If you want to lose weight, quit smoking or lead a more stress-free life, you could contact Jennifer Stumpf for help. But, be forewarned: Her “second act” just may put you to sleep! And that would be a good thing.
Jennifer has been a hypnotherapist for more than five years, helping clients deal with life and health challenges such as smoking cessation, weight loss and stress. Having been a smoker herself at one time aids her in helping others with this addiction.
Prior to becoming a hypnotherapist, Jennifer worked as a realtor. Long hours – basically working around the clock 24/7 – led to what she calls “realtor burnout.” She decided a career change was needed.
After much online research, she came across hypnosis and its use as a type of therapy. She was intrigued by what she read and decided this could conceivably be her new career path.
She found a class in hypnosis being offered at Bucks County Community College in Yardley and enrolled. After receiving her certification from Bucks, she went on to receive an advanced certification, going above and beyond what was required in her profession.
Jennifer also became a member of her professional affiliations: the International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapists Association and the National Guild of Hypnotists. Each affiliation requires 14 hours of continuing education every year.
Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is not a state of deep sleep. Instead, it involves the induction of a trance-like or relaxed state. Once achieved, a client is able to concentrate solely on the hypnotist’s voice, which allows him or her to suggest ideas, concepts and lifestyle changes to the client.
Jennifer maintains that hypnotism is an important component in healing the whole person. “Just like we need our physicians, chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists and Reiki healers, we must also rely on hypnotists,” she says. It is her belief that you can’t have all of one and none of the other. She believes that in order to achieve good health, balance of all of the above is required.
“Unfortunately, at this point in time, Pennsylvania does not regulate hypnotism/hypnotists,” Jennifer explains. There is no state licensing as of yet. So far, only 15 states require licensing. Jennifer hopes that hypnosis therapy follows in the early progression of professions such as chiropractic care, massage therapy, acupuncture and others, which today are regulated and licensed all over the country and are covered by most major medical-insurance companies.
While her specialty is group sessions, she does work with clients on a one-to-one basis. A free consultation is done before any sessions begin. “We need to talk with the person first to find out what is really going on,” Jennifer explains. The two- to two-and-a-half-hour session helps her to target the exact problem and work out a treatment plan.
For example, a person may want to quit smoking, but during the consultation, Jennifer discovers the person smokes because of stress or because he or she is trying to lose weight. The discovery helps Jennifer to develop a plan that will work best for the situation.
The consultation also allows her to teach what hypnosis is and how it works. The client is then able to decide whether he or she wants to continue or not.
There are some areas of healing that Jennifer refers to other specialists, doctors or hypnotherapists. Pain management, rape trauma and sexual dysfunction are among them.
Jennifer utilizes a great deal of visualization in her hypnotic technique. She believes that about 80% of her job is teaching people new things that they are not aware they can do. The rest is up to them.
Her requirements for new clients are threefold: they must be willing to try something new, have open minds and have a true desire to achieve their goals. Success hinges on their level of commitment and their desire to make changes in their lives.
When clients contact Jennifer to thank her for helping them to achieve success and say, “You’re the reason I quit smoking,” she tells them, “No, you’re the reason you quit smoking. I just showed you how to do it.”
Just for the WOW factor, Jennifer also presents stage shows for groups and organizations that host them as fundraising opportunities. The shows are not only entertaining, but they allow audience members to see how hypnosis works.
Jennifer and her husband, Tyler, live in Rheems and have been married for almost 10 years. When asked how she now feels at the end of a work day, Jennifer is quick to say, “Amazing and energized,” confiding, “I have an amazing job.”
For further information, visit elizabethtownhypnosis.com or call 717-951-7662.
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