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Questions & Answers about Online Hypnotherapy

What is hypnosis?

Hypnotic trance is a natural and everyday situation and it could be said that people are always in a trance of some sort. For example, when we watch a movie or play computer games and we get very absorbed in what’s happening we go into 'trance', and may be very responsive to what’s happening on the screen to the exclusion of what's going on around us. One definition of hypnosis is "the loss of the multiplicity of the foci of the senses" - in other words, we 'tune out' until we are focussing upon one sense in particular, hearing, through which we concentrate upon the suggestions of the practitioner. All emotional states (love, anger) are trance states - it's not weird - it's natural!

How do we use our conscious and subconscious minds?

Think of the human mind as consisting of two layers. The outer layer is our conscious mind which deals with our daily decision-making processes and is intelligent, realistic, logical and proactive. The conscious mind uses rational thought to problem-solve and act, but is only able to deal with a very few things (maybe only about 7) at any one time and is easily overloaded. When capacity is reached we call upon the resources of the subconscious mind.​

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By far the larger component of our mind, the subconscious (or unconscious) is concerned with our emotions, imagination and memories as well as our autonomic nervous system which controls the functioning of our body's systems. In fact, the subconscious is dominant for 97% of our lives! The interlinking of these functions mean that the mind affects the body and vice versa - the 'mind-body connection'.

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For instance, your mental feeling of embarrassment can cause the physical process of blushing (where extra blood is diverted to the skin of your face and elsewhere). When a threat is perceived, your body reacts in a complex way which raises the blood sugar and metabolism to prepare the body for intense activity (the 'flight or fight' response). Similarly, long term stress is associated (via the sympathetic nervous system and immune systems) with inflammatory processes, especially in the digestive system. The body also affects the mind: the most well known example being intoxication with alcohol or mind-altering drugs which change mood, thought and behaviour.​

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When something happens to you, you learn a particular behaviour in response to what happened - neural pathways are formed. Each time something similar happens, your physical and emotional reactions attached to the memory are repeated. In some cases, these reactions are unhealthy and repetition reinforces the suggestion, causing you disabilities, ailments or undesirable habits. Neural pathways can be eroded over time - unhelpfully if we forget how to speak a foreign language through disuse, or helpfully through hypnosis to rid ourselves of an unwanted behaviour.

​Why would your subconscious mind give you habits and responses that are undesirable? Simply because it lacks a reasoning intelligence. All it wants for you is to try to keep you safe and work towards your highest positive intention - even if the way it goes about achieving these aims results in unhealthy or unhelpful consequences.

Are there any risks with hypnotherapy?

Although there are many areas in which hypnotherapy may bring relief, there are instances in which it may not be suitable (contra-indicated).  These could include some types of depressive illness, epilepsy, psychosis (e.g. schizophrenia) and some breathing problems. In a small number of cases, therefore, you may be advised to seek the advice of your doctor before starting a course of hypnotherapy.

 

People are sometimes concerned that they will “lose control” in hypnosis.  However, regardless of how deeply you may go in hypnosis and however passive you may appear to be, you actually remain in full control of the situation.  You are fully able to talk if you wish to (or not, as the case may be) and you can stand up and leave the consultation at any time.  Neither can you be made to do anything against your usual ethical or moral judgment or religious belief.

How can hypnotherapy help me?

Hypnotherapy is the means by which you can reprogramme or reset your subconscious mind to delete old or unwanted behaviour patterns, or create new, more positive ones. In the hypnotic state, your subconscious mind accepts beneficial suggestions that allow you to change your attitude so that you can do the things you want to do - or not do the things you don't want to do. For example, you may wish to improve your confidence, self-esteem or your performance at work or playing sport. Or you you may wish to banish the smoking habit or conquer a fear of heights or spiders. People often seek online counselling therapy to tackle a wide range of mental or emotional problems, however counselling and some other 'talking therapies' often take a long period of time (over many sessions) for effective results. Hypnotherapy tends to be a very much shorter process - indeed, some issues can be dealt with by a single session! This is because the subconscious mind has no concept of time - it doesn't matter if the problem is one week or ten years old. Whatever you want to achieve, chances are that hypnotherapy can help.

What happens in the session?

At your FREE initial telephone consultation, we will discuss your particular requirements and reasons for enquiring about hypnotherapy before booking the first appointment – please note there is absolutely no obligation to proceed further if you are not entirely happy about the way forward. During our initial chat we will ask for some basic information which will allow us to prepare for the first treatment session and make the best use of the time. We will also briefly explain to you what hypnosis is and how it works. At this point we can agree the aims and desired outcomes of the hypnotherapy, including an estimate of the number of sessions that may be required. Some issues may be resolved in just one or two sessions, whilst others will require more.

