I have been certified by the National Guild Of Hypnotists since 1999 and have Advanced Hypnotherapy Certification as a 5-Path(Five Phase Abreactive, Therapeutic Hypnosis)and as a 7th Path Self-Hypnosis Practitioner by the Banyon Hypnosis Center in MN. In August of 2003, I received certifcation by Tom Nicoli, PHd, CH., in Advanced Weight Loss techniques. Tom is the Nationally recognized Hypnotherapist featured in the Dateline Weight Loss Challenge. Additionally, I am a member of the International Association of Counselors and Therapists. I am a Hospice Volunteer specializing in bereavement and loss counseling for those in need. Additionally, I work with an online bereavement support group list assisting parents who have lost a child. I volunteer time working with the BayState Medical CenterHospice Program, Franklin Medical Center's Hospice Program and Baystate Medical Center's Oncology Deptartment providing guided imagery to help their patients with cancer treatment sypmtoms,grief, bereavement and caregiver issues.

Blue Moon Hypnotherapy offers confidential,one-on-one hypnotherapy sessions to help you acheive your goals. All of the sessions are uniquely personalized and most are recorded. The tapes/cds are given to you before you leave.





Come to Blue Moon Hypnotherapy and let me hold you in your grief, your fear, or illness. Together we will confront your demons, slay your dragons,heal your pain, and wipe away your tears. With my assistance, you will rewrite your negative thoughts, transform unwanted habits and unhealthy patterns and change the way you perceive the past.

It is an honor to assist you in your quest for a happier and healthier life.

Monday - Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Most Fridays - 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 pm

Please call 413 774-7171 for more information and pricing.

As published in Many Hands Magazine in October of 2004.By Jean Conway, C.H.

There are many myths and misconceptions about hypnosis. First of all, hypnosis is not a silver bullet nor is it magic. In the five years I have been practicing hypnotherapy I have seen remarkable results, which is, of course, why I love my job! I have witnessed the transformation of clients being prisoners of their own limiting beliefs to those who believe in a world filled with possibilities, only after a few sessions. We all go in and out of hypnosis at least twice a day: right after you wake up and before you fall sleep. Hypnosis is not sleep; in fact, you are relaxed but focused and alert. It is similar to meditative or daydream states. You simply relax your conscious mind and that allows your subconscious mind to come to the forefront. You are under hypnosis when you are reading a really good novel, watching a good movie, or suddenly become hungry while watching a food commercial. Have you ever driven in your car, arrived at your destination safely, but forgot how you got there? Your subconscious mind was in control of the driving, while your conscious mind was thinking about something else.While in this natural state of being, you are always in control. The hypnotherapist is a facilitator to help you get from one place to another. You always know where you are and what you're doing and you will remember the session. Your subconscious mind will not give you anything you can't handle remember, it is a part of you. One would not do anything under hypnosis or after they emerge from hypnosis which goes against their moral values or good judgment. In order to go under hypnosis, one must be somewhat intelligent, be a willing volunteer, be able to follow instruction and must have the desire for change.What is the clinical definition of hypnosis? Hypnosis is the bypass of the critical faculty of the conscious mind and the establishment of selective thinking. You see, the critical faculty of our mind exists to protect the vulnerable nature of our subconscious mind. It takes all incoming information and compares it with the information already being held. If it’s not in harmony with the current perception, it rejects it. The hypnotherapist’s job is to bypass the critical faculty of the mind so that’s its uninvolved with the flow of data into the subconscious mind. It is in the subconscious mind that all learning behavior change takes place. It was in the subconscious state when the mind first accepted those negative emotions and limiting beliefs, so it’s there we must go to release them. But most of the time we are in a conscious state of being that is logical, judgmental and thinking. The subconscious mind has no logic, judgment or thinking, it is childlike.Is there a difference between Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy? Yes, there is a difference. Simplified, hypnosis is great at modifying one’s behavior, getting rid of symptoms. It is relaxing and tranquil. Hypnotherapy deals with the cause. For example: if you have a migraine headache, an aspirin may rid you of the symptoms of the migraine, but the cause is still there. This could be any number of things, such as unresolved anger, grief, resentment, or any other repressed emotion. Your subconscious mind is a perfect memory bank and holds everything that you've ever thought, done, felt, dreamed, said or fantasized about. Sometimes it represses traumatic memories for our protection. One can get to the root cause with regression by going back to the memory of the event that initially caused the problem. Once this event or memory is desensitized or transformed, the negative emotion or limiting belief will most likely disappear. A successful hypnosis intervention usually leaves the client feeling as though they have seamlessly moved on to a happier chapter of life. If you’re serious about your personal development, want to make significant changes to your physical, mental and/or emotional state, in a relatively short amount of time, hypnotherapy is the tool of choice. Hypnosis is safe, natural and effective. And that’s why I love it!Jean Conway has been Certified Hypnotherapist by the National Guild of Hypnotists, is certified in advanced hypnotherapy techniques and lives and works in Greenfield, MA. She has been practicing hypnotherapy for 5 years. She can be reached at Blue Moon Hypnotherapy, 413 774 7171, or jcblue@comcast.net, or visit Bluemoonhealingcenter.com.

