it means there is a second issue that needs to be treated. It may be sufficiently similar to the first issue that was addressed in therapy so it remained hidden as it were 'behind' the first issue, but it may not become apparent until a week or so after the resolution of the first issue. Or, it may mean that you dismissed something that arose in treatment as insignificant and did not disclose it but it turned out to be significant. If additional treatment is needed, only then is a 3rd Session typically made for a fee. I have not yet encountered a client with more than two significant events that required separate hypnotherapy sessions (so do not worry that you will require more and more sessions). Lastly, while you are not beholden to me after your treatment and final fee, any feedback by way of e-mail is greatly appreciated because it helps me to make corrections and improve my skills for future clients.
PLEASE NOTE: FOUR CAUTIONARY POINTS
(1) If you are currently taking ANY Benzodiazepine medications (e.g., Xanax®, Valium® or Diastat®, Librium®, Ativan®, Klonopin®, Tranxene®, Halcion®, Serax®, Dalmane®, Restoril®, Paxipam®, ProSom®, or their corresponding European names), this class of drug prevents one's ability to enter into hypnotic trance to the depth necessary for a successful hypnotherapeutic outcome. With the guidance of your prescribing physician, it will be necessary for you to be free of the influence of these medications in your body before beginning hypnotherapeutic treatment. If you are a habitual user, even as clinically prescribed, do not stop taking any Benzodiazepine medication abruptly! Very serious and potentially life-threatening withdrawal reactions can result! Similarly, I will not treat someone who is under the influence of any controlled substance (legal or illegal), currently addicted to opiates, opioids or alcohol, or experiencing any withdrawal symptoms from these substances. A client's nervous system will need to have been detoxified before treatment can commence.
(2) If hypnotherapy is being sought for the alleviation of physical pain, I require a written note from your physician that indicates it is safe to proceed. A prescription pad note is acceptable. (Masking pain of undiagnosed medical conditions with hypnosis can have grave consequences).
(3) Please do not wear contact lenses during hypnosis as occasional lachrymation (tearing) can cause irritation. It is suggested that eye glasses be worn instead, or removal of contacts prior to treatment.
(4) Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages (coffee, tea, energy drinks, soda) shortly before arriving for treatment.
Please extend the courtesy of a timely notice of postponement or cancellation. Promptness is greatly appreciated! Feel free to email me at drmarkabrahams@yahoo.com or if you have questions about my credentials, click on the LinkedIn® button at the right top of this page. Of course, if you have questions and want to speak to me directly or set up an appointment, phone me (do not text) on my land line at (305) 653-4841 from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, 7 days a week. Thanks again for your interest in my practice!
Sincerely,
Dr. Mark Abrahams
835 Northeast 206th Street
Miami, Florida 33179
USA
Serving Greater Miami-Dade County, North Miami Beach, Aventura, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, and Greater Broward & Palm Beach Counties.
HYPNOS
