By Kinisha O'Neill, Staff Reporter
Hunter: I love to be under hypnosis because it's so relaxing. - Carlington Wilmot /Freelance Photographer
YOU ARE getting sleeeepppyyy... you will get yourself up in the mornings to exercise and you will eat healthily instead of all that junk food late at nights.
You will be on the track to successful and permanent weight loss.
That's the perception most people have of hypnosis, but that is not the way hypnotherapist Chara Hunter conducts her sessions.
Hunter, who helps her clients to lose weight, quit smoking and achieve other goals, uses her soothing voice, soft music, and the calming scent of lavender to help in easing away life's trials and tribulations.
Hunter says that through hypnosis she is able to give people the necessary extra push to put right some aspects of their lives that they cannot find the will to deal with. "It changes your sub-conscious mind from 'I can't to I can'," she told Flair.
The 24-year-old Canadian, born to Jamaican parents, stumbled across the profession while studying composition at a music school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A part of the course involved studying hypnotic music. She says the calm and relaxing music mesmerised her even then.
She recalls one day when a woman frantically came into a store she was managing in Toronto. The woman's highly stressed demeanour did not stir Hunter's peaceful deportment, and she was able to calmly assist her. As fate would have it, months later when she decided to pursue the craft of hypnosis and called a school for information, the same woman answered the phone. It turns out that she was a hypnosis teacher, and ended up playing a vital role in Hunter becoming a hypnotherapist.
HYPNOSIS AND REIKI
Hunter, also a reiki (a Japanese hands-on healing technique) practitioner, is an example of the age-old saying, 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree'. "My grandmother was always into healing and Eastern medicine. My mother is also like that. So it has always been around me."
It is no wonder then that Hunter has decided to make a career helping people through the mediums of hypnosis and reiki. She admits that seeing the progress of people she treats gives her a deep feeling of satisfaction and is what drives her work.
She will also tell you that being hypnotised is great. "I love to be under hypnosis because it's so relaxing. You don't have a thought in your head, you are completely relaxed. Especially in Jamaica, in such a stressed environment, a lot of people need that."
Hunter says she is aware that some people are afraid of being hypnotised or hold strong views against the practice. She adds that she accepts such views and holds no judgment against those who express them. "You will never be able to please everyone," she notes.
WHAT IS HYPNOSIS
Hunter explains that in ancient Greek the word hypnosis means sleep. She says that when being hypnotised it is as if you are enjoying a deep sleep, if you allow yourself to totally relax and be open to the experience. In this state, she explains, you feel immensely relaxed and at peace. The hypnotist speaks to your subconscious mind, sending it messages that will turn the key to your success in accomplishing whichever personal goal you have set out for yourself.
What it isn't, she adds, is something that people have no control over. She explains that clients are aware of what is going on, and can stop the session at any point.
"A lot of people have fears that you won't be able to wake up or that you begin to see other channels, but you are always in complete control." She also notes that she cannot make people do what they do not want to. Therefore, fears of being made to behave crazily or falling under the control of the hypnotherapist are unfounded.
HOW IT WORKS
The procedure varies, depending on the individual's needs. Ordinarily is a consultation session plus three other sessions.
Hunter explains that the consultation allows her to get a feel of the problems and where improvements need to be made in order to create a personal script to be used in the follow up sessions.
The first session after the introduction is somewhat of a trial that allows the client to get familiar with the methods Hunter uses during the process. Some clients, especially first-timers, who are apprehensive may resist relaxing entirely, this time gets them familiar and more comfortable with the format.
In the next two sessions the hypnosis should actually begin to bear fruit. After session two, the client should begin to see some results. The third and usually final session is for positive reinforcement and to assist the client to carry through daily with the new mindset.
LENGTH OF TREATMENT
There is one week between sessions. Hunter teaches each client self-hypnosis, which must be practised for seven days before the next. The entire process typically lasts between three and four weeks. However, some people make return visits for continued positive reinforcement.
RESULTS
For people who want to stop smoking, results may be seen after the first session. For weight loss, results vary, depending on the individual's personal goals.
Hunter explains that the weight will not just magically melt away. Weight loss is still a process. "I am a not a magic diet pill," she noted.
STIPULATIONS
Hunter stresses that she cannot make a person do what they truly do not want to and, as such, clients must come with the desire to do something new. If not, there is nothing she can do to help.
COST
Consultation: $500
First session: $3,000
Second session: $2,000
Third session: $1,000
Hypnosis: deals with fears, phobias, self-confidence, procrastination, tension, anxiety, teeth grinding, headache, migraine, itching, motion sickness, nail biting, pain control, sales success, self discipline, stage fright, stuttering, temper, depression, smoking, weight loss, stress relief, and much more.
