My aim is to help you relax and take control of your concern.
I practice Solution Focused Hypnotherapy.
It consists of two aspects: Psychotherapy and Hypnosis.
Psychotherapy is positive talking – asking what’s been good about your week, exploring how that makes you feel; and visualisation of your goal, broken down into small, achievable steps. It is focused on the solution to whatever is troubling you. Which means, unlike other forms of counselling or therapy, we won’t be delving deep into the issues that are causing you concern.
It enables the client to think using their Intellectual Brain – the scientific term is the Left Prefrontal Cortex. This part of the brain is the sensible, logical, positive area that generally makes proper assessments of situations. When clients first visit, they are in need of help to think clearer, make better choices, kick bad habits and feel more positive. So the more time we can encourage clients to use the prefrontal cortex, the easier they will find it to effect the change they desire.
Hypnosis is a deep state of relaxation, which we call trance. Trance is a natural state that we enter many times a day, when we’re not actively concentrating on a task - for example driving a familiar route, reading a good book, watching a movie, whilst out for a run or just sitting daydreaming. When you relax deeply into a hypnotic trance under the guidance of a hypnotherapist you enter the REM state (rapid eye movement) where your subconscious mind processes worries and concerns. When we access the subconscious it allows new and positive ideas to take hold and to be actioned in your normal everyday waking state.
It's likely that you'll feel a little better after just one session. Hypnosis lowers stress levels as it allows your body to release a feel good hormone called Serotonin.
Hypnosis is controlled by the client. You are fully aware of what is being said, you can move if you wish, sit up, end the session whenever you like. A hypnotherapist can’t make you do anything outside of your moral or ethical code, so no strange behaviours are implanted such as clucking like a chicken!
Issues that Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help to gain better control of are:
Anxiety (stress, panic attacks, IBS, driving test nerves, loss of confidence, PTSD),
Depression (low mood, extreme and prolonged sadness, feelings of isolation),
Sleep disorders (trouble getting to sleep, frequent early waking, trouble waking up refreshed)
Grief (loss of a loved one, a major life change such as children leaving for university),
Weight management,
Pain management (chronic pain, stiffness, numbness etc after an injury has healed, Fibromyalgia, ME, MS)
Smoking Cessation,
Sports performance enhancement,
Phobias (snakes, spiders, flying, heights etc).
Solution focused hypnotherapy has its roots back in the 1940’s when the forefather of the techniques I use were being pioneered by Dr Milton H Erickson. In the 1970’s a group of American psychologists led by Steve de Shazer and his wife Insoo Kim Berg developed Erickson’s theories of therapy. It was termed Solution Focused Brief Therapy, and it didn’t include hypnosis initially. They coined the “brief” part of the title as they found the number of sessions required to successfully treat a range of issues such as depression, anxiety and marital / family difficulties was far less than with their former model of psychoanalysis and counselling. Hypnosis was later added to the treatment, to enable new helpful ideas to penetrate, successfully practised by individuals such as Bristol based Psychologist David Newton, who founded The Clifton Practice in 1995. His research and client experiences shaped this modern, neuroscientific type of treatment we call Solution Focused Hypnotherapy.
Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is an incredibly uplifting method of treatment for a wide range of psychological issues. It gives you the tools to maintain this positivity outside of the therapy room, bringing about lasting changes that you can continue to practice for life!
If you’d like to book in for an initial consultation to see how I may be able to help you, it’s free of charge and comes with no obligation to go ahead if you don’t feel it’s right for you.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Katharine
Hypnotherapy is a complimentary therapy, not intended to replace traditional healthcare. If you are concerned about any aspect of your physical or mental wellbeing, I would recommend you consult with your GP prior to booking an appointment with me.
