Hypnotherapy uses hypnotic techniques to bring about beneficial changes. Utilizing states of deep relaxation, the therapist assists in uncovering and exploring memories, emotions and past events which may affect a person’s conscious mind and activating the client’s inner resources in order to achieve the desired goals.

Hypnotherapy processes interact directly with your inner consciousness to find core issues and causes of problems in your  life. You can examine beliefs and thought processes that are giving rise to emotional, physical, mental and spiritual problems and make changes at the core level from which the outer manifestation originates. With changes at the inner levels of consciousness the outer projection changes.

Who may benefit from Hypnotherapy?

The answer to this question is “virtually everyone”. Given that hypnotherapy can be utilised to access a person’s inner potential and that probably no one is performing to their actual potential, then this answer is literally true. However, it is not just potential which Hypnotherapy is well placed to address but also one’s inner resources to effect beneficial change. In this regard, it is the innate healing capacity of our own body that may be stimulated by Hypnotherapy. Consequently, the list of problems which may be amenable to Hypnotherapy is far too long and varied but certainly includes: stress, anxiety, panic, phobias, unwanted habits and addictions (e.g. smoking, overeating, alcoholism), disrupted sleep patterns, lack of confidence and low self-esteem, fear of examinations and public speaking, allergies and skin disorders, migraine and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Additionally, it has proved of value within surgery, where normal anaesthetics have not been practical, in the wider sphere of pain management and in the areas of both sporting and artistic performance enhancement. As an adjunct to other counselling techniques, it can also assist in helping to resolve relationship difficulties and be useful within anger management strategies.

Although there remain many other areas of human suffering in which Hypnotherapy may bring relief, there are instances in which it may be contra-indicated. These could include some manifestations of depressive illness, epilepsy, psychosis (e.g. schizophrenia) and some breathing problems.

What to expect when hypnotized?

With stage hypnosis being something that many people are familiar with, there are several common misconceptions about how hypnotherapy works.  Many of the misgivings that people have are quite understandable, after all, if you had been lead to believe that hypnosis renders a person in a trance under the control of another person, wouldn’t you be a little bit hesitant to try?  The reality of hypnosis is very different then this stage-show hype, however.

Being hypnotized often feels like being in a very deep meditation.  Different people have different experiences, and in fact an individual may also experience hypnosis differently at different times.  Some people feel very light and perhaps even floaty while others feel deeply relaxed and calm with a heavy body.  During hypnosis, you are allowing your mind to relax and let go of it’s normal grip, allowing your subconscious to come into play.  A hypnotherapy may guide you through visualization or breathing exercises to reach this state of deep relaxation.

Although you are more open to suggestion during this state, you are not asleep, out of your body, or unconscious.  You remain in control over you faculties in much the same way you do when you are lost in thought.  This is much like the trances you fall into in daily life- when very absorbed in a book, driving long distances or daydreaming- you can respond instantly to outside stimuli, even if you feel like you were miles away in your mind!