What is it?
I practice hypnotherapy in Bristol and dedicate my practice to sensitive women and children.
What is hypnotherapy?
It is a short term solution based therapy that uses light or deep trance to work with the client's subsconscious to reprogramme thought patterns that are not helpful. It works with positive affirmation during that state of semi-awareness which allows to access parts of the mind that are not otherwise accessible. It is a Cognitive Behavourial Therapy (CBT) recommended in the government's NICE programme. Hypnotherapy is also commonly used for regression either to childhood or to past lives. These are two aspects that I practice alongside the clinical side of hypnotherapy.
Using trance as a door to the subconscious
The idea of going into trance can be pretty scary for a client. And this is the reason why it is paramount for a client to go to the right hypnotherapist. And I would even risk to say you should probably never go to a hypnotherapist that has not been recommended to you. Even so, make sure you are comfortable with that person as the right therapist for your best friend might not be the right one for you.
If you are a brave person and you decide to do go to someone that has not been recommended, use your own instinct in selecting one and don't hesitate to walk out the door in the middle of a session if something happens you have a bad feeling about. And if you are taking your child to see a therapist, stay with her for as many sessions as it takes to feel confident about the therapist and make sure it feels right for you and her.
The therapist is more important than the therapy
The rapport between the client and the therapist is paramount and if you are not comfortable being put in a trance by your hypnotherapist then your therapist hasn't done her job. She shouldn't even attempt to put you on the couch before she has made sure you are comfortable with her.
Trance is a scary thing too. And there is all that hype about stage hypnotists and what they can do to you. I need to debunk a few myths here.
Debunking the myths about hypnotherapy
What is trance?
Trance is a very natural state of being that you experience every day! Do I surprise you? It's true though. Trance is not always a state of deep unconsciousness. It is the state that you slip into naturally if you drive for a long time. You are concentrating on your driving yet your mind wanders and you are actually in problem solving mode. You can be totally alert yet in a state of trance.
Can the therapist manipulate me?
The second myth that I need to debunk is the myth that the hypnotherapist can make you do what they want and "what if they hypnotised me into writing them a cheque for all my money or dance naked on a table?" No amount of hypnotising will ever lead you to do something that you do not want to do. That's food for thought for all those staged shows about hypnotism, hey?
Putting the critical mind to sleep
When you are in trance however, you "de-activate" the part of your brain that acts like a barrage to guard your deepest fears: your critical mind. And this enables me to reprogramme some deeply engrained beliefs about yourself that no amount of positive affirmation has ever managed to change.
Try to repeat I am beautiful a hundred times and I doubt you will believe it, unless you were convinced of it in the first place. Once the critical mind is deactivated, the hypnotherapist, provided she has serious training in the things of the mind and the emotions, will help you access your hard disk and place some programmes that will help you be happy.
Are you interested to try hypnotherapy for yourself? Call