Frequently Asked Questions about Hypnosis

What is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy uses a combination of hypnosis and therapy in order to help people overcome a variety of problems.  The hypnosis itself is a natural state – similar to when we are drifting into a daydream – kind of present, but not present.   Some people will experience a heightened sense of relaxed focus and others may feel totally zoned out.  As the brainwaves slow down, it’s likely that you will become more and more absorbed in the words that are spoken to you as you are guided into this relaxed feeling.

What happens during a session?

During a session you will be guided into an altered state of consciousness, which may be thought of as relaxed focus.  It’s quite normal to feel alert during the process of hypnosis, or to drift into an absorbed kind of daydream.  We all experience moments like this naturally, perhaps when we are driving on a familiar route or reading a very interesting book. Hypnotherapy doesn’t feel strange or weird, it’s very normal.

Hypnotherapy is 100% safe and natural and the client is always in control.

Not all hypnotherapists work in the same way and there are various styles of hypnotherapy that can be used.  I often work using a solution focused approach, which combines positive psychology with hypnosis.  This approach is backed up by scientific research, which shows that when we focus on positive outcomes and small goals we do much better than when we trawl through our past and re-live negative situations or events over and over again.  If you think about it, this makes sense.  Thinking about bad things makes us feel unhappy, and thinking about good things cheers us up.