There is a belief that is very common in the hypnosis community that remembering and re-living childhood trauma will help you relieve it. The process is called hypnotic regression.

There are several problems with using hypnotic regression to heal from trauma:

• Your mind is not a video camera. So whatever you may remember in regression is not accurate. The story you remember may increase the trauma you are experiencing and/or impact your relationships with people in a negative way.
• Re-living a traumatic experience may reactivate the memory and make it worse.
• It is very dangerous for you to believe in cause-effect relationships between your past and future. Remembering what happened by its very nature will reinforce cause-effect relationships. This can keep you stuck in the past instead of free you to move forward. It is like going through life looking through the rear view mirror.

Here is what I recommend:

• Seek out a hypnosis practitioner who focuses on using hypnosis for forgiveness and letting go of the past, followed by helping you build your capacity to live a more peaceful and healthier life now and in your future.
• Start focusing on what you want next in your life. Better relationships? Health? Financial and/or career success? Set clear goals learn how to use hypnosis to help you get them.

I’ve been trying different kinds of therapy, but I can’t remember my childhood trauma to relieve it. Can hypnotherapy help me? How does it work?