Hypnotherapy not entertainment!
Last week, a client came to see me. She was so nervous, it was painful to see – admittedly, she had come for anxiety. She had a great fear that I was ‘going to take control’ of her mind, and make her pretend she was a chicken or some such foolishness. Nothing could be further from the truth. The stage performers have a lot to answer for!
So, what is hypnotherapy, and what can it do for you. The simple and short answer is that it moves people from where they are, to where they want to be. This of course applies to everything, from giving up smoking to losing weight, to regaining a sense of calm, to saving a relationship.
Having settled them in my super comfy chair, my first question will often be,“If I had a magic wand, how would you want to feel when you walked out of my door? What do you want, and where would you like to be?”
I explain that I never try and take control, or impose ways of doing things on them. I harness their imagination to help them realise that there are better and more effective ways to achieve their goals. So for weight loss or smoking, they no longer have to ‘diet’ or go ‘cold turkey’. These methods relying on willpower alone or medical supplements, can often work short term, but then they often return to the habit which has been running them for a long time.
In contrast, hypnosis is a collaborative event, in which the hypnotist becomes the facilitator, not the director. The therapist is just a guide. Furthermore, the temporary abandonment of the conscious mind, with its continuous state of alert, and its replacement with the sub-conscious, is in itself a ‘trip’ that is in itself a pleasurable experience.
When Lorraine came to see me to lose weight, she told me that I would find her a challenge. I quietly explained that if there were to be a challenge, it would be her challenging herself. We had an excellent first session, but she told me at the end of the session that it hadn’t worked, she had heard every word I said, and, although enjoyable, the session had probably been useless.
When she returned the following week, I asked her how the week had gone.
Her reply: “It was really strange. I left thinking the two hours were a waste of time, but I then felt so happy and relaxed during the week. That chocolate, which had been like a magnet for me, now became as interesting as a packet of soap powder. I couldn’t believe how un-hungry I was, but also how quickly I became satisfied with the smaller portions I was choosing and how good the food tasted. Really weird”. We laughed together. To date, Lorraine has lost 20kgs.
And Clare, who has suffered panic attacks and anxiety for the best part of her life, now feels as though she is wearing an invisible coat which is protecting her from outside pressures and stresses. She says she has forgotten what it feels like to panic.
Mike, a 30 cigarettes-a- day smoker, has no longer wanted or needed a cigarette since his first session with me – and so the list goes on…..
So, if you or someone dear to you needs help, don’t hesitate, just give me a call and we can have a quick chat.
Let’s talk. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.