Blue Moon Eclipses Black Magic: Good Triumphs Over Evil Published in Many Hands Magazine December - 2003
By: Carolyn March

What exactly happens to a person when she is in a hypnotic trance? Does she relinquish free will and obey suggestions with zombie-like compliance? Is she open to any manner of humiliation, such as behaving like an animal or revealing intimate secrets? In recent decades, hypnosis has been given a bad rap due largely to its depiction in movies. It functions as a truth serum in K-Pax, while the amnesiac in Dead Again undergoes hypnosis to learn her identity and ends up regressing to a past life in her love affair that turned deadly. Nor have hypnotists fared well on the big screen. At best, they have been portrayed as well intentioned but untrained, at worst, as nefarious villains who prey on unfortunate victims. Think Voltan, the quintessential evil hypnotist parodied by Woody Allen in The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. In actuality, hypnosis has been used as a healing art for nearly 3000 years. In a hypnotic trance, a person achieves a level of physical and mental relaxation akin to that experienced during meditation. The hypnotist guides her through an exercise that enables the nerves and muscles of her body to relax and gives her mind a reprieve from active thought. Although the client remains aware of noise and movement around her, they do not disturb her tranquil state. She does not fall asleep or lose consciousness; however, she may feel if she is watching herself sleep in her mind’s eye. She experiences the trance as enjoyable, and her mind and body feel revitalized afterward. Unlike psychotherapy, hypnotherapy bypasses communication with a person’s conscious mind to access the subconscious mind. Hypnotherapy strives to help people alter lifelong thought patterns that sometimes lead to unhealthy or self-destructive behaviors. After putting a client into a trance, the hypnotherapist can offer positive suggestions that refute and replace—in the moment or over time—the negative thoughts and feelings the client has during waking consciousness that impede her from acting in healthier ways. For individuals who have previously tried methods that focus only on changing behavior and are frustrated by limited success or repeated failure, hypnotherapy may very well be the answer. Hypnotherapy has gained popularity—and respect—in recent years as reports of success stories of weight loss and smoking cessation have been on the rise. In 2003, it received positive media attention from a Dateline NBC series that put six popular weight-loss methods under the microscope. While clients most often try hypnotherapy to lose weight or quit smoking, it can also help ease stress and grief, alleviate anxiety and depression, bolster self-esteem, and clear blocks to creativity. In addition, hypnotherapy is being used more widely in conjunction with medical treatment of cancer patients. ***** When you turn into the driveway of Jean Conway’s home in a quiet, residential part of Greenfield, any internal flutters—or even a strong urge to put your car in reverse and zoom back down the old farm road to the rotary and civilization—are instantly put to rest. What you notice are gentle trees, delicate flowers surrounding the front steps, and a home that looks well ordered and inviting. Adjacent to the house is a separate entrance—a separate world, you might later think. You politely ring the bell before trudging up the newly constructed pine staircase and entering an intimate waiting room whose décor is French Country. Welcome to Blue Moon Hypnotherapy. You settle into a wicker chair and consider getting a drink from the cooler of spring water or perusing the latest issue of Holistic Health. But you don’t have to wait long. The door opens, and Jean is on the other side. Her blue eyes fix on you as she shakes your hand and offers a warm smile. The foggy image you had conjured up of a gypsy woman wearing jewel tones, dark lipstick, and big earrings disappears. Jean’s strawberry blonde hair has been styled by a professional, and her blue dress is made of a natural fabric. Her makeup and jewelry have been thoughtfully chosen to complement her appearance. But what is most striking about Jean is her voice—soft, melodic, assured. It is a voice that sets you at ease, a voice that you will want to listen to over and over again. Jean’s office reminds you of a spa. The blue walls and carpeting are balanced by warm woodwork. Moon trinkets accent the room in uncluttered abundance. Oversized chairs have footrests for maximum comfort. Thankfully absent are incense, lit candles, crystal balls. You scan the room’s surfaces for the notorious pocket watch she will dangle in front of you to induce a trance. When you don’t see one, you heave a mental sigh of relief. You are reassured by the professionalism of Jean and her office. Jean Conway’s