Hypnosis can be powerful tool
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McMillen would later walk over to the tractor and not be able to budge it.
While such a feat is certainly mystifying, it’s not without explanation. And hypnotherapist Stephanie West Blaylock has an answer.
“It’s the power of the mind,” said Blaylock. “We all have that ability and we can use it when we need it.”
Blaylock said McMillen’s burst of strength is somewhat similar to hypnosis. In regular day-to-day activities, our minds operate on what’s known as the Beta level where we use roughly 3 to 7 percent of our brain. Under hypnosis, or faced with a life-or-death predicament such as a friend trapped beneath a tractor, the mind shifts to the Alpha level where brain capabilities soar.
When it comes to hypnosis, Blaylock says there’s no shortage of interest. “When people find out what I do, I can always expect a few questions,” she said. “I’m used to it by now.”
It’s with that in mind Blaylock is offering a series of one-hour hypnotherapy sessions at McMinnville Civic Center beginning Feb. 4.
Blaylock says she will begin her first session with a question-and-answer segment to clear up any misconceptions people might have about hypnosis.
“People have the concept when they’re hypnotized, they are going to do something against their will,” said Blaylock. “Hypnosis doesn’t change you. You won’t do something that’s against your core religious values or something that would put you in a dangerous situation. Hypnosis allows you to be a little more of who you are. It puts fears of embarrassment in the subconscious.”
Blaylock says through hypnotherapy she can help people work through certain fears and anxieties. Weight loss, smoking and depression are popular focus areas.
Since hypnosis is a state of guided relaxation where the mind is open to suggestion, Blaylock says one of the most important factors is a person must have a desire to change a certain behavior. She said hypnosis is not effective, for example, if a person is being pushed to quit smoking by a parent or spouse. The person must have a deep desire to quit smoking themselves.
“I’m usually the last resort,” said Blaylock. “I get people who have been through the patches and the prescriptions and they haven’t had much luck. But I’m the most effective. When it comes to smoking, I have a 96 percent success rate.”
Blaylock says she herself has been able to quit smoking thanks to hypnotherapy. In three to six sessions she says she can usually “release someone from an issue.”
“God has given us a very powerful mind,” said Blaylock. “It’s a sad thing we just use 3 to 7 percent of it so much.”
For one of her more unusual success stories, Blaylock says she worked with a Murfreesboro man who was terrified to leave his own home. It was such a phobia, the man had been confined to his home for 17 years, but was able to get out and about after hypnotherapy.
Blaylock has lived in McMinnville for the last seven years and is certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. For more information about her group sessions at the Civic Center or individual sessions, she can be reached at 212-5887.
About hypnosis
• Hypnosis is a state of relaxation most people reach daily while driving, watching TV or daydreaming
• Hypnotherapy is guided relaxation where the suggestions of the therapist support the client’s desire to change
• Of the general population, 90 percent can be hypnotized and 30 percent are highly receptive to the benefits of hypnosis