What is hypnotherapy?
- A swift and completely safe form of therapy.
- It is the most effective tool known for harnessing the power
of the mind, to produce long term mental and even physiological
changes.
- By relaxing deeply in a natural way your subconscious
becomes free to change. Your imagination can then be given the power
to make the lasting changes you need.
- You retain control at all times. My job is to skillfully
guide you through the process.
Common sense wins out:
Hypnotherapy is rapidly growing in popularity as the populist superstitious
nonsense fed by stage hypnotists and Hollywood is at last being updated
with awareness that the completely natural state of trance can give access
to profound changes. All under the complete control of the one being 'hypnotised'
and never the hypnotist.
Accepted Medical Practice:
Hypnotherapeutic treatment has been approved by the BMA (British Medical
Association) as a form of ‘orthodox’ practice (as opposed to
complementary or alternative medicine) for 120 years.It is an art/science
mixture that has been developed over many centuries.
The BMA has endorsed the teaching of hypnosis in medical schools since 1955 but unfortunately, few doctors are able to spend enough time with a client to effectively use it. Therefore, despite reams of undisputed medical proof that it works, it's not something your GP is likely to use with you. Even for those doctors able to invest more in their patients than 10 minutes and a prescription, the lack of a clear agreement on why hypnosis works can be challenging for the logically trained mind. Some of our best doctors do use it but the uptake, in general, is disappointingly slow.
How it works:
Why hypnotherapy should be quite so effective at creating change
is a mystery but its clear that it's effectiveness comes from harnessing
the abilities of the human mind - the most powerful and complex organ in
the known universe! More specifically it's the ability to access and unlock the subconscious mind, an approach that is unique to hypnotherapy, which can
make the changes so profound, far-reaching, and long lasting.
The subconscious mind:
Our subconscious is way and above the major part of who we are.
All our vast array of behaviours, memories, habits, responses, physical
and mental learnings, view of the world itself etc, ... are all locked away
there. It is capable of processing many strands of separate thoughts, filtered
through our experiences and opinions, to serve up an instant 'instinctive'
decision to a complex choice... all of which it achieves in a split second.
Our conscious mind is by definition the part of us we are aware of - but it is only the 'tip' of the massive underwater 'iceberg' that constitutes our whole being. Other therapies just treat the tip but hypnotherapy can treat the whole iceberg! Conscious problems are easily dealt with by the conscious mind and don't need the help of a professional. For everyone coming to see a therapist the problem will lie locked in the subconscious. Put simply, hypnotherapy can unlock the part of the mind where the problem lies, then talk directly to to it.
My job, the guide:
My job is to guide you into hypnosis to give you access to that part of
your mind so you can change the stuff that you feel you need to change.
My job is also to help you bring the buried attributes and skills you have
back to the fore where you can use them everyday.
We all enter what hypnotherapists call the 'hypnotic trance state' naturally at least twice a day while falling asleep and waking up, as well as while engrossed in activities such as reading books, driving, watching films etc,. During these 'zoned-out' trance states we remain in complete control, and it's exactly the same with 'hypnosis'. It's a totally natural state that just happens to unlock the subconscious mind to helpful suggestions and imagination. This in itself is very powerful but hypnosis has many more powerful mechanisms for change at its disposal.
Other Hypnotic Methods:
Hypnotherapy can also give controlled access to all our memories,
where profound insights can be made into the causes of problem behaviours
and feelings. Through safely re-living them while very relaxed we are able
to more easily reprocess difficult experiences which can allow the problem can just drop away.
We can also take great strength from the good memories, recalling the resources that enabled us to learn and achieve so much in our past.
Its even possible to experience 'living' in a future without the problems, a highly liberating vision that shows us what is possible and how to achieve it.
On top of having the potential to solve your problem with uniquely tailored solutions, hypnotherapy can show you deep relaxation techniques and powerful tools you can use to help in a whole range of areas of your life, not least stress management and the achievement of long term goals.
Frequently Asked Questions:
-What does hypno-therapy help with?
The more psychological or behavioural your issue is the more likely
it is that hypnotherapy can help it. The effects on the body, immune
system etc, from stress are considerable so there are a great number
of medical conditions with a psychological element to them ... ulcers,
eczema, etc, See full list.
-How long does a session take?
The sessions are one hour.
-What number of sessions does it take?
This is variable though I usually see improvement after the first hypnotic
session. The hypnotherapeutic process is different for everyone. There
are no two people that have matching day dreams, nor the same receptiveness
to suggestions in hypnosis, similar motivation, exactly the same symptoms,
root causes and severity. As an indication, most conditions are normally effectively
dealt with in four to six appointments (which is rapid when we consider
the minimum ten to twenty sessions needed for the same outcomes in other
psychotherapy approaches); although a complex or deep rooted problem
like OCD or severe depression may require ten or more sessions.
