Change From Within
Finding the Benefits of Hypnotism with Katy Redmon…
When people hear the word hypnosis, many picture a stage show — someone clucking like a chicken or falling asleep at the snap of a finger. But for certified hypnotist Katy Redmon, who has quietly practiced in Redding for 20 years, the reality of hypnotism is something far gentler, far more collaborative, and for many people, deeply transformative.
“People think hypnosis is unusual,” Redmon says. “But the truth is, we go in and out of light hypnotic states all the time.” She describes the experience of driving home on autopilot or getting so absorbed in a hobby that time slips away. These everyday moments, she says, are examples of the brain moving from the busy, problem-solving beta state into a slower, more relaxed alpha state. Hypnotism simply teaches you how to use that natural state intentionally.
Redmon explains hypnosis as a process in which a person chooses to bypass their conscious mind and work directly with the subconscious — the place where habits, fears and long-held beliefs reside. “There’s a part of us that’s almost like a 3- or 4-year-old,” she says. “It doesn’t filter negativity; it just accepts whatever it gets.”
Advertisements take advantage of this, she notes, but hypnosis allows people to use the same mechanism for their own benefit. “You’re giving yourself positive suggestions,” she says. “It’s a way of being kinder to yourself.”
What hypnosis is not, Redmon emphasizes, is mind control. “A hypnotist can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do,” she says. “The movies make it look like someone is being forced into something. That’s just not real.” In her practice, clients stay fully aware, fully in control, and able to stop the process at any time.
For most people, the first experience of hypnosis simply feels like deep relaxation. Sessions begin with physical techniques — tightening and relaxing the muscles, slowing the breath — before moving into imagery. Redmon helps clients pick a setting that already makes them feel calm: a meadow, a beach, a shaded forest path or even floating on a cloud.
“Their face relaxes when they choose the right place,” she says with a laugh. “You can see it right away.”
Once a client is fully settled, she guides them through suggestions that the two of them have developed together — affirmations and messages tailored to the goal they’re working on, whether it’s quitting smoking, reducing stress, studying for an exam, sleeping better or releasing old fears.
Before she was a hypnotist, Redmon spent 20 years as a schoolteacher. Helping people grow, change and move confidently into new phases of life is familiar territory for her, and part of what drew her to a second career in healing work.
“I approached hypnotism like I approached teaching,” she says. “I wanted rigorous training.” She studied for two years — one weekend a month, all day Saturday and Sunday. California doesn’t license hypnotists, but Redmon is certified through the National Guild of Hypnotists, and she encourages anyone seeking a hypnotist to check credentials and ask about training.
Asked about the most powerful transformations she’s witnessed, Redmon pauses. Some of the most dramatic, she says, came through past-life regression work, a specialty she offers to clients for whom it makes sense spiritually. But many breakthroughs happen through more traditional hypnosis.
There was the client with debilitating test anxiety who, through hypnotism, went on to ace his exams. Some clients conquered their fear of flying, people preparing for childbirth and individuals who finally quit smoking after years of trying. “It’s amazing what reducing stress can do,” she says. “Stress is a component of almost everything.”
For example, hypnotherapy has been shown to help PTSD patients overcome insomnia. One 2008 study found that 88 percent of patients who received hypnotherapy twice a week for two weeks reported excellent or good sleep quality, compared with 27 percent of those who received insomnia medication nightly for two weeks.
For Redmon, the reward is watching people gain confidence, clarity and agency. “It’s like teaching,” she says. “You want your students to get to the point where they don’t need you anymore.”
Hypnotism can stand on its own, but Redmon says it also pairs well with other therapeutic practices, including counseling, meditation and medical treatment, especially when stress reduction is the goal. She wishes more healthcare professionals in the North State were open to collaboration, noting that partnerships are more common in larger cities.
If someone is intrigued but unsure whether hypnotism is right for them, Redmon suggests starting small. “Download a general relaxation audio,” she says. “Just see how it feels to listen to someone guide you. It’s like a gentle, guided meditation.” She even offers her own relaxation recording for free so potential clients can see whether her voice and style resonate with them.
As for the biggest misconception she wishes she could erase? That hypnosis is dangerous, controlling or somehow mystical. “I collaborate with people,” she says firmly. “I don’t control them. Hypnosis is not something scary. It’s simply a tool — one that can help you be more patient and kinder with yourself.”
In a region where people often carry their stress quietly, Redmon hopes that gentle tools like hypnosis can help open new pathways to wellness, calm, and self-understanding. “It can be so transformational,” she says. “I’ve seen it over and over again.”•
Redmon Hypnosis • (707) 694-2952
www.redmonhypnosis.com
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Al Olson loves culinary arts, adult beverages and hiking in the North State wilderness. You may find him soaking up the scenery at one of our area’s many state or national parks or sitting in a barstool sipping a cold locally brewed craft beer.
