Common Questions

How does the hypnotherapy process work?
1.You must want to change
I am there to help you and guide you, but you do the changing. You deserve wonderful opportunities in your life and hypnotherapy can help create them, as long as you are ready to make the change.

2.You have to feel comfortable with the person who is helping you make that change
Hypnotherapy is a partnership. I am there to give you the suggestions I feel will most work for you while you relax and go into a receptive state. You don’t have to consciously listen to my words, just be open and go with the flow.

How long will it take?
Many hypnotherapists offer sessions of 45 minutes up to an hour. To shed light on a problem and get a clear vision for your future, I like to take time so that you get the best possible results in the fewest sessions possible.

Hypnosis is a relaxed state of consciousness which feels very much like daydreaming. In the state of relaxation you are more open to suggestions and in this natural state your unconscious mind has the ability to accept (or reject) information or suggestions given by you or by the hypnotherapist.

How does hypnosis work?
Hypnotherapy allows us to communicate with the unconscious mind and reinforce new patterns of behaviour at a cellular level. The unconscious mind accounts for 90% of our daily activities, running our bodily functions, storing our memories and past experiences in a database and filtering information the brain receives every second into a manageable amount. During hypnosis, the unconscious mind accepts positive suggestions that will help us.

Is hypnosis safe?
Absolutely. There is nothing mysterious about hypnosis, and as a hypnotherapist, I cannot make you accept suggestions you do not agree with. Between the conscious and the unconscious mind there is a gatekeeper called the critical barrier, and this barrier will reject any suggestions that are not congruent with your beliefs, values or morals.

What do doctors think of hypnosis?
Doctors have now begun to accept hypnosis and hypnotherapy as a tool which can be used in conjunction with traditional medicine. Doctors recognise that over 60% of our physical problems start in our mind, and stress, tension, anxiety and worry are the biggest factors in the increase of heart attacks and even death. Negative emotions can affect our health, our body and our life. All emotions come from the unconscious mind and can be deleted or altered during hypnotherapy. I have,in fact, seen doctors and other medical professionals as clients.

Is it like stage hypnosis?

ABSOLUTELY NOT! People visit hypnotherapists to get more control over their lives, not less.You may think that participants in stage hypnosis are being made to do things against their will, but in fact the hypnotist has cleverly identified those persons who are outgoing and willing to make themselves seem a little foolish. Occasionally, you will see participants who don’t seem to be responding, and this is because their conscious mind is telling them they are up for the fun, but their subconscious is saying "You really don’t want to do that!"

Who may benefit from Hypnotherapy?
The answer to this question is “virtually everyone”. Given that hypnotherapy can be utilised to access a person’s inner potential and that probably no one is performing to their actual potential, then this answer is literally true. However, it is not just potential which Hypnotherapy is well placed to address but also one’s inner resources to effect beneficial change. In this regard, it is the innate healing capacity of our own body that may be stimulated by Hypnotherapy. Consequently, the list of problems which may be amenable to Hypnotherapy is far too long and varied to catalogue but certainly includes: stress, anxiety, panic, phobias, unwanted habits and addictions (e.g. smoking, overeating, alcoholism), disrupted sleep patterns, lack of confidence and low self-esteem, fear of examinations and public speaking, allergies and skin disorders, migraine and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Additionally, it has proved of value within surgery, where normal anaesthetics have not been practical, in the wider sphere of pain management and in the areas of both sporting and artistic performance enhancement. As an adjunct to other counselling techniques, it can also assist in helping to resolve relationship difficulties and be useful within anger management strategies.

Although there remain many other areas of human suffering in which Hypnotherapy may bring relief, there are instances in which it may be contra-indicated. These could include some manifestations of depressive illness, epilepsy, psychosis (e.g. schizophrenia) and some breathing problems.