Hypnosis when used therapeutically couldn't be further from the ideas presented by stage hypnotists and those that use hypnosis for entertainment purposes - which can portray it as a form of 'mind control'.
Modern hypnotherapy is also very different form the traditional idea of watching a swinging watch or losing consciousness, and more specifically, Cognitive Hypnotherapy is about much more than just hypnosis...
Cognitive Hypnotherapy
Cognitive Hypnotherapy is a safe, natural and highly effective means of helping people with all manner of concerns and problems. However, it is important to say something about what it is not.
Sometimes people come to therapy expecting to leave the room an hour later with their problem gone (perhaps because of the ideas portrayed by stage and entertainment hypnosis as mentioned above). However, it is not a magic wand and the idea that something or someone could take a problem away, without the individual having to do anything (and what’s more to take it away instantly) is not a realistic expectation.
If a current pattern of behaviour or way of thinking is causing a problem for you, then it stands to reason that something in that pattern needs to change for the problem to be resolved. Using cognitive techniques and hypnotherapy, I can work with you to identify the problematic patterns and help you make those changes. This doesn't mean that it has to be difficult, with the right guidance change can be easier than you may once have thought possible.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy brings together the best of many worlds. It takes recent understandings of how the brain works, ideas from a form of communication psychology called Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP), the most effective techniques from a range of other therapeutic approaches and a modern view of the every day nature of trance (ever daydreamed your way through a meeting or a car journey?) and weaves them into an approach that can achieve amazing results in a short space of time. In short its flexibility means we will more than likely find an approach that works best for you as an individual.
Cognitive Hypnotherapists act as guides to help you find the best way to the solution of your issue - so it's an active collaboration, because we think that everyone has everything they need to solve the problem, they just need help finding it.
How is Cognitive Hypnotherapy different to traditional Hypnotherapy?
Although they share a name, modern Cognitive Hypnotherapy is very different. Many approaches to traditional hypnotherapy tend to use standard scripts on how to deal with a particular problem. Cognitive Hypnotherapy takes a much more personal approach. Regardless of what label any individual gives their problem, their experiences of that problem will be different….and I always treat the person not the label. There is no single answer to all of life’s problems, and Cognitive Hypnotherapy presents a large range of techniques to help overcome barriers in the shortest time possible. Understanding the individual needs of each person really is the key to success.
You can find out more about Cognitive Hypnotherapy by taking a look at the following article by Trevor Silvester of the Quest Institute:
Cognitive Hypnotherapy draws on many of the most effective techniques from Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). NLP is a way of understanding the ways we perceive our world through our senses and a body of techniques that, when integrated with Cognitive Hypnotherapy, provide a powerful means of creating change.
Your life is shaped by events only in so far as the way you interpret those events and your past does not have to determine your future. You can learn how to overcome obstacles that might have stopped you achieving your goals and have the life you want much sooner than you might have thought possible.
I am qualified to an advanced level as a Master Practitioner of NLP.
Hypnosis and Trance
Hypnosis is a completely safe and natural state, much like daydreaming. You remain fully conscious of what is going on around you, and you are in control at all times. A trance state simply puts your unconscious mind in a much more receptive position, helping us to understand and find the solution to the problem. Many people find it a pleasant and relaxing experience.
Below is a National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) video of a person talking about her experience of hypnotherapy.