What Is Hypnotherapy?
There are endless ways you can describe hypnosis but the most simple way is that it's a natural state we all go in & out of every day.
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And this is why it feels so comforting & familiar to my clients, even when it's their first official experience of it.
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There's a great metaphor to describe what's going on in your mind...
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You've got your conscious mind where all your logic & reasoning is... for instance you may logically know that you can trust your partner & that this relationship is different to your past...
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But it doesn't always FEEL that way which is where your subconscious mind comes in. Your subconscious is the part of your mind that holds your memories, the beliefs you've absorbed from those, your fears, your emotions, your habits & your imagination.
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It's THE most powerful part of your mind & it's number one job is to keep you safe & alive.
Which is why when it identifies something as being unsafe (i.e. relationships), it will steer you away from these by activating fear, anxiety, overthinking & often (but not always) a whole load of physical symptoms as well.
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And this is why it can feel like there's a mental tug of war going on between really wanting a loving relationship but at the same time feeling really fearful & unsafe.
So How Can Hypnotherapy Help?
You'd think these parts of your mind could come to some sort of agreement...but the thing is that there's also a filter that blocks new information going into the subconscious mind if it doesn't fit what it already agrees with.
And this is called the critical faculty. It's helpful in some ways because you don't want your inner beliefs to be too flexible & change like the wind.
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But it does mean things can get really stuck for a long time.
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Hypnotherapy helps because when you are guided into hypnosis (trance), that filter that usually blocks new information is drawn back some of the way so that both parts of your mind can talk to each other & finally get on the same page.
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And this is how I'm able to guide my clients by working with their subconscious mind to understand what beliefs & habituated patterns are driving the anxiety, then gently update those & establish new beliefs that are wonderfully supportive of the relationship you want to have.
And this means we can update the information that has been coded in over time from all the messages you've received either from your childhood, your past relationships & your general life experiences.
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Childhood can be a HUGE contributor because until the age of approximately 7 years old, that filter does not exist &
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Add to that your limited understanding of the world & the innate instinct children have to view things as being their fault & it explains very well why childhood plays such a significant role here.
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And this may be in relation to events you look back on that are were clearly abusive/ traumatic & therefore 'make sense'.
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But it can also be from the smaller moments where you felt you had to be a certain way, to be 'good', to push your emotions aside & pretend you were okay, to please others, to back down from something you believed in in order to be accepted.
Relationships can be a real contributor too because love is such a powerful feeling & the desire to connect with others is so innate that when you couple these together & then add a bad experience, it can be coded in so deeply to your subconscious that the fear & anxiety it creates can cause ripples that continue for years, sometimes your entire life if you don't step in to change it.
Hypnosis FAQs
There are so many myths when it comes to hypnosis so I'll answer some common misconceptions here...
1) Does it work online?
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YES & it's fantastic online. All that's needed is for us to hear & see each other & the tech these days sorts this out beautifully. It's my voice that guides you through the session, there's no touch involved.
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And there's something so comforting about sitting on your own sofa or bed in your own environment where you feel really comfy.
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The bonus is I can work with clients all over the UK & worldwide too which I love.
2) What if I can't go into trance...?
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With every single client I've supported over the years, I've always guided them into trance & it's always so much easier & more natural than anyone who worries about this thinks.
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Trance is simply a focused state of attention & and we all go in & out of it every day. If you drive, no doubt you've had the experience of arriving at your destination & thinking "how the hell did I get here?" Well, it's because you've slipped into trance.
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Ever been so wrapped up in something you're watching or reading that you don't notice your name being called? Same thing. It's trance.
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It's something you can already do, the only difference is that this time it's guided (which will actually make it even easier because I know exactly how to get you there).
3) Okay but what if I get stuck in trance?
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You'll never get stuck in trance & for people who go really deep into trance, there are lots of ways I can guide you back out again (& I've got a lot of experience of this!)
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The most that could happen would be you'd fall asleep & wake up like you would from a nap. But I stay really in tune with my clients throughout our sessions & have never failed to guide someone back out of trance.
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You're tuned into my voice as I guide you through the session & even though sometimes it feels like it'd be so comfy to stay in that amazing place, you find yourself following my words as I guide you back to full awareness.
4) What if I don't know why I'm anxious? Like it makes no sense...
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I often find clients feel like they have to have all the answers themselves, however that's why you're working with me. Through hypnosis we'll connect with your subconscious & it's in that place where everything makes so much sense.
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Sometimes there's a really clear reason (like childhood trauma or a relationship where trust was broken really badly), but other times the reasons can be more subtle. And by the way - both are equally valid.
5) What if I've never told anyone this stuff & it sounds so ridiculous?
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Trust me when I say that without fail during the course of my work with people, there will be a moment where they say something like this. And I get it because where else do we bring up the things we've possibly never dared tell anyone or sometimes never even admitted to ourselves?
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But I'll share something with you - it's never just a you thing. We are all carrying secrets about how we feel about ourselves that others know nothing about.
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And anything you share with me is received with absolute compassion & empathy.
6) What if I blurt out all my secrets?
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I have to admit this was my fear prior to my first hypnotherapy session & I still don't know what secrets I was so scared about!
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The thing you'll realise just as soon as we begin is that you're in full control the whole time & are still aware of everything around you. It's just like being really relaxed & connected to yourself.
Do you have any more questions you're curious about whether it's in relation to hypnosis or how I can help you? If so, click the link below to send me a message & I'd be more than happy to discuss this with you.