Austinist Interviews Hypnotherapist Laura Ryan

For what kind of habits and behaviors can hypnotherapy be beneficial?

All sorts of things. It is applicable to smoking and drinking but also to people with food disorders. Smoking is actually the easiest one because you are just trying to get the person to break one behavior pattern. Weight loss can be very complicated because, unlike with smoking, you have to eat to live. Eating patterns incorporate a lot of different things.

Yea, and for instance, at work, you may meet in the conference room to celebrate someone’s birthday or a baby shower or the fact that someone has gotten a haircut and there is fudge and cookies, etc. They aren’t exactly handing out booze. You don’t walk by someone’s desk and see a basket of cigarettes (unless you work at R.J. Reynolds, I guess). That’s candy in that damn basket.

Exactly.

So, who is a qualified or ideal candidate for hypnotherapy?

Basically anyone who is of average intelligence…an IQ above 70, preferably. If you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol it is really not possible to go into a deep trance. I’ve tried it at parties before because whenever I go to parties people are like, “yea, hypnotize me.” But it really doesn’t work when someone’s really drunk because they can’t concentrate, they can’t focus. You have to be able to focus to listen, to have high-level thinking.

Do patients fall into a sleep-like state when under hypnosis?

What I’ve found in a hypnotic state is that I’m more aware and awake than I am when I am sort of just looking around and conscious. So if you hear a sound in the room, it is going to be a lot stronger. You have a stronger awareness of your body and sounds around you. It is basically like a hyper-awareness. A lot of people think you are going to like float into a zombie-trance or something like that. I haven’t had that happen yet.

Can one get stuck in a state of hypnosis?

Not at all. There was a film [Office Space] a couple of years back that purported you could get stuck in a hypnotic trance. That doesn’t really actually happen. The worst thing that could happen when you are in a hypnotic state is that you could fall asleep. But you would awaken and just feel normal.

So once in a state of hypnosis, will one reveal to you intimate secrets or anything like that?

No, not unless you really want to (laughs). I usually don’t talk a lot during the actual session; I don’t have communication with words. We do finger signals; so if I ask you a question you will raise your right finger to indicate “yes” and your left to indicate “no.” I will lightly touch the face of your hand to prompt you at times.” (Ed. note: As one of the fortunate lefties of the world, I took exception to the left finger being used as the negative response, but Ryan, also a lefty, assured us this was only because the right-handed majority identifies right as “yes.” I felt marginally placated by this explanation, but I digress...)

Is hypnosis dangerous?

It’s about as dangerous as falling asleep in front of the TV.

How does one feel when they come out of the hypnotic state? Are you tired, rejuvenated, etc?

A 15-minute hypnotic state is equivalent to about 4 hours of sleep in terms of rejuvenation.
(Ed note: I mentioned that if I could get hypnotized right after waking up each morning, it would be like I got eight hours of sleep instead of the usual four. I was rebuffed.) What it means is that you can enter into the state very quickly and come out feeling really refreshed.

Will I be in control when it is happening?

Yes, I am here to guide you into a state and give you suggestions that you want. So really what you’re going to find is that you have more control over yourself than you are able to exhibit normally. Cause basically you are able to tap into a part of your brain that you can’t normally access, your subconscious mind.

So is it like being in control of dreams?

I guess you could put it that way. Basically a lot of times as a human being we have these tape loops going on in our minds, throughout a day, the same basic words phrases, ideas, concepts, etc. going over and over again. So when it comes to the behavior you are trying to change, there are probably a set number of phrases or words that are floating around in your head. I look at it kinda like your brain is a “Garden,” and you are able to go in and clear the weeds. Once that is accomplished, you are able to plant seeds for better growth.

Does a person remember what happens when they come out of hypnosis?

Yes, a lot of people think you are going to forget everything or not know where you are or something like that. A trance state is something you go into all the time. If you’ve ever driven a car for more than 10 minutes on a familiar road, then you’ve gone into a trance state. You get to the end and go, “Gosh, I kind of zoned out for a minute and didn’t realize where I was,” so this is kinda the same thing. It’s a state where you’re very clear and coherent about what’s going on…

Yea, I think that I probably do that for hours on hours some days.

You probably do, and that’s how you access a lot of ideas and things like that. So you’d probably be a very good subject.

What kind of success rate can one expect or have you had? How many sessions does it take?

There is a 50/50 chance that you will be cured of your bad habit after one session, but I usually suggest several treatments to reinforce what you gained from the first session. I don’t normally take people and do just one session. Usually for smoking I’ll do five sessions with someone. The way that I look at it is that the person has had the behavior for many years, oftentimes. There are a lot of different reasons and history and reinforcement behind these behaviors, so I usually like to do more than one session. There are people that will quit smoking after one session but come in for follow-ups. It is sort of like when you are ready to do it then you are ready to do it.

What is the most important quality for a client to have in order to be successful? Susceptibility to suggestion or willingness to quit?

You need to have the desire to quit whatever habit it is for which you are seeking help. The commitment to quitting is much more important than being susceptible to suggestion or anything like that. When you’re ready to do it, then you’re ready to do it. It’s a commitment to quitting and basically doing what I ask you. It doesn’t benefit me to see people not to do well [at quitting]. Obviously part of this is me being able to enjoy people experiencing results. But if people aren’t doing well I can always figure out why. A lot of people think that if they make the commitment to pay the money to someone that it’s enough, but it’s not.

And after the session with you is there a way for someone to help themselves on their own?

Yes, I record our sessions and give you the tape to take home with you to listen to each day. I suggest listening in the morning, afternoon and evening, each day, if possible. Find a quiet place where you will not be distracted and listen to the sessions as if you were experiencing them again. Listening to the tapes on headphones can help because it can help increase your focus. If you can listen to it just once a day, that is good. Twice is better, and three is perfect. It is all part of re-learning your habits. You have to replace old habits with new ones.

So you wouldn’t suggest, say, listening to them on the way to work in your car or anything?

No, I think that could be quite dangerous and would not want you driving off the road because you became too relaxed.

Thanks for your time. As soon as I can commit to quitting my bad habit (smoking), I'll definitely be back.

I look forward to helping you.

We left very our meeting with Ryan extremely intrigued and do intend to follow up with her in an attempt to quit our smoking habit. It just might have to wait until after SXSW. If you or someone you know is interested in getting help to quit smoking, drinking or damaging their health with bad eating habits, we suggest you give Ryan a call. What’s the worst that could happen? You go home with a cd of a hypnotherapist’s plaintive voice encouraging you to quit? That ain’t so bad. And in the best case scenario, you end up changing your life for the better. Forever.

Laura L. Ryan, CHT
NLP Practicioner
Psychological A.R.T.S.
512.343.8307

*Photograph Courtesy Austinist Contributor Matt Wright*