When people ask Mindy Ash what she does for a living, she gets a mixed reaction to the answer that she is a clinical hypnotherapist, certified by the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners.
Some people immediately start asking her how she can help them stop smoking, lose weight or manage pain or stress. Curiosity is another response. Others look surprised and start wiggling their fingers at her as if they are pretending to hypnotize her.
Ash responds to any reaction as an opportunity to talk about hypnotherapy because she knows that part of her work is education.
“The old misconceptions about hypnosis have given way to proven, scientifically sound applications,” she said. “It’s not mind control; it’s the ultimate self-empowerment.”
Education is the reason Ash is offering a free introduction to hypnotherapy class on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Remember to Breathe Health Center, 3653 Voltaire St. in Point Loma.
Her goal for the introduction is to broaden the understanding of what hypnotherapy is and how it can help people improve their quality of life.
Ash said this is an ideal time of year to learn about hypnotherapy because people are already thinking about their New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking, end fears and phobias or stop procrastinating.
“It’s time to conquer those old destructive habits once and for all, and the good news is it doesn’t have to be difficult,” Ash said.
Ash said most people who lose weight only to gain it all back have come to realize that there is much more to keeping it off than diet, exercise and willpower. They may even describe it as feeling like they are mentally fighting a battle ” and Ash says they are.
“When you say that you want to lose weight or quit smoking, you are making a conscious choice,” Ash said. “But these are habits that are controlled at a subconscious level.”
According to Ash, one needs to change one’s thinking at the subconscious level to change the behaviors or self-sabotaging patterns established at a very early age.
“We may not even realize how we came to believe certain things and how these beliefs are affecting our lives and the choices that we make,” she said.
Ash said the most effective way to change a habit quickly and easily is with hypnosis. One of her specialties is smoking cessation, which is typically accomplished with one session. Her program has been so successful that she offers a service guarantee: If the individual starts smoking again, he or she can come back to her at no charge anytime throughout their life.
“Smokers know that smoking is killing them, affecting their health, reducing the length and quality of their life and more,” she said. “Their doctors advise them to stop and loved ones are hurt. And they still smoke. Why? Because smoking is a habit controlled at a subconscious level.”
Along with information, the introduction on Dec. 5 will also include a light-level subconscious experience on self-empowerment. “Everyone will respond at their own level for what they want to do,” Ash said.
Nicole McInerney, licensed acupuncturist and owner of the Remember to Breathe Health Center, said she wanted to host the introduction to hypnotherapy because of the mind/body connection with the center’s other services.
“Acupuncture is a very energetic medication, putting needles into the body to get energy moving,” McInerney said. “But if you don’t deal with the source of what’s causing the pain, other things like hypnosis will help you deal with that experience and let it go. It retrains your brain on how to process things.”
Ash said she will continue to provide information about hypnotherapy to educate people who are interested.
“I enjoy helping people transform their lives for the better,” she said.
Seating at the Introduction to Hypnotherapy is limited. To reserve a place, call (858) 353-0376. For more information, visit www.askforhypnosis.com.