Hypnosis is a state wherein the subconscious and conscious parts of the mind begin to work on the same concept at the same time without conflict.

Hypnosis is not the same as sleep. It is a natural state of mind that we all drift into and out of several times a day. It can best be described as “focused awareness” and occurs just as we wake up, just before we fall asleep and several times throughout the day. 

If you have ever experienced the feeling of driving a long distance and going into “auto-pilot”, you were in a state of focused awareness or hypnosis. You may have arrived at your destination and been unable to remember your journey. This happens when your mind is totally focused on one thing – the road ahead. Similarly, hypnosis occurs when you allow your mind to focus on relaxation, either with a hypnotherapist or by yourself when using self-hypnosis techniques.

Everyone experiences hypnosis differently and there is no such thing as a “hypnotised feeling”. It is most likely that you will simply feel relaxed and comfortable whilst remaining fully conscious, alert and aware of your surroundings at all times. You may, of course, become so relaxed that you just fall naturally into a restful sleep. Your subconscious mind, however, never sleeps and will continue to listen to everything I say.

Hypnotherapy and hypno-analysis have been shown to be effective in smoking cessation, overcoming fears and phobias, stress management, weight problems, self-esteem, confidence issues and all mind-related matters that have an adverse effect upon a person’s life. Whilst it is considered professionally unethical to list every condition that hypnotherapy can help alleviate, please call me to find out if it can help in your situation.

No. During hypnosis, the mind allows unhelpful and unwanted behaviours and ideas to be challenged and modified. However, as you will most likely remain fully conscious during your session, if any concepts suggested to you conflict with your own moral code, they will be rejected by your subconscious and you will instantly and automatically come out of hypnosis.

Even if you drift into sleep during your session, your subconscious mind never sleeps and hears everything, so you can rest assured that you will always remain in control.

You may have seen “stage hypnotists” having hypnotised people eating raw onions but believing them to be apples. This style of hypnosis is for entertainment purposes only and is not to be confused with Clinical Hypnotherapy or Hypnoanalysis. The stage hypnotist employs many tests and selects only those participants that demonstrate a strong susceptibility to suggestion as well as an obviously outgoing (and sometimes outrageous) personality.

Conversely, hypnotherapists use their skill to bring about beneficial change for the client, rather than to entertain and amuse an audience.

As hypnosis is a naturally-occurring state of mind, it is no more possible to get stuck in hypnosis that it is to get stuck in sleep.

Almost everybody can be hypnotised – it is only the depth of the hypnosis that is variable. The exceptions are children under four years old, alcoholics under the influence of alcohol, hard drug addicts and the truly educationally sub-normal.

The ability to achieve a hypnotised state is linked to intelligence and creativity: therefore, it is those with a ‘strong mind’ who will be particularly capable of using this amazing facet of their own psyche to help them get more or less whatever they want out of life. People with a strong mind are more easily able to be hypnotised, either by themselves or others – as long as they want to be.

This depends on the problem being addressed and can range from a single session of confidence building hypnotherapy for a forthcoming driving test or best man’s speech, to up to twelve sessions for full Hypnoanalysis.

Most sessions last for approximately 50-60 minutes and the number of sessions that will be required to remedy your particular problem area will be discussed and agreed with you at the initial consultation.

If there is something that you really cannot share with anyone, it is possible to work “content-free” with Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or BWRT (Brain Working Recursive Therapy). This means that we can work on the issue indirectly without you having to tell me the details; you would simply focus on the emotion that the problem has caused within you. Working with this technique is an excellent way to eradicate guilt, shame and other uncomfortable and embarrassing emotions.