The Case:  

• Liana is dealing with fatigue, digestive issues, hair loss, joint pain, and lack of concentration
• She’s been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and has been trying to eat right and take supplements to support it but can’t seem to stick with the routine. 
• She’s struggling to find a balance that includes feeling good. 

The Investigation 
One of the things I noticed when I met with Liana was she had some limiting beliefs about her ability to feel good again and, I suspected that she was subconsciously self-sabotaging. I knew then that if we were dealing with issues on a subconscious level, we needed to start there - and more specifically with Hypnosis.
 Understanding Hypnosis 
Grace Smith is one of the world's leading hypnotherapists and I knew she was the perfect person to have on the show to address how hypnotherapy can help chronic illnesses, like Hashimoto’s, from all angles, including beliefs, fears, stressors, and traumas. 
Before we could dive into how it can help, we had to address the elephant in the room - the perception of hypnotherapy as a party trick that leaves people barking like a dog or strutting like a chicken. 
Grace has heard this all before and admits that she was skeptical herself before hypnosis helped her quit smoking. 
The first thing she does is dispel the myth that hypnosis is mind control. Next, she reveals the real secrets behind those hypnotist shows. Spoiler - it’s all a show!
She goes on to explain that hypnotherapy is just meditation with a goal or a purpose. 
How Hypnosis Works 
Our brain waves fluctuate between several different states based on our level of consciousness. The beta state is where we spend most of our waking lives - it's the state of normal waking consciousness where we experience stress, fight or flight mode, and survival mode. Unfortunately, many people live in this state perpetually, which can be really corrosive to our physical, emotional, and mental health, as well as our relationships.
There are three other brain wave states that we can access with a bit of effort. The alpha state is where we go when we're daydreaming or doing something rote like washing our hair in the shower. It's a slightly more relaxed state where we can access inspiration and intuition. The delta state is where we go when we're sleeping and our brains are essentially offline. But the most interesting state, and the one that Grace works with, is the theta state. This is where hypnotherapy takes place, and it's a state of deep relaxation where we're still consciously aware of our surroundings. In this state, we have the surplus energy required to create new neural pathways in our brain extremely rapidly, which is why hypnotherapy can be so effective. It's all about telling your brain a better story and focusing on what you want, rather than staying stuck in the same old thought patterns.
 How Hypnotherapy can Help with Hashimoto’s, Inflammation, and other Autoimmune Issues 
Through hypnotherapy, Grace Smith suggests that people can learn how to visualize their bodies healing and healthy, as well as learn how to communicate with their bodies to promote healing. By changing the way the person perceives their symptoms, they can reduce the inflammation in their body and improve their overall health. Additionally, she emphasizes the importance of identifying and addressing any emotional or mental factors that may be contributing to the inflammation and autoimmune response in the body. By helping the person relax and release emotional tension, hypnotherapy can promote a healthier immune response and reduce inflammation.
In this way, hypnotherapy can help with Hashimoto's and inflammation by:

• Opening up access to a deep state of relaxation where rest and repair happen
• Weakening the neural pathways of limiting beliefs and creating new pathways for positive change
• Helping promote healing through visualization of the body's healing
• Addressing emotional and mental factors that may be contributing to inflammation and autoimmune response in the body
• Promoting a healthier immune response to further reduce inflammation

Grace shared that changes can happen fairly quickly and that the efficacy (for those who truly want to change) is very high. She said that one study found that six sessions of hypnotherapy resulted in an average of 93 % improvement per topic. The same study found that 600 sessions of talk therapy or psychotherapy, resulted in an average of 33 % improvement. This is not to say that therapy does not have value or its place in a healing journey. Amazing Healing Stories 

In this episode, Grace shares a whole host of amazing stories where hypnosis provided healing in ways that the patients didn’t think were possible. She got started in this field because she was fascinated by how one technique could help on so many levels, from smoking to public speaking, from eating disorders to stroke recovery. Hypnotherapy and Your Hashimoto’s Healing Journey 

Talking with Grace about hypnotherapy brought up so many different facets of the healing journey for anyone with Hashimoto’s including Liana. There are so many different symptoms, and there's typically a big inflammatory component and insufficient thyroid hormone. 

There are four main triggers with Hahsimoto’s including food, toxins, infections, and stress (including day-to-day, emotional, and past traumas). We can also experience upper limits that we hold about what we deserve or how we deserve to feel. We have stories we’ve told ourselves for so long that we don’t see them as stories, we see them as truths. For example, following a specific diet is hard or undesirable. 

This is where Grace says hypnotherapy can help. She shares some interesting studies relating to people with IBS and inflammation who had amazing results through hypnotherapy. One of the reasons hypnotherapy is so successful with decreasing inflammation is because it takes the body out of the stress state which creates the inflammation. She also says that hypnotherapy can help people lose their taste for processed foods and sugar, both of which contribute to inflammation and other health concerns. 

She says that these kinds of shifts can take between 6 and 10 sessions but that it is so often effective because your subconscious is hearing the better story of health for the first time and reframing the subconscious relationship with certain types of food or eating habits.   Diving Deeper into Hypnotherapy for Hashimoto’s - To Be Continued! 

There was so much in this interview with Grace, it was actually too long to get into one episode. So, we continue our conversation in episode 140 after which I’ll share what happened with Liana and how she was able to get past her struggles with Hashimoto’s. 

Plus, in the next episode, I’ll share everything that I have been using hypnosis for with myself and my family.  In the meantime, check out the links below to get to know Grace a bit better yourself and see if her resources can help you or someone in your life dealing with a health mystery. 

Links:

Resources mentioned

Thanks to my guest Grace Smith. You can connect with her and download her app at GetGrace.com.

And you can check out her books, too: 

•  Close Your Eyes, Get Free 
•  Close Your Eyes, Lose Weight