Hypnosis for Healing

by Glenda Finnegan

     In my mid thirties I began to try and find some answers for questions that had been plaguing me, as well as for some behaviors I wanted to stop. I'd grown up in a traditional religion and I knew the textbook “correct” answers, but they weren't translating into the happier, healthier, more spiritual life that I wanted.

     It was during this period I was first introduced to the work of Edgar Cayce. Some of it was difficult for me to understand, but what did stay with me was this man's ability to put himself into a “hypnotic” state and access information beyond the abilities of any doctor or therapist.

     Finally as a last resort, I approached a hypnotist I'd met, and asked her to put me in a hypnotic state. I asked to be “regressed” back to my earliest childhood memory. Actually, it wasn't a memory—it was a picture of me at three—but I didn't remember what happened around that picture.

     I was amazed by what happened next. I was actually able to see myself at that age and witness the event happening. This was the missing piece of my life puzzle and I needed it to be a fully functioning adult. That is what hypnosis did for me. It wasn't long after that I decided to obtain my hypnotist license.

     Hypnosis has been around for a while but it wasn't until 1958 that it became accepted for therapeutic use by The American Medical Association. Since that time it's been used to alleviate the pain of cancer patients, help people quit smoking, and help police gain information from crime victims. There's even a website that has a “virtual” lap band procedure using hypnosis. These are all relatively common procedures done with hypnosis.

     Hypnotists made an enlightening spiritual breakthrough recently. They've discovered patients are able to access their past lives and between lives using this tool. Brian Weiss is one of the pioneers of this type of hypnosis called past life regression. His book titled Many Lives, Many Masters is a national bestseller and was featured on the Oprah show. In fact, Brian put Dr. Oz under hypnosis on national TV and took him to a past life. It is a fascinating show to watch if you'd like to see how it works. Michael Newton has also written several books on past life and between life regression that are interesting reads on this subject.

     Of course, there are skeptics. "But, what if she makes me do something I don't want to do?" The good news is, no one will do anything under hypnosis that they wouldn't do ordinarily, if it isn't on their moral compass.

     Hypnosis is just one tool, and there are several for getting your conscious out of the way so you can access the wisdom of your subconscious. And if you ask me, that's something we could all use more of!


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Glenda writes a column for The New Era Times called Meta-Muse. She can be reached via email.