I Can Help You With …
An addiction is an obsessive, uncontrollable and often damaging attachment to an activity, behaviour or substance. These can range from smoking, drugs and alcohol to sex, gambling, shopping and the internet.
Your habit has become an addiction when it:
- distracts you from normal life
- overrides other feelings and emotions
- causes physical withdrawal symptoms
- becomes increasingly difficult to control.
- generates a dependency
I can help you gain control over your addiction by changing the way your mind associates with your old, unwanted dependency, while providing the support and guidance required to alter ingrained behavioral patterns.
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder where clients experience severe anxiety in environments that they perceive to be dangerous or uncomfortable, often due to the environment’s vast openness or crowdedness. These situations include wide-open spaces, as well as uncontrollable social situations such as the possibility of being met in shopping centres, airports and on bridges. The sufferer may go to great lengths to avoid these situations, in severe cases becoming unable to leave their home or safe haven.
Sufferers usually begin to experience symptoms between the ages of 20 and 40 years and it is more common in women. Cognitive Hypnotherapy is effective in helping with agoraphobia as it can uncover the root cause of the anxiety and work to clear that, leaving the client feeling more positive and able to enter situations and environments that would once have been a challenge for them. In these instances, I can offer home visits and Skype sessions.
Anger management
Anger is a completely natural and normal emotional response to real or perceived threat. When angry, we experience physiological and emotional responses to certain situations. We may experience an increase in bodily temperature, an increase in heart rate, a blurring or sharpening of vision. In normal situations, one can experience this emotion and move through it. However, above average levels of anger can damage relationships with those we love and work colleagues, and can result in damage to ones quality of life.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy can help to change our responses to certain anger triggers and teach new and more helpful responses. It can help to provide that pause that clients often need where they can choose to behave differently, thus improving their quality of life, immeasurably.
Anxiety and panic attacks
I see many clients who tell me they are anxious in many different situations. Some, when driving. Some when flying. Some, when they see a dog, or a spider. Some when they hear the word ‘needle’ or have to set foot in a lift. Everyone is different and everyone experiences their anxiety in a different way. We learn these responses, sometimes due to experiencing significant emotional events in our childhood and youth. Sometimes due to more recent events. If we can learn these responses, surely it follows that we can unlearn them. De-hypnotise ourselves, if you will. Cognitive Hypnotherapy can help you to shift your focus away from what provokes your anxiety. It can help you to experience your bodies responses to these stimuli in a different way. In short, Cognitive Hypnotherapy can help you to regain control of your life, leaving you feeling stronger, healthier and less a prisoner of your bodies learned responses.
Panic attacks can appear to be random, frightening experiences, that strike from nowhere and plague our lives. They come with an increased heart rate, sweating, palpitations, shaking, a feeling of doom. They can lead to irrational fears and depression. Very often a panic attack can be the unconscious mind’s coping mechanism when responding to a real or perceived threat. As with anxiety, the body develops its learned response to specific stimuli. These may appear to be random and make no sense at all. The unconscious mind works in mysterious ways. But we can work with it, to teach it how to protect us in ways that are more gentle, helping ourselves to control these learned responses and eradicate panic attacks forever.
Bruxism (teeth grinding)
Bruxism or teeth grinding is a condition, generally characterised by involuntary teeth grinding, clenching and gnashing, often performed unconsciously either throughout the day or whilst sleeping. Although it is not a dangerous condition, bruxism can lead to permanent dental damage and a variety of unpleasant side effects such as headaches, jaw pain, earache and headaches.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy can help to cease clenching and grinding by eliminating any underlying problems, helping you to deal with stress triggers as well as helping to reinstate any lost confidence.
Hypnotherapy for children
Cognitive hypnotherapy is perfect for working with children as it makes use of their playful and active imaginations and their natural ability to daydream. In this kind of state, their minds are really creative and receptive to positive suggestions and can come up with solutions to problems.
Usually children from ten upwards (sometimes several years younger too) are quite happy to close their eyes and relax and enjoy a guided daydream packed full of positive suggestions for them to ‘act out’ in their imagination. My sessions will certainly always include positive suggestions for confidence and self esteem, whatever problem is being addressed.