 

What happens then will depend upon your particular circumstances and requirements. During the first session, you may be directed through relaxation techniques, using a series of mental images and suggestions intended to change behaviours and relieve symptoms. For example, people who have anxiety issues may be given suggestions to increase relaxation, confidence and positive thinking. We use 'rapid transformational hypnotherapy' and when appropriate, faster routes into hypnosis may be used, which deepen the trance and can facilitate deeper levels of change.

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​We also use integrative hypnotherapy - a safe, relaxing client-centred approach which draws upon counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) - to bring about subconscious change to your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. At the end of each session, we will review progress and set objectives for any further sessions.​

What issues can online hypnotherapy help me with?

People are accustomed to look for 'hypnotherapy near me' or 'hypnotherapist online' for issues such as quit smoking, weight loss, anxiety and dealing with fears and phobias. The list (below) of issues that can benefit from hypnotherapy is far from exhaustive, so if you are unsure whether online hypnotherapy can help you, please contact us.

Panic attacks - manage the physical & emotional aspects of PTSD (safe help using REWIND technique)

Driving anxiety, driving test nerves - don't let nerves get in the way of learning to drive

Public speaking, presentation nerves - for a relaxed and confident performance

Exams, tests, interviews

Social anxiety disorder - feel relaxed in company and when going out

Stress management - tools and techniques for work and home life

Wedding nerves - be calm on the day and when giving speeches

Depression (mild)

Negative thoughts - recognise negative thinking and nip it in the bud

Relaxation techniques that you can use at home or at work

Phobias & irrational fears

Dental phobia - don't suffer by avoiding dental treatment

Needle, injection, vaccination anxiety and phobia

Illness anxiety disorder / somatic symptom disorder (hypochondria

Agoraphobia

Claustrophobia

Fear of flying - our popular ASCENT course will get you flying confidently for business and pleasure

Fear of animals – birds, snakes, dogs, insects, etc.

Emetophobia - phobia / obsession about vomiting

In fact, any irrational fear or anxiety

Unwanted habits

Insomnia (types 1 & 2), disturbed sleep

Moderate your drinking

Stammering & stuttering

Social media fixation

Stopping smoking - usually a single session is all it takes to stop smoking or vaping

Bedwetting (secondary nocturnal enuresis)

Thumb-sucking

Hair-pulling (trichotillomania)

Skin-picking (excoriation)

Nervous Tics - vocal and motor

Tooth-grinding (Bruxism)

Nail-biting (onychophagia)

Hoarding disorder

OCD - tackle obsessive thoughts and rituals

Limerence - obsessive attachment to a particular person

Eating & weight loss

Emotional eating issues

Weight loss (inc. hypnotic gastric band)

Healthy eating, 'fussy eating', ARFID / SED

IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), indigestion

Obesity - hypnotic gastric band and weight management hypnotherapy can help

Dyspepsia (upper gut discomfort)

Good performance, self-confidence

Self-esteem & confidence

Academic, study performance

Decision-making

Accelerated learning

Exam & interview performance

Motivation

Assertiveness

Problem-solving

Business performance

Speaking in groups, meetings, conferences and classrooms / presentation nerves

Sales motivation

Concentration

Creativity, artistic performance, creative 'blocks'

Sports Performance, e.g. golf ‘yips’

Pain relief and pain control

Pain management techniques

Fibromyalgia

Healing processes following surgery

Tension headaches

Psychosomatic pain

Sexual issues and gender dysphoria

Gender identity issues & gender dysphoria, crossdressing, transvestism, feminisation hypnosis, acceptance, confidence & anxiety reduction

Psychosexual issues - low sexual drive, frigidity, impaired sexual arousal, dyspareunia, vaginismus, premature & retarded ejaculation, erectile dysfunction (temporary), sexual fetishes

Sexuality - identity, acceptance, confidence, resilience

We welcome LGBT+ clients!

Miscellaneous


Bereavement, loss, grief, divorce
Blushing, erythrophobia
Anger management
Skin disorders with a psychological cause (such as acne, psoriasis, and eczema)
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
Misophonia (selective noise sensitivity)

Dysautonomia (symptoms relating this ANS condition)
Allergies
Alopecia areata     
Past life regression, uncovering former lives 
Hypnobirthing - childbirth, ante-natal, post-natal, morning sickness, bonding with baby
Self-hypnosis tuition
Online Hypnotherapy Training Course

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