“Since most problems are created by our imagination and are thus imaginary, all we need are imaginary solutions.”
–Richard Bandler
DOES HYPNOTHERAPY WORK?
I have been a qualified clinical hypnotherapist for a few years now and have my own hypnotherapy practise in Dartford, Kent. So I am very well placed to answer these often asked questions. Does hypnotherapy work? Can i be hypnotized? How does hypnosis work?
Hypnotherapy does actually work very well for most people. In my experience about 80-90% of my clients have improved after 1-6 sessions. Certain problems like smoking or phobias only need 1 or 2 sessions to fully resolve.
Even anxiety can be drastically reduced or removed in a couple of sessions. I am often shocked how life changing hypnosis can be for people, often instant results. NHS
However, sometimes certain conditions need the full 6 sessions, such as depression or a very resistant client. As sometimes we are not yet fully committed to giving up a particular habit. So, Does hypnotherapy work…yes…you really must give it a go.
Can anyone be hypnotized?
You went into hypnosis last night just before you fell asleep. Hypnosis is not what many people think…you will be relaxed, focused and aware of all that goes on. People in hypnosis are not asleep (even though the stage hypnotist shouts sleep) and are always in control. If the are not enjoying the experience, then you simply open your eyes. wiki
25% of people are super hypnotizable, 50% normal hypnotizable and 25% more difficult to hypnotize. The trick to getting the latter 25% into hypnosis, is to gain their trust, good rapport, help them relax and let go and then find the style of hypnotherapy that will suit them best.
The more you practice hypnosis, the easier it gets to go into hypnosis. Normally a client goes deeper on their second session, rather than the first. So does hypnotherapy work…of course it does!
Most people do not understand what hypnosis is and have a warped/confused sense of what it may actually be due to Hollywood movies and comedy hypnotherapists. When I as
k my clients what do they know about hypnotherapy, they often recall a scene from a movie or from a stage hypnotherapist show. Hollywood movies are not factual, I know shock horror. Contact
Stage Hypnosis
As for stage hypnotherapy, the people used are the ones who have already demonstrated they are great hypnotic subjects and are prepared to do silly things. Generally, the hypnotherapist does some tests first and then selects the most appropriate people. The vast majority of those on stage know what they are doing, but feel compelled to do it anyway. As long as the suggestions do not go against, they’re moral convictions.
When a client comes to see me, I will explain that hypnotherapy is perfectly safe & that hypnotherapy really does work! You can’t be made to do anything you don’t morally agree with. If I said to a person who wants to lose weight that as of today, they will start running marathons and they hate running, then they will reject that suggestion and it will possibly ruin the whole session.
I often say to a client, that if I do make a suggestion that you don’t agree with, your unconscious mind can easily dismiss it…however, if I make a suggestion that you do agree with, then your unconscious mind will accept this and integrate this into your beliefs and values. This is why it is very important to understand what suggestions the client does and doesn’t want
SO HOW EXACTLY DOES HYPNOTHERAPY REALLY WORK?
Well, we have a conscious mind and an unconscious mind. In-between these two minds are a filter known as the ‘critical faculty’ (CF). This acts as a firewall or a bouncer, analysing and rationalising new information and only once compared with what we already know.
Only then can it be deemed as true or false. The CF is formed when we are about 7 years old, before this age if I say to a young child, that some pigs can actually fly, they will most likely believe this. The CF is not up and running yet…but once it is, then flying pigs will be rejected. The CF is vital for humans to function in the world, otherwise we’d be totally gullible, believing everything we hear. The Conscious Critical Faculty – How Does it Work? (selfhypnosis.com)
The problem is, that many of our beliefs are completely wrong. Many of these stored beliefs were put there by a child and have never been fully questioned. Most people have several limiting beliefs stored in their unconscious mind and are totally oblivious to this fact…I’m still finding mine! When challenged, they will often make bizarre excuses for their behaviour, normally unaware that they are deluding themselves.
