What is Hypnosis?

In simple terms it describes a state in which a person's mind remains calm, concentrated and aware whilst their body becomes completely relaxed. They experience a tremendous sense of well-being and peace of mind, sometimes even euphoria or bliss. In this state the mind is more receptive to positive suggestions and it is possible to access areas of the mind that are beyond the normal level of conscious awareness i.e. the subconscious or unconscious as it is often referred to. In hypnosis your senses are awake and aware but are somewhat in neutral. You might feel the chair you are sat in, or hear music or noises in the background, but that is all it is – background - while your unconscious mind occupies the foreground. I see Hypnosis as a variety of levels of trance from light – through medium – to deep, and within these levels the therapist can guide a client, through affirmations, positive suggestions, creative imagery (visualization) etc., to bring a whole range of positive outcomes for their client.

Hypnosis occurs naturally

Every person in this world experiences hypnosis at least twice a day, when they go to sleep at night and when they awaken in the morning. This natural occurrence is the result of a cyclic mind-body link and is relates to brain wave frequency patterns. The other time in our lives, when hypnosis naturally occurs is during daydreaming which is a type of visualisation. In this case, we become more focused on a given subject and less aware of our outer experiences, although in hypnosis we are more aware at an unconscious level. This brings with it increased awareness of the body's senses.

Brain Waves

There are varieties of brainwave frequency pattern levels from Awake and Alert (Beta) to Relaxed and Reflecting (Alpha); next is Daydreaming, Drowsy, almost Automnomic (Theta) – and this is essentially the level where sportspersons experience “The Flow”; finally there is Dreaming Sleep and Dreamless Sleep (Delta).

When we go to bed and read for a few minutes before attempting sleep, we are likely to be in low beta. When we put the book down, turn off the lights and close our eyes, our brainwaves will descend from beta, to alpha, to theta and finally, when we fall asleep, to delta. A person who is driving on a motorway, and discovers that they can't recall the last five miles, is often in a theta state--induced by the process of motorway driving.

Some knowledge of brainwave states enhances our ability to make use of the specialized characteristics of those states: these include being mentally productive across a wide range of activities, such as being intensely focused, relaxed, creative and in restful sleep. IF you want to look a little further into the topic go to the BRAINWAVE page

Can anyone be hypnotised?

Because it occurs for everyone naturally, hypnosis and hypnotherapy can be for anyone and everyone. Obviously some people are more receptive than others, but even the most skeptic or control-oriented people are often the best subjects – mainly because they are so single-focussed or resistive.

After effects

All my clients have always returned to their conscious state feeling refreshed, calm, relaxed, invigorated and have relished and enjoyed the experience. There are no downsides to what is, in essence, a complete “switch-off” for the duration of the session. The deeper effect of any changework comes later of course, bringing with it a different level of satisfaction.

Whether individually or for groups, the pleasures of trance are immediate and beneficial. In a non-specific context I have regularly used creative “Calm Place” imagery coupled with PMR (Progressive Muscle Relaxation) to conclude lengthy group sports training sessions as a relaxing mental and physical warm-down – which have been enjoyed and looked forward to by clients of various ages.

The Therapy Sessions

Getting started

At our first meeting (whether in person, by phone, or even online) our discussion would be entirely informal and is quite conversational. It’s a “getting to know you” session for both of us - it gives me a chance to get to know a bit of background, establish your main areas of concern, what you are looking to achieve from the session(s) - and it gives you a chance to find out more about what the experience of hypnosis will be like, how it will help your concerns and enhance your life, and lets you voice any other questions or queries you may have.

In-person sessions would normally follow a routine of achieving a calm and relaxed state through sitting comfortably, breathing deeply, whilst listening to my conversational suggestions perhaps with some background music. The session would be concluded by counting you down and back to full consciousness which would be followed by a short chat regarding your experience and how you might now feel.

Sessions generally last one hour, and a normal course of therapy is likely to be covered in 3-4 sessions although I have experienced clients changework to have been effective at a single (although longer) session.

After Care

One of the most effective ways of continuing the benefits of Trance is to give you some tutoring in

Self Hypnosis. This will enable you to regularly access an “Alpha-Theta” state on your own terms and use it for reaffirming and reinforcing the changework done at our sessions, or just using it to relax and meditate. This can be done either by using specially prepared audio CDs or a script which will help you to invoke the desired state while playing (say) your own choice of relaxing music.

Distance sessions

With distance sessions (phone and/or online) the initial “interview” would be as described above. After that we would have further telephone conversations or online discussions to match the in-person sessions. I would seek to establish a routine of self-hypnosis for you which could then be incorporated into a daily programme of relaxation and/or meditation. Also, as above, a generic or specific audio CD would be prepared for you to use whenever necessary.
A higher degree of motivation and sticking to routine is obviously required for distance sessions, but in my experience they can be remarkably effective for a wide variety of presenting issues.