Yes, absolutely. The respected Mayo Clinic says...

"Hypnosis is a changed state of awareness and increased relaxation that allows for improved focus and concentration. It also is called hypnotherapy. Hypnosis usually is done with the guidance of a health care provider using verbal repetition and mental images. During hypnosis, most people feel calm and relaxed. Hypnosis typically makes people more open to suggestions about behavior changes. Hypnosis can help you gain control over behaviors you'd like to change. It may help you cope better with anxiety or pain. Although you're more open to suggestion during hypnosis, you don't lose control over your behavior during a hypnosis session."

You might read these articles:

The New York Times

- Hypnosis Changed My Life

- Teletherapy, Popular in the Pandemic, May Outlast It

The Washington Post

- Hypnotherapy isn’t magic, but it helps some patients cope with surgery and recovery

The Oprah Magazine

- What Is Hypnosis for Weight Loss—And Does It Work?

Hypnosis is a natural state of mind. You've experienced it when you lose track of time while driving down the highway or working on something intently and lose yourself in thought. You live it when you are in the dreamlike state just before you fall asleep. 

The main characteristics of hypnosis are:

•  A sense of deep relaxation and focus at the same time

•  Heightened and selective sensitivity

•  Intense attention and receptiveness

Hypnosis opens your mind to positive change.

Hypnotherapy allows bypassing of the rational, critical mind and increases one’s capability to release emotions, revealing self-limiting misconceptions, and make lasting personal transformations.

It's entirely unlike hypnosis you have seen portrayed fictionally on TV or in movies. Hypnotherapy is an empowering process, and people retain their power of choice/free will throughout. 

No matter how direct or authoritative the suggestions received from a therapist, a therapist cannot put a client into hypnosis without the client's desire to enter that state and experience change. In fact, all hypnosis is actually self-hypnosis.  Motivated, willing participants achieve meaningful success.

Hypnotherapy can empower you to make life-long changes.  It can help you:

• Promote health and well-being as it allows direct access to the subconscious mind which regulates functions such as heart and respiratory rate, digestion, urination and sexual arousal.

• Develop and express awareness and intuition

• Make better decisions

• Improve concentration

• Overcome procrastination

• Increase the quality of your emotional expression

• Reduce conflict and stress

• Increase your sleep quality and makes it easier to fall asleep

• Increase confidence and enthusiasm

• Discover negative thought patterns and emotions and how they affect you

• Sharpen your goals and attitudes and chart a better course to achieve them

Hypnotherapy addresses underlying issues that may never present themselves or be evident to other healthcare providers due to their specific approaches. Hypnotherapy is uniquely capable of addressing deep emotions, inner conflicts and conditions that stubbornly persist and that may also fuel high stress levels, high blood pressure and other bodily harm.

For instance, heavy, long-time smokers who have failed with other methods have quit within just hours of hypnotherapy sessions. Individuals who have fought weight and food issues find they can reorient their motivations - change their attitudes, break habit patterns and make smart, ongoing choices.

It's particulary useful in supporting academic, professional, and athletic motivations.

Hypnosis was approved both by medical and psychological associations in the 1950s and has been used by medical and mental health practitioners for more than 150 years.

Hypnotherapy has a reputation and stigma attached to it because of its portrayal in popular culture and entertainment. Movies and TV shows often depict hypnosis as a form of mind control or manipulation, which can make people feel uneasy or skeptical.

In addition, there have been a very small number of cases where untrained and non-certified individuals have claimed to be trained hypnotherapists and have used hypnosis to exploit or harm their clients. These cases can contribute to the perception that hypnotherapy is potentially dangerous.

When conducted by a trained and certified professional, hypnotherapy is extremely safe and  immensely effective and has been shown to help improve or resolve a wide range of mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, and phobias. 

Jason was trained and certfied at the Hypnotherapy Training Institute (www.hypnotherapy.com), an accredited school by the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners and one of the first licensed schools in the U.S. His teachers, Randal Churchill and Cheryl Canfield, are legends in the field and have a combined 80+ years of hypnotherapy practice and teaching. Randal literally wrote the books on regression therapy.

It is my responsibility as the practitioner to be transparent in areas where I can be effective. Your responsibility is to be transparent regarding any illnesses/disorders you might have.

Most importantly, since hypnosis is a natural state of mind and is driven by each person's own direction guided by a trained hypnotherapist, it does not present side effects other than for a very small portion of people experiencing very temporary light disorientation.

IMPORTANT: Serious psychiatric or mental health problems are referred to a qualified psychotherapist or psychiatrist. Medical problems with the physical body must always be treated by a physician, who can, at his or her discretion, prescribe hypnotherapy for pain control, hypnoanesthesia or relaxation.

Drug addiction, family dynamics disorders, clinical depression and other such problems need to be treated by doctors and psychiatrists, who can, at their discretion, prescribe hypnotherapy as a supplementary treatment.

