“Can everybody be hypnotised?”

“Does hypnosis really work?”

If Paul Hurley had a euro for every time he’s been asked these questions, he’d be a very rich man indeed.

The answer to both questions, he says, is a resounding “yes”. “The real surprise to many, however, is when they hear that not only does my work involve taking people out of hypnosis, but that they have already been hypnotised in the first place, without them even knowing it.” he adds.

Hurley has been working as a hypnotist for the past 17 years, and is the author of two books, ‘Think And Be Slim’ and ‘The Power Of Depression’. During this time, he’s successfully used hypnosis to help clients lose weight, stop smoking, manage stress, eliminate depression and remove phobias. Yet, he maintains, all of these problems are merely different symptoms of the very same thing: fear.

“We are born with only two fears,” Hurley says. “The first is a fear of loud noises; the young child, you automatically believe everything your parents tell you because you trust them unconditionally and have yet to develop your ability to think critically. Many parents unwittingly pass on their limiting beliefs to their children, having picked them up from their parents. Such beliefs are stored deep in the subconscious mind, and until changed, have a huge effect on our habits, actions and eventual lives.”

According to Hurley, because hypnosis involves direct communication with the subconscious mind, it enables people to make powerful and permanent positive changes in their lives. “During hypnosis, the analytical, logical and rational parts of your conscious mind are all temporarily relaxed,” he says. “This allows your subconscious mind to benefit from new insights, discoveries and perspectives. Everything starts in the mind on an unconscious level and this is exactly why you get powerful results with hypnosis.

Paul Hurley is a hypnotist based in Dublin. To find out more, go to www.callpaul.ie