interest in hypnotherapy began over five years ago when a therapist used it to help ease her grief over the loss of a loved one. At the time, Jean was deeply rooted in the public sector, having spent 15 years as the Assistant Administrator for the Franklin Regional Transit Authority. But the healing powers of hypnotherapy impressed her, and she suspected that she could derive greater fulfillment from emotionally engaging work that would allow her to draw on personal experience. In 1999, she became certified by the National Guild of Hypnosis and began practicing hypnotherapy part time. The next big leap came in 2001, when Jean decided to practice full time, launching Blue Moon Hypnotherapy in an office space adjacent to her Greenfield home. She has since taken courses in advanced hypnotherapy sponsored by the Banyan Hypnosis Center in Minnesota and is a member of the International Association of Counselors and Therapists. Jean practices what is called “heart-centered hypnosis,” in which she gently helps clients rewrite negative thoughts and change the ways in which they perceive these thoughts. “Hypnosis is an altered state of mind that we all go into daily. We go into highway hypnosis and miss our exits. We all practice negative self-hypnosis, creating states of fear and negativity through the tapes we play in our heads,” she says. “Hypnotherapy is a way of liberating our minds, of seeing the opportunities in our everyday life experiences and acting on them.” In addition, Jean volunteers for Grief-Net, an Internet-based group for bereaved parents whose children have died as a result of substance abuse. She is also a Hospice volunteer assisting terminally ill patients and their families through the Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield. Jean admits that hypnotherapy doesn’t work for everybody and should not be regarded as a quick fix. “There’s no magic bullet to help a person stop smoking or lose weight,” she explains. “Because I cant make you do anything you don’t want to, you have to possess a strong internal desire for change.” Nor does she believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to hypnotherapy. After a prospective client initiates contact, Jean mails a well-presented information packet containing a personalized note, a brochure detailing her services and mission statement, and testimonials from successful, satisfied clients. The client fills out a comprehensive intake form that Jean reviews and refers to during a lengthy in-person consultation conducted before the first hypnotherapy session. This vital information enables her to learn about the client’s specific thought patterns, emotional triggers, and behavior roadblocks. She then performs hypnotherapy for about forty-five minutes, tailoring the session to the client’s needs and taping herself during the process. The client receives the tape for the purpose of reinforcement. For the most part the client is a passive listener while Jean talks about their particular problem, such as the emotional triggers to smoking or binge eating. Yet Jean has also been trained in the 5-Path and 7-Path methods created by Calvin Banyan of the Banyan Hypnosis Center in Minnesota. Designed for people who want to address their problems at a deeper level, Path work consists of two to five longer sessions during which the client and hypnotherapist engage in interactive dialogue. The 5-Path method helps clients unlock painful memories, change their perceptions of these memories, and move toward forgiveness of self and others. A holistic and almost universal approach for clients who need help with addictive behaviors, compulsions, lack of motivation, mood problems, self-esteem, fears and phobias. The 7-Path method is a self-hypnosis program that allows you to first remove the old programming that blocks success, before making positive changes. Jean’s competence in hypnotherapy translates into her business practice as well. The client pays for each session after it has taken place and for the most part decides how many sessions she would like. All of her sessions are live, personalized , and well thought out. For these reasons Jean views herself as “a personal trainer for the subconscious mind.” You don’t leave Jean’s office empty-handed. She has given you a tape to take home, articles to motivate you, and the sense that you can call or e-mail her with questions. Most important, you feel that she has taken you seriously, that she takes her work seriously, and that she genuinely wants her clients to feel better about themselves and their lives. As you drive back down the old farm road toward the hub of gas stations, fast-food restaurants, and big-box stores, you’re a little wistful. But there’s no need to fret. You can always return to Blue Moon for another visit. Jean Conway can be reached at 413 774-7171 and you can get more information at www.bluemoonhealingcenter.com.

