New York - March 30, 2011

Get Hypnotized by Ilan Zechory

Conquer Your Fears

Real talk: We’ve got issues hitting the gym. And since vacuuming in our bikini wasn’t motivation enough, we enlisted Ilan Zechory — a certified clinical hypnotist whose client list includes pro athletes, designers, and now, an editor.

Zechory tackles fears (flying, fruit, escaped cobras), bad habits (nail biting), addictions (shopping, Internet), and relationships through focused awareness of mental blocks.

Beforehand, we emailed about falling off the exercise wagon, childhood memories, and feelings. Once in the chair — and while fully conscious — we discussed the issues more in depth. Then we took the plunge: Zechory prompted us to visualize, talk, and respond during what felt like a blink but was actually 45 minutes.

We’re no medical expert, but our session was therapeutic and effective (three workouts in five days). We never felt uncomfortable or in danger of divulging skeletons. The truly odd moments (a random meerkat cameo, a hobo playing the guitar) were few and, thankfully, all in our head.

Ilan Zechory (248-515-6609 or ilanzechory.com). Appointments available in Williamsburg and on the Upper West Side.

Photo: Andy Vernon-Jones / Courtesy of Ilan Zechory