Renowned Hypnotist a Resident of Scotch Plains

There’s no denying that bad habits are hard to break. Nail biting, smoking, excessive eating, lack of sleep — in this age of anxiety, so many people are struggling to overcome unhealthy tendencies such as these.

While hypnosis may not be the first solution that comes to mind, Scotch Plains resident Dr. Roberta Temes insists that it’s a viable option for getting rid of a bad habit for good.

Temes is the author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hypnosis” and five other books on the topic. She’s also a renowned speaker and has recorded several tapes and CDs. Last fall, she was featured in a New York Times article that explored the benefits of hypnosis.

Temes had her own practice in Manhattan for 35 years, but recently moved to Scotch Plains with her husband. She now runs her practice here in town, serving both local residents and clients from around the country.

Patch recently spoke to Temes to find out more about her work.

What originally got you into hypnosis?

Temes: It’s actually interesting, I had someone in my family who was frightened from having a surgical procedure, and five minutes after hypnosis, she was ok. I thought I’d be very successful at it. It’s a combination of being very good with words, knowing the precise word to use that will resonate with a client, having a particular type of voice, and knowing the therapy that would appeal to that client.

What are some of the different reasons people visit a hypnotist like yourself?

There’s different types of hypnosis – clinical, medical, entertainment. What I do is not psychotherapy, the people who visit me are considered clients. They only come once, and in that one session it’s accomplished, either they stop smoking or change a particular eating habit. Preparing for surgery is the most interesting and valuable. Hypnosis can keep vital signs stable during operations, and it can prevent having pain afterward. Actually surgeons can tell when a patient’s taken into surgery, they have a clean field with which to work. 

Describe the process of being hypnotized.

Hypnosis consists of first talking to the client, figuring out what to accomplish. Then the hypnotist functions as a coach to get them to that goal, using words to put them into extreme relaxation, a state of focus. We call that a trance. The hypnotist helps the client achieve that state, then tells the client the very sentence they’ve agreed upon.

Does this work on everyone?

It’s not for people who have many, many psychological issues that they aren’t dealing with in any other venue. The psychotherapy practice of talking between a client and therapist where they analyze many issues of their past, they examine the relationships that the patient has with therapist and crucial members of life, they talk about goals for the future — we don’t do any of that in hypnosis. We talk about specific habits that need to be developed or remedied. We don’t care about the origin of habit.

A habit can be changed, I could say instead of biting your nails, touch your pinkie to your thumb. The issues are still there, but you’ll stop biting your nails.

Do people realize what’s happening while you’re doing it?

A lot of people come out saying ‘I wasn’t hypnotized, I heard everything you said.’ And I tell them, ‘you’ll know if you’re hypnotized by the results.' Sure enough, a few days later I’ll get a phone call that says, ‘Hey, I guess I was hypnotized because I haven’t had a cigarette since.'”

The majority of people, though, feel a very spiritual state from it. I encourage clients to record the session to listen to if they need reinforcement. 

What would you say are the real benefits to hypnosis? 

It can change your attitude about anything, to get rid of a particular habit or create a new habit. It’s not good for global things, you can’t come in just to lower your stress or feel better. But if you say, ‘I want low stress when I’m speaking in front of a crowd,’ then that works. Usually I can talk to a person and figure it out, what their particular issue is. I try to reduce everything to one sentence.

Have you seen business increase in the past few years?

I think people prefer coming here for a quick fix. Nobody knows me here because I’m new to the neighborhood, but yes, I am busy. 

Do you have any particular interesting stories from your work with clients?

Every year in March I get flowers from a local florist and what he does is say every year ‘This is my 22nd year of not smoking.’ He rewards me with those flowers because the hypnosis worked.

Yesterday, I got a phone call from a client in Garwood that said 'I came during the summer because I was so nervous about a serious back operation. But after hypnosis, I wasn’t nervous anymore, and the surgery had great results.'

There was also a child who was very selective, who wouldn’t talk in school, and after one day session, it took over two hours, she started talking. Now she talks in school.

Those are kind of clients I get. I also had a woman who was going to be on Jeopardy. The client wanted very quick thumb action and to remember to smile because gets so serious when she smiles and she felt she wasn’t quick with her thumb. She ended up doing very well.

What would you say to people who are skeptical of hypnosis?

This is a noninvasive procedure, there’s no medication, nothing goes in your body, only words, so it’s silly to not do it. Some people still need medication, this is not a replacement for medication. It has to do with habits, not health.

For more information on Dr. Roberta Temes, visit her site, drroberta.com. She can also be reached by calling 908-928-9100 or e-mailing rtemes@aol.com.