As published in Many Hands Magazine in Junbe 2005.
By Jean Conway, C.H.

The list of pain medications on the market is a long one, but not as long as the combined side effects listed on every bottle, magazine and television ad. One concern is the potential risk of becoming addicted to narcotic prescription drugs. Research shows that several popular painkillers may increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular problems. These concerns prompted Merck to pull its blockbuster drug Vioxx off the market. Studies also have linked Celebrex and naproxen (Aleve) to heart risks. [NPR.org, December 23, 2004]

There are a slew of both prescription and nonprescription drugs used to treat chronic pain, all have potential side effects, and in some cases, may take many weeks to reduce pain levels. Some side effects are: allergic reactions, diabetes, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, confusion, constipation, increased blood sugar, liver damage, bleeding peptic ulcers, stomach upset, diarrhea, and kidney problems. Chronic pain often leads to depression and sleep problems and this downward spiral can change a person's life into a nightmare.

With risks as serious as these we ought to be more mindful before regularly ingesting these pills. Why take chances with those drugs that can produce other illness or even death when hypnosis works without the harmful effects of certain medications? As a Hypnotherapist, I know that hypnosis can relieve symptoms of chronic pain from arthritis, Fibromyalgia, IBS, headaches, childbirth and more. Because thoughts and emotions can and do effect pain, hypnotherapy provides the cognitive behavioral therapy that is often needed to effect change. Move the perception of pain from the foreground of the mind to the background, and it's possible to change the level of pain.

At the University of North Carolina, hypnosis is transforming the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, a gastro-intestinal disorder, by helping patients to use their mind to quiet their symptoms. Doctors at the University of Washington's Regional Burn Center in Seattle regularly use hypnosis to help people alleviate their pain. Several Hospitals affiliated with Harvard Medical School are using hypnosis to speed up post surgical recovery time and in the year 2000, studies have shown that patients hypnotized before surgery required less pain medication, sustained fewer complications and left the hospitals faster than patients who went without pre-surgery hypnosis.

Doctors regularly prescribe nicotine patches, gum, lozenges and pills to wean smokers off cigarettes. I personally see three or four smokers each week, and none of those who have quit needed drugs. In fact, some of them tried all of the above and still were smoking when they made their appointment. Pharmaceutical companies are racing to find the magic pill to reduce nicotine cravings, reduce obesity, and treat alcohol and drug abuse. While these are noble causes, what side effects will these new drugs have?

Hypnosis has always been controversial, as has, in the not so distant past, the practice of Chiropractic and Acupuncture. It's time to put all the fear and the myths behind us and to move ahead into the twenty-first century. Hypnosis is not a spell, but a naturally occurring state that we can learn to use to our benefit. It has been forty-seven years since hypnosis was first approved by the American Medical Association in 1958.

For many years, I have been teaching my clients how to use the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or tapping). This amazing yet simply technique is useful for almost everything from relieving pain and/or anxiety, to controlling cigarette cravings, reducing obsessive thought patterns, to diminishing fear, reducing grief and sleep deprivation. This procedure is based on acupuncture and combines hypnosis with the physical ÒtappingÓ of the meridian points of the energy fields in the body. It allows people to easily help themselves and is completely natural.

Hypnotherapy does not take the place of qualified medical care and one should always consult with their physician before reducing or changing their medications. But hypnotherapy can be a wonderful adjunct in helping one to reduce their medication. The benefits and side effects of hypnosis are many. It's relaxing, informative and healing. My clients regularly report the added benefit of sleeping better and having an improved mood regardless of why they came in. I always make sure to tell my new clients there is no reason to be afraid or nervous. It's like having a mental massage that soothes your soul, heals your body and is great for making changes.

Certified as member of the National Guild of Hypnotists since 1999, Jean Conway, C.H. can be reached at Blue Moon Hypnotherapy in her Greenfield office at 413/774 7171 or www.bluemoonhealingcenter.com.