-Where is your hypnotherapy practice based?
My hypnotherapy practices are in Derby and Sheffield. This
makes my services easily accessible for those living in Derby, Matlock, Matlock
Bath, Ashbourne, Bakewell, Buxton, Ripley, Alfreton, Heanor, Belper,
Utoxeter, Leek, and Youlgreave as well as the Sheffield and Chesterfield
area.
-What can I expect from a hypnotic trance? Is it a safe process?
Trance is completely natural. During an average day we all go into trance
many times ( like when watching good films, doing work while on 'auto-pilot',
when we read, drive... and more. Put simply, hypnosis is when someone
else guides you into this same kind of 'trance' or relaxed state - so
it is literally as safe as reading a book(!) Not like hypnotism you
might see on stage, a fully qualified and registered hypnotherapist
is dedicated to helping others. In this focused, relaxed state your
critical mind will be less resistant to the suggestions that the hypnotherapist
provides to help you. You may sense a heaviness or tingling in your
feet or hands and will be very relaxed after you’ve come out of
trance. There are no side effects and its not possible to get 'stuck'
in a trance. You’ll be in exactly the same 'state' after you leave
as you were when you arrived (okay to drive etc,).
-Can everybody be hypnotised?
If you’re over 5, willing, and able to relax then you can be hypnotised.
(unless you have particular neurological conditions or certain learning
difficulties)
-Will it hypnotherapy work for me?
There can be no guarantees for hypnotherapy as there are so many variables. However I can say that hypnotherapy will help most of the time, for most
people, for the conditions detailed on this website.
-How much does it cost?
£80 per one hour session. In cash or cheque to be paid in the
session. Smoking cessation is usually different. It is usually a double
session with a free follow up session for £240.
-Is my therapy confidential?
Absolutely confidential! I am bound by the same ethical codes as
doctors and other registered health workers.
-May I bring someone with me?
If you like. They may either sit in on the session or outside the room
if that venue has a waiting room, or in your car. It can sometimes be
off-putting for you to have someone you know in the session, particularly
if you are searching through inner issues you may not wish them to overhear.
On request (in advance) you may also have a video or audio recording of the therapy.
*Required disclaimer: Results, symptoms and treatment may vary from person to person, all individual cases are taken on merit.
-What is the therapeutic process?
In brief... At first I get to know you, your issues and your aims. Then
we set about creating the changes you want.
The first appointment is chiefly about getting a very clear idea of
your problems and what they mean to you. This is not like everybody
popping the same pill for headaches. Everybody is unique in their blend
of problems, symptom expression, and root cause to their condition.
What's more, everyone has their own way of looking at each of these.
Hence, to help you effectively, I like to understand the best I can,
where you are now, where you’d like to be, and the best route
to take you there.
The path to recovery might be anything from long and complex to quite
straightforward but it usually involves helping you change behaviours
and/or thoughts that you find undesirable and somehow locked in. In
your subconscious reside all your stuck patterns of behaviour (almost entirely
good!), habits, preconceived ideas and automatic reactions. Making changes
to these with the conscious mind can be extremely difficult and may
take many, many sessions in other therapy. Hypnotherapy ‘talks’
directly with the subconscious mind and this is the ‘magic’
of this approach. In trance the ‘locks’ come off the automated
behaviours. The primary skill in hypnotherapy though is in knowing what
needs to be said to the subconscious to entice it to change! When we understand precisely what
needs to change, unwanted behaviours embedded deep in your subconscious
for many years may then be removed or redirected.
-Are you a qualified hypnotherapist?
Yes I’m fully qualified:
HPD (Hypnotherapy Practitioners Diploma), DipNLP (Diploma in NLP),
DipH (Diploma in Hypnotherapy),
GHSQ (General Hypnotherapy Standards Qualification)
CertPT (Certificate in Parts Therapy),
CertDE (Certificate in Discursive Empowerment),
Are you a registered hypnotherapist?
Yes I am fully registered:
GHR (Member of General Hypnotherapy Register).
-Can you help me without hypnosis?
Yes I can. Hypnotherapy is a brilliant tool for delivering therapy but
success comes as much from my empathic nature and from training in my
other areas of psychotherapy. I am also qualified in NLP (Neuro lingual programming),
Parts Therapy (by Roy Hunter himself), EMDR and in Discursive Empowerment,
and am also able to employ techniques from the following therapies:
CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), EFT (emotional freedom technique),
Timeline therapy, coaching & goal orientated therapy, client-centered
therapy, New Code NLP, solution-focused therapy, psychodynamics, REBT
(rational emotional behavioural therapy) and Gestalt therapy,
"Hypnosis is supported by more scientific evidence than any
other complementary therapy." The Health Authority, UK
Please call me if you'd like to know more..