After the First Session

If you decide to go to a hypnotherapist, you may not know what to expect after your first session. When you first come out of the hypnotic state, it will generally take a moment for you to readjust to the conditions of the room and the world. This process occurs quickly (not more than five minutes), and afterward you can safely drive home and resume all of your normal daily activities.

You may or may not experience the effects of the hypnotherapy session right away. Depending on the circumstances, your mind may take time to accept the suggestions and adjust to the changes from the session.

Although hypnotherapy may work immediately and completely the first time, often the effects of the sessions emerge more gradually. Between sessions, you can assist the process through use of observation and reinforcement.

In the days following a session, pay careful attention to yourself. In particular, watch for changes in thoughts, changes in behavior, and any resistance that arises.

Tell your hypnotherapist about the effects you observe so that he or she can address and/or reinforce them in subsequent sessions. Though dramatic changes may take place after one session, often it takes a series of sessions to condition the mind to realize the full effects of the process.

You can reinforce the effects of hypnotherapy through self-suggestion—essentially, repeating to yourself the suggestions that the hypnotherapist made. For example, if you’re a former smoker, at any time during the day you may say to yourself, “I am enjoying the health and freedom of my new lifestyle.” Alternatively, if you’ve learned self-hypnosis (see Special Uses of Hypnotherapy), you can use the technique to reach the hypnotic state and then offer yourself the self-suggestion as a means of reinforcement.

There is no set number of sessions that will work for everyone who uses hypnotherapy. In general, 4–10 sessions are recommended. If you do not experience any changes at all in your thoughts or behavior after four sessions, you may want to discontinue the service.