Certified hypnotist Susan James treats a host of conditions

Unlike those side-show-esque college comedy nights featuring the likes of The Great Gambini’s Hypnotic Acts, Susan James won’t make you jabber away in Martian or dance the funky chicken in front of a crowd—but the certified hypnotist can help you quit smoking, lose weight, relieve anxiety and much more. Her 8-year-old Woodbury practice has successfully treated scores of people suffering from afflictions such as insomnia, addiction and chronic pain. A member of the national guild of hypnotists, James began her career 13 years ago as a hypnosis patient. After the birth of her first son, she’d developed an irrational fear that her sweet-natured horse, Buddy, would kick her and she would not be able to care for her baby. “I tried but failed to overcome it on my own,” James says. “I answered an ad for hypnosis and literally the next day found myself capable of doing things that I hadn’t before.” She decided to pursue it.James attended hypnosis training programs all over the country and got her certification in 2000. She opened her Woodbury practice in 2004. When she had her second son, she used self-hypnosis to get through the birthing process. “I was so calm that the nurse had to tell my husband that I was, in fact, having major contractions,” James says. “I was able to focus on the fact that my body knew what to do and I was free of all tightness, tension and fear.”A session with James begins with a free consultation during which she explains the process. The client wears headphones during the actual therapy session, which starts with a round of head-to-toe relaxation exercises and brief “safety imaging” to create a comfortable atmosphere. James continues with nurturing guided imagery specific to the issue the client wants to address.Each client learns additional maintenance tools such as self-hypnosis and emotional freedom technique (EFT), a way to relieve emotional and physical challenges. The subjects leave with a recorded CD of their session to listen to at home. “The more they listen to the recording for reinforcement, the faster the results,” James says. “The key to transformation is repetition.“The first time, a person can expect anything—sometimes they feel wide awake but don’t recognize what they had said on the CD,” she says. “Other times people fall asleep—they even snore—then wake up tobacco-free.” Typically people drift in and out of different states of mind during the hour-long session. Recently James has been working with children and teenagers for chronic constipation, sports and test anxiety and confidence. “Hypnotism works well with them; they respond so quickly,” she says. “Something that takes an adult four sessions only takes two with a kid.”One of James’ more memorable young patients was an eight-year old Cottage Grove boy with tics that suggested a possible diagnosis of Tourette’s syndrome. The boy’s mother didn’t believe it was Tourette’s, but the boy’s condition persisted. “He got worse over the course of a summer and we were desperate,” she recalls. “I wasn’t sure about hypnosis or what my husband would think about it, but I’m so glad we did it. [My son] listens to the CD incessantly and has since removed the words ‘try’ and ‘can’t’ from his vocabulary. I’m a true believer.”  “All hypnosis is essentially self-hypnosis because nobody can make you do anything you don’t want to do,” James says. “If you really want it to, it will work. Hypnosis isn’t scary. It’s based on relaxation.” James’ clients have routinely reported that they feel calmer, function better in daily life and sleep better. What’s more, hypnosis is non-invasive, medication-free, has no negative side effects and, as James says, “guides you to use your own natural resources to be able to accomplish your goals.”