We all experience hypnosis every day of our lives. Even for clients who experience a lighter state of hypnosis initially, they find they go deeper with each subsequent session as they become much more comfortable with the process. It is estmated that < 10% of the population are not as hypnotizable as the rest.

Hypnotherapy, like other therapies, begins with an in-person interview session. I need to learn in great detail your specific goals and the context behind why you have had difficulty on your own. I will answer all questions you have about hypnosis. I may test for hypnotic suggestibility and also give you relaxation "homework" or behavior/habit changes to do to prepare you for the first and following hypnosis sessions.

After a short catch-up, the second session begins with a hypnotic induction, which is simply a series of relaxation techniques. You can be lying down or sitting in a comfortable chair, whichever is more suitable.

While in hypnosis, I may guide you through positive and informative scenarios, memories and mental dress rehearsals of the future. The direction a session takes is a two-way conversation between us, where you state what is (or is not) appropriate to explore and useful for you.

After an exploratory phase, I will use suggestions (positive, reinforcing language) and physical or language cues to help support your new approach.

I will then bring you to a fully alert state and discuss the experience. We'll also review any work to be done by you between sessions.

MYTH: Hypnosis must be done with a swirling pattern or pocket watch. 

TRUTH: These techniques are still used by some, but I use more modern, varied approaches for just a few moments to tire the eyes and help begin the process of relaxation.

~

MYTH: Hypnosis isn't real; people fake it. 

TRUTH: On the contrary, it is a very natural state that we all experience and can be heightened with the help of a hypnotherapist. All clients I work with are motivated to succeed, the most important ingredient to going deeper with hypnosis.

~

MYTH: I won't be in full control. 

TRUTH: You'll be in complete control. As a hypnotherapist, my role is to be your professional facilitator. Think of me as your coach who draws up the plays and gently encourages you to victory.

Approximately half of our clients are in person and the other remote by Zoom (or Google Meet, etc.). It is very typical to conduct a mix of sessions, where some sessions are in person and others remote. In select circumstances for an extra cost, the hypnotherapist may travel to a client's location.

The number of sessions required to help you achieve your goals varies. Let's discuss during our complimentary introductory conversation, and I can provide an estimated range once I have more details.

Pricing will be discussed in full detail during our free consultation.

Let us know if you are active duty enlisted in the U.S. military or are a first responder.

Rescheduling / Cancellation / Refund Policies

An appointment must be rescheduled or canceled at least 48 hours prior to the start of the appointment. Any emergency rescheduling of a session that is requested inside of the 48-hour period and can be accommodated at the discretion of the therapist is ineligible for a cancellation refund or carryover thereafter. An appointment may only be rescheduled once out of respect for the therapist's time that could be booked by another client, otherwise, for each subsequent rescheduling, a charge of $175 will apply.  Missed appointments are ineligible for a refund or rescheduling. Rescheduled appointments are ineligible for refunds. Packages of sessions, including the initial group of sessions, are not eligible for refunds. Refunds for eligible cancelled appointments will be processed within one business day and the refund will be returned in the original form of payment (credit cards may take a few days to show on your statement). No refunds are offered for any cessation programs regardless of reason; rescheduling is still offered per the terms noted above. No prorations for any reason.

Very few hypnotherapists accept insurance directly. If you are unable to pay out-of-pocket as most clients do, your options are:

1) If you have a pre-tax FSA or HSA account (i.e. Flexible Spending Account, Health Spending Account) associated with your insurance plan, you may be able to use your debit card to pay for services or, if you don't have such a card, pay upfront with a traditional credit card, debit card, PayPal or Venmo and then get reimbursed by your FSA/HSA plan. You will receive a detailed "superbill" receipt as backup for your claims. Partial payment from an FSA/HSA account and the remainder out-of-pocket is accepted. NOTE: Some FSA/HSA plans ask for the provider's National Provider Identifier (NPI) which I do not carry, as most hypnotherapists do not, so if this is required by the plan administrator, this payment option will not apply. If an EIN (IRS tax ID) is sufficient, this option will likely work for you. If you pay with an FSA/HSA card and submit the superbill  receipt when requested by your plan and at a later date the payment is rejected by your plan (retroactively), you may be required to pay back into your plan effectively making the services out-of-pocket. In this case, you should be able to reuse the FSA/HSA funds for another purpose. You may want to inquire with your plan administrator in advance.

2) If your company provides perks for mental health or personal growth, hypnotherapy will very likely qualify.

3) Most Involved Option: You can request a referral/prescription from your doctor or therapist (e.g. psychologist, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, MFT, etc.) if your plan includes coverage for hypnotherapy/hypnosis mental health services. Call the customer service number on the back of your insurance card to ask or check your plan details online. I can provide you with a referral form for your doctor or therapist to complete. NOTE: I do NOT carry a National Provider Identifier (NPI), as most hypnotherapists do not, so if your insurance company requires this, this option will not apply. If an EIN (IRS tax ID) is sufficient, this option will likely work for you. You will definitely want to inquire with your plan administrator in advance in this case.