Younger children can be reluctant to close their eyes and don’t necessarily even relax very much at all in the way which is characteristic of adults; they just see/ feel /hear things in their imagination as guided by me. The process is more like engaging in active imagination games, which they do with the greatest of ease. Ask them to see their problem as a shape or a colour and shrink it or change it, they just do it! Children spend half their lives in their imaginations and when I ‘work’ with them in my consulting room I just get them to use their imagination in a positive way in order to help overcome their problems.
Of course, you want to choose the right therapeutic solution for your child, so please do give me a call. I’m happy to chat at length about the process, what you can expect and any concerns you may have.
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is usually defined as the irrational fear of confined spaces. People who experience claustrophobia generally go out of their way to avoid
a long list of confined spaces, including lifts, tunnels, tube trains, revolving doors and public toilets. Interestingly, when it comes to claustrophobia, the unconscious mind can set up a series of complex rules that the sufferer must live by. Sometimes it is okay if the lock on the public toilet is metal, but not plastic. It’s okay if the lift has other people in it, but it’s not okay if you’re alone. It’s okay if the tube train is stuck at a station but not okay if it is stuck in a tunnel.
Using Cognitive Hypnotherapy, I can help you to peel away these layers, revealing the initial significant emotional event very often associated with the onset of the problem, and re-frame this, totally eliminating the problem and leaving you free to live your life without this very limiting problem.
Dental phobias present in many different ways and often originate from an unpleasant childhood experience. Some clients with this issue don’t like the feeling of having someone’s hands in their mouth. Some have a strong gag reflex. Some clients even put off calling the dentist at all, fearing panic attacks in the waiting room or in the dentist’s chair and end up with severe mouth, teeth and gum issues and pain. Some applications of hypnosis in dentistry include controlling a strong gag reflex, treating chronic facial pain, modification of unwanted habits such as teeth grinding, and teaching relaxation techniques to prepare clients for a trip to the dentist.
Depression
Much has been written about depression recently. It is one of the most common conditions of our time. Previously tainted with stigma, depression is now out in the open, with celebrities such as Stephen Fry and Ruby Wax stating they have and do, suffer with it.
Sufferers very often feel alone and find it almost impossible to reach out for help. If you know someone who you suspect is suffering, the best thing you can do is let them know you are there for them. Treatment exists to help ease their pain.
Many clients find that a combination of treatments is most effective; medication gives them fast relief from the symptoms and therapy teaches them how to deal with the problems they have.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy teaches us that the brain is plastic – meaning that it is malleable. The way we think and feel is not set in stone, but can be altered. It’s called neuroplasticity and is a scientific fact. Using Cognitive Hypnotherapy, I can help you to change, move forwards and live the life you want, without your old worries and fears.
Eating disorders
Eating disorders can affect anyone and are extremely common, affecting millions of people each year. The main characteristic of an eating disorder is the individual’s obsession with their weight. These obsessive thoughts can lead to severe consequences in both their health and their actions. Research has shown that females are much more likely to develop anorexia and bulimia than males, although males can suffer from both eating disorders too. However this is not the case with binge-eating disorder, which seems to develop in almost as many males as females.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy can be very effective in helping clients suffering from eating disorders. Hypnosis is used to identify the root cause of the problem so that the emotional aspect can be dealt with. Negative behaviour patterns can be looked at and more positive habits can be learnt. I can help you to improve your self confidence and self image so that you can view yourself and your circumstances differently and live a happier life.
Exam or interview nerves
Fear of not performing well in exam or interview situations can paralyse some people, causing them to sabotage their own future by causing failure. As with any anxiety, this is the unconscious mind’s way of protecting the individual from real or perceived threat. The body goes into fight or flight mode, causing the brain to shut down and the mouth to go dry. Blood rushes into the hands and feet, getting ready to fight or run away. That’s great, and really useful when the threat is a sabre tooth tiger, but not much good during an exam or an interview.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy can help you to pinpoint the origination of these limiting beliefs and re-frame them in a positive light, dialling down the nerves and therefore the physical and mental results of them. From there, I can then help you to focus your mind and turn things around. So, prepare for success. It really can be that simple.
Fears and phobias
Fears and phobias affect many of my clients. They can be very specific – such as a fear of dogs, needles, spiders, or far reaching and extremely debilitating, such as agoraphobia, which may stop sufferers from leaving their own house, or in some cases, their bedroom.
