Hypnotherapy ~ A Brief Introduction

What is it?

Without realising it most people will have experienced hypnosis many times in their lives. It is not a special state that the therapist puts you in to, it is a naturally occurring phenomenon that you may have experienced yourself in the following ways:

• Losing yourself in a daydream or being deep in thought
• Reading a book and not remembering what you read a couple of pages back
• Reaching your destination on a car journey but not remembering the actual journey

It is a feeling of mental and physical calm and relaxation, where awareness is heightened and attention becomes more focused, leaving you open and more responsive to positive suggestions and ideas. Your own experience may be one of feeling very relaxed and not wanting to move, feeling like you are floating, or just a feeling of numbness, however you experience it, it is unique to you and there is no right or wrong way to feel. Hypnosis is an individual experience and each person will experience it in their own way, it is important to say though that it is completely safe, you cannot be forced to do anything you don’t want to do and you will remain in complete control.

What it is Not!

There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding hypnotherapy, most of which have emerged from stage hypnosis.

To put your mind at ease:

• You cannot get stuck in hypnosis. There is no evidence of anyone ever being stuck in hypnosis.
• The hypnotherapist does not take over control of your mind, you remain completely in control.
• You cannot be made to do something you do not want to, so don’t panic, I will not have you barking like a dog or eating onions believing they are apples!
• You are not asleep or unconscious. You may feel deeply relaxed, but you will maintain a level of awareness.
• The majority of people are able to be hypnotised

What's involved and how I work

It is important to be clear from the start that hypnotherapy is not a cure all or a quick fix where I do something to you, it is a collaborative process in which you will play an active part as we work together to help you achieve your goals. The number of session required will largely depend on what it is you wish to work on, as an average it is somewhere between four and six sessions, you may however start to see real benefits after just one session. As part of the process I may also ask you to complete tasks outside of our sessions together, these tasks are designed to challenge you, whilst supporting, enhancing and complementing the work we do together.

As a guide, the time we spend working together will be structured as follows:

• FREE Initial consultation – The purpose of this is to explain about therapy and to give you the opportunity to ask questions, ensuring that this is the right option for you and I am the right therapist for you. Consultations can be by telephone, or if you prefer, in person at my office in Ferndown.
• Client Assessment – Prior to our first session together I will ask you to complete and return to me a Client Assessment form. This enables me to obtain as much information about you and the areas you wish to work on. From this information I can start thinking about the best approach to take working with you. I will do this based on my current knowledge, research and most up to date best practices.
• First Session – At your first session we will discuss in detail what it is you want to achieve from our sessions together. I will then propose a treatment plan, which I will explain and discuss with you in detail, ensuring you understand what is involved.
• Subsequent sessions – At each session we will discuss progress against your goals and how you have been since our previous meeting, if necessary amending your treatment plan accordingly. We will then progress with the current session, discuss and agree any homework tasks and if required arrange a further session.

Guarantees, Success rates & Testimonials

Hypnotherapy is a collaborative process between client and therapist, where the client takes an active part and is ultimately in control of the outcome.

• Guarantees

  I make no guarantees that hypnotherapy will be the right choice for you. As we are all unique individuals it would be unethical and irresponsible of me to do so. The one thing I will guarantee is that I will do everything I can professionally to support and guide you towards achieving your goals, using tried, tested and researched methods and techniques.

• Success rates

  The measurement of success in any given area can be quite subjective. As such, I measure success on an individual basis by agreeing staged goals with each client at the start of our sessions together. Progress against these goals is measured on an ongoing basis, so we can work together to achieve a successful outcome.

• Testimonials

  To protect client confidentiality I do not publish any testimonials I receive. My professional credentials can however be verified with the organisations shown below.

“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve”
- Napoleon Hill