Published: June 21, 2009 03:22 pm      

VIDEO: Step inside the offices of Pine Avenue hypnotherapist

(This video may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. Also, it requires a Quicktime Player. If your computer does not have a Quicktime program go to Apple.com and download a free version for Mac or PC)







WHO: Niagara Hypnosis

WHAT: Hypnosis for helping with weight loss, pain relief, smoking cessation and other ailments.

WHEN: By appointment

WHERE: 600 Pine Ave.

CONTACT: 990-4854 or visit niagarahypnosis.us



The expression “it’s all in you head,” seems to hold true for the clients of James Costanzo.

The hypno-therapist, a former medic with the Air Force Reserve who recently opened a suite of offices on Pine Avenue, has had some success treating everything from pain relief to smoking cessation to sports slumps.

Costanzo, a Niagara Falls native who also is a certified Reiki Master who offers hands-on healing, has been practicing hypnosis for the past four years and is now finishing up on his master’s degree in psychology at Medaille College. He is hoping to go on for his doctorate in counseling.

At his new offices on Pine Avenue he offers hypnotherapy on a sliding scale and provides reduced or free services to those battling cancer. His small suite of offices also holds a serenity room with a “Human Touch” massage chair located in a quiet room, which he provides for about a dollar a minute.

He sat down recently with the Niagara Gazette to answer some questions about his practice.

Question: So, tell me. What drew you to hypnosis?

Answer: Its a form of psychology. It’s been around since the time of the Egyptians. They have writings on the (cave) walls that actually show that. Back in 1958, the American Medical Association actually approved the use of hypnosis in the U.S.

Q: Do you have particular gifts in this area? Is it in your voice?

A: It’s almost like I put on a different persona once the lights go down. Where I’m rather gruff in my speaking, we get to that point where people are out pretty a quickly.

Q: So you’re able to hypnotize people pretty quickly?

A: Actually anybody can be hypnotized with the exception of people who are extremely mentally impaired or those folks with Alzheimer’s. Depth of trance really isn’t needed for most disorders or behavioral issues. You can be here almost in a daydream like state.

Q: Can you describe the process?

A: Basically what we’ll do is I’ll just have somebody sit back and relax. We have soft music playing in the background. I just relax you. Usually a quick breathing exercise that lasts just a couple of minutes. From there, we’ll follow into a deepening relaxation, usually a muscle relaxer from head to toe. Then a nice little metaphor. My favorite is taking them to a deserted island. I mean who doesn’t like the beach?

Q: Ummm. Sounds nice. Then what?

A: I get to the point where I walk them through a grove of orange or lemon trees. And I stop and I say take that deep breath and go in and breathe the aroma of the oranges. They’re either reacting to me or they’re not, which gives me an idea of what to do from that point.

Q: I’ve read the books of Dr. Brian Weiss and I understand he’s had some success with using past life regression to help people heal from current life issues. Are you interested in that?

A: Yes, very much so ... hopefully I’ll be doing a training with him up at the Omega Institute (in Rheinbeck, N.Y.) this year. That is my thing, to actually be trained by Dr. Weiss. I can’t wait to meet the guy.

Q: Do you have any success stories?

A: One woman had a constant cough that she could not get rid of although she tried and tried for years. She’d been to the doctor and even a naturopath. I was able to regress her to what appeared to be her life in ancient times. She was a philosopher. She was at the point she was about to be hung because of a wrongdoer who was lying about her.  Q: Wow. What happened to her cough?

A: She came to terms with the experience and I brought her back to modern day. She hasn’t had a cough since. Her thank you note is posted in my reception area.

Q: That’s a good success story. Any others you can share?

A: There was another gentleman who was hit by a car from behind. I got him to the point he relaxed and I took him across the street where he watched the whole thing rather than being a victim of it. He was a bystander. He was utterly amazed.

Q: How did that help his life?

A: I guess he got more into believing that there’s most than just the here and now.

Q: Let’s talk sports. How does this work with athletes?

A: Same type of thing. You get them to the point you just relax them and focus on the aspect they’re having problems with. For a lot of ball players, it’s the hitting. The averages aren’t as high as them want them to be ... it depends on the individual and what it is that’s going to work for them.

Q: Do you hypnotize yourself?

A: Yes, very much so. I get myself where I can just turn around and relax. What I do is I go down a marble staircase in my imagination. I’m very relaxed, very peaceful.

Q: I can only imagine a guy like you who has a lot of friends in the medical field and the military ...

A: They think I’m crazy, yeah.

Q: Do you care?

A: No, not at all. I’m a firm believer in whatever was meant to be is going to be. If you turn around and do something that bothers me it might aggravate me at first but after that it’s happening for a reason ... when it comes down to it we’re still in one big universe and that’s what makes us the same.

Contact reporter Michele DeLucaat 282-2311, ext. 2263.