Many sufferers don’t consciously know or understand where their fear or phobia originated. Some have a particular memory of childhood trauma or the knowledge that a family member shares their fear. Sometimes though, fears seem to appear out of nowhere. All are debilitating in some way though. Spending your whole adult life avoid lifts, motorways, flights or parks (because of dogs) is no way to live. The physical symptoms that people with fears and phobias exhibit (sweating, raised heart rate, dry mouth etc) are the unconscious mind’s way of protecting us. When we are faced with a real or perceived threat, the body enters fight or flight mode. Blood flow is re-directed from the brain and other vital organs, into the hands and feet, equipping us to either stay and fight the sabre tooth tiger or run away from it. Luckily, sabre tooth tigers are no longer a threat to us in our world, but some of us have developed a fear of spiders, dogs, heights, driving, flying etc. Some people can even experience fears of seemingly inanimate objects such as beads, buttons and certain foods. Of course, when it comes to dogs, poisonous spiders and heights, perhaps the unconscious mind has a point really, as the threat might be that we will be bitten, stung or fall. Often, however, these fears do really seem irrational and sufferers find their quality of life threatened and fear passing their affliction on to their children.
Through Cognitive Hypnotherapy I can help you to pinpoint the origination of your particular fear or phobia and re-frame this, showing it in a less threatening way. The thought behind this is that we are not born with our fears. We learned them. And therefore it follows that we can ‘un-learn’ them – de-hypnotise ourselves, so to speak. We can change our learned response to these specific stimuli, thereby re-claiming our lives and coming out stronger and more in control.
Fear of Driving
If you are reading this, I’m going to assume you suffer from this fear. I know you’ll not believe this, but I can assure you it’s true. I see more people with this problem than any other. I have to assume it’s because this one is so debilitating. Some other fears are possible to put up with. One can avoid having injections for long periods of time. One can take the escalator or walk up stairs, instead of taking a lift. But if you have driven, without giving it a second thought, all of your adult life, it can be terribly upsetting to suddenly find that you can’t anymore.
This fear can arrive quite suddenly. It can be the result of a road accident, some other traumatic event, or – quite commonly, can appear to be random. Suddenly, while driving on the motorway, you find yourself short of breath, or hot, your mouth is dry, you have to properly focus on something that used to be second nature.
You may assume this is a panic attack and come to expect another to take hold during your next car journey. You see, part of what your unconscious mind does is that it works in a kind of short hand. It forms a link between what you were doing at the time and the seeming physical results of that. Therefore – it assumes you had a panic attack because you were driving. However, the reality may be different. Perhaps there were adverse weather conditions. Perhaps something was on your mind. Perhaps you suddenly felt a little ill or tired or just a little odd while driving. And because this all happened together, the unconscious mind has made an assumption and kicked into fight or flight mode to force you to slow down, stop the car, get out, get some air… And because all of this happened when you were driving at 70 miles per hour on a motorway, all of a sudden, there’s the problem. And bang goes your next driving holiday to France!
Cognitive Hypnotherapy can work directly with the unconscious mind, to break the link it has formed between the significant emotional event and the resulting physical and mental effects of panic and fear, helping you to get back into the drivers seat, just like you used to.
Fear of Flying
A fear of flying is one of the more common and accepted fears, if you will. No-one bats an eyelid when someone mentions they have this fear. It makes sense to be wary of a mode of transport that involves us flying miles above the ground in a heavy metal object. No? No! We all know that air travel is a safer mode of transport than driving around in a car, but this fear is not a rational one. Sufferers very often find themselves shaking, sweating, praying and crying during take-off, much of the flight and landing, when they can also find themselves squeezing the hand of whoever has the misfortune to sit next to them. Many sufferers report that they feel out of control. Sometimes there is an element of claustrophobia about it too.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy can often help to pinpoint the significant emotional event that led to the origination of this fear and re-frame it in such a way that the client can let go of the fear forever and for good.
