Age regression therapy with hypnosis has been a controversial topic for decades. It’s also the very topic that hypnosis is known for.

Although hypnosis is still a very unknown subject to many people, the portion of the society who knows about hypnosis usually thinks about three things: Smoking cessation, weight loss, and age regression therapy.

Perhaps this perception comes from the movies with manipulated hypnotized subjects. You may see some characters getting stuck in hypnosis at a certain age, speaking or acting as if they are a child. Scary, isn’t it?

Limitations of age regression with hypnosis

Age regression therapy with hypnosis has been very controversial because recent research shows that hypnotherapy is not the best way to retrieve memories. After testing memories of high and low hypnotizable undergraduates, a research study from American Psychological Association reported that neither hypnosis nor imagination enhanced recalling information. Additionally, hypnotizability was associated with more inaccurate material recalling and more confidence in the material recalled.

In the light of the increasing evidence against age regression therapy with hypnosis, we can say that it isn’t the most suitable hypnotic approach to many candidates. However, there are still some areas in which hypnotic age regression may lead to a positive resourceful state.

Quitting smoking with age regression

Quitting smoking is one of the most challenging goals a smoker can accomplish in their life. Hypnotherapy is usually a very successful and powerful therapeutic tool to stop smoking. There are various methods a hypnotherapist can use to help someone stop smoking and hypnotic age regression is just one of them.

Age regression for smoking cessation doesn’t necessarily have to be a complex tool. Sometimes remembering how the addiction started, or how young the person was when they had their first cigarette can be enough to realize how the association was created. Other times, we may need to go into memories in detail such as remembering surrounding people, emotions, feelings, or what was happening.

Overall, age regression therapy with hypnosis to stop smoking can help participants realize that smoking is a very toxic habit that they picked up because of different circumstances they were in at the time. The results are amazing. Just the terrible taste and the smell of the very first cigarette can be enough to turn a smoker into a non-smoker!

Increasing confidence with childhood regression

Low confidence is one of the issues that many of us suffer from. Interestingly enough, we are all born with high confidence in ourselves. In time, we lose touch with what we knew naturally. Every baby has confidence as they try to stand up and fall back again. With the help of confidence, they try and fail and repeat this cycle until they learn how to walk. As we grow up, as we hear verbal and physical cues from our parents, our environment, or families, we convince ourselves that “we cannot do certain things”. 

Regardless of how they feel right now, everyone will have a memory of themselves when they were confident. Sometimes, under hypnosis, regressing back to that moment of achievement, a proud feeling or that excitement can help them get in touch with their core. After all, knowing that confidence is not something you need to learn from scratch but it is already available right inside your subconscious mind can already ignite the confidence within.

Releasing fears and phobias with regression

Most fears and phobias are irrational thoughts that lead to anxious reactions. The best examples are fear of cockroaches, fear of vomiting, or fear of certain foods. Many people don’t even remember how they developed the fear in the first place but what they know for sure is the debilitating anxiety that blocks them.

Hypnotherapy is a very helpful therapeutic tool to overcome the majority of fears and phobias. There are a number of tools a hypnotherapist can use to create a positive association about the feared subject in the subconscious mind. One of these tools is age regression therapy.  

Our mind records every memory, smell, word, and picture but all these are not readily available in our conscious awareness. During hypnosis, we can go back to certain memories for further therapeutic development. This approach can especially be helpful with fears because sometimes, understanding the circumstances at the time or how the fear started when they were a child can bring closure. We change and grow continuously. Comprehending the circumstances and the mindset at the time can help the person let go of that old negative association.

Final words from B Hypnotized

Although age regression therapy with hypnosis can be very promising, make sure that you are working with a highly qualified hypnotherapist. Age regression therapy can be very powerful when it is done right. On the other hand, when it’s not done by a professional, it can also lead to negative results instead. You can also read more about age regression therapy with hypnosis and the risks that you may have to take from this blog post.