By Kinjal Dagli Shah,Womens Feature Service
Tanya Pillay was born in Durban, South Africa, to Tamil parents. But found her karmic connection in Canada, where she grew up. Based in Toronto, Pillay combines her love for acting and penchant for hypnotism to pursue both careers successfully.
But it hasn’t been an easy ride. Pillay leaned towards acting since childhood but discovered hypnotism only after her father’s death. Pillay is a founder of Hypnosage, a centre that offers consultations, workshops and one-on-one sessions.
Like many South Asian children, Pillay had her share of trials before she embarked upon her journey as an actor and, later, as a certified hypnotist.
“My father didn’t live to see me pursue hypnosis, but he always felt I could do more with my life than acting, so I can only hope he’s proud of me now,” said Pillay.
Pillay helps her clients combat everything, from overeating and shyness to phobias and fears. “Hypnosis is like a mental massage because relaxation is a key element of the experience,” points out Pillay, whose sessions normally last an hour. “My clients have experienced lasting results with stress relief, procrastination, confidence, sales and client interaction, sleep habits, releasing fear, decision making, financial management, creative obstacles, eating patterns, smoking cessation, and maintaining fitness, among others,” added Pillay.
Take Karim Ismail, an author and speaker, who was trying to cope with his inability to sleep on planes. Howver, he gives due credit to the one hypnosis session he had with Pillay, which solved the problem.
Pillay is well aware that hypnotism comes with a fair share of skepticism and biases from people, and has learned to take these in her stride.
“A huge misconception about hypnosis involves uncertainty about who is in control and providing the content. My approach is always grounded in reminding clients that they can choose what feels right for them, and facilitating a process of tuning in to one’s own higher self, or wise mind. In this way, a client’s own beliefs are their only limitation,” she explained.
Kelly Wilk, a reflexologist and reiki practitioner in Toronto, can vouch for Pillay’s method. “Tanya is a very skilled, intuitive practitioner. In our sessions, she makes me feel comfortable and safe. She is always able to facilitate a journey in which I came away with very useful information about myself and my state of well-being,” said Wilk.
However, despite the awareness, Pillay admits that there are still people who approach her with distrust in their eyes. The negative experiences don’t bother Pillay, and it is perhaps hypnotism that helps her stay positive as well.
She urges people to open their minds and experience the healing powers of hypnotism for themselves. “Individual beliefs and understandings aside, I ask anyone considering whether hypnosis is a valid method of self improvement to also consider the body and mind as the vessel and cockpit in which we experience life. If we can accept that the mind controls the entire body, accessing the mind with beneficial and clear messages certainly can’t hurt,” she said.
That is perhaps the right way to look at this method of alternative healing.
