Frequently Asked Questions

Hypnosis is a state of heightened awareness or focused attention. During hypnosis, you have a better connection to your unconscious mind. Hypnosis is the delivery vehicle for useful messages to your mind. Hypnosis opens up new and different ways of understanding your situation, introduces more helpful thought processes which creates new possibilities and opportunities for you to live the life you want to live.

What does it feel like to be hypnotised and how does it help?

People describe feeling completely relaxed and able to concentrate intently on their thoughts during hypnosis. It is a natural and safe process, just like when you are getting completely absorbed in a book or movie. You remain in full control of your mind and body, awake and aware of your surroundings.

People experience hypnosis in different ways and the experience can vary from session to session. Sometimes you will experience a deeper trance, other times, a lighter trance. The outcome is not dependant on the depth of trance. You decide which suggestions you find useful for you and which ones you will simply ignore.

Our mind is responsible for our physical and mental well-being. By influencing our thoughts in positive ways, we can have control over our lives. We can learn to let go of those thoughts and emotions that do not serve us anymore. We can learn new skills, to make life easier for ourselves. I know that when people are taught specific skills and learn to recognise their inner strengths and potential through hypnosis, improvement is fast! The truth is, we already have most of the resources we need to solve a problem within us, we just don’t always know how to access them, because we are not always consciously aware of them. Hypnosis creates this mind-body connection, unlocking the resources you need to solve a problem.

Why choose hypnotherapy?

  • Hypnotherapy is drug free.

  • You will learn to relax deeply, an important component of staying mentally healthy and strong.

  • Hypnotherapy connects you to inner strengths that you may not be consciously aware of. It helps you take back control over your life.

How does hypnosis and strategic psychotherapy work together?

Hypnosis is not a treatment or therapy in and of itself, but a tool that helps children and adults discover the best of themselves, and then use those resources to cope and thrive. I combine hypnosis with strategic psychotherapy to achieve the best outcomes for you.

Can I be hypnotised?

The only requirement to experience hypnosis in therapy, is an openness to try something new and your trust that I have your best interests at heart. During hypnosis, you will relax deeply and absorb knowledge in a different way. Ideas for more helpful thought processes that make life easier for you, will be integrated more easily into your existing personal strengths, compared to the experience of gaining knowledge from a book you read or what you discuss in therapy.

Hypnosis is not recommended for people with dementia or schizophrenia.

What is strategic psychotherapy?

  • Strategic psychotherapy is brief therapy, usually 4-6 sessions per issue.

  • Strategic psychotherapy is solution orientated. It looks at how a problem is created and maintained, rather than why.

  • Strategic psychotherapy looks at what we can do in the here and now to create a better future for ourselves. You learn new patterns of thinking, feeling or behaving that work better for you. You learn how to do things differently.

  • Strategic psychotherapy is an active process, requiring your cooperation and your willingness to practice new skills, so that you can make the changes you desire.

  • Strategic psychotherapy is not talking about your whole life’s story again when you’re tired of talking. It is about stepping into action, creating change and achieving your desired outcome.

Can I be hypnotised against my will?

You cannot be hypnotised against your will. Even stage hypnosis, which is purely for entertainment and offers no therapy, cannot happen involuntarily. You will be in control of your actions, body and mind at all times. In hypnotherapy I have your best interests at heart and am here to help.

Throughout our time together, you set the goals that you wish to achieve, and I facilitate and support your progress towards them. You are in control.

Why use hypnosis with children and what makes it different or even more effective than any other tool?

You may have seen your child in a trancelike state when they get absorbed in a story, when they draw a picture, build with Lego or when they pretend to be a dog. Children find it very easy to get fully absorbed in the learning experiences that hypnosis can provide them with.

Clinical hypnosis with children is best understood as the deliberate use of this naturally occurring trancelike state. In therapy, we access this natural way of being absorbed in imagination, to create wonderful opportunities for children to discover their own resources and capabilities, to learn new skills and to apply them to the many challenges that growing up brings.

Children can also learn self-hypnosis to help them think ‘on purpose’ to guide thoughts in a more helpful way and to learn to control behaviours. It is very empowering for children and adults alike to find out, that they have so much more control over their own thoughts and feelings than they realised.

Children under the age of 8 usually don’t feel comfortable closing their eyes to focus more deeply, but because of their incredible ability to be fully absorbed in a story, they still benefit from the experience in the same way. In hypnosis your child can safely tackle his/her greatest fears and learn the skills to overcome them.

I will make a recording of each session, so that your child can listen to it regularly and strengthen his/her skills. The recording also gives you, the parent, a chance to hear what we’ve been talking about if you were not present.

Lynn Lyons, a paediatrician and renowned expert on paediatric hypnosis, defines the use of hypnosis with children in the following way:

“I am using hypnosis with a child when I am able to absorb and join a child in an imaginative experience that allows us to alter sensations, change perceptions, shift a perspective, and discover a solution together. The experience itself, the posthypnotic suggestions, and the practicing that follows allow the child to then apply these new skills and perspectives to future situations.” (Using Hypnosis with Children, 2015, p.4)

Where can I find out more?

I highly recommend the following websites: