The therapy

Initial consultation

During the initial consultation, which is free of charge and without obligation, I will ask for your personal details and about your medical history and your presenting issue or symptom pattern.

You can ask me questions and discover if you feel that hypnotherapy is right for you.

This session is a chance for you to find out if you feel comfortable with me and able to talk openly. We can both decide if we will be able to work well together. This is vital for a successful therapy. It is important to recognise that therapy is a joint effort between therapist and client. Neither of us can produce the desired outcome alone. I can only help you if you are as equally committed as I am to bringing about positive change in your life.

We will also discuss and agree any planned therapy and other details including the cost, frequency, length and likely number of sessions and cancellation policy.

Types of therapy

There are two main types of therapy, suggestion and analytical, though I use a range of other techniques as appropriate.

Suggestion therapy
A suggestion, in hypnotherapy terms, is the presentation of a beneficial idea to the subconscious mind. I write a ‘script’ incorporating suggestions that are tailor-made for the client. In hypnosis the subconscious mind is extremely suggestible so that the desired ideas are accepted, replacing negative beliefs. After the session has ended, these new ideas are carried out by the client without the need for conscious effort (ie. willpower).

This type of therapy is usually employed for issues including stress management, unwanted habits including smoking, exam nerves, weight control, self confidence, blushing, social phobias, irrational fears, motivation and goal achievement.

Analytical therapy (Hypnoanalysis)
This is suitable for deeper-rooted problems. The aim of hypnoanalysis is to discover and release repressed memories and feelings that cause the client’s symptom pattern. Usually these repressed experiences originate in childhood when we do not have the emotional resources to cope with them.

In a relaxed state of hypnosis, the client is gently guided back through memories and experiences until the originating cause of the problem is found. The powerful subconscious mind knows the path to take.

Often, when it is discovered, the root cause of the problem can seem insignificant to the adult client. However, the subconscious created the symptom as a protection against experiencing such an uncomfortable event again.

Once the underlying cause is uncovered and the attached emotions are released, the symptom can simply disappear because the subconscious no longer has to protect the individual by creating that symptom.

This type of therapy is appropriate for issues including phobias, panic attacks, anxiety, emotional problems, continual worry or unhappiness, guilt and shame, weight control, sleeping difficulties, low self-esteem, eating problems, relationship difficulties and psychosexual problems.

How many sessions will I need?

As we are all unique, this depends on the client, the presenting problem and the type of therapy used. As a guide, suggestion therapy can take between 1 and 4 sessions, and analytical therapy between 6 and 12 sessions, on a weekly basis. The Quit Smoking programme takes one two-hour session.

Quit Smoking Therapy

I use the ‘Easy Quit Smoking Programme’ which was awarded the ‘1998 Special Award for Excellence in Clinical Practice’ by the Hypnotherapy Research Society. This extremely effective programme takes only one session of about two hours. If you would like to know more or book an appointment please call me on 01708 220866.

[TOP]