- A completely safe and swift form of therapy.
- It's the most effective tool there is for harnessing the power of the mind, to generate mental and even physiological changes that last.
- By deeply relaxing in a natural way your subconscious becomes open to change. Your imagination then has the power to make the long term changes you need.
- You remain in control at all times. I am only there to skillfully guide you through the process.
Hypnotherapy is growing rapidly in popularity as the superstitious nonsense fed by stage hypnotists and Hollywood is at last being updated with the knowledge that the perfectly natural state of trance can give access to profound changes. All under the complete control of the one being 'hypnotised' and not the hypnotist.
Hypnotic treatment has been approved by the BMA (British Medical Association) as a form of ‘orthodox’ practice (as opposed to complementary or alternative medicine) for 120 years, and it is an art that has been developed over many, many centuries.
The BMA has endorsed the teaching of hypnosis in medical schools since 1955 but sadly, few doctors are allowed to spend enough time with a client to be able to use it. Hence, despite reams of undisputed medical proof that it works, it's not something your GP is likely to use with you. Even for the doctors allowed to invest more in their patients than 5 minutes and a bottle of pills, the lack of a clear explanation for why hypnosis works can also be unsettling for their logically trained minds. Some of the best doctors do use it but the uptake, in general, is disappointingly slow.
Why hypnotherapy should be so effective at creating change is a mystery but what is clear is that it's effectiveness comes from harnessing the power of the human mind - the most powerful and complex organ in the known universe! More specifically it's the harnessing of the unlocked subconscious mind, a mechanism that is unique to hypnotherapy, which can make the changes so profound, far-reaching, and long lasting.
Our subconscious is way and above the major part of who we are. All our vast array of behaviours, memories, habits, responses, physical and mental learnings, view of the world itself etc, ... all reside there. It is capable of processing many, many strands of separate thoughts, filtered through all our experiences and opinions to serve up an instant 'instinctive' decision to a complex choice... all in a split second.
Our conscious mind is the part of us we are aware of - but it is only the 'tip' of the massive underwater 'iceberg' that constitutes a whole person. Other therapies only treat the tip but hypnotherapy can treat the whole iceberg! Conscious problems are very quickly dealt with by the conscious mind and don't need the help of a professional. For everyone coming to see a therapist the problem will lie in the subconscious. Put simply, hypnotherapy can talk directly to the part of the mind where the problem lies.
My job is to guide you into hypnosis to give you access to that part of your mind so you can change the stuff that you feel you need to change. Also to bring the buried attributes and skills you have back to the fore where you can use them everyday.
We all enter the hypnotic trance state naturally at least twice a day while falling asleep and waking up, as well as while engrossed in activities such as driving, reading books, watching films etc,. During these 'zoned-out' trance states we remain in total control of ourselves, and it's exactly the same with 'hypnosis'. It's a completely natural state that just happens to open up the subconscious to suggestions and imagination. This in itself can be very powerful but hypnosis has many more powerful mechanisms for change at its disposal.
Hypnotherapy also gives safe access to all our memories, where profound insights can be made into the sources of troublesome behaviours and feelings. Through safely re-living them while very relaxed we are able to more easily reprocess difficult experiences which can allow the problem can just drop away.
We can also take profound strength from the good stuff, recalling the resources that enabled us to learn and achieve so much in our past.
Its even possible to vividly 'live' in a future without the problems, a very liberating vision that shows us what is possible and how to achieve it.
What does hypno-therapy help with?
The more behavioual or psychological your issue is the more successfully hypnotherapy can treat it. When you consider the effects of stress on the body, immune system etc, there are many medical conditions which have a psychological element to them ... ulcers, ecema, etc, See full list.
-How long will a session take?
-Can I try it out before I buy?
Yes. After a half hour in the first session you can leave, paying nothing, if you decide hypnotherapy is not for you.
-How many sessions will it take?
This varies but I generally see some improvement after the first session involving hypnosis. The hypnotherapeutic process differs for everyone. No two people have the same day dreams, let alone the same mind, or the same susceptibility to hypnotic suggestion, same motivation, exactly the same symptoms, severity and root causes. As a basic guide, most issues are usually effectively dealt with in four to six appointments (which is fast even compared to the 10-20 sessions required for similar results in 'rapid' psychotherapy treatments) but a very deep rooted or complex problem e.g, depression, bulimia or OCD, may result in 10 sessions or more.
My Sheffield hypnotherapy practice is in Walkley (S6). I also practice in Derby (DE21).
-What is a hypnotic trance? Is it safe?
Trance is a very natural state and over the course of a normal day it occurs many times in all of us (watching a film, working on 'autopilot', reading, driving... to name but a few instances). Hypnosis is simply another person guiding you into this kind of 'trance' state - so it's as safe as reading a book(!), as long as the hypnotherapist has your best interests at heart. Unlike with stage hypnotism, a fully registered and qualified hypnotherapist absolutely does and you should always check credentials before you book. In the relaxed, focused trance state you will be more open to the helpful suggestions that the hypnotist makes. You might feel a tingling or heaviness usually in your feet or hands and will feel very relaxed when you 'wake' out of the trance. You cannot get 'stuck' in a trance and there are no side effects. You will be as 'awake' when you leave as when you arrived and fine to drive etc,.
By cheque or cash, after the session please.
-What is your cancellation policy?
For less than 48hrs notice a £15 cancellation charge is payable. This increases to £30 for less than 24 hrs notice.
Totally! Registered Hypnotherapists are bound by the same confidentiality agreements and ethical codes as doctors and other registered therapists.
If you wish. They can either sit in on the session or in the car. Having someone you know in the therapy room can sometimes be off-putting for you, especially if you are searching for inner problems you might not want them to overhear. You can also have an audio or video recording of the session if you request it in advance.
In short.. firstly getting to know you, your problems and your goals. Then we set about creating the changes you need.
The first session is almost always dedicated to getting the clearest picture of what your issues are and what they mean to you. This is not a case of everyone taking the same pill for a headache. Everyone has a unique combination of problems, expression of symptoms, and root causes to their issues. Furthermore every person views each of these in their own way. For me to work effectively with you I need to understand as best as possible where you are at now, where you want to be, and the best way of getting you there.
The route to success may be anything from straightforward to long and complex, but generally involves inducing change within parts of you that you don't feel in control of. Your subconscious stores all your preconceived notions, habits, reactions, and long formulated patterns of behaviour (almost all entirely good!). Changing these via the conscious mind can be nigh on impossible by yourself and can take endless sessions in regular therapy. Hypnotherapy involves 'talking' directly with the subconscious mind and this is the strength of its approach. The main 'skill' of my approach however is in understanding what we need to say to it to encourage it to change! Once we know exactly what we are needing to change, undesired behaviours that have embedded themselves deep in your unconscious over many years can be reversed or replaced.
Can you help me without hypnosis?
Most of the above techniques are more effective when combined with hypnosis but they are still effective on their own.
-What is your therapy style?
Warm, Intelligent, Sensible. No eye staring or gimmicks like watch swinging!