Stop smoking Hypnosis
Smokers believe cigarettes relax them…give a cigarette to a non-smoker and they won’t feel relaxed! Overweight clients often believe they can’t lose weight permanently, due to genetics. Well, have you ever seen the terrible pictures of a famine? India has had the most in the last 100 years. You never see one person amongst all those who have been starved who is still overweight…’oh yes, that’s the big boned one…that’s the low thyroid person…that’s the one who etc etc…’
When you come for a hypnotherapy session with me, you will be taken into hypnosis. Once you are in hypnosis the CF moves out of the way, allowing the suggestions to go straight into your unconscious mind. (This is how hypnotherapy really works)
That is the magic of hypnotherapy right there! By bypassing the CF we can talk directly to your unconscious mind. The unconscious mind is a super power, it really is. But it is also a child. It believes everything, no matter if true or false…whether you are a lovable person, whether you will succeed in life, whether you will always have this anxiety, whether the world is a scary place or a beautiful place.
The unconscious mind believes what it does because most of the programmes/beliefs we have are there from early childhood (0-7). This is why people so often repeat bad habits, bad behaviour because they cant easily change they’re programmes/beliefs.
Repetition
Repetition and authority can get through the CF. If a doctor tells someone to quit smoking/alcohol or die, this can sometimes work. If you tell yourself constantly that YES you can achieve whatever it is you want to achieve, guess what, you may just go ahead and do it.
There are other ways to bypass the CF, but hypnosis is by far the quickest and most successful. Partly as you don’t have to wait until an authority figure scares you into changing (that’s if it works), or spend months working on your self-talk.
Yes, do the positive self-talk (I do), but when you really want to change a behavior or get better or free from something, find a reputable hypnotherapist, sit down and explain exactly what beliefs/programmes you want in your unconscious mind…remember hypnotherapy really works… Don’t be shy either, every person on earth is a spark of divinity, just temporarily covered up…reach for the stars and you may just end up ‘over the moon’!
Benefits of Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy gives you the power to control your mind to achieve a healthy life. It helps you transform deep-seated thinking patterns, behaviours and emotions that are stored in your subconscious mind and influence different areas of your life. Hypnosis techniques and motivation from a qualified hypnotherapist can help to address a wide range of physical and psychological issues, including:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Bad habits
- Weight loss
- Addictions such as drinking, smoking, gambling, etc.
- Low self-esteem
- Preparation for childbirth
- Chronic pain
- Insomnia
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Slow academic progress
- Bed wetting
- Test anxiety
- Fears and phobias
- Low self-confidence
- Poor memory
- Lack of motivation
- Nail biting
- Grief
- Insomnia
- Chronic pain
- Performance anxiety
- Premenstrual tension
- Sexual problems
- Poor sporting performance
- Smoking cessation
- Stress management
What Can You Expect From Hypnotherapy?
During a hypnotherapy session, which usually lasts for an hour, the practitioner and client will first talk about the issues that the latter wants to resolve as well as their health goals. For hypnosis to work, the client has to express their intent to change and achieve a better version of their current self. Once they have done this, the client is put in a trance. Note that the client may opt to lie down or sit comfortably on a couch. There are no must and mustn’ts or do’s and don’ts in respect of this matter.
While the client is in a trance, the therapist will help them visualise relaxing images to make their mind receptive to change. Then, the therapist taps into their subconscious mind and feeds it with positive suggestions.
Contrary to how they are falsely depicted in movies, a hypnotherapist cannot make a person say or do things involuntarily. The client will remain completely aware of everything happening around them throughout the therapy session. At the end of the session, the therapist guides the client out of their hypnotic state or the client snaps out of it automatically.
Hypnosis does not involve touch, so whether it’s delivered face-to-face or online doesn’t matter as the client will reap the same benefits. Some people may only require one session, while others would require at least a month or two to resolve their issues. Online hypnotherapy sessions can be done by phone or through a videoconferencing platform
MY NAME IS DANNY START (BELOW) AND I’M A CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPIST, WHO’S PASSION AND PURPOSE IS TO HELP PEOPLE. I WAS PREVIOUSLY A PARAMEDIC AND I AM ALSO A QUALIFIED PHYSIOTHERAPIST.
Please feel free to call me when you are ready to live the life you want!