Fear of Heights
Both my father and brother used to suffer from this. For my father, it was driving at heights or being hard up against a window that had a sheer drop beyond it. For my brother, it was skiing the black runs. He couldn’t ski along a narrow patch of snow that had a sheer drop on either side. Interestingly though, he could ski DOWN the sheer drop very easily. Bizarre? Not really. The unconscious mind works in mysterious ways – often making links between significant emotional events and subsequent occurrences and happenings in someone’s life. It sets up conditions. This should scare you, but not this. For my brother, a seemingly innocuous event – losing expensive sunglasses on a school trip – formed the start of his fear. They fell from his face when he was looking down from a great height. He experienced the physical effects that most teenage boys would feel in these circumstances. A stabbing feeling in the chest, sweating, a sharp intake of breath, simultaneous shock and disappointment, upset.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy can help to pinpoint significant emotional events and re-frame them so as to remove the links between the event and the subsequent fear, freeing you from that old fear and allowing you to live your life without those old limiting beliefs that have been holding you back.
Fear of Needles
A fear of needles, be they for injections or blood tests, can, on the surface, appear completely normal. Surely no-one actually enjoys these processes? However, tolerating needles is supremely different to having an acute fear of them. A fear of needles can result in sweating, shaking, and in some cases vomiting or even fainting. Some sufferers can not tolerate hearing the word ‘needles’, seeing pictures of them (even cartoons) or watching television dramas or movies featuring scenes involving needles.
This can spread into every day life and sometimes involve over-thinking the spot on the arm where an injection or blood test may take place, which can in turn, interrupt sleep or lead to unrelated thoughts triggering the fear.
Sufferers can avoid needles for many years, but this fear can become life threatening when it involves someone who is endangering their life, rather than receiving medication or having an important blood test.
As with most fears, often they are caused by a significant emotional event from childhood. Sometimes you will know what this is, and sometimes you won’t. Cognitive Hypnotherapy can help to pinpoint this event, re-framing it so it loses it’s sting and the hold it has on your life.
Fertility and childbirth issues
Many people find Cognitive Hypnotherapy of great benefit whilst trying to conceive. During what can be a very stressful time you have the ability to remain calm and positive and visualise the outcome you desire.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy for childbirth has a plethora of benefits which could help any client during and after her pregnancy. Listed below are a few examples of issues hypnotherapy can help to address:
- can reduce labour time
- can reduce fatigue in the mother during and after birth
- can reduce postnatal recovery time
- can reduce the risk of intervention
- increases the chances of children feeding and sleeping better
- can help aches and discomforts during pregnancy
- can help morning sickness
- assists the natural birth process
- can speed up post birth recovery
- can improve oxygen levels in mother and baby
I studied with the HypnoBirthing Institute and now use Cognitive Hypnotherapy to help many couples through this very special time in their lives.
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
It may seem improbable that the very real pain associated with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), can be helped by Cognitive Hypnotherapy, however many of my clients have experienced profound relief from the symptoms they suffered from.
IBS is categorised by pain and discomfort in the gut, resulting in abnormal bowel movements, bloating and adverse reactions to certain foods. Sufferers experience very real symptoms, but with no detectable structural changes to the gut.
Utilising the healing power of the person’s own mind, Cognitive Hypnotherapy can be a much more effective form of treatment than regular medicines. In addition, the treatment can sometimes result in improvements to other problems such as migraine or tension headaches.
The positive effects of Cognitive Hypnotherapy can last long after treatment comes to an end, with clients experiencing improvements that last for years.
Insomnia and other sleep disorders
Insomnia is extremely common, with one in four people suffering from it at some point in their life. People experience insomnia in different ways. Some find it hard to get to sleep in the first place. Some wake in the night, often several times. And some wake very early and can then not get back to sleep.
Insomnia can occur for a number of different reasons, including stress, changes in environment, changes in health and over use of stimulants, such as caffeine. Insomnia can seriously affect qualify of life, making it challenging to work effectively, difficult to have meaningful relationships and damaging to health.
Using Cognitive Hypnotherapy I can show a variety of relaxation techniques. No one approach is right for everyone, but because Cognitive Hypnotherapy is tailored to the individual, we are sure to find the right approach for you, to help you get your life back on track and get a good night’s sleep.
Low confidence and/or self-esteem
Life’s achievers tend to feel an abundance of confidence whenever they need it most. For many people however, confidence is something that they admire in others but cannot access for themselves and having low self-confidence can be extremely limiting, affecting our ability to live the life we desire.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy often has high success rates for helping those suffering from low self confidence, as it can help to access the underlying causes for these feelings, which are very often rooted in early experiences that may have been long forgotten. Cognitive hypnotherapy and NLP can gently access these memories and re-frame them so as to inspire confidence going forwards so we can make the most of ourselves. Hypnosis can reach the unconscious mind and modify belief systems, and replace negative thought patterns with positive ones. This can boost self confidence and completely change an individual’s life.
