Hypnotherapy

Some explanations:

What is Hypnosis?

Healing by trance state has been acknowledged for centuries and has been observed, in one form or another, in virtually every culture throughout the world.

The term Hypnosis is derived from the Greek word meaning sleep and was coined around 1840. However, this description is less than accurate as when in the hypnotic state you are in fact very much awake and in control.

Our current research tells us that Hypnosis is a state of mind, enhanced by, (though not exclusively) mental and physical relaxation, in which our subconscious is able to communicate with our conscious mind.  This state of mind may be brought about either by oneself unaided, (Self Hypnosis) or with the help of another person.

If this person is a trained professional, who utilises the resultant state to encourage beneficial change to occur, the process is referred to as "Hypnotherapy".

What is Hypnotherapy?

Psychological therapy and counselling, (sometimes referred to as the Talking Cure) is the treatment of emotional and psychological disorders, unwanted habits and undesirable feelings, using psychological techniques alone.

The aim of all such therapy is to assist people (usually referred to as clients) in finding meaningful alternatives to their present unsatisfactory ways of thinking, feeling or behaving.

Therapy also tends to help clients become more accepting both of themselves and others and can be most useful in promoting personal development and unlocking inner potential.

There are many forms of psychological therapy but Hypnotherapy is distinctive in that it attempts to address the client's subconscious mind.

In practice the Hypnotherapist often (but not exclusively) requires the client to be in a relaxed state, frequently enlists the power of the clients own imagination, and may utilise a wide range of techniques from story telling, metaphor or symbolism (judged to be meaningful to the individual client) to the use of direct suggestions for beneficial change.

Regardless of the techniques employed the most important thing is that the client feels comfortable and at ease with their therapist.  This is of particular importance in Hypnotherapy, in which the value of the treatment is greatly enhanced when there is confidence in the practitioner.

Unlike many other psychological therapies, Hypnotherapy is generally considered to be a Brief Solution Focused approach in which beneficial change, if it is to occur, should become apparent within minimal amount of sessions.  In actual practice, most Hypnotherapists will combine hypnotic procedures with other appropriate techniques; in particular I choose to draw upon CBT, SFBT, Mindfulness, NLP, Human Givens and Person Centred. Each technique is explained in the therapeutic approach page.

Who can be hypnotised?

Virtually everyone . . . Some people are more hypnotisable than others, this can be dependant on our willingness to be hypnotised at the time. This willingness will itself depend on a number of factors, not least of which will be the strength of the person’s particular need and their trust and confidence in me the therapist.

Hypnotherapy can be extraordinarily effective but it's not a magical cure, however, if the right ingredients are present, the time is right and a good rapport is established between client and the therapist, then all your realistic goals are achievable.

Some common concerns!

Clients are sometimes concerned that they will "lose control" in hypnosis, however, general consensus indicates that regardless of how deeply people may go in to hypnosis and however passive they may appear to be, they actually remain in full control of the situation. They are able to talk if they wish and can terminate the session, stand up and leave the room at any time.

It is likely that the notion of a loss of control stems from most peoples misconception of stage hypnosis, where participants are apparently persuaded to perform all manner of acts.

However, the reader should be aware that participation in a stage act is an entirely voluntary process, (permission is already given to the hypnotist) and that there can be no such volunteer who is unaware of exactly what they are letting themselves in for.

Regulation

At the present time there is no single regulating body for Hypnotherapy, however, the General Hypnotherapy Standards Council is working steadily to change this.  I am a member of the General Hypnotherapy Register and therefore abide by their code of ethics, thus ensuring you, the client, can feel confident you will receive a professional, confidential, client led service..