Hypnotherapy, without the mystery.
I have been a hypnotherapist since 2014. It is where my therapy work began, and it is still a key part of what I offer. If you have come looking for hypnotherapy specifically, this is the page for you.
Understanding Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis is a state of relaxed, focused attention, a bit like being absorbed in a book or arriving somewhere without remembering the drive. In that state, the mind is more open to helpful suggestion and less caught up in its usual patterns. Hypnotherapy uses this trance state to work on the things you want to change.
It is not the stage hypnosis you have seen on television. You stay aware, you can hear everything, you can stop at any time, and you cannot be made to do or say anything you would not choose to. Most people find it pleasant, leave feeling relaxed and are surprised how ordinary it feels.
Hypnotherapy, in more detail
What a session feels like
We start by talking through what has brought you here and what you would like to be different. Then you settle into the chair and I guide you into a relaxed, focused trance state; most people describe it as pleasantly heavy, or like the moment before sleep while still fully awake. In that state we work with suggestion, imagery and the parts of you that are producing the unhelpful behaviours and thoughts.
You will hear everything, remember everything, and come back to the room feeling rested. Sessions are one hour.
How many sessions, and how quickly
Some things, like a specific fear or a habit, can shift in two or three sessions. Sleep and stress usually take a little longer. Longstanding patterns take a longer period of sessions, and I will tell you honestly what I think is realistic at the first call.
You will be given techniques to use between sessions where appropriate and there is often a recording of the hypnotherapy from your session to use at home. The aim is for you to need me less, not more.
Where it sits with everything else
Hypnotherapy works alongside medical treatment, not instead of it. It is safe to combine with most prescribed medication, and a good hypnotherapist will say if your GP should be involved.
There are some medical conditions in which it is not recommended, such as dissociative disorders, but please feel free to contact me to discuss it's suitability for your situation.
It blends naturally with counselling and EMDR, so if the work begins with one approach and another would help more, we can adapt the way we work without starting again.
What can hypnotherapy help with?
Hypnotherapy is as an approach works well alone, or in combination with counselling or EMDR. It helps reach the underlying issue and not just the symptom. It sits comfortably alongside medical treatment, and never replaces it.
Hypnosis itself is simply a state of deep, focused relaxation. You stay aware throughout, you can hear everything, and you remain in control. Nothing happens that you have not agreed to, and most people describe it as calm and restful rather than strange.
Sessions are one hour, although the initial session may last a little longer, as we discuss the issues in more detail. The first session includes an introductory relaxation under hypnosis, so you know what it feels like before going any further.
Beyond anxiety, trauma and study issues, it can help with
- Stress and overwhelm
- Sleep
- Confidence and self-doubt
- Habits you want to change
- Fears and phobias
- Performance, from public speaking to sport
- Irritable bowel syndrome and other mind–body conditions
Where hypnotherapy fits
On its own
For anxiety, stress, sleep, habits, confidence, fears and performance. Usually a few sessions, with techniques you can keep on using long after the sessions.
With anxiety
Hypnotherapy alongside counselling, one to one, can provide additional support for long term anxiety and trauma.
With trauma
Approaches such as parts therapy and the use of EMDR incorporating hypnosis lets processing happen from a calm, focused state.
Not on the list?
If what you are dealing with is not on this page, please do get in touch anyway. The 20-minute call exists so we can work out together whether it is something I can help with.
Curious whether it would work for you?
Book a free 20-minute call. I will explain how I would approach what you have brought, and you can decide from there.