To keep it simple, the subconscious mind is like a hard drive on a computer that stores all the experiences (memories) of your life from your birth until now, data. It is also a pattern recognition machine, meaning it notices when things happened more than once so you can continue to repeat it, essentially running you on autopilot. It has no critical thinking skills, meaning it stores data and repeats patterns without judgement of whether it is good or bad.

The subconscious mind is the control center of your life. Once it learns your patterns: values, rules, beliefs, and habits, this becomes your identity. This is how you would describe yourself on a dating profile. We think, "that's just the way I am."

Studies show that once we pass the age of 35, we are running 95% of our lives on autopilot, meaning we think the same thoughts, have the same reactions, and take the same actions, without conscious awareness or analysis. It's like the movie, "Groundhog's Day." If you are younger, then your mind is more open to change!

The subconscious mind is also known as the unconscious mind, which means you are unconscious to it and one of the only ways to access it is during hypnosis.

The conscious mind is the mind you are conscious of. It is your internal dialog, the voice in your head. Its job is analysis. It helps you figure out what to do when you meet a new person, go to a new place, or see something for the first time.

Once it has completed its analysis it must then ask your subconscious mind what to do now. Since the subconscious mind is your control center it makes sure that what you do now is in alignment with your identity, what you have always done. The bottom line, is your conscious mind is subject to the decisions of the subconscious mind.

Have you ever noticed how difficult, if not impossible, it is to use your conscious mind's discipline, willpower, or to think your way out of a bad habit? This is because of subconscious programming. It can make you feel stuck and lose hope of ever changing.

If you have your driver's license and have been driving long enough your subconscious mind has learned how to drive. This is the fourth stage of learning, unconscious competence, meaning you are now able to competently drive without having to use your conscious mind. You automatically press the pedals, steer, avoids things, and safely arrive at your destination without you having to think about it.

This leaves your conscious mind to do other things, such as imagine details of a phone conversation, or listen to a podcast and analyze what is being said.

During your hypnosis session it works the same way. You will be in the brain wave state we call hypnosis, which means your subconscious mind is accessible and is now listening to me as I tell it to feel, picture, imagine, or pretend. The subconscious mind will accept everything, new data, without analysis. You are unconscious to your subconscious mind, so you won't be aware you are hypnotized.

You will be aware of your thoughts and internal dialog of your conscious mind. Essentially, they will each be doing their function: the subconscious mind accepting the reprogramming, while the conscious mind can just listen and can sometimes wander or analyze, but takes a backseat to the subconscious mind.

Your subconscious mind gets programmed by noticing the patterns in the data (the memories of what happened to you). It can then run you on autopilot, you will repeat your patterns without conscious analysis (decision making).

When you are in hypnosis your subconscious mind is open to collect new data, which is the suggestions of the hypnotherapist. This new data immediately goes to the top of the list and is most vivid because it is most recent. Real memories (data) were filtered by the conscious mind, while this new data is not filtered, so it is more impactful. The subconscious mind has no critical thinking skills, so it can not tell the difference between data from memories or data from suggestions during hypnosis. So it fully accepts the data in hypnosis, even if it is illogical and doesn't make sense.

Let's put this all together so it makes sense to you. When you are in hypnosis your subconscious mind can be reprogrammed because the new data can overwrite the old data, therefore creating changes to the way you feel and act after the session.

If it takes about 30 days for your brain to adopt a change, then consider hypnosis to be a habit accelerator, where each session is equal to about a week of strengthening the change.

Yes! Anyone who is willing to be hypnotized can experience the state. When working with an experienced professional, the techniques and program will be customized for you. My clients report how easy and enjoyable hypnosis was and can use it for their continued success long after the sessions are over.

No. A common misconception, because of movies and shows is that when you are hypnotized you are passed out, sleeping, and will have amnesia. Hypnosis is actually a heightened state of awareness. The hypnotized person is aware of their surroundings. You may hear cars outside or even noises from the room next door – confirming you are alert and in control the entire time. I use post-hypnotic suggestions, so you will remember everything that happened during your session.

Once you become comfortable with hypnosis, you will sometimes lose your conscious awareness, which feels like you dozed off and are sleeping. You are not alseep and are easily able to open your eyes when I emerge you from hypnosis.

