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You've been curious about hypnosis for a while. Then one day you made an appointment. Or you're considering it. If you choose your hypnotist or hypnotherapist well, a hypnosis session can do more for you than help with your current issue.

First-time clients ask me how to benefit most from their session. I want to do more. I want to help you make your session five times as valuable. Being informed and avoiding 'first-timer's nervousness' are a good start.

First: Stop worrying about these common hypnosis myths.

1. Fear the hypnotist will control you. You are in control of yourself. A healthy subconscious mind will reject suggestions not of benefit to you. Of course if you were being hypnotized within a cult setting, you'd have already turned over your will to someone else. This is not true of your everyday hypnotist.

2. Fear you'll get stuck in hypnosis and never wake up. Your subconscious mind responds to input. Once the session ends, and no further input comes, you come out of hypnosis. Sometimes a client doesn't open her eyes the moment I ask her to. That's because she's enjoying where she is. In moments, she joins me and tells me 'That was just too good to come out of!'

3. Fear you'll tell all your secrets. Again, your subconscious generally protects you. You will not tell where your money is hidden. And honest hypnotists would never ever ask you. If you are involved with a good con artist, believe me, he doesn't need hypnosis to get your info. Re-read #1.

4. Fear that hypnosis is the devil's work. If you worry about hypnosis and religion, best to ask your spiritual leader, but be sure s/he is as acquainted with hypnosis as with religion. Even the Mayo Clinic has used hypnosis. For extensive info on hypnosis from a religious source, Google the wonderful Chaplin Paul Durbin, PhD, hypnotist and hypnosis instructor, and visit his informative site.

Next: Avoid wasting time and money in two easy ways:

Know what you're coming for.

Most of the time, a long laundry list won't work. No expert hypnotist will agree to do one session and cover weigh loss AND smoking AND work issues AND fear of flying AND'. The hypnosis needs to focus on one thing that matters to you. Sometimes it is connected to something else, and one can help the other.

Give good information.

One client had an issue of over-snacking when nervous at her job. She was clear that overwhelm and nervousness led to snacking, so we worked first on helping her better organize herself and having the confidence to ask for help. After that, eliminating excessive snacking was simple.

We also taught her to recognize overwhelm earlier, then anchored relief to new things: a short walk around the office, sips of water, and her internal image of a lake she loved as a child.

She felt better in one session, incorporated new ways of coping after two and, within a month, surprised herself by easily losing pounds because she was not 'panic eating' (her clever phrase) anymore. She knew what she came for, so we easily found the parts of the puzzle, and got them handled one by one.

Not every issue can be alleviated in a single session, especially complex situations. An honest, experienced hypnosis provider may recommend several sessions and perhaps a series.

Finally: how to supercharge your hypnotic work:

1. Choose a hypnotist or hypnotherapist you trust. Maybe you got the name from a reliable referral source, maybe she answered your questions well, or maybe you just feel comfortable with her. However you choose your practitioner, make sure it's someone whose instructions you'd be willing to follow.

2. Be honest and answer the practitioner's questions thoroughly. That gives her the information she needs to provide an insightful and useful (maybe life-changing) session. Don't use up all your time talking, however. This isn't talk therapy. It's about giving adequate information so you can get the assistance you need.

3. Arrive at the session caffeine- and alcohol-free. I ask clients to stay away from these stimulants two hours before our session. Your practitioner may have other guidelines.

4. Follow instructions. Even if they seem, frankly, dumb. Some will be methods the practitioner uses to discover the best way to bring you into trance. Others may include the most effective 'hypnotic suggestions' to help you achieve the results you came for. To the rational mind, though, they may seem rather irrational. But most hypnosis happens in the nonlinear part of the mind, which understands perfectly.

5. Learn self-hypnosis. After a few successful and pleasant sessions, ask if your practitioner can help you learn self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis can be a useful tool for you, especially if you are appreciating the value hypnosis is giving you, and you are a do-it-yourselfer at heart.

Sometimes you can get along with just self-hypnosis. My clients use it before giving a presentation or in athletic pursuits. A few in preparation for a date. Weight-loss clients use it before heading out to a party and stay within their food plan. I encourage it as a wonderful way to reinforce the work we do together. ©2007 by Wendy Lapidus-Saltz. All rights reserved.