Hypnotherapy
“Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”
- Van Wilder
What is hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is a popular, long established, and scientifically based therapy that can help a person to make positive changes in their life.
Simply put, hypnosis is a state of mind that someone can enter, where their mind is more receptive to outside influences and suggestions, helping them to change the way they think or act.
Hypnosis is a naturally occurring state of mind that is connected to deep relaxation. You will have experienced a hypnotic state many times, such as daydreaming at your desk, or driving from A to B without thinking about the actual route.
As a hypnotherapist I will guide you into a deep state of relaxation where your mind will be open to receiving new positive ideas and suggestions. During this wonderful state of deep relaxation, the conscious (thinking) part of your mind is temporarily distracted, allowing the unconscious part of your mind to become open to positive suggestions and therefore, to the positive changes you wish to make.
The power of suggestion can help you release difficult emotions, break bad habits, re-imagine new desired ways of thinking, and make positive changes to achieve your goals.
Other therapies I offer
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
Emotional Freedom Technique goes by a few different names, including EFT, tapping therapy, or simply tapping. EFT is a form of therapy that stimulates acupressure points by pressuring, tapping, or rubbing these points while focusing on situations that represent fear, trauma, or difficulties.
Mnemodynamic therapy
This is a powerful psychotherapeutic technique of healing, using a form of conscious regression to work on difficult situations from your past. This is done alongside hypnotherapy in sessions.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Neuro-Linguistic Programming is the study of how we think and communicate, with ourselves and with others, and of how we can use this to get the results we want from life. It looks at successful behaviours and shows us how we can model these in our own lives to reach our goals.
What I can help you with
Anxiety
Hypnosis allows the client to experience deep levels of relaxation and is extremely effective in reducing levels of stress and anxiety.
We all feel anxious at points in our life, maybe before an exam, or before a job interview. Anxiety can help us to be more alert and can help us remain safe in unpredictable or unsafe situations. However, these feelings are short lived and when the situation causing the anxiety is over, so is the anxiety.
For some people, anxiety is a constant feeling, it doesn’t switch off and can cause unwelcomed feelings of worry, dread, and being overwhelmed, as well as physical symptoms such as sweating, increased heart rate, high blood pressure and nausea. Anxiety can prevent you from living your life to the fullest. It may stop you from going out with friends, or applying for promotions or a new job out of fear.
Anxiety does not come from nowhere and is usually triggered by something, you may be aware of your triggers or not. The feelings can get bigger and bigger and overtime you become so accustomed to carrying these anxieties around. Think of it as constantly carrying around a backpack.
Every anxious thought or worry is another weight you add to this backpack. Eventually the weight of the backpack on your shoulders becomes too heavy and stops you from functioning efficiently. Hypnotherapy can help you release these anxieties and enable you to feel free and lighter and in control.
Stress
Many clients who come to me for therapy are experiencing stress and/or anxiety. Stress is a physical, emotional, or mental pressure that is experienced when a person is feeling threatened or under pressure.
Most people suffer with some level of stress – it’s unavoidable. It can occur when we experience change, uncertainty, success, or failure. Stress can be related to big events such as moving house or chronic health conditions, or it can occur in specific events such as public speaking or taking exams.
A little stress can be a good thing, as it helps us to get things done or focus on something that needs our attention. When we are stressed, our body releases a hormone called adrenaline (often called the "fight or flight" hormone), which usually gives us a boost or motivates us to act quickly.
But too much stress can affect our mood, our body, and our relationships – especially when it feels out of our control. It can make us feel anxious and irritable and affect our self-esteem. Too much stress can make a person feel overwhelmed, worried and a sense of dread. Stress can have an effect on sleep, digestion, and cause high blood pressure and heartburn.
Much of the treatment for stress that incorporates hypnosis will revolve around helping you to learn to relax and learn some techniques that will assist you to deal with the physical symptoms of the condition.
Fears and phobias
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder characterised by an extreme form of fear or anxiety, triggered by a particular situation or object.
Unlike general anxiety disorders, a phobia is usually connected to something specific – a fear of heights, despite knowing that you are safe, a fear of spiders, despite knowing they won’t hurt you, or a fear of going to the dentist, despite knowing they aren’t going to hurt you.
When the fear is out of proportion to the danger, it lasts for more than six months, or it has a significant impact on how you live your day-to-day life, it becomes a phobia.
Hypnotherapy works effectively to help release the phobic responses and helps you to change the way you feel and behave.
Weight management
Have you tried diet after diet after diet? Have you deprived yourself of certain foods, lost weight but only then to put the weight back on and more when you reintroduce that food back into your diet?