I will ask you how it felt at the end of your session because your experience will be unique. Each week I hear dozens of answers which range from, "I felt light like I was floating," to " I felt heavy, like a rock." The one common response is a feeling of relaxation that they loved and can't wait to experience again.

Many clients are surprised at how “normal” the experience feels, as many have been conditioned by movies or shows to think there is a “magic feeling” that suddenly washes over you.

Your mind will be alert and perceptive of the suggestions it is receiving. Your focus will be directly on your experience or the words of the suggestions you are receiving.

Hypnosis is cumulative, meaning your level of depth you experience continues to build enabling you to go deeper each session, surpassing your prior session.

No. Hypnosis is a state of mind that requires consent. You will be aware of what I am saying during the session and cannot be made to do anything against your own morals. You cannot be made to tell secrets while experiencing hypnosis.

A common misconception of hypnosis involves a potential client thinking that they may be “too strong-willed” to be hypnotized. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The stronger your ability to focus and concentrate, the faster and easier you will go into hypnosis.

People will sometimes tell me they have ADD or ADHD and worry about their mind wandering. I have found that these people tend to amaze themselves at how well they can focus on my voice and stay present.

Hypnosis is a natural ability of the mind that we all experience daily. The use of hypnosis was recognized by the American Medical Association in 1958. It is completely safe when practiced by an experienced, professional hypnotist. It is only dangerous if you are driving or operating machinery, so hypnosis audios should not be listened to in those circumstances. There has not been one documented case of hypnosis doing harm to a person.

You are safe to drive after your session. You may feel a little tired, but it is similar to waking up from sleep.

The success of your experience is dependent on two factors: the client’s willingness to change and the hypnotist's skills.

If the client doesn’t have an honest desire for change, such as a smoker who is only seeing a hypnotist at the urging of a spouse, they are not prepared to accept the suggestions for positive change. If, however, the smoker is fed up with the habit and no longer wants the cigarettes to be a part of their life, they are primed for success.

Hypnosis is not a “one-size-fits-all” process. I will custom-design a process to help you reach your goals.

The words are interchangeable, and no title is better than the other.

Nearly every major hypnosis organization gives their graduates the option of choosing either title they want.

There is an ongoing legislation issue which has everything to do with the word “therapy” and nothing to do with the word “hypnosis.” It comes down to an issue of title protection. Many forms of therapy are licensed. There is no licensing program for hypnotists in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, or Australia. The trainings and regulations are handled by private organizations. Once again, the choice between “hypnotist” or “hypnotherapist” is most often a student checking a box on a membership application form.

Many of my clients have informed me that they began their search looking for a “hypnotist” rather than a “hypnotherapist” as perhaps they had previously gone a therapeutic route and didn't find success. I appreciate the sentiment, though it is an unfair comparison as, once again, the words are interchangeable and equal.

As a business owner, I will openly share that online search statistics show that it’s a nearly 3:1 ratio of people looking for a “Hypnotist” versus a “Hypnotherapist,” and similar numbers of people looking for “Hypnosis” versus “Hypnotherapy.” Which is why I chose to name my practice, DC Hypnosis.

I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical services or medical advice.

While not magic, rapid change is possible with hypnosis. Most of my clients are scheduled for a package of sessions, as my goal is to provide you with the most effective hypnotic process in the most efficient use of your time. This model allows for an effective series of sessions with continued reinforcement, tools for strengthening change, and proper customization for your unique set of needs.
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​Most people begin to experience benefits from the very first session, though hypnosis is a process.

Your first session is the longest, because even though we spoke on the phone, we spend time in the beginning chatting so I can gain a deeper understanding of who you are, then I decide on a strategy to best help you. Based on all my experience, it is like I have a toolbox full of tools of different approaches and I will hand select the most appropriate and best ones to help you after I understand you better.

In almost every session I will teach you something so that you are empowered to help yourself, versus be dependent on me. It is similar to CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). If you are serious about changing and making the change permanent, part of your new identity, then you will practice between sessions.

Before we do hypnosis, I will provide a deeper explanation for hypnosis, tell you my story about the first time I was hypnotized, prepare you for what to expect, and answer your questions.

We will complete your session with hypnosis.

After the session, I will email you a recap of what we covered.


​I am committed to giving you my best so that you can become a success story and if you feel I earned and deserve a great review, you can share your experience with others who are looking for help.