Hypnotherapy and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) can help with common challenges such as weight reduction, smoking cessation, phobias, stress and anxiety. Hypnosis and NLP often facilitates profound, lasting changes for people that helps them overcome addictions and issues that they have struggled with for many years. With the freedom that comes from overcoming these types of issues clients go on to achieve personal challenges and goals that they previously never believed was truly possible.
Hypnosis & Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is not a state of deep sleep. It does involve the induction of a trance-like condition, but when in it, the patient is actually in an enhanced state of awareness, concentrating entirely on the hypnotist's voice. In this state, the conscious mind is suppressed and the subconscious mind is revealed. The therapist is able to suggest ideas, concepts and lifestyle adaptations to the patient, the seeds of which become firmly planted. Hypnotherapy aims to re-programme patterns of behaviour within the mind, enabling irrational fears, phobias, negative thoughts and suppressed emotions to be overcome. As the body is released from conscious control during the relaxed trance-like state of hypnosis, breathing becomes slower and deeper, the pulse rate drops and the metabolic rate falls.
How does it work?
Hypnosis alters our state of consciousness in such a way that the analytical left-hand side of the brain is turned off, while the non-analytical right-hand side is made more alert. The conscious control of the mind is inhibited, and the subconscious mind awoken. Since the subconscious mind is a deeper-seated, more instinctive force than the conscious mind, this is the part which has to change for the patient's behaviour and physical state to alter. For example, a patient who consciously wants to overcome their fear of spiders may try everything they consciously can to do it, but will still fail as long as their subconscious mind retains this terror and prevents the patient from succeeding. Progress can only be made by reprogramming the subconscious so that deep-seated instincts and beliefs are abolished or altered.
What form does the treatment take?
Firstly, any misconceptions about hypnosis are dispelled. The technique does not involve being put into a deep sleep, and you cannot be made to do anything you would not ordinarily do. You remain fully aware of the surroundings and situation, and are not vulnerable to any commands of the therapist. The important thing is that you want to change some behavioural habit or addiction and that you are highly motivated to do so.
What problems can be treated by hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy can be applied to many psychological, emotional and physical disorders. It is used to relieve pain in surgery and dentistry and has proved to be of benefit in obstetrics. It can shorten the delivery stage of labour and reduce the need for painkillers. It has been shown to help people to overcome addictions such as smoking and alcoholism, and to help with bulimia. Children are generally easy to hypnotise and can be helped with nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting) and chronic asthma, whilst teenagers can conquer stammering or blushing problems which can otherwise make their lives miserable. Phobias of all kinds lend themselves well to hypnotherapy, and anyone suffering from panic attacks or obsessional compulsive behaviour, and stress-related problems like insomnia, may benefit.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
NLP does not have a model of "problem" and "solution" but instead is based upon helping clients to overcome their own self-perceived, or subjective, problems rather than those that others may feel they have. It seeks to do this while respecting their own capabilities and wisdom to choose additional goals as they learn more about their problems, and modify and specify those goals further as a result. The approach does not focus on the past, but instead, focuses on the present and future.
