Healing hypnotherapy business opens to help overcome mental obstacles

Jan. 10—One patient at a time, Chelsey Smith is using hypnotherapy to help people conquer life obstacles.

Whether it's improving learning capabilities among children and adults who have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), helping a spouse address an abusive relationship or quitting smoking, Smith's hypnotherapy has helped people in the Mitchell area overcome a myriad of issues that have been plaguing their lives.

"I get people in a relaxed state and work on singular issues at a time," Smith said. "Say someone comes in and struggles with procrastination and they want to know why. We go back to the core memories of their childhood that are locked in their subconscious mind, and look at it from an adult perspective to understand how that child logic is what they have been operating from unknowingly."

While Smith's hypnotherapy business is the first of its kind in Mitchell, it's been gaining traction over the past few months. Since she opened Heartfelt Healing Hypnotherapy in November, Smith said business started taking off within a month of opening, thanks in large part to satisfied patient who referred others.

The positive results Smith's hypnotherapy has provided for people in the Mitchell area can be seen in Jeanie Morgan, a Mitchell woman who lost her then 9-year-old daughter, Iszabella "Bella" Morgan, in 2012 to a drunk driver. After one session with Smith, Morgan said she was "in shock" at how much she "let go" of the trauma she experienced from the tragic incident.

"I had so much guilt from not being able to save my daughter from a drunk driver, and I was so relieved to get that guilt out as I know I am a good mother and would do anything for my children. I left her space feeling almost like I was lighter, high on life," Morgan said. "It was an amazing breakthrough in my life."

Before opening her practice, Smith found herself on the receiving end of hypnotherapy. After losing her mother, Vickie Lynn Prusha-Young, in early June, Smith said she was searching for ways to cope and overcome the trauma of losing her mom.

That's when she turned to hypnotherapy, which said was a "life-changing" moment.

"I battled complex trauma, debilitating depression and anxiety. I am very open with my story and all the problems I faced," Smith said. "This helped me grieve in a way that helped me make sense of all the things I was going through."

For Smith, helping others in the community through her hypnotherapy practices out of her 515 W. Havens Ave. healing room is one way she's "keeping her mother's legacy alive." Smith's mom, Vickie, spent much of her life as a case manager at Dakota Counseling Institute before she died of heart and lung disease in June.

The 29-year-old therapist recently received extensive training to become a certified Rapid Transformational Therapist. Through her certification and training process in Florida, she learned how to practice psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and neuro linguistic programming, to name a few of the areas she specializes in.

A unique method for mental healing

Smith noted there are distinct differences between hypnotherapy and traditional mental health counseling. What makes hypnotherapy different, Smith said, is identifying the root causes of the problems people are facing and developing ways to get "rid of them."

"What's different here is that you bring the problems, we look at them and see how it affected your life, thank it for what it did and then get rid of it," she said. "I've had people who have been dealing with debilitating depression and anxiety for their entire life, and nothing has made sense. But when they get that peace and moment of recognition of seeing the underlying belief, and it is like the world opens up to them."

Although hypnotherapy is a relatively new method for many in the area who are seeking ways to conquer life obstacles, she said the type of hypnotherapeutic methods she offers have been popular in other parts of the country for decades, especially for professional athletes.

Pro golfer Tiger Woods and former NBA player, Shaquille O'Neal, are among some of the world's top pro athletes who have turned to hypnotherapy as a way to enhance their performance. Smith said the advantage of hypnotherapy for athletes is its ability to "pinpoint" which areas of their performance need improvement, and then understanding why a mental block exists in their mind.

"Say a basketball player is struggling to make free throws, and they cannot figure out why. We figure out why," Smith said. "A lot of pro athletes and celebrities use hypnotherapy, not traditional counseling because it can rewire their thinking to give them the mindset they need to achieve their goals on the playing field."

With the growing prevalence of ADHD and ADD, Smith said hypnotherapy has shown "promising results" for people who deal with the mental disorder. Since opening her practice, Smith said she's provided people who deal with ADD and ADHD with effective ways to improve their academic and work performance.

"I love working with people who have ADHD and ADD because when you can get them to recognize how their brain is different, their life is changed instantly," Smith said. "I am able to teach them how to prioritize things and how to work with their unique brains to achieve their goals in the classroom or workplace."