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Alternative Wellness: Hypnosis

Reprogram the subconscious for better living

Editor’s Note: The Vail Daily’s Tricia Swenson searched the valley for alternative wellness modalities that are lesser-known and have proven benefits. Follow this series and take steps to improve your well being and see which offerings work for you.

When you hear the word hypnosis, you may think of the phrase, “you are getting verrrryyy sleeeeepyyyyyy…” The hypnosis you may have been exposed to as a kid on television shows is not what Kacee Picot is trying to achieve. Picot is using the power of suggestion while you are in a heightened state of awareness to produce the desired results you want out of life, be that losing weight, quitting smoking or another challenge you face.

Picot has been a licensed, professional cosmetologist in the Vail Valley since 1994 and has her business, C Kacee Go Beauty and Wellness Center in Riverwalk at Edwards. But, like many people during the COVID-19 pandemic, she started looking at different professions.

“When the world shut down during COVID-19, I started to wonder, ‘what if I can’t do hair anymore?’ and I looked into meditation for myself, because I was struggling, which lead me to Joe Dispenza,” Picot said. You may recognize Dr. Joe Dispenza’s name because of the award-winning film, “What the BLEEP Do We Know!?” The scientist, teacher and lecturer is also the author of several New York Times bestsellers.

“I went to a couple of his seminars and then I learned that he was a hypnotist with Hypnosis Motivation Institute (HMI), which is why I went to HMI,” Picot said. That’s when she learned how hypnosis could help those with a variety of ailments, from mental health, smoking, interventions for people who are addicts and alcoholics and a host of other vices.

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Kacee Picot uses hypnotherapy to give people relief from what’s troubling them.
Kacee Picot/Courtesy photo

Hypnotherapy is not done while you are “out of it,” you are instead in a heightened state of concentration and focused attention.

“You’re not asleep, you’re not in a blackout, and I can’t make you do something that would be against your moral code to do. When you’re listening to my voice, just like any normal conversation, sometimes you’re on the edge of your seat listening to every word, and other times you just go into your own thoughts and you’re listening to yourself and that’s exactly what you are supposed to do. So, part of it is led, some of it I have people in a lighter state of hypnosis where they are answering questions with a finger twitch or a nod, or they are saying yes or no out loud, and other times they are deep in trance and I’m leading them through a guided journey with a lot of metaphors and these metaphors are used to create a perception shift so that people say, ‘oh, I see where that makes sense for me’ in a very subtle way,” Picot said.

It may be as subtle as feeling like going for a walk when you get home from work instead of going straight to the kitchen and eating. Picot said that hypnosis can be very effective when helping someone with weight loss.

“We have a saying in the industry where ‘the thing is never the thing.’ Being overweight – it’s not about the food, it’s what is attached to it,” Picot said. Weight loss may require several sessions because it’s revealing layers of why you’re holding on to the weight.

“Let’s say you’re standing behind your kids in photos, or you’re not even in the photos – how many Christmas cards do you get of just the kids and not the parents because the mom doesn’t want to stand behind her kids again? That thought process bleeds into poor sleep habits, it bleeds into self-esteem at work, it bleeds into medical issues, so it is not just the weight, it’s the weight and people beating themselves up about it,” Picot said. “People will think, ‘I’m still at this weight and I can’t stand to see myself in the mirror, I won’t go to the beach because I will not put on a bathing suit in front of anyone. I don’t want to be naked in front of my husband…’,” Picot’s voice trails off as she gets a little emotional recounting the pain people are feeling and hiding behind.

“No one should feel that way…it’s just heartbreaking…” Picot said.

That passion to make people feel better about themselves is what drives Picot to dedicate her time to helping others.

“You don’t have to punish yourself forever. Our brains re-vilify, re-live, re-beat ourselves up all our lives for something that we did,” Picot said. “We can use hypnotherapy to make something less triggering so you can have that memory without the emotional attachment and the fear and anxiety that is wrapped in it. So, you don’t smell that car accident anymore, because sometimes people still smell that accident.”

I came to Kacee after researching hypnotherapy and discovering how beneficial it is in helping people who deal with addictive tendencies and I, unfortunately, had several. I must admit, I was a bit skeptical that I could be hypnotized, but my fears were unfounded.

The progress that I have made over the last six weeks has been truly amazing.  I would highly recommend her to anyone who believes they could benefit from hypnotherapy.

K.B.

Many people believe that hypnosis will conjure things up from the past.

“A lot of people think that they are going to have to relive things to heal and you don’t. You don’t even have to know what it was for it to be released. Which is such a safe way to process things,” Picot explained. “So, it just gives people freedom around their thoughts, freedom around their intrusive thoughts and their fears and phobias and that is a huge relief to people.”

Hypnosis is often used in smoking cessation.

“Smoking, vaping, dipping and chewing tobacco habits can be worked on in one session, it is two and a half hours long, but it is very effective. I had one client in her late 70s who was vaping but she needed to have a surgery, so she said she wanted to quit smoking beforehand. She also said she felt like a junkie going out and vaping at her age and talked about how it pulled her away from her grandchildren, pulled her away when she’s on a trip, and so on. After one session, she was done,” Picot said.

“I had been a smoker for over 18 years and tried numerous methods to quit but nothing worked. A friend recommended hypnosis and I was skeptical at first. Kacee, the hypnotist, suggested to my subconscious mind that I no longer needed cigarettes and that I was better off without them. When I woke up, I felt refreshed and motivated to quit smoking. Honestly, it was like seeing colors for the first time. I noticed a significant change in my cravings for cigarettes after the hypnosis session. The urge to smoke was greatly reduced and I was able to resist the temptation to smoke. It wasn’t easy, but with the help of hypnosis, I was able to quit smoking for good.

J.H.

In addition to weight loss, stress eating and smoking cessation, Picot has been trained to work on sleep disorders, guilt, grief, tinnitus, motion sickness, irritable bowel syndrome, sexual issues, career goals and athletic performance. She can even help those who have been in a skiing or snowboarding accident get back out on the slopes. Teenagers and children can be helped with things such as test-taking, studying, attention deficit disorder, bed-wetting, confidence, fears and phobias.

The hypnosis sessions vary in length depending on the issue and can either be done in person at Picot’s salon in Riverwalk in Edwards or she can do them over Zoom.

“If you’re having issues with food, I’ll have you be in your kitchen during the session. If you have trouble with sleep, I’ll have you be in your bedroom. If you’re having issues at the office, go to the office and be in the boardroom and while you’re in the boardroom we do this session and you come out of it and you’re there and there’s just relief around it.,” Picot said.

I’ve battled with weight my whole life and recently put on a lot of weight while dealing with my nephew’s untimely death and my ex-husband’s cancer, so I’ve been grieving and care giving and emotionally eating to cope. I decided it was time to take charge of my health and I’m only a few sessions in and know it’s going to be a process, but I already feel hopeful that I’m going to be able to conquer this and not feel like there is nothing I can do about it.

T.A.

I give people homework in between appointments and I send them audios to listen to on a regular basis, some of the topics are “wake up happy,” “drink less wine,” “deep sleep,” or “stop biting your nails” – whatever the issue is, we’ll address it subconsciously,” Picot said. “It’s amazing.”

Throughout the years, Picot has gotten a lot of feedback and kudos for helping people change their lives for the better, but she doesn’t take credit for her clients’ success.

“I don’t care if they credit the hypnosis, as long as they make the change and their life is better. It’s not about me. The answers are all in the person. They know what they need better than I know. I’m just cracking it open so that they can access what they know and what is best for them.”


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