I’ve answered the most common questions here but please contact me if you have any others:

  • What is hypnosis?

  • What is hypnotherapy?

  • Some reasons why I love and use Hypnotherapy

  • What is different about Solution Focused (SF) Hypnotherapy?

  • How can SF Hypnotherapy help so many varied issues?

  • Can I be hypnotised?

What is hypnosis?

Trance is a completely natural state that we enter into many times a day

e.g. when we do something we’re very familiar with and just get on with such as watching tv; playing games; driving our usual routes to work or school; or going for a run. In hypnotherapy, hypnosis uses trance constructively to release stress and to create and consolidate change. It’s very relaxing and pleasant, but it’s actually a very focused state where the brain gets the space to reorganise patterns of behaviour, feelings and thoughts so they are in line with what you actually want. It also naturally releases anxiety and stress.

No-one can hypnotise you to do anything against your will

Have you seen stage shows where participants are hypnotised into doing silly things? They are not doing it against their will - those people who impersonate Elvis or transform into dancing chickens are at a some level happy to entertain the audience and therefore agree to be hypnotised into doing this. And good for them - I can enjoy watching it, but it’s got nothing to do with hypnotherapy.

What is hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is a combination of hypnosis and therapy

The therapy is in itself extremely beneficial and its effects are enhanced by the hypnosis, which enables the subconscious mind to make beneficial changes fast and effectively. I use Solution Focused therapy which helps people discover their inner resources and move towards the outcomes they’d like.

We can only hold about 7 things in our conscious awareness at any one time

This means that nearly everything thing we think and feel first comes from our subconscious mind. Hypnotherapy works with your subconscious, changing habits and beliefs that are not helpful to you so you can feel and think in ways that support you and help you live the life you want to have.

Hypnotherapy is not something that is done to you; it’s a collaborative process

Change happens because you want it. I’m an expert in the process and you are the expert on you. This also means that you will have trust in yourself and not be dependent on me afterwards.

Here’s what
NCH, National Council for Hypnotherapy says about hypnotherapy: https://www.hypnotherapists.org.uk/hypnotherapy/
and WebMD: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-hypnotherapy

Some reasons why I love and use hypnotherapy:

1.    It releases stress and anxiety automatically so you will feel calmer immediately. 

2.    The messages communicate directly with your subconscious mind, while your conscious awareness is more quiet. It therefore doesn’t argue with you by eg saying things like: “I can’t do…”, “who am I to…”. This helps you change more quickly.

3.    Your brain doesn’t properly know the difference between reality and imagination, so you react to everything you think (have you ever had a racing heart when you watched a horror  movie?). In hypnosis you can vividly experience what you want, perfectly for you,  so your brain learns quickly.

Also it feels lovely!

What is different about Solution Focused (SF) Hypnotherapy?

SF Hypnotherapy is based on the latest neuroscience research and Solution Focused Brief Therapy

It’s designed to a) reduce the stress response which inhibits your ability to think clearly and stick to decisions, and b) SF explores your best hopes, what they mean to you, your strengths, and how to live more fully.

I also explain how the brain functions in relation to your issue to ensure lasting changes

We will go through why the brain creates different issues and symptoms, so you will understand why you feel like you feel and how to make necessary changes.

Having:
* reduced stress
* a better understanding of your brain
* a clear picture of your best hopes, strengths, what this looks like in your life
* and using hypnosis to strengthen this
can help you have new ways of feeling, thinking and behaving, so you can live with more hope, feel freer and do the things you want to do.

How can SF Hypnotherapy help so many varied issues?

One big reason is that when we are stressed, anxious, depressed, angry etc, we function more from a very old, primitive part of our brain instead of the intellectual part which is constructive, creative and makes rational decisions. By releasing that stress with SF hypnosis and learning how to use our minds, we can get the control we need to achieve our goals without being hijacked by stubborn, unhelpful habits and thinking from the primitive brain.

Long term stress also has many damaging effects on your body which worsens IBS, chronic pain, inflammation, headaches and many more ailments, which is one reason hypnotherapy can help with many diseases. It also focuses on positive and constructive hopes and resources, helping clients cope better.

Because SF Hypnotherapy works by addressing the anxiety and stress that is at the root of most problems and then replacing old, unhelpful patterns with what the client desires, the issues are much less likely to return or crop up as something else.

“I don't think I can be hypnotised”

Most of us go into this natural state lots of times every day, so we do know how to do this. It doesn’t make a difference to the effectiveness of the therapy if you are lightly or deeply hypnotised. Sometimes you can see research around suggestibility and depth of hypnosis; this is useful for research and stage shows etc but in terms of practical, therapeutic use it’s not directly applicable. We know that there are beneficial brainwave changes and which parts of the brain that are activated during the different stages of the type of hypnosis I use and this is not dependent on depth or suggestibility.  

When you're deeply hypnotised, you may not consciously remember everything I say, but your subconscious still stays very aware and will take what it needs from it. Saying that, a deeper level of hypnosis can be very pleasant and, as always with practice, you will find the process is faster.