F

Hypnosis

can help you find a balance:

Key terms: hypnotherapy; coaching; relaxation; self-development.



What is hypnosis?

Being hypnotised is a skill. This isn't something you hear very often as the popular image is of a hypnotist influencing someone through hypnosis. In reality, the ‘hypnotist’ is both a guide and a teacher. They help you to enter into a state of mind that is subtly different from your everyday way of being. Often called a ‘hypnotic trance’ — though it isn't really a trance as you remain in control at all times and would normally remember everything that happens — this state of mind feels more imaginative, more story-like, more magical in many ways.

A person looking onto a colourful fantasy scene, with hazy flower-like shapes, clouds, and spheres in the sky

It will probably feel familiar: it's a way of thinking you experienced as a child, playing with toys and imagined friends, and as an adult when you were engrossed in a film, book, or piece of music. It lets you more easily imagine being someone different, travel to new places, feel and experience things in a new way. When you return to your everyday way of thinking, you feel like you've had a good rest, have more energy, and that things look brighter.

What most of us don't realise is that imagination isn't just about fantasy or day-dreaming; it's a fundamental part of who we are, of how we understand and live in the everyday world. We don't see, hear, smell, taste, touch the world as it is but how we imagine it to be. What we expect to happen actually changes how we experience that world. It can hide things from us — where we put our glasses down, the pain in someone else's eyes, the evidence of how capable we are — and it can also be a tool to help us to see things more clearly.

This is where hypnosis comes in. Learning to enter into a hypnotic state is a technique anyone can learn, that lets us better engage with our imagination to help us make the changes we want to see in our lives. This might mean helping us to relax, to cope with fears, to get rid of habits or behaviours that cause us problems, or to boost our confidence and help us be who we know we can be. Hypnotherapy is simply the use of hypnosis to bring about beneficial changes in mental and physical health, while hypnocoaching uses hypnosis to help you develop your potential, whether that's in your personal life, your academic life, or your career.

Being hypnotised

So, if you choose to have a session with me, what will ‘being hypnotised’ involve? Whether online or in-person, it's simply a matter of listening to what I say and letting this guide you into a hypnotic state of mind. This usually involves you being asked to do some simple relaxation procedures — like scanning your body from head to toe and feeling all your muscles settling down, or counting down backwards from 10 to 1 — and to imagine specific scenes or situations.

You just allow this to happen, following the instructions in the way that makes the most sense to you, when you are happy to do so. Everything is a suggestion, that you choose to follow or not. You might find your mind wanders occasionally, or what you are imagining is a bit different from what I ask you to imagine, and that's fine — everyone has different experiences and memories to draw on, so everyone's hypnosis session will be distinctive. The details will also depend on why you have asked for hypnosis, as sessions are always tailored to you as a unique individual. You'll probably find that you imagine things that surprise you, with scenes that might seem more like a fairytale or a dream. This is because the hypnotic state of mind is very symbolic: it's a way of thinking that taps into the deeper parts of your mind where thoughts are based on imagery and associations rather than words and logic. This is what makes it so powerful.

The key thing is that, as with all skills, hypnosis becomes more effective with practice. I'm there to make things easier for you, to guide you to make the best use of this new skill you are developing. I will make suggestions, offering my services as a guide to help you explore this new skill and the places it can take you, but the journey is yours. You remain in control at all times, deciding what you want to do, whether to follow my guidance or go off on your own adventures! After a bit of practice, you'll find it simple to make use of self-hypnosis when I'm not around: all that means is that you'll provide your own guidance, listen to your own inner voice when you allow yourself to enter the hypnotic state. It is a safe (the only possible side effect is that you might fall asleep and wake up feeling very refreshed!), effective, and adaptable process that you can make use of in all sorts of ways in your everyday life. I'm always available as a teacher and guide when you want to explore deeper, but there will be a lot you can do on your own as soon as you build the confidence.

Fees

I offer a sliding scale of fees. Please feel free to pay at the level which best fits your current situation. If you can afford to pay at the higher end, then thank you – this allows me to offer the lower fee to clients with a smaller income. Sessions can be in person or via video link (Zoom, etc.), both of which research has shown to be highly effective.

Payment can be by debit or credit card (Mastercard or Visa), or bank transfer (details on request).

