Hypnosis is quite possibly one of the most misunderstood and controversial methods of psychological therapies, yet it has been used for over 100 years to help people with a wide variety of issues from low self-esteem and depression to fertility and childbirth.

Hypnotherapy is a form of therapy used to readjust the subconscious mind. When in hypnosis, you put your mind and body into a heightened state of learning, making your mind more open to positive suggestion for self-improvement or behaviour modification. The goal is to rebalance the subconscious and conscious mind allowing them to work together in harmony, which in turn helps give you greater control over your behaviour, emotions and physical wellbeing.

Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is not a state of deep sleep. It involves the induction of an induced state of deep relaxation. In hypnosis you are acutely aware, concentrated and focused and it is in this state that the conscious mind can relax and stay calm and become more responsive to positive suggestions, ideas, concepts and lifestyle changes.

Hypnotherapy is not at all like the performances you see in stage shows, where you might see people barking like a dog or clucking like a chicken. There are no swinging pocket watches and no mind control. In a hypnotherapy session you are in control the entire time. You will hear the suggestions made to you, and you will be able to remember them after the session. Hypnosis cannot do anything that a client resists.

Now let’s dispel a few myths:

• You cannot get stuck in hypnosis – this is quite impossible.
• You do not become in any way unconscious or semi-conscious.
• You cannot, at any time, be made to do things you do not want to do.
• You are totally aware of yourself and your surroundings at all times.
• You do not go to sleep.
• You are not in anyone’s power, and nobody can take control of you.
• You can leave the hypnotic state whenever you want.
• You cannot lose your mind.
• Hypnosis cannot permanently remove memories or thoughts from your mind.
• You will not suddenly blurt out your ‘dark’ secrets.
• Hypnosis cannot bestow psychic abilities or supernatural powers.
• Hypnosis cannot make you act against, or abandon, your moral code.
• You do not say or do ‘funny things’ unless you want to.
• Hypnosis is a truly natural state of mind and body and is therefore perfectly safe.

Many of the clucking chicken images are the result of hypnosis’s forefather, Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) hence the word “mesmerised”. Mesmer believed that there was an invisible force, a cosmic energy that could be harnessed by one person to influence another person’s behaviour. While his theory was wrong, the techniques he used were effective. These techniques were picked up on and developed over the coming years for therapeutic and medical purposes. Sigmund Freud, for instance, used hypnosis techniques. In the mid-1900s, hypnotherapy as we know it evolved. Milton Erickson (1901-1980) pioneered “indirect hypnosis,” during which therapists work with individual patients to shift their perceptions of themselves and their issues.

The experience of a hypnotic trance is not altogether unusual. On the contrary, it feels similar to countless other moments in your life where you may have been absorbed in a good book or movie, lost in thought, engrossed in music, driving to your destination and not really remembering quite how you got there or even meditating.

Meditation is actually very close to a trance state without being guided there, as you would be in hypnotherapy.

Once you enter a state of hypnosis, your body will feel calm and relaxed, similar to the way you might feel when meditating. Your therapist will speak to you in a calm and gently assertive voice, and place the suggestions you agreed to in your treatment plan into your subconscious mind.

If you want to have hypnotherapy, you are a good candidate for it. Hypnosis is a willing state. If someone is trying to hypnotise you against your will, it simply won’t work. For that reason, if you are extremely sceptical of its efficacy, or if you are frightened of it, it may not work for you.

A better question might be “What doesn’t it work for?” Hypnosis is a genuine psychological therapy process and medical research continues to demonstrate its efficacy. Please refer to the list of treatments on the main menu and keep up-to-date with the latest news by signing up to newsletters and reading the blog.

During your initial consultation we will discuss your presenting issues, your goals and your expectations. I will ask some questions to gain an understanding of your needs taking into account any medication or other therapies you may have had or are currently having with other healthcare professionals. I will explain in detail how clinical hypnosis works, what you can expect and you will have an opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the therapeutic process. You will then be guided to a wonderful state of deep relaxation and enjoy your first full hypnotherapy session.

Subsequent sessions will begin with a full in depth review of how the presenting issue (or issues) have improved since your last session followed by a full therapy session.