Yesterday, I ate a pear, spinach and green beans—ordinary for some, miraculous for me. You see, I’m a self-dubbed fruit-and-veggie-phobe. And, until recently, the anxiety I felt at being faced with a plate of greens was overwhelming—my gag reflex more so. When my son hit the copycat stage, I knew something had to change. I refused to let him adopt my phobias as his own. So, I turned to Joanna Rodriquez, a certified hypnotherapist and life coach, to help me break 31 years of bad habits.
“We all come with our own past, and there are parts of our history we’re not able to see objectively,” says Rodriquez, who operates Dream Life Coaching & Hypnosis out of her Dallas-area home. “Unless we make a conscious decision to change and learn a new behavior, we usually fall back to what was modeled for us.” Typically used for weight loss, smoking cessation and personal development, hypnotherapy can also be a valuable tool in parenthood—from helping with stress relief and enhanced coping skills to behavior modification. “Hypnotherapy can help parents see that they have more options and choices when it comes to how they want to act, feel and think,” shares Rodriquez.
A practice with roots dating back to the 1700s, hypnosis is often plagued with hype and misconceptions. But the reality is much more everyday.
“Hypnosis is suggestion on the subconscious level. The person has to agree with the suggestion or it will never work,” offers Leslie Duncan, a Frisco-based certified hypnotist, who adds, “You are actually in many states of hypnosis throughout the day … when you wake up and begin your morning routine, anytime you are in a deep concentrated state of thought or daydreaming and the last few minutes before going to bed.”
This Is Your Brain Under Hypnosis …
As more of a mainstream medicine kind of girl, I admit: I walked into my first session riddled with anxiety. But the experience was nothing I’d been expecting and everything I needed.
After a brief discussion about hypnotherapy and how it works, and after reviewing my goals, Rodriquez had me kick off my shoes and recline in an oversized leather chair. She spoke in soft, soothing tones, asking me to imagine my favorite place, which helped draw me into a state of hypnosis. Within minutes, I felt a relaxation, a complete release of stress and angst, much like the euphoric sensation you receive during an amazing massage.
The key to successful hypnotherapy, Rodriquez says, is being open and willing to accept positive messages. During my sessions, she would offer statements of affirmation: “I enjoy eating healthy foods.” “I feel good when I eat vegetables.”
After about 30 minutes, Rodriquez would bring me back to a state of complete consciousness and I always felt renewed, as if I’d just taken a power nap.
Each session was recorded on a CD so that I could revisit the messages whenever I felt my resolve dwindling. Like anything, it takes repetition and time to overcome years of learned behavior patterns.
Duncan, also a hypnofertility and hypnobirthing instructor, employs these hypnosis techniques in her day-to-day parenting routine. “Hypnotic language can be a great motivator. The mind tends to move in the motion of its most dominant thought, so I always share positive phrases with my daughter, like ‘You can do it; you are very smart,’” shares the mom of one, with another on the way. “If you keep telling your children these positive things, they believe them. These messages become part of their subconscious—they become their dominant thoughts.”
Hypnosis isn’t just about positive statements, however; breathing is also a critical part, one that can help frazzled moms and dads regain focus.
“It’s amazing how far a good, deep breath will go. The breathing techniques I teach in self-hypnosis go a long way,” says Duncan. “When my daughter makes a mistake and I’m upset, instead of reacting suddenly, I momentarily—mentally—remove myself by taking a few good, deep breaths, relaxing a bit and then assessing the situation. This tends to make for more reasonable parenting.”
My Outcome
After just a few sessions with Rodriquez, my food-borne anxiety (and subsequent gag reflex) is all but a distant memory. I admit: I don’t crave the garden of good stuff, but I don’t loathe it either. I eat fruits and veggies. My son watches—and copies. And I am proud for having taken the step.
“
Hypnotherapy is safe, easy and fun. It is relaxing, and the client is in control of the session,” shares Rodriquez. “I am only a guide, like a travel agent. I help you plan the trip, offer options on where to go and make sure that you are heading in the direction of your desired destination.”
