What is Solution Focused Hypnotherapy?
Solution Focused Hypnotherapy which uses a powerful combination of psychotherapy and hypnosis. It’s based on the latest research from neuroscience and incorporates the very best elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).
Each therapy session begins with a period of psychotherapy, designed to encourage you to think positively, which is extremely beneficial, its effects are enhanced by the application of hypnosis, which enables the subconscious mind to make beneficial changes.
My approach combines Solution Focused Therapy techniques with Brain Based Therapy, which allows you to understand why our brains work to create many unwanted symptoms and behaviours and how we can harness its powers to make lasting and positive changes.
SOLUTION FOCUSED BRIEF THERAPY
Focusing on your future without dwelling on the past. Supports you in finding the small positive steps that helps you move forward.
BRAIN BASED THERAPY
Helping you understand how our minds creates unwanted negative behaviours and symptoms. This knowledge helps you understand how you can harness its power to make lasting changes.
HYPNOTHERAPY
Guided relaxation helping your mind relax and focus on thoughts and suggestions that might be useful to bring about therapeutic change at a subconscious level. A safe, proven and effective tool to achieve lasting positive change.
Free Initial Consultation
What to expect
Your Initial Consultation
The Initial Consultation is free and lasts approximately 30 minutes via a face to face meeting, a Skype call or phone call which ever you prefer. Here I will sit and discuss with you about what you would like to achieve. I will also explain to you how the brain works, and the reasons why can sometimes suffer in the way that we do, and what we can do about it.
*Please note there is a small sausage dog that roams around my practice. Please request for her to be put in her room if required.
Your First Session
In your sessions I will be using a range of methods such as the very best of Solution Focused techniques, Brain based Therapy, CBT and NLP which draw on modern neuroscientific research.
As a Solution Focused Therapist, I follow the basic assumptions that:
We do not need to revisit the past- it is not necessary and can even be unhelpful at times
- Solution Focused Therapy is forward thinking and focuses on positive outcomes for the future
- We will draw on your internal resources to help you judge how the problem is resolve
- I will use Solution Focused Hypnotherapy in order to access the subconscious, so that I can talk about positive outcomes whilst you are in a relaxed state (trance). Trance is very common we go in to it many times a day when we are cooking, gardening, driving etc. – you will be fully in control throughout the session.
More than just hypnosis!
Subsequent hypnotherapy sessions involve much more than just hypnosis. We’ll begin each session talking about your progress, exploring the positive things that have happened. I’ll be encouraging you to express yourself in a positive way, focusing on solutions rather than dwelling on problems. We’ll be imagining how life will be when your problem is gone, when you’re feeling more relaxed, confident and moving towards your goals. Visualising your preferred future gives you a useful perspective on the quality of your life. We’ll then consolidate our discussion using guided relaxation into a state of hypnosis to help bring about the therapeutic change.
What is Psychotherapy?
Also known as a ‘talking therapy’, there are many different kinds of psychotherapy, but they all have a common goal; they aim to help you overcome stress or emotional problems. I practice Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), a type of psychotherapy, which, is at its heart is designed to reduce anxiety.
The good news is that we don’t analyse past problems or their cause, I work with you to focus on your preferred future, helping you develop a more positive outlook on life. If you’re willing to make changes to the way you think, it’s a very effective way of helping resolve the symptoms of anxiety and stress.
Rather than dwell on problems, we focus on solutions and together we’ll:
- Recognise where you are currently today
- Identify where you want to be
- Help you to make small positive changes towards your goal
This positive process can help you think better so you can take control of your thoughts, and as you do, you can begin to feel better and more in control of your activities and behaviours as you move forward.
What is hypnosis like?
We all experience the hypnotic state in our everyday lives, it’s a very natural altered state of awareness and feels very much like daydreaming. Have you driven somewhere and suddenly realised you don’t remember the last few miles or been so engrossed in a book and not been conscious of time passing? If so, you’ve been in a state of focused attention or as we like to call it ‘trance’. I’ll encourage you into this focused state of attention using guided relaxation so that beneficial suggestions can be directed towards your subconscious mind.
What hypnosis isn’t:
No one can hypnotise you against your will. Nobody can make you do anything you don’t want to – your sub-conscious will simply reject any suggestion that is inappropriate for you. Contrary to the image portrayed in films, books and the media, hypnosis doesn’t involve the therapist taking control of your mind! It is not something that I do to you, but rather something that you allow yourself to experience.
What hypnosis is:
Hypnosis is simply a state of focused attention. In this relaxed state, your mind is more responsive to suggestion. In a therapeutic setting, the suggestions are designed to be beneficial to help you change unhelpful thought patterns. Clients often comment about how ‘ordinary’ hypnosis feels – it’s not unlike daydreaming – you can often hear everything that’s being said whilst being in a deeply relaxed state. In fact, you could think of it as guided daydreaming with the benefit of helping you to achieve your preferred future and true potential.
Tracking your progress
As we work together, you’ll have the option of tracking your progress each week by participating in the CPHT Outcomes and Research Project (CORP), which was developed by Matthew Cahill of the Clifton Hypnotherapy Training school. It’s a self-assessment tool which helps you record your progress by rating yourself across seven key areas of life. At each session we’ll take a moment to reflect on your results and many clients find it an effective way to measure their progress.