Category: Hypnotherapy

Every week I see clients in my hypnotherapy clinic who come to me with problems. They are having panic attacks, or sleep problems; maybe they are struggling with depression or worry; sometimes they are concerned about how much they drink or how much sugar they are eating.

Whoever they are, they usually start with a problem. They tell me that they don’t want to have the problem. It is something they are doing or feeling or thinking about that they don’t like – they just want to get rid of it and can’t seem to do it on their own.

After hearing what the problem is, I will usually ask: “So what do you want instead? What do you really want?”

The Subconscious’s Role

If you are thinking, feeling or doing something that you don’t really want to – it is your subconscious that is prompting you to do it. The subconscious is not good at processing things that are said in the negative. If I tell you not to think of a pink elephant – you have to think of a pink elephant in order to decide not to think about it. If I tell you not to keep doing your problem, your subconscious is prompted to think about it again – which just re-enforces the problem.

Start With the Positive

So I want to find out – what does my client want instead. Suppose a client comes to me complaining of anxiety when travelling on a train. It is important to start to understand how they would like to feel when travelling on a train – calm maybe … or excited … or maybe they don’t want to feel anything about and just get lost in a book.

Whatever it is, thinking about how they would like to feel is the first step on the path to getting rid of the problem.

You Can Do This Yourself

So if you get worried about something – you can start by asking yourself, “How would I like to feel about it?” “What would it be like if I did feel like that?”

Or if you find it difficult to get to sleep at night, ask yourself, “What would I like to feel like when I get into bed?” “How would I feel in the morning after a good night’s sleep?”

I know that this is not the whole answer – it is just the starting point. But it is one step on from simply worrying about the problem.

And Finally …

There are a lot of things you can do to help yourself when you have problems, but if you cannot manage to get through on your own, you might consider therapy of one type or another. I help people with anxiety and other issues in my hypnotherapy clinic in Fleet, Hampshire and also online. If you want to Contact Me, I would be happy to have a chat.

Photo by cottonbro studio on pexels

There are many ideas and myths about hypnotherapy that are entirely wrong. Here are just some of them.

Hypnotherapy is Not Just About Quitting Smoking

Hypnotherapy is known for helping people give up smoking. Many people do not realise that hypnotherapy can help people with all sorts of other issues – issues such as anxiety, depression, “bad” habits, phobias, psychological sexual problems, lack of confidence and so on.

In fact hypnotherapy can help anyone who has problems about feeling in a way that they don’r want to feel, thinking about things they don’t want to think about, or doing things that they don’t really want to do.

Hypnotherapy is Not Just Woo-Woo

Some people think of hypnotherapy as a bit woo-woo – an unconventional treatment that is strange, alternative and unscientific. It is true that hypnotherapy has not yet achieved the level of scientific research to allow it to become a mainstream therapy. However, it is based on science.

At the heart of hypnotherapy is the understanding of the brain and how conflict within it sometimes leads to a person not being the person they want to be. There is growing scientific research that is pushing hypnotherapy into being the mainstream.

A Hypnotherapist Cannot Make You Do Something You Don’t Want To Do

You may have seen or heard of a stage hypnotist who, apparently, makes someone from the audience cluck like a chicken. These stage performers have given clinical hypnotherapists a bad name. Stage hypnotists are very clever at picking out people from the audience who are perfectly happy making an idiot of themselves on stage – and just need an excuse to do so.

You cannot be made to do something you don’t want to under hypnosis. Hypnosis just makes it easier to achieve what you want to achieve.

There is No-one Who Cannot Go Into a Trance

Some people are concerned that they may not be able to go into trance. They are wrong – everyone can go into a trance.

If you can watch a film or read a book and get lost in the story, if you ever catch yourself day-dreaming, if you drive to work and then realise that you don’t remember any of the journey, then you can go into trance. We go into and out of light trances every day. What a hypnotherapist does is to take you into a trance that may be slightly deeper than these experiences.

You Cannot Get Stuck in a Trance

I have met people who worry that they will might get stuck in trance and not be able to get out again. This is nonsense.

When you are in a trance, your conscious attention may be drawn away from what is around you. If left in this state, you will naturally come out of trance sooner or later.

And Finally …

Although I specialise in helping people with anxiety to get themselves back in charge of themselves and to return to a state of normality, I also help people with all sorts of other issues. I run my hypnotherapy clinic in Fleet, Hampshire and also work online. If you think I might be able to help you, Contact Me and I will be happy to have a chat.

Image by Leandro De Carvalho from Pixabay