Sonoma hypnotherapist offers sessions to residents

Jennifer Blackwood had an acute fear of flying for more than 30 years, causing her to avoid it — until she sought help from Lindi Gallagher, a hypnotherapist who opened an office in downtown Sonoma during the past year.

“When I did fly once last year, it was excruciating and terrifying,” Blackwood said. “I literally cried for the first half-hour and had to keep my eyes closed. I was a mess. Fast forward to last spring, when I anticipated a flight to Portland in June: I had a flash of insight to find a hypnotherapist for my phobia, thankfully, and found Lindi.”

Blackwood said that her sessions with Gallagher “helped immensely.”

“After just two sessions, I felt my fear of flying start to subside, to lose its charge,” she said. “After a few more sessions, I found that I could look up at a plane in the sky and not feel trepidation or catastrophic feelings. With each session, I felt less concerned about the round-trip flight coming up in June and even almost excited — something I never thought I would feel!”

On the day of the flight, she had no anxiety.

“While I desperately hoped the sessions with Lindi would help, I couldn’t imagine how much they might, nor how I would feel,” she said. “The sessions dismantled all the fear stories I had about flying, and what was usually difficult, like taking off and looking out the window, was much less charged for me. It’s hard to describe what it feels like when a severe phobia is handled, but it almost feels like a shadow or distant memory.”

While some people still think of hypnosis as a trancelike spell induced by a magician waving a watch in front of their eyes, due partly to Gallagher, many other Sonoma Valley residents have recently realized that it actually can be used as a meditation-like, therapeutic process that can help treat a wide range of mental and physical issues.

Gallagher, a certified clinical hypnotherapist and cognitive behavioral therapist, is offering in-person appointments at her business, Sonoma Hypnotherapy, on West Napa Street in Sonoma, and online video sessions. Each sessions costs $140 to $180, depending on what the client is experiencing and how long it has been an issue.

“For emotional and mental well-being, hypnotherapy can help resolve anxiety and depression, let go of anger, increase self-confidence and motivation, and release fears and phobias,” she said. “In terms of physical health and healing, it can reduce chronic pain, relieve PMS, restore fertility and address insomnia.”

She said hypnotherapy can also support lifestyle changes, such as losing weight naturally as well as ending addictions and unwanted habits.

The American Psychological Association and American Medical Association have recognized hypnotherapy as a valid procedure since 1958, and the National Institutes of Health has recommended it to treat chronic pain since 1995.

Gallagher explained how she conducts a hypnotherapy session.

“Specific blocks or obstacles are not always known — neither to the practitioner nor the client,” she said. “For this reason, suggestions are not made. Instead, clear, gentle instructions are given, allowing the fantastic inner mind to do what needs to be done to reach the intended goal.

“The process allows inner wisdom — that incredible intelligence within — to naturally resolve issues, problem solve and overcome challenges on every level: physical, mental and emotional. It is a gentle way to unlock the natural ability to heal and thrive.”

Rachel, who has been a client of Gallagher for eight months to address her anxiety about financial issues, lauds her approach.

“Her fantastic ability to listen, be patient and let the process flow even if it does not initially end up where we expected, is one of her best qualities,” she said. “She helped me tremendously. I have found a level of inner peace that I did not even know had been missing for decades. Even though my goal was in one area, I saw benefits ripple through many other areas — including a huge decrease in anxiety about wildfires, which I had not mentioned to Lindi when we talked about our goals.”

Gallagher explained the limitations of hypnotherapy, saying that it is one way to tap into the power and intelligence within the mind and body.

“It is not a replacement for appropriate medical or psychological care when needed,” she said. “It is not appropriate for all health conditions, by any means, especially those involving severe psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, psychosis or certain personality disorders.”

She said that there are several common misconceptions about hypnotherapy, including that it may involve discomfort.