Clinical Hypnotherapy is a combination of psychotherapy and hypnosis. As a Clinical Hypnotherapist I combine modern psychotherapy with the application of hypnosis to enable the subconscious mind to make the appropriate changes. The beauty of this approach lies in how well these two elements – the hypnosis and the psychotherapy – complement and enhance each other.
Hypnotherapy is more of a collaboration between you and the therapist rather than something that we do to you. There’s no magic wand and we can’t simply hypnotise your problem away. The change happens because you want it to happen and are prepared to work with me to enable it to happen. So an important part of your contribution is your willingness to make changes to the way you think.
Psychotherapy
The type of psychotherapy I practise is called Solution Focused Psychotherapy. It is a modern psychotherapeutic approach which I use to help people feel better and to achieve their goals. The use of psychotherapy is not new, and most people will understand it as a way to help people overcome stress and emotional problems. You might have heard it called “talking therapy”, because the therapist and client talk together to create strategies to overcome their difficulties.
In Solution Focused Psychotherapy we look forwards rather than backwards, focusing on solutions for the future rather than dwelling on problems of the past. We don’t analyse the problem or why you have it but instead we help you find the solutions. This is the crucial component of this forward-facing approach, because we don’t expect you to constantly relive the things that have brought you to this point; on the contrary, reliving, retelling and re-experiencing painful or traumatic memories can be very unhelpful to bringing about positive change.
The Solution Focused process means we will:
1. Discuss where you are currently and
2. Determine where you want to be and then
3. Help you make the necessary changes
– and we avoid problem-talk.
Clinical hypnosis
Clinical hypnosis – using hypnosis in the therapeutic setting – is very different from TV or stage hypnotic techniques. We live in a fast-paced, demanding world with busy lives, daily challenges, and often feel like we are being pulled in all directions. Hypnosis applied in a therapeutic way reduces anxiety and calms the mind, acting as a buffer, and for those experiencing symptoms of stress and anxiety it can offer very effective relief.
Hypnosis is simply a trance state, which is a very natural state of the body and mind, something we do several times a day without realising it: when we’re watching T.V., driving the car, out for a run – we do it all the time. These are all states of focused attention which are similar to the feeling of being hypnotised. In this way hypnosis feels quite ordinary, like being in a daydream guided by the hypnotherapist, but it is a very efficient technique for psychotherapists to use.
What to expect
Following immediately on from the psychotherapy part of the session, I will lead you into a deeply relaxed state of focused attention where you will feel warm, comfortable and safe and you can hear everything that is being said to you. While you are in this relaxed state of awareness I will continue to talk to you, making beneficial suggestions directed towards the subconscious mind which is more responsive in this state. These suggestions are designed to help you change unhelpful thought patterns. This part is very relaxing and calming and you can simply get comfortable and enjoy it.