Hypnotherapy
Change that begins below the surface
About hypnosis
At its heart, hypnosis is a deep state of relaxation together with a heightened focus. While clinical hypnosis happens in a therapeutic setting, we naturally enter a hypnotic state many times throughout the day. It’s losing an hour to a task you’re focused on, the absorption of a good book or film. It’s that loose, drifting few moments before falling asleep.
Clinically we can harness this natural state to facilitate change - you remain in control, my voice simply a guide.
What’s happening underneath
Breaking old thought patterns can be really challenging, especially when your unconscious tries to remind you of automatic responses and beliefs that were formed a long time ago. That’s because its job is to keep things steady and predictable, running on what’s worked before.
We can understand something intellectually and still find ourselves responding in the same old way. That’s because not everything that shapes how we feel and respond is available to conscious thought. That’s why insight alone so often isn’t enough.
It can feel like trying to steer from the passenger seat.
Hypnosis offers a way of working with some of those more automatic patterns, using focused attention, imagery and the imagination to explore possibilities that can be difficult to reach through thinking alone.
How we’ll work
Sessions are built around you, using imagery and metaphor drawn from your own world and from whatever you bring to the work as it unfolds.
We’ll go at your pace and you’ll stay in charge of what we approach and when, so you needn’t talk about anything you’re not ready to.
Hypnosis can stand on its own or sit alongside other approaches, and drawing on my psychotherapeutic training I’ll bring in whatever’s useful as we go. That may be parts work (I’m IFS-informed), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Polyvagal Theory, NLP or Somatic Experiencing - to help you create the changes you want.
Getting started
I offer all prospective clients a free 20 minute discovery call, either on the phone or via Zoom. It’s a chance to ask any questions you may have, and hear a little more about how I work so you can get a sense of whether I’m a good fit for you.