How can Clinical Hypnotherapy help?

Clinical Hypnotherapy can assist with a wide range of issues, and the following list of commonly treated conditions is not exhaustive. Any particular needs can be discussed in detail during the free initial consultation.

• Academic Performance • Addiction • Alcohol Abuse • Anger Management • Anxiety and Nerves • Bereavement • Chronic Pain Management • Concentration and Memory • Confidence and Self-Esteem • Depression and Low Mood • Eating Disorders and Behaviours • Fatigue and Exhaustion • Fears and Phobias • Headaches • Insomnia and Sleep Disturbances • Interview Techniques • Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and other Digestive Issues • Motivation • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Obsessive Thoughts • Panic Attacks • Paranoia • Performance Anxiety • Physical Symptoms • Post-Operation Recovery • Public Speaking • Relationship Issues • Relaxation • Sexual Issues • Sports Performance • Stopping Smoking or Vaping • Stress • Substance Abuse • Unwanted Habits • Weight Loss and Management •

What is a session like?

Each session lasts 60 to 90 minutes and always begins with a positively focused guided conversation where client and therapist discuss the week, focusing on positive aspects since the last session. This is followed by the trance work, which involves lying back on the treatment couch and gently relaxing into a peaceful state of hypnosis. This safe and caring environment could not be further removed from the antics and trickery of stage hypnosis, and clients soon discover just how familiar this state already is as they let go of all troubles and worries, safe in the knowledge that they are always in control and will be able to bring themselves out of hypnosis easily should they wish to. The session ends with the option of recording and reviewing progress made on a digital platform, and finally a brief chat to review the work done and schedule the next appointment.

Why ‘Solution Focused’ Hypnotherapy?

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy aims to shift an individual’s attention away from their problems and onto solutions. Focus is not on the past, but rather on where they are right now and, more importantly, on where they want to be in the future. By accessing the power of the subconscious mind through hypnosis, clients are able to tap into huge inner resources, which can help create powerful and meaningful positive change. Stepping out of the problem-mindset allows them to see the solutions that were always there but were, until now, hidden from view.

How can a client better understand the process?

The first step in helping an individual achieve positive change in their life is to help them understand how the mind works, why it is they are suffering, and what can be done about it. By better understanding what is happening in their mind, the individual will be empowered to move forwards and attain their goal in a more conscious, focused and deliberate way. The free one hour initial consultation seeks to offer them this tool, as a full medical history is taken, client needs are discussed in detail and a decision is made on how they may best be helped. The therapist will aim to identify clearly what it is the client wants to achieve and how they would like their life to be better. They also receive a free Hypnotherapy relaxation track which helps kick-start the process and can enhance the results of the therapy work. It should be noted that there is no actual hypnosis work in the initial consultation, and the client will be asked to sign a consent form, with all information stored confidentially and securely in full compliance with GDPR requirements.

How is progress measured?

The existence of extensive evidence-based scientific research in support of therapeutic hypnosis is not the only factor to consider when determining whether Solution Focused Hypnotherapy may be the right option. Positive change means being able to measure positive outcomes, and that is exactly what happens: at the end of each session, the patient has the option to complete a quick digital survey that tracks and monitors their progress in a personalised and meaningful way. This data, which does not personally identify the patient, is held on a secure clinical database and allows them to see real positive results whilst on the road to achieving their goal. Apart from obvious patient benefits, measuring outcomes in this way encourages high standards of practice; a results-driven, solution-focused approach and the continual professional development of the practitioner.

How many sessions will a patient need?

At the end of the initial consultation, the patient receives an outline of how many sessions will be required in order to help them reach their goal. For most conditions, 8 to 12 once-weekly sessions is the norm, but for specific fears or phobias, just 3 may be needed. Smoking or vaping cessation has a different format with no separate initial consultation required, and just one 2-hour session as standard. Many clients begin to feel changes almost immediately and often start to sleep better. Following the guidance they are given is important, including regular daily listening of the free Hypnotherapy relaxation track, which can have a therapeutically reinforcing effect. Individual results will vary, as they do with any other type of treatment or therapy, and getting their life back on track becomes easier as the patient’s confidence grows and the solution focused mindset becomes established.

How does hypnosis help bring about change?

According to cognitive scientists, around 95% of people’s actions, emotions, decisions and behaviours are not conscious, meaning they do not actively think about them, but are instead automatic. So although they may genuinely wish to create change in their lives and work towards resolving problems, a lifetime of habits and fixed mindsets can often get in the way. During hypnosis, the whole of the patient’s mind becomes focused on one thing – the therapist’s voice and suggestions – and in this relaxed state the therapist can gain access to their subconscious mind. It is useful to think of the subconscious mind as an internal hard drive where automatic responses are stored. Once someone has learned how to ride a bicycle or drive a car, they will never need to think about it consciously again, because those actions have now become automatic subconscious behavioural patterns. They may find themselves daydreaming while driving home from work and effectively be in a trance state, yet if another car unexpectedly pulls out in front of them, their reaction will be sharp and instantaneous. That is because their conscious mind is still fully activated and in control, even in this hypnotic state. The same can be said for a Hypnotherapy session: even in a deep trance state, the patient remains alert, conscious and in full control. The reason that the suggestions offered during hypnosis are so much more powerful than if they were merely discussed while sat in an armchair is that the access gained to the subconscious mind allows new attitudes, behaviours and mindsets to be more easily adopted as the default response to life’s challenges. In a sense, the brain is being rewired and new neural pathways created, allowing for fresh perspectives and novel solutions to be found.

How can a problem be resolved if it is not focused on during hypnosis?

It was the work of Dr Milton Erickson, a leading twentieth century psychiatrist, psychologist and hypnotherapist, which resulted in the finding that it is not necessary to uncover nor dwell on the root cause of a problem in order to move forward towards a resolution. In fact, focusing on problems creates a negative mindset in which the patient can only see their past experiences and old outcomes; they cannot expect to rebuild the future by using old templates from a broken past. However, harnessing the positives in life and focusing on new possibilities opens up new neural pathways in the brain, and it is from this expanded mindset that the patient can find the solutions needed to help them move forward.

How does Solution Focused Hypnotherapy compare to traditional Psychotherapy?

Traditional Psychotherapy approaches focus on finding the underlying cause of the client’s issue, and in Hypnotherapy this would involve the client revisiting and reliving disturbing or traumatic events from the past, which are deemed to be the source of current problems. This can be an extremely upsetting process which may only serve to add to the current anxiety and perception of crisis. The modern therapeutic approach employed by Solution Focused Hypnotherapy allows the traditional route to be bypassed because it is quite simply unnecessary. Trying to find new solutions to problems from a negative problem-mindset is quite a challenge, so instead, the focus of attention shifts to positives in the client’s life. When this occurs, a different part of the brain is activated, and it is this new solution-focused mindset that allows previously unseen inner resources to become available, resulting in new ways of thinking that make past or present problems increasingly less relevant in the client’s life today.