Hypnotherapy  

A useful definition of hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis in a clinical and therapeutic manner in order to help someone overcome a problem such as an unhelpful habit or phobia. This is a bit of a mouthful but basically hypnotherapy sets out to help people, plain and simple. We all suffer from problems of one kind or another as we go through life, and hypnotherapy can make a tremendous difference to your life.

For many people hypnosis brings to mind the stage or TV shows they may have seen where someone is apparently made to behave in a degrading or stupid fashion. This is unfortunate since hypnosis used properly is nothing like this. You can't be made to do things against your will, even though the media might have you believe otherwise in order to sell fiction, and there is no record of anyone ever having been harmed by hypnosis.  Hypnosis has been used for many thousands of years to help cure all manner of ills as well as in place of anaesthetics in operations before the discovery of ether, and then more effective anaesthetics. In recent years hypnosis has had a come back in the operating theatre as it suffers from none of the side effects that drugs do, and as an aid to pain free childbirth it is definitely coming to the fore.

In order to help you better understand what Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy are all about, we have included a few of the common questions we are often asked.

  Can You Explain Hypnosis?  

Our minds are made up of two parts (this is a simple explanation simply to illustrate the concepts behind hypnosis): The conscious mind, where the day to day running of things is carried out and decisions are made. And the subconscious mind which is where the real work is carried out. When you first learnt to stand up and walk as a child it was difficult until quite suddenly you found that you could stand, then walk and soon even begin to run. It was similar when you learnt to ride a bike and later to drive a car.

The reason it was hard at first is because your conscious mind was trying to understand how to do it. At the same time, your subconscious was learning how and as soon as it was able to, it took over and whatever it was you are learning became simple - it even felt instinctive and natural. And once your subconscious has learnt to do something it stays remembered.

Now as well as learning how to walk, talk etc., your subconscious has a very important job to do - it has to keep you safe and well. It does this by building up a set of event-reaction associations. As an example, you learn to associate great heat with danger, but gentle heat with comfort, standing on the edge of a great drop with fear, walking in the road with danger. All these things (and many more) are mainly learnt when you are a child and are programmed in as a result of constantly being warned by a parent or guardian to avoid the danger.

In order to ensure that we don't change this programming by mistake, nature has made it hard for us to modify any of the programming in our subconscious mind. If you, or anyone you know, has tried to stop smoking, or give up some other bad habit, you will understand how hard it is to change the way your subconscious mind is working. We call such attempts "using will power". It's trying to use your conscious mind to change your subconscious - and it's almost impossible. But it is possible to change your subconscious programming using hypnosis.

Hypnosis is a natural state which we all enter quite frequently on our own. A good example is day dreaming. When you day dream you enter a state of self hypnosis and the normal world drifts into the distance - this is exactly what happens when you are hypnotised except you are doing it completely on your own. And just as you are fully aware when daydreaming - you always hear your name if someone speaks to you - when you are hypnotised, you are always aware of what is going on. When a hypnotherapist hypnotises you, all he or she is doing is helping you to relax - think of daydreaming again. As you relax, your subconscious mind becomes more able to listen and accept ideas and it is this that the trainined and skilled hypnotherapist will use to gently change an association you may have that is holding you back.

  So What Happens In A Session?  

We would first have a preliminary meeting where we discuss any concerns they may have and you can tell us why you've come. In the meeting, we would explain exactly what we are planning to do so you can fully understand what is to happen. Since we cannot make you do anything you don't want to do, discussing everything first makes the hypnosis very much simpler. This meeting is free and forms a vital part of the therapeutic process. After this initial consultation, and assuming that the you want to go ahead (everyone does) then you would be gently relaxed, simply using normal speech and relaxing background music.

As you relax more and more, we will gently make the changes you have asked for and agreed for us to do. The actual hypnosis session can last anything from half to one hour and is usually followed by a short period when you can gradually come back to your normal state and get used to your new you.

  But What About The Stage Hypnotists?  

This is probably the question we are asked the most and is quite easy to answer once you understand what is happening. Before the show, or at the beginning, the hypnotist asks for volunteers and is usually overwhelmed by the number wanting to offer themselves. Now these people know what they are volunteering to do. They want to act like idiots in front of their friends, to show off, to get their 15 minutes of fame. They are begging the hypnotist to "take me", so when he or she is chosen the hypnotist has a simple task to get them to do exactly what they are asking to do - act like a fool.

It's a simple fact that hypnosis cannot make you do anything against your will - your conscious mind is always present and aware and should anything be suggested that is inappropriate you would simply end the session and that would be it. But if you asked the hypnotist to make you think you were a dog, then he or she could do it - but only with your agreement.

  Do You Mess With My Mind?  

It's difficult to be sure what this means, but we are often asked the question. Nothing is done to your mind, all that is done is inappropriate associations are removed or changed and in some cases confidence and self worth is improved. And all this has to be done with your full approval so we can't change the way you think other than in ways you have asked us to. So no, we don't "mess with your mind" - we couldn't even if we wanted to.