With a myriad of mental health concerns a growing problem throughout the world, the World Health Organization recognized World Mental Health Day this month. In the western world and across the globe, issues like anxiety and depression are on the rise, and a Moose Jaw woman is doing something a little unconventional to help folks deal with their emotions. 

Morganne Williamson is a yoga instructor and creator of Magic Mind Alchemy Hypnotherapy in the Notorious City and she says that hypnotherapy can help improve our levels of happiness, reduce stress, and even help us sleep.

Williamson said she personally started on the path to self-discovery after she began practicing yoga, which quickly turned her toward meditation. 

“That really lead me to understanding how to regulate emotions, which as a human being, that's a very necessary thing to be doing.”

For Williamson, meditation seemed to open up the option of new healing modalities, so she decided to try to go deeper. 

“I heard about hypnotherapy, I didn't really know what it was, but the word just wouldn't leave my mind so I Googled it, and then it lead me to a hypnotherapist in Regina, so I just booked a session with her.”

Williamson went to see Hypno Heather, who’s been practicing in Regina for a number of years. 

“I just had a really strong intuitive feeling that it was right, so I just went for it. I drove to Regina, I got lost. I ended up making it there. Sitting in the waiting room, I was so nervous! I just was full of fear and I didn't understand why. I almost left and that's not like me, but I didn't. I did the session. It was the most profound thing for me, and it was lasting. It really got to the root of what needed to be addressed in that moment, and we just healed it.” 

That was last year. Today, Williamson is now a certified hypnotherapy instructor and creator of Magic Mind Alchemy Hypnotherapy. 

“If you have heard of hypnosis, you've probably seen it in an entertainment setting, which is totally fun and great, but within hypnotherapy, it's used for completely different purposes. It's not like you're going asleep, it's not like you're going anywhere really, it's not an obvious shift; it's more like a very heightened state of awareness. You're still totally present. You'll remember everything that happens during the session.”

Williamson said that the process is actually very similar to meditation, only deeper. 

“Hypnosis is just a much deeper state. What we're doing is bypassing the critical factor, which is what separates the conscious mind from the subconscious mind. Sometimes that's really hard for us to do with ourselves because the conscious mind is kind of that monkey mind, so when you sit down and you meditate and close your eyes, the mind gets really chatty. When we do hypnosis, it's easier to quiet that part of the mind to access the subconsious mind, which is really where we want to be coming from in hypnosis.” 

She added that a hypnotherapy session is similar to a “spa day for your mind” and encourages anyone curious finding a new way to deal with trauma or mental health issues, to just try it out. 

"Just do it. There's always going to be that layer of fear because the unknown can be quite scary. If we can reframe that, the unknown is our friend. That's where the magic is: on the other side of the fear. Not choosing to do something is still making a decision. You're choosing to stay where you are, and if where you are isn't feeling good, then why stay there?”

You can find Morganne Williamson on Facebook at Magic Mind Alchemy Hypno or call her at  (306) 690-9801 for more information.