The mere word ‘diet’ often makes people feel deprived and sends a message that something is forbidden, and when something is forbidden, we want it more!
Often people lose motivation if they do not see immediate results, but quite often gaining weight has been a gradual process – it happens over the years as a result of modern-day life and the odd unhealthy habit, so the truth is, reducing weight is also going to be a gradual process. To keep excess weight off in the long term, you need to be prepared for steady, manageable, and realistic results.
Actually, food has little to do with weight and everything to do with what is going on inside your mind.
Diets deal with what is on the outside – with what can be seen (excess weight), but the triggers that have you reaching for the snacks when you are not hungry, are all on the inside. Hypnotherapy helps you identify and deal with these triggers so food can no longer have the same control over you.
Sleep issues
Do you struggle to get a good night’s sleep? Do you wake up several times in the night and struggle to drift back off again? Maybe you go to bed and lie there for what seems like hours with a hundred different thoughts whirling through you mind.
Insomnia can increase the risks of poor mental health, lead to a range of illnesses (such as depression and anxiety) and can have a major impact on our day to day mental wellbeing.
Since sleep plays such a vital role in our lives, insomnia ends up affecting all areas of our lives. Without proper sleep, our mind is unable to process the events of our day, which leads to too much stress and in turn affects our relationships, moods, and ability to concentrate.
If you’re ready to put sleepless nights to bed, then get in touch with me today.
Self-esteem and confidence
While self-confidence and self-esteem are usually linked, they are not the same thing. Self-confidence refers to the way a person feels about their ability to conduct tasks and roles. Self-esteem refers to the way a person feels about themselves - the way they look, behave, and think.
Do you lack confidence at work? Have you stopped putting yourself forward for promotions? Do you avoid giving presentations? Or perhaps you lack confidence in social situations?
Do you have low self-esteem? Do you worry about what people think about you? Do you struggle to accept compliments? Do you feel worthless and unlovable?
Hypnotherapy can be very effective for improving self-esteem as it works directly with the unconscious mind - where the negative thoughts about ourselves live.
The negative thoughts we have about ourselves come about because our unconscious mind is trying to protect us. When we have a bad experience, for example, if we fail a maths test at school, our unconscious will recognise this as something to be avoided.
To protect us, it will tell us we’re bad at maths and should avoid trying. This leads to stress and worry every time we have a maths test, affecting our abilities (thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy).
Over time we learn that we are ‘bad’ at maths and develop automatic negative thoughts on the subject that follow us into adulthood. This can then affect our confidence and make us wary of trying anything to do with numbers, including dealing with our finances.
And this is why hypnotherapy can be such a powerful tool. The aim of hypnotherapy is to ‘talk’ directly to your unconscious, change negative thinking patterns and encourage more positive responses. So rather than a critical voice of fear, our unconscious can be taught to be encouraging and supportive.
If you feel you could benefit from building your confidence or self-esteem, hypnotherapy is a safe and effective way to make a positive, long-lasting changes.
Smoking cessation
Cigarette smoking is one of the greatest single causes of illness and premature death in the UK. Worldwide the number is far greater. Tobacco is killing around eight million people each year, while almost one million deaths are due to non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. Despite nearly 80,000 people in the UK dying from smoking-related illnesses each year, 6.6 million people still smoke (Office of National Statistic 2021).
Understanding the smoking habit is fundamental to stopping it. Your unconscious mind is expecting you to smoke, and it doesn’t want to change. It has created an association with all the times that smoking helps you. When you are stressed or bored, when you have your first cup of coffee or that glass of wine. Perhaps smoking breaks up your day at work?
Under hypnosis we look to change these thought and behavioural patterns, breaking the habit and helping you become a non-smoker!
Other areas I can help with are:
- Pain management
- Hypnobirthing
- Hypnotherapy with children
- Breaking habits
- Procrastination and motivation
- Menopause
- Driving test/confidence
- Addictions (alcohol/substances/gambling)
- Public speaking
- Wedding nerves
Arrange a free consultation
I offer a free phone consultation where we will discuss any issues to may be facing. It will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have.
Fees and pricing
I offer a FREE initial consultation over the telephone. This will usually last 45-60 minutes. This is where we look at the reason you have contacted me and what you would like to be different. This allows me to decide on the best course of therapy. It will also give you the chance to ask me any questions and become familiar with what hypnotherapy is.
Session fee
- £60 per session. Sessions last 60 minutes.
- Smoking cessation is a single fee of £150 for a 2-hour session
- Payments can be made via cash, card, or bank transfer.
*Same day cancellation, forgotten or missed appointments will be charged in full.
*Same day cancellation, forgotten or missed appointments will be charged in full.