What is hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is a two way process between the therapist and the client; it is a combination of natural hypnosis and therapeutic techniques designed to help deal with emotional difficulties. When you are in the state of hypnosis it gives the therapist the opportunity to speak directly to the subconscious and when coupled with supportive, therapeutic techniques this could help bring about positive changes in mind (and in turn the body) which you, the client, are motivated to make. As with any therapy, to achieve success client commitment is required.

Your mind is made up of 2 parts; the conscious and the subconscious.

Your conscious mind is your rational mind - it uses logical thought, works to learn, understand and organise things, thinks and makes choices. It deals with reasoning, mathematics, language, reading, writing, analysing situations and ego.

The subconscious mind is the more irrational mind (it is not always reasonable or appropriate!) - it deals with feelings, recollection, imagery, imagination, dreams, creativity, symbols and ideo-motor response. The subconscious will continue to do things in a particular way even though it is clear that it is not the best way or that there is a method that is more beneficial for you.

When you consider how the subconscious functions you begin to understand where a lot of unusual behaviour comes from; people develop habits and get stuck in negative routines because their subconscious doesn't realise how to change - this is where hypnotherapy could help break the cycle.

How can hypnotherapy help?

Hypnotherapy could help you with more than you might imagine*, here is just a small insight as to what it might help you with……

Emotional Reactions**

Panic attacks, stress, jealousy, anger, guilt, anxiety….. all these emotions can be very distressing for people but hypnotherapy could help you to deal with them without having to resort to medication and, as with all hypnotherapy treatments, no negative side effects!

Habits**

Compulsive behaviour can seem uncontrollable but the use of hypnotherapy techniques could help remove the problem. Anything from quitting smoking or nail biting to more deep rooted impulses could be helped simply and naturally**.

Beliefs and Ideas**

Often thoughts of low self-esteem or obsessive feelings about things can prove to have negative consequences on people‘s lives. For example; being convinced that you are suffering from an ailment (even with absolutely no medical proof) or the nagging doubt that a partner is being unfaithful. Hypnotherapy may be used to help you to change these destructive thought patterns.

Fears and Phobias**

People commonly have irrational fears or phobias about all sorts of different things; spiders, mice, flying, dentists, cotton wool and all manner of other creatures, objects or situations. Hypnotherapy could be and effective way of helping you to deal with these stressful issues and prevent them hindering your everyday life.

Incidentally, you don't need to have a problem listed here to enjoy the benefits of hypnotherapy; many clients come simply for a confidence "tune up" or purely for relaxation purposes.

*Those with medical issues must first consult their doctor for agreement before proceeding with hypnotherapy.
**Client commitment and motivation is required.

What does hypnosis feel like?

Hypnosis on its own is a wonderfully relaxed feeling and is a perfectly natural state to be in; it is a very pleasant state of tranquillity and deep relaxation where your awareness and concentration are in fact heightened. It may surprise you to find out that we all go into "trance" states often during our lives and even up to several times every day. Finding yourself totally engrossed in a good book or film or drifting into ordinary sleep both involve a kind of trance state.

Can hypnosis make me do things I don‘t want to do?

You cannot be hypnotised unless you agree and co-operate - this cannot be stressed enough. Mo-one can make you do anything that you do not want to do; you are not asleep nor are you “out of control”. People on television pretending to be a chicken or eating raw onions are doing it because they want to; they have chosen to take part. I must highlight that what a hypnotherapist does is, by definition, therapeutic and stage hypnosis is very, very different; it is quite simply a form of entertainment.

Hypnosis has been recognised as an effective therapeutic treatment by the British Medical Association since 1955.

Types of Therapy

Hypnotherapy can only be truly effective if you genuinely want to make a positive change in your life & if you are as committed as I am to helping you to make this happen.

Suggestion therapy

This type of therapy is most useful for habit forming problems, such as smoking, weight loss, etc and these can generally be dealt with in a few sessions. Not all suggestion work is effective for every type of problem; for example, an issue might manifest itself as nail biting but this may be driven by a more deep rooted emotional problem. In this case suggestion therapy might stop the nail biting for while or it could stop it altogether but a new problem or habit might manifest in it’s place; this is where analytical hypnotherapy could be used (also called hypno-analysis). Suggestion based hypnotherapy uses positively phrased and worded suggestions that take root in the subconscious mind and which you are then able to act on instinctively.

Analytical Therapy (or Hypno-analysis)

When there are more deep seated issues to be dealt with then analytical hypnotherapy is more likely to be employed. When you are in a state of hypnosis it is possible to recall and deal with previous memories which relate to present problems.

In hypno-analysis the therapist acts as a guide, helping you to explore your subconscious mind - the aim of this being to locate the root cause of an issue or symptom through hypnosis techniques; to go back into your past, find out when the presenting problem first occurred and help you to deal with it and rid you of any conflicting, negative emotions. Often the event could be something totally unexpected - something that has been hidden away from the conscious mind. The release of these memories and the associated emotions can make it possible for you to live your life in a far more positive way. It aims to change negative patterns and create new, better and more fulfilling behaviour.