A common assumption is that self esteem and self confidence are the same things. They are not. Self-confident people may also suffer from low self-esteem, and this can be seen by the vast number of actors, celebrities and public figures who appear to be overflowing with self confidence, yet totally lack self esteem when away from the media or when they’re not performing. Unfortunately low self esteem is extremely common in today’s society and individuals can often struggle to find their sense of worth in the world. Those who find it hard to answer ‘yes’ to questions such as ‘do I like myself’ or ‘do I deserve to be happy’ are often suffering from a lack of self esteem.
With Cognitive Hypnotherapy I seek to discover the root cause of low self esteem and use the power of suggestion to create more positive thought patterns. Reprogramming your beliefs can lead to an increase in self esteem and help you to overcome negative thinking patterns.
Nail biting
Nail biting is a habit in the same family as obsessive compulsive disorders. It can not only make your hands look unsightly, but if you bite your nails badly enough, can permanently damage your nails, teeth, gums and even the digestive system, as viral infections and bacteria can be ingested into the gut. Moreover, it can also have a social impact, and lead to broken skin on the cuticle and over time, nails that won’t grow back at all as the skin of the fingers sometimes heal in such a way so as to block nail growth. In rare cases, fingernails may become severely deformed after years of nail biting due to the destruction of the nail bed. And of course there is a very real chance that nail biting parents can pass this habit onto their children.
I can help with this or any other unwanted habit by using various Cognitive Hypnotherapy techniques and interventions to access the cause of your issue and then promote a habit you do want to replace the old, unwanted one.
OCD / Obsessions & Compulsions
Obsessions can be intrusive and recurrent thoughts, ideas or impulses and they can be worrying, repulsive, obscene or blasphemous. These thoughts, ideas or impulses are not voluntary and often invade a sufferer’s consciousness. Obsessing over germs and dirt, nagging doubts, sexual thoughts, fear that things are not safe and having things in a particular order are common obsessions. Most of us will have experienced the odd obsessional thought, however if these thoughts occur regularly and interfere with normal daily routines and relationships, they can cause extreme distress.
Compulsions are actions an individual feels compelled to perform to reduce the anxiety they feel from an obsession. They are repeated continuously and often carried out without conscious thought. Examples of compulsions include excessive washing and cleaning, counting and touching things, hoarding, incessant rechecking, repeating certain words or phrases and performing ritualistic behaviour.
Using Cognitive Hypnotherapy we can try to find the root cause of the problem and resolve the underlying anxiety that drives the obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions.
Pain management
With chronic pain, pain signals are consistently being sent from the nervous system for weeks, months and sometimes even years. Often chronic pain begins with an initial injury or illness, such as a long-term serious condition like cancer, an ear infection, arthritis or a sprained limb. Even in situations where these injuries and illnesses have healed, pain signals may still remain in the nervous system for long periods of time and thus chronic pain persists. Some people also suffer from chronic pain despite no past injury or evidence of damage to the body.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy for pain management can be used either alongside prescribed medication or alone, but if you are considering hypnosis then it is essential you have been to visit your GP for an appropriate medical evaluation before proceeding, as certain pain can be a warning signal of more serious, underlying medical conditions.
Hypnotherapy has been used by many to manage numerous instances of pain, including irritable bowel syndrome, sciatica, joint pain, neck pain and a variety of other injuries and illnesses. The basic premise of hypnotherapy is to change the way individuals perceive pain messages in order to reduce the intensity of what they are feeling.
Cognitive hypnotherapy techniques are proven to be effective for easing pain and even removing it completely.
Performance issues (sports/music/acting)
Cognitive hypnotherapy can help tremendously with various performance issues.
Our mental attitude towards sports in both competition and training is the difference between just competing and ultimately winning. This is why most top athletes now have mind coaches who work alongside their other coaches to help them reach their true potential.
Sports Hypnosis differs from Sports Psychology in that it works directly with the subconscious part of the brain – the part that controls our belief system and our automatic behaviours. As a result, positive performance change can often be a quicker and more effective than with the use of traditional psychology.
