Karen Mattison is counting me down — down into a hypnotic state. It's weird. Feeling as if I could open my eyes if I chose to, but choosing (I think) not to, because for one thing it's so comfortable and reassuring, this slide down into relaxation and being.
Mattison opened her practice, Tokyo Hypnotherapy, in September. She rents rooms in WIS Salon in Akasaka, depending on the needs of the client. For hypnotherapy, the space is small but cozy. She uses a room with a table for reiki and seikim, both forms of energetic healing; there is also a larger space that she plans to use for group work.
Back in August, Mattison was in New Mexico, training for professional accreditation. There are two major state-licensed hypnotherapy schools, the Hypnotherapy Training Institute in California, and the Hypnotherapy Academy of America in Santa Fe.