Hypnotherapy is a combination of Psychotherapy and Hypnosis. Psychotherapy in itself is extremely beneficial and its effects are enhanced by the application of Hypnosis, which enables the subconscious mind to make beneficial changes. 

Many people believe that Hypnotherapy is something that is 'done' to them; that they explain their issue to the therapist who then simply hypnotises their problem away, as if by magic.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is a much more collaborative process and it is important to understand that change happens because you want it to and because you are prepared to take the necessary steps to allow it to happen.

The Initial Consultation is designed to assess what you want to achieve, how Hypnotherapy can help you, and how many sessions you are likely to need.

Subsequent Hypnotherapy sessions involve much more than Hypnosis. During the first part of each session we'll talk about the progress you have made, and I'll be encouraging you to express yourself positively, focusing on solutions rather than dwelling on problems.

I'll help you to imagine your preferred future, a future where you have a more useful perspective on the quality of your life. I'll then guide you into a relaxed state of Hypnosis so that we can consolidate what we have discussed.

There are many different kinds of Psychotherapy, all of which aim to help people overcome stress or emotional problems. Psychotherapy involves talking together to help clients overcome their difficulties. Psychotherapy is often referred to as a 'talking treatment'. 

The type of Psychotherapy I practice is Solution Focused Therapy which is future-oriented. It is designed to reduce anxiety and promote calm in the mind. As the name suggests, it focuses on solutions for the future, rather than analysing problems of the past.

Provided you are willing to make changes to the way you think, the therapy can be highly effective in relieving the symptoms of anxiety and stress. Focusing on solutions means we do not dwell on problems.

Instead we:

acknowledge where you are currently

identify where you want to be

help you to make the necessary changes

Actually, we all experience the Hypnotic state in our everyday lives.

Have you ever driven home and not remembered anything about the journey, or been engrossed in a book and not been conscious of time passing? If so, you've been in a state of focused attention, not unlike the feeling of being Hypnotised.

During Hypnosis, you will be guided into a similar state so that beneficial suggestions can be directed towards your subconscious mind.

This might be a sign of mental exhaustion rather than physical fatigue.

The reason for this is we go in and out of many sleep cycles and one of the cycles that is most important for our mental health is Rapid Eye Movement (REM sleep).

During REM sleep we dream and process events of the day either exactly as the events happened or metaphorically.

Think of a time when someone has upset or annoyed you, and your partner or friend tells you to forget about it but you just can’t.

You go to sleep and during the night
REM sleep strips the emotion out of your memories and stores them as narrative memories that you can control.

When you wake up you still remember the event but don’t feel as upset or angry. You just think “why did I let that get to me?”

This is a great process however the problem is that REM sleep is very energy intensive and only accounts for 20% of our sleep patterns.

If you are stressed or have a lot of events to process then your REM sleep will quickly become exhausted. This is what happens when we wake up in the early hours and feel wide awake, unhappy and can struggle to get back to sleep.

Even if we can get back to sleep it will not be restful and we still feel tired the next day.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help you quiet your mind, reduce overwhelm, and regain energy by addressing the root causes of stress in a positive way.