Cognitive hypnotherapy can help to:
- overcome performance anxiety
- build more confidence and motivation
- overcome mental blocks
- prepare for competition
- learn new or complicated techniques
- enhance endurance
- and create new winning attitudes and perspectives
In just the same way, I can help actors and musicians with their practice and performance by helping them get into the zone. Cognitive hypnotherapy can help you to:
- combat your nerves
- memorise scripts
- minimize or eradicate performance anxiety
- relax and maximize flow
Whether we’re professionals in business, sports, the arts or anything else, we all want to be at the very top of our game. Cognitive hypnotherapy can help you to realise your goals in many different areas.
Public speaking
The fear of public speaking is a common form of social phobia, where our natural fight or flight response takes over – the blood rushes from our brain, where it is needed most, into our hands (so we can fight wild beasts) and our feet (so we can run away from them). Of course, there is no wild beast, as we have evolved from the cavemen we once were, but our brain still responds to threats in the way it once did. This response can be appropriate, helping us to flee from oncoming traffic or protect those we love from threats. But mostly, the threat is not really life threatening. Mostly the threat is a perceived one – and the fear of public speaking is one of those perceived threats. This unconscious response can cause our throats to feel tight, our heart to beat faster, sweating, breathlessness, sickness and a number of other symptoms.
The fear of public speaking, as with other fears, usually originates from a childhood experience that may be seemingly unrelated. The good news however, is that we have the ability to re-educate our mind to no longer see public speaking as a threat, and therefore create more appropriate responses for those situations that require us to talk in public.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy has been found to be extremely successful for those suffering with a fear of public speaking. It can build confidence levels and allow you to remain calm and relaxed, while developing new positive ways of thinking and feeling. Cognitive Hypnotherapy aims to seek out the root cause of the anxiety by accessing the part of your mind that is triggering the fear and help you to change how it responds.
Relationship issues
Relationships can bring much meaning and happiness, and it’s usually the relationships we form with others that define our lives. However they can also cause problems and unhappiness if they break down. Whether it’s a relationship with a family member, colleague, friend or lover, everyone will experience relationship problems at some point during their life.
If relationship problems aren’t dealt with they tend to build up over time, and because each individual reacts differently to situations and emotions, it can sometimes be hard to know how to resolve certain issues. Lack of communication can be a major problem in a relationship and not being able to express feelings may create pressure on the relationship.
By using Cognitive Hypnotherapy I can help your relationships in a number of ways, from teaching you how to relax to building confidence. Specifically, I can help my clients to:
- Recapture the lost feelings of love, friendship and commitment.
- Re-experience past memories in a more positive way.
- Learn relaxation techniques, allowing you to be calm around each other.
- Develop a self belief that builds on your confidence and ability to create new and successful relationships.
- Gain new perspectives on relationships and develop an appreciation of another’s position.
Strong relationships are about opening communication channels and this can’t work unless you unconsciously open these channels. Hypnotherapy can help you to communicate with your unconscious more effectively, and ultimately enhance communication within your relationship.
Sexual issues
Many people experience sexual difficulties at some point during their life, sometimes these problems will resolve themselves but if they don’t then professional help may be required. Sexual difficulties can occur early in an individual’s life, develop suddenly after a previously satisfying sex life or develop gradually. It is important that physical factors are ruled out before hypnotherapy is sought, so consulting your GP should be your first step.
Sexual difficulties are generally problems that prevent the individual or couple from enjoying sex, and make sex difficult. The most common sexual problems for men are erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation, and for women, failure to reach orgasm, lack of sexual drive or vaginismus.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy can be beneficial for clients who want to release negative or limiting beliefs by identifying the triggers that started them. Learning how to manage and deal with them may then be possible. I will work with you gently and at your own pace to help you identify the issue and overcome it.
Smoking
Cognitive Hypnotherapy can and has been very successful in helping many clients to quit smoking quickly and for good.
In a single two-hour session I really get under the skin of your smoking addiction – finding out how you smoke, when you smoke, how you feel about it etc. Then we discuss what you will do when you are a non smoker. How will you fill that gap? Nothing is left to chance, because when you leave my consulting room, you will be a natural non-smoker. Indeed, when you come for that appointment, I have already sent you a questionnaire, gleaned your answers from it and asked you to throw away your smoking paraphernalia. When you walk through my door, you have already smoked your last ever cigarette.
