Nina Cannizzaro of Hudson Valley Hypnosis
453 State Street, 2nd floor
Q: Please tell us about your business and service. What service do you provide?
A: I provide the service of hypnosis. I am a life-long student of behavioral psychotherapy and am fascinated with how humans can learn to objectively analyze their conditioning and programming, whether it’s from their upbringing as children and teens to how they are conditioned by the messages coming from their present adult lives, and decide what is serving them and what isn’t, and then design the type of attitude, feelings and actions they want to engage with from now on. In short, I am a great (and humble) admirer of the process of growth. All change starts in the mind.
The first step to healing is accepting the challenge (there’s no logic in calling them ‘problems’) and talking. Accepting what? Just because you have a legitimate reason for doing something doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it. And finally, facing the fear or the pain — this is the locus of GROWTH — and that is what people come to me to work with.
Q: What experience do you have? How long have you been in practice?
A: I have been practicing since 2021. I completed a 500-hour training at the Hypnotherapy Academy of America in Albuquerque, NM. I chose that school based on its medical use of hypnosis to scientifically prove that hypnosis was non-inferior to pharmacological intervention (medication) in the case of Overactive Bladder Syndrome in women. The school was awarded a $3 million dollar grant by the NIH to do this study and there are several peer-reviewed studies discussing the results. I liked the idea of being able to start my practice using evidence-based protocols with that level of academic validation. All of that is wonderful and effective, but the funny part of it is that I got into hypnosis because prior to the pandemic I had begun reading voraciously about reincarnation and wanted to focus on Past Life Regression work. While that has been a part of my practice, it has hardly been the focus.
This is the list off the top of my head of what people have come to see me for:
- Weight loss
- Quitting smoking
- Road rage
- Creative blocks (painting / finding courage to record music)
- Male sexual performance anxiety / porn addiction
- Codependence and suicidal ideation
- Anxiety
- Nail biting
- Public speaking
- Jaw clenching / teeth grinding
- Insomnia
- Overactive bladder syndrome in women
- Intrusive thinking
- Leaving hate groups
- Leaving cults
- Alcoholism
- Chronic pain
- Preparation for end of life transition
- Anger management
- Childhood trauma and neglect
- Low self-worth / building self-belief and self-trust
- Lack of motivation to succeed in life
- Fear of driving
- Fear of flying
- Fear of studying / test-taking / language-learning
- Emotional eating
- Forgiveness of past hurts
- Reclaiming the future
- Inner child introduction and relationship building and nurturing
- Managing difficult / stress-inducing partnerships
- Locating and transforming inner “demons”/inviting “allies” to guide future choices
- Confronting past aggressions against you
But the fact of the matter is this: hypnosis can be used for ANYTHING! If you think your challenge or oddity is too far out for hypnosis, well, that is just bad programming!
Q: If someone is thinking about coming to you for the first time, what should they expect?
A: The first visit usually entails some myth-busting about what hypnosis is and is not. Because of Hollywood and stage hypnosis, people often assume hypnotists have some magical power. But the fact is that all the power and the direction of the work lies within the client. I can guide them to keep their focus on what we have decided to work on, and guide them to stay in a relaxed state as this occurs. And that part is fundamental simply because when our brain waves stay in Alpha, change becomes an easier notion to embrace. Clients should expect to leave the session more tangibly relaxed and at ease than when they came in.
Q: What is your connection to Hudson?
A: I moved to the Hudson in 2002 to take a job as a professor at Bard College in Italian Studies (language, literature, culture). A discussion for another time. I left academia c. 2012, but stayed in the area because it is such a lovely place to live.
Q: If they are interested, how do people contact you?
A: People can find me through my website hvhypnosis.com, email me at nina@hvhypnosis.com or call, 518-610-3671.
