Even though Hypnotherapy is now recognised as an authentic alternative therapy, it is in my experience, still regarded as “The Therapy of Last Resort!!”  

The reason for this is the combination of Hypnotherapy not being regulated in the UK by law (neither is Counselling), so people purporting to be Hypnotherapists set-up in practice plus the popularity of various TV and stage hypnotists leading to misconceptions about Hypnotherapy.

My mission is to raise people’s understanding of Hypnotherapy, so it is one of the first, rather than the last, therapies people turn to for support.

To understand hypnotherapy, we first need to understand what hypnosis is, as hypnotherapists use hypnosis to help their clients.  

Everybody daydreams and that is exactly the state you are in when you are in hypnosis….so it’s a completely natural state. When we daydream, our conscious mind relaxes, and our subconscious mind takes over without us being aware. The consensus is our conscious mind makes up 5% of our mind processing and our subconscious mind makes up the other 95%.  

Think of the conscious mind as what you see on your computer’s screen and the subconscious mind is literally everything else…the processes, storage, apps and programmes… so the subconscious mind is both important and powerful.

Here’s an example.  I’m sure you’ve experienced going on a train journey and suddenly you realise you are a couple of stops further along the route than you thought you were. You’ve been daydreaming…. your conscious mind switching off and your subconscious mind taking over…..that is a form of hypnosis, so hypnosis is something people naturally go in and out of every day, without realising it.

The way hypnotherapy works in practice is that in a counselling environment, the hypnotherapist would first discuss with the client what they want to achieve via hypnotherapy ie what is the outcome they want.  

The hypnotherapist will first use relaxation techniques to help the client reach a state where the conscious part of their mind is relaxed, ie their daydreaming state and the subconscious part is more open to suggestion. The easiest way to start to do this is for the client to close their eyes because that gives a signal to the conscious mind that the client wants their conscious mind to relax.

Once the client is in the daydreaming/hypnotic state, the hypnotherapist uses the power of suggestion to access a client’s subconscious mind (using imagery, metaphors etc) and takes them on a journey to encourage positive change, in order that the client starts to achieve the outcome they agreed with the hypnotherapist at the start of the session.  

At the end of the session, the hypnotherapist will use a re-alerting technique to bring the client out of the hypnotic state and ensure they are 100% fully refreshed and alert. The subconscious mind retains all the suggestions the Hypnotherapist has provided to effect the positive change the client is seeking.

Some people may need just one or two sessions to have dealt with their issue; for others it may take a few or many more sessions. Again, the hypnotherapist will collaborate and work at the pace that suits the client.

Hypnotherapy is the most natural form of therapy available. It is very versatile and can help with a broad spectrum of issues, for example: general wellbeing, anxiety, phobias, low self-esteem, sleep hygiene, performance (sports, exams), weight management…the list is endless! I even incorporate hypnotherapy in team building exercises for organisations and to support the organisation’s wellbeing initiatives.