How many sessions will I need?. The length and number of sessions you will need varies depending on your reason for coming, and on your individual characteristics. Different people respond in different ways and at different rates. Some issues can be improved in just 1 or 2 sessions, others can take more. I will always aim to minimise the number of sessions you need, and you can choose not to continue at any time.

Cancellation policy. Please note that you normally need to let me know 24 hours in advance if you need to cancel or change an appointment. You can do this by a phone call, a text, or an e-mail. If you cancel or change a session with less than 24 hours notice, or do not show up on the day without good reason, I will still need to charge you the full fee to cover my time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does hypnosis work?

That's a good question! It's also one which does not have a clear answer. While there is lots of research showing that hypnosis can be very effective in helping with a wide variety of issues, and yet more research showing that there are measurable changes in brain activity (e.g., when you are hypnotised to not feel pain, the pain centres in the brain do not become activated), the way in which this works is still not understood. All we can say is that when you are in a hypnotic state, you appear to be more able to make changes in your behaviour and the ways you perceive the world as the result of suggestion and visualisation of the desired outcome.

What is self-hypnosis?

It's now commonly accepted that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. That is, you the client are actually hypnotising yourself in response to the guidance of the hypnotist. Rather than being something which is done to you, hypnosis is a skill you are taught to apply to yourself.

What happens in a session?

In your first session, we would start by talking about the reasons you came to see me. We would discuss what you would like to get out of the sessions and form an initial plan. If you have not experienced hypnosis before, I might help you to experience it for the first time simply as a way to help you relax. A session (whether this is via a video connection or in-person) would usually involve you sitting comfortably, listening to what I say, and following any suggestions I make in whatever way is right for you. I might, for example, ask you to focus on your breathing, and to move your attention to different muscles in your body, allowing them to relax. I might then ask you to imagine you are in a favourite place, or walking down corridors inside your mind, or drawing things on a blackboard! There are many different techniques that can be used with different people, and the specific ones you will experience will depend on what works best for you as an individual. You do not need to do anything to get ready for a session other than have a time available (when you won't be disturbed, if via video link). To get the best results, please avoid eating or drinking anything that might affect your concentration or ability to relax (for example, drinking a lot of coffee or alcohol) before the session, and wear whatever clothing that you find comfortable to relax in.

When I’m hypnotised, do I give up control?

No. At all times, you are in control and can come out of the hypnotic state simply by wishing to do so. Essentially, you are hypnotising yourself and allowing the hypnotist to guide you to where you want to go. Unless you doze off at some point (it does happen!), you will be able to remember all of the session afterwards.

Can I have a friend or relative with me during an in-person session?

Some clients, especially for their first session, like to have a friend or relative accompany them to the door, and sometimes meet them afterwards, and this is absolutely fine. Occasionally, some people ask to have the friend/relative be present during a session. This is also fine, as long as the friend/relative is happy to be quietly sitting in the background (and not following the hypnosis suggestions!). The only potential issue to think about is whether you would be happy talking about any potentially sensitive issue if that person were present. The choice is yours. The only exception is that anyone under 16 would normally be expected to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Is it okay to have other people around during a video session?

Ideally, it's best to be in a quiet, comfortable place, where you won't be interrupted. If you need or want to have someone else in the same room, that's fine, as long as they stay quietly in the background (and don't themselves try to follow the hypnosis suggestions).

Is hypnosis safe?

The media often have sensationalist stories that ask whether hypnosis can be dangerous — actors often appear to get ‘stuck in a trance’ or use hypnosis as mind-control to reveal secrets or make someone act in a certain way — but this is all fictional. In reality, hypnosis is a safe and effective technique for many different issues. You cannot get ‘stuck’ in hypnosis and you cannot be made to do anything you do not want to do. The best advice is to make sure you choose a qualified and ethical practioner who understands how best to utilise hypnosis to improve your wellbeing. While hypnotherapy is not a regulated profession, there are professional bodies whose members have suitable training and follow standard ethical guidelines. In my case, I am a registered member of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) (reg. number CNHC00233).

Is stage/TV hypnosis the same thing?

No. Most of what you see in stage shows or on television has little or nothing to do with hypnosis. Such events are pure entertainment and have more to do with the participants playing along with expectations (to be funny, to act like the other people on stage) and being rewarded with applause. Saying that they do not remember or acted involuntarily is simply a way of avoiding embarassment (in much the same way as people who acted embarassingly in the pub last night might say that they were incredibly drunk and couldn't recall what had happened...).