A therapy can be regarded as a form of treatment that has the potential to help someone feel better. There are many forms of therapy available these days, which can often be confusing when making a decision to seek support. Rather than providing an exhaustive list of the various types, I felt it would be more sensible to explain the services that I can offer.
Hypnotherapy can be described as a form of therapy that employs the power of suggestion to assist in positive change. Through relaxation techniques a hypnotherapist practitioner can guide an individual into a state of trance, which enables the conscious part of the mind to settle, so that the subconscious is more receptive to positive ideas. The subconscious being where our natural instinctive behavioural patterns and templates are formed.
Contrary to what you may have seen in movies, please be assured that no-one can be ‘hypnotised’ against their own free will. Hypnosis involves the process of gentle relaxation. It is not some kind of mysterious magical trickery that places you under some sort of enchanted or captivated spell. In fact individuals can indeed reject any of the suggestions that their practitioner may offer whilst in a trance state if they so choose.
As human beings we often experience trance like states in our day to day living – it’s a perfectly natural state. Consider for a moment how many times a day you may ‘zone out’ whilst engaging in the following: watching a television programme; performing a task at work; or standing in a queue at the supermarket. This process occurs when the conscious and subconscious minds ‘come together’ and focus on the same thing, which we experience in the form of a ‘daydream’ – perhaps a gaze into nothingness.
Hypnotherapy has the potential to work for most people. It is important to be open minded and fully committed to the process, as distrusting your practitioner or being sceptical about the therapy could reduce its effectiveness. Hypnotherapy can help in a number of ways, examples could include: helping to stop or change certain behaviours, such as smoking or nail biting; assist with conquering a specific phobia, such as flying or spiders, through processing the fear response template and easing the associated anxiety; or it could help to facilitate a change of perspective within an individual regarding their relationship to physical pain.
It is important when choosing a hypnotherapist that you look for a practitioner who has gained a recognised qualification (such as: Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma – HPD), and is registered with a professional governing body (examples could include: the National Council for Hypnotherapy – NCH; or the British Society of Clinical Hypnosis – BSCH; or the Association for Solution Focussed Hypnotherapists – AfSFH). Hypnotherapists are likely to have been trained within a specific modality (examples may include: Ericksonian hypnotherapy; Suggestion hypnotherapy; Cognitive hypnotherapy), each offering their respective benefits. In the following two sections I will explain my modality and what issues I have experience of working with.
I am trained as a Solution Focused Hypnotherapist (SFH). This approach centres on the changes that you want to make in your life, rather than fixating on the problems that may have brought you in pursuit of therapy. Although it is important to acknowledge where you are currently and to recognise the resources you have drawn upon previously, SF Hypnotherapy does not wish to dwell on past problems. The emphasis of our work will always be placed on what you would like your life to be like moving forward, and how you can move towards achieving this. It is important to understand that the therapy is a collaborative process, which means working together in our sessions. You set the goals you want to achieve and we will work towards making those changes, using a blend of gentle hypnosis; well researched neuroscience (brain based ideas); and effective psychotherapeutic techniques. SF Hypnotherapeutic methods are designed to help reduce stress and anxiety; calm the body and mind; and improve an individual’s overall wellbeing.
Anger; Anxiety; Depression; Panic Attacks; Phobias; Eating Issues and Weight Loss; Exam Stress; Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS); Low Self-Confidence; Low Self-Esteem; Obsessions and Compulsions; Pain Management; Public Speaking; Relationship Issues; Relaxation; Sleep; Sports Performance; and Stress.
*Please note: I do not currently offer hypnosis for smoking cessation.
After you make first contact (website enquiry form, phone, email. All here: contact me), I will invite you to our first session – the initial consultation. During this appointment we will have the opportunity to discuss what you would like to achieve from our work, and how this may be accomplished. I will outline how Solution Focussed Hypnotherapy encourages a movement away from problems towards solutions, along with an explanation of the workings of the brain, which will enable you to gain a clearer understanding of how hypnotherapy can help. During this session no actual hypnosis takes place, however you will be given a backup relaxation CD/MP3 (at no additional cost), which you will be encouraged to use between sessions to help reduce levels of stress and promote a more relaxed state of body and mind. The initial consultation will be charged at £30, with subsequent sessions at £60 (fees). Moving forward the subsequent sessions will be similar in structure, where we will use a blend of positive solution based psychotherapy along with soothing hypnosis.
*Please note: when working with a specific phobia the framework of our sessions will differ from the more generalised structure (see below), typically taking around four sessions in total (with one being the initial consultation). The cost of these sessions are the same, £30 for the initial consultation and £60 for subsequent sessions.
Each of our sessions (initial consultation & subsequent sessions) will be 60 minutes, and usually take place weekly or fortnightly.
Excluding specific phobias (mentioned above), on average when working within the generalised framework for issues such as: anxiety; anger; depression and alike, typically people notice benefits relatively early on in the therapy and will generally stay for around 8-12 sessions. However all client’s needs and presenting issues differ, so an exact prediction for me to give is not possible. Please be assured that at any point during our work we can discuss and review where you feel you are at in the process, and remember that you always have the choice on how long you wish to work for.
Individual face to face or online hypnotherapy to adults 18 years and over.
Please note: I do not offer home visits, hypnosis for couples or children, or group hypnotherapy.
