Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool to empower lasting changes, self-improvement, relaxation, and healing.
Often described as “an altered state of consciousness”, hypnosis is a highly relaxed mental state, a state of highly focused attention or concentration in which we bypass the critical mind. Simply put, the mind is relaxed and ready to learn; the mind becomes much more open to suggestion encouraging positive ideas that lead to improvement and help us achieve specific goals. Through hypnosis, we can reframe old beliefs – that giving up smoking, for instance, will be difficult and painful – and replace them with new, more helpful assumptions. Bypassing critical conscious thoughts allows us to get out of our own way and really focus on what we need with clarity; quieting down any chatter, feedback, or questioning that usually comes from the conscious part of our brains.
There is substantial research evidence to support the use of hypnotherapy.
Hypnotherapy is officially endorsed as a therapeutic method by medical, psychiatric, dental, and psychological associations throughout the world.
Since 1955 hypnotherapy has been recognised as an effective treatment by the British Medical Association (BMA). Hypnotherapy has its own entry on the NHS website (although currently only available privately).
Thanks to modern brain imaging technology, research has shown that the brain’s behaviour changes when resting in a hypnotic state. We know that a hypnotic state happens naturally within us at least twice a day. It is a state that we pass through on the way to sleep and the way out of sleep. This relaxed state is achieved when the brain waves reach a certain frequency (scientifically known as alpha brain wave activity) It is a meditative state where we are open and receptive. If we slow the brain waves again, we reach sleep (hence hypnotherapy is very effective in treating sleep disorders).
Hypnotherapy has been found to quieten parts of the brain involved in sensory processing and emotional response, those linked to pain perception and regulation. It has also been found that there is increased brain activity between the brain body connection allowing the brain to process how the body is functioning. Reduced connections are also observed between the part of the brain that connects a person’s actions and their awareness of their actions during hypnotherapy. Quieting down this part of the brain is the key to reducing the conscious mind’s “chatter”, allowing ourselves to take action and achieve our goals.
Hypnosis can help with a wide range of different issues. The most frequent clinical uses of hypnosis include:
Treating fears or phobias
Anxiety management
Pain management
Insomnia
Weight loss
Helping with habits and additions such as smoking & alcohol
Personal development, areas such as performance and public speaking
ADHD
Improving focus
General relaxation
Confidence
Menopausal symptoms
Irritable bowel syndrome
Any myths and misconceptions that surround hypnotherapy mostly stem from ideas about stage hypnotism and how it is depicted in movies.
Hypnosis is a natural state, it is not a state of sleep or unconsciousness.
Hypnosis is not a state of mind control. You cannot be made to do anything against your will. It is not possible become “stuck” in hypnosis. Even if taking part in an online session if technology fails you will “awake” and feel relaxed able to tap in again to the session.
Our brains are complicated and have a complex network for interpreting the world around us. Over time, negative and unhelpful automatic thoughts have worked their way into that network and been unhelpfully stored and connected. Thus, behaviours or thoughts often present themselves together. For example, when we experience stress, we may feel an overwhelming urge to eat, or smoke. The same is true for fears and phobias, our reactions can be extreme because over time negative and unhelpful thoughts have created these strong responses. These unconscious urges are uncontrolled. They happen automatically. Hypnosis enables us to gain control, overcome and dampen these uncontrolled thoughts. Hypnotherapy is a powerful and relaxing tool that can achieve solid, long-lasting results. Hypnotherapy empowers us to believe suggestions that best serve us to be true. This, in turn, enables us to alter our behaviour for the better and achieve our goals.