Exciting, isn’t it? Just think how different your life will be now that you are a natural non smoker.
Stress
If you’re experiencing too much stress in your life, it’s probably making you anxious, irritable and unproductive, affecting your performance at work, your relationships at home, your long term physical and emotional health and, the quality of your life in general.
Stress can be both positive and negative. As a positive influence it can motivate individuals to perform at their optimum level and boost energy, but as a negative influence, stress can lead to adverse physical affects and be detrimental to health. This instinctive response, which is our body’s natural mechanism to protect us from danger, releases stress hormones directly into the bloodstream. These hormones cause an instant mental, emotional and physical change that provides us with extra awareness, extra endurance and extra strength. So if we were in a dangerous situation, this would help us to survive. However, instead of using these stress hormones in emergencies, we now live at such a pace that many people activate them all the time – like when we are going to present at a meeting, or when we are worrying about finishing a report, or when we might miss a train, or when can’t get onto the Internet quickly.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy can help clients to understand why they think the way they do and how these thoughts can be positively changed to manage stress.
As it is not the situation itself that causes stress (or everyone would be stressed by the same situation), but our reaction to the situation, Cognitive Hypnotherapy can be used to change the way we feel about things, altering and re-framing our reactions to our world and ultimately improving health, wellbeing and performance.
Trauma/PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
For some clients, certain traumatic and frightening events can trigger a reaction which can last for a period of months, or even years.
This reaction is known as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD for short, a condition which manifests both physically and psychologically and is thought to occur in approximately 30% of individuals who experience traumatic events.
The term PTSD is used to describe a range of symptoms which occur following on from involvement in a traumatic event. These events are considered to be both beyond our control, and outside of our normal human experiences. The event itself could be anything from witnessing a road traffic accident, natural disaster or terrorist attack, through to being the victim of a mugging, or witnessing harrowing scenes whilst serving in the armed forces.
Whether you are present during a traumatic event, a witness, or a direct victim, the intense distress and helplessness you felt in the midst of that situation can have a deep and long lasting psychological effect and can trigger a series of symptoms which can seriously impact your life.
In some individuals the symptoms will develop very shortly after the event, but for others the onset may be delayed by a number of months, or even years after the trauma first occurred.
As well as undergoing the treatment recommended by their health care provider, some PTSD sufferers also find that hypnotherapy treatment is beneficial. Using Cognitive Hypnotherapy I can help to dial down stored emotion so that the trauma can be revisited and explored without a strong emotional reaction and from a different perspective.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy is able to work with the unconscious mind so that negative beliefs which were built up during the trauma can be explored and alleviated.
Weight loss/management
Overeating is a super-sized problem in the Western World and because of that, more of us than ever are turning to new diets and new ways to lose weight.
This leads many of us to jump on every new bandwagon that finds its way in to our respected media and then, having done really well for a few days, weeks or months, we fall off … and then we jump back on … and then we fall off again … and again …
For many, this is a lifetime in the making – having the constant sense of failure as diet after diet falls by the wayside. The truth is that most diets are based on restricting the food intake, or at least an aspect of it. One will limit carbohydrates; another will limit fats; another to the time of day we eat and another. But that’s exactly where the problem lies – relying solely on restriction these diets do not allow people to have a healthy relationship with food.
The diet becomes a constant struggle. So, once we are off the diet, we return to our old (habitual) eating habits and behaviours and the next thing we know, all the weight we previously lost is piling back on.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy is successful because can change your relationship with food. It can deal successfully with cravings, binging and the food obsession that often accompanies constant dieting and a belief that one is unhappy with one’s body shape.
By targeting the unconscious mind with powerful suggestion techniques, I can help you develop a new, positive relationship with food and exercise. The aim is to make you feel confident about your body, change any negative thoughts about eating and help you lose weight healthily and responsibly without impacting your emotional wellbeing.
If you don’t see your particular issue listed here, it really doesn’t matter. Cognitive Hypnotherapy is a very flexible tool, and I can adapt my techniques to suit you. So, whatever your problem happens to be, please get in touch – I’m sure I’ll be able to help.
Skype sessions are also available for those who are physically unable, (either through ill health, geographical or other issues), to come to my consulting room.