What is Hypnotherapy and how can it help you?

If you had asked me 10 years ago, what hypnosis is I would have known as much about it as most of you who are reading this blog. I would have also thought that it is possible to ‘get stuck in hypnosis.’ I have only ever seen hypnosis performed on TV and I can assure you that clinical hypnotherapy is very different from stage hypnosis and I will at no stage ask you to act like a chicken ;)

While the purpose of stage hypnosis is about entertaining a crowd, clinical hypnotherapy is purely there to help you with mental challenges like anxiety, unhealthy habits and stress. It serves the purpose to help people in an alternative medical way. A stage hypnotist is also trained in knowing who would be open to go along with those fun things like barking like a dog to get people laughing.

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is essentially a state of deep relaxation and focus. This is very much like the moment you fall asleep and the moment you wake up. These are natural states of hypnosis. With clinical hypnotherapy however a qualified practitioner will help you get to that stage. There is a variety of ways to do this and every practitioner has their own preferred techniques. I personally prefer gentle inductions to rapid ones, like progressive relaxation techniques. But every client is different and so my approach will differ with each client.  

Once you are more relaxed, I will use a so-called deepener to get you into a hypnotic trance. This does not have to be very deep and a light to medium depth of trance is sufficient for most of the sessions. This will most likely feel like sitting in a comfy chair, relaxed, and listening to me speaking either actively or drifting in and out of the depths of hypnosis. This means you may remember parts of what I said and over time you will often find that the trance deepens the more sessions you have so that eventually you will remember very little.

Now that you are in hypnosis, what happens next?

Now that your active, conscious mind is resting and not interfering anymore we can begin ‘the work.’ Why do I say ‘we’ when you are basically asleep? Because whatever I say will only be guiding you but it is all you who is doing the inner work. Without your consent, whatever I say will not work. For example, if you came to me to stop smoking but you love it and booked in with me just to please someone else the chances are it may not work or it may but only for a few years.

With you being extremely relaxed at this stage, both physically and mentally, your subconscious mind will be more open and receptive to change. I will speak to you at a slower pace and a lower tone of voice and guide you on your journey to change. The words I use are tailored to your internal preferred representational system, which I find out through speaking with you and sending you a questionnaire before we start working together.

If, for example, you are a more visual person then guided visualisations may work better for you. Again, I tailor each session to my client’s needs.

Why does hypnosis work where conscious efforts to change have failed?

When you are looking at the mind you are looking at about 95% of it being subconscious. What that means is that very little of what you do and say is fully conscious. Most of your decisions are already made for you. Like how you tie your shoelaces and put tooth paste on your toothbrush. It also has an amazing filtering system so not to overwhelm you with needless information like the colour of the car behind you. Your conscious mind draws upon memories, knowledge, and belief systems to do anything.

Side note: in the NLP world we believe that every behaviour has a positive intention.

So, if, for example, you have grown up to believe that sugary food will give you comfort through repeated actions, words from people like parents and teachers that you learn from, and this not once or twice but over years, then of course this is a belief so deep inside of you that you may not even be aware of it.

So, by going on a diet where you then restrict your sugar intake, you will often have to draw upon much willpower and that is simply not sustainable. Nor would I want you to live like this as your need to replace the comfort is now just missing. You are in a constant state of withdrawal.

When can you see results?

Most clients report some changes after our first session back to me. Feelings of levity, clarity, a better quality of sleep, feeling less anxious and worried to mention just a few. But clinical hypnotherapy is not a quick fix. Most clients require around 6 sessions, sometimes up to 12, to see big change especially with deeper rooted issues like anxiety and depression.

Do not forget that the issues you are having were years in the making. Saying to yourself once “gosh I’m an idiot” will not make you feel like one instantly. But if you keep talking to yourself in that way constantly you will start believing it.

So don’t rush this! Give yourself time for the journey and remember this is not a race to get to the finish line. This is your life that you want to enjoy. Every step of the way. You literally only live once and tomorrow is not guaranteed. Celebrate the small wins.

How to decide whether this is right for you?

To find out whether this is right for you book in for a free, non-obligatory, telephone consultation and we can find out together whether we are a good fit and if this is the right type of therapy for your needs.

Is it possible to get stuck in hypnosis?

No. That is a myth and if something were to happen to your practitioner during a session you would simply wake up again just like you do every morning once your body feels ready.

Where I am based…

I live and work in the South of Greater Manchester. Cheadle and Stockport to be exact to see my one-to-one clients. And I also run events and deliver talks in Manchester and Knutsford.

To find out about future events subscribe to my mailing list and look out in the spam folder for the first one 😉

The goal is to start and not to finish!

With Love, Christin