Therapy and Coaching for Lasting Change
Sometimes we need a little help...
What is Clinical Hypnotherapy?
Clinical Hypnotherapy involves the use of hypnosis for the purpose of therapy which, by the way, is somewhat different to using hypnosis for entertainment!
Hypnosis or "trance" as it is sometimes called, is a totally natural state of mind that we all experience frequently without being aware of it. Most of us have had times when we seem to have "tuned out" to our surroundings or lost track of time, such as when we are totally engrossed in a really gripping book or movie or when we almost miss our exit on the freeway because our mind was "elsewhere". These instances are in fact experiences of the "hypnotic" state.
As your your focus shifts from the outside world and you gain a heightened sense of internal awareness, it usually feels quite effortless to concentrate on almost anything you wish to. During hypnotherapy, you and your therapist will be using this heightened sense of awareness to help you to explore aspects of any issue that has been troubling you.
Hypnotherapy is not a "cure-all" but it can be a very effective method of therapy for a great many issues where psychological factors are involved and most people find that hypnosis is a very comfortable and relaxed state during which they can experience an astonishing sense of clarity and well being.
It is important to remember that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis: your hypnotherapist doesn't "hypnotise" you as such but guides you into a state of self-hypnosis and you can enter or leave this altered state of consciousness at your will and use it only to do what you want to do.
How Does Hypnosis Work?
There is a huge amount of experiential evidence that hypnosis works but nobody can explain scientifically exactly how it does. The predominant school of thought is that hypnosis is a way to access your subconscious mind directly.
Normally, we are only aware of the thought processes in our conscious mind, for example we consciously think over the problems that are right in front of us, we consciously choose words as we speak or we consciously try to remember where we left our keys. In doing all these things however, our conscious mind is working hand-in-hand with our subconscious mind, the unconscious part of our mind that does "behind the scenes" thinking. Our subconscious mind accesses the vast reservoir of information that lets us solve problems, construct sentences or locate our keys. It puts together plans and ideas and runs them by our conscious mind. During hypnosis, the deep relaxation and focusing exercises undertaken seem to work to calm and subdue the conscious mind so that it takes a less active role in the thinking process. In this state, we're still aware of what's going on, but our conscious mind takes a back seat to our subconscious mind. Effectively, this allows us and the hypnotherapist to work directly with our subconscious almost as if the process opens a control panel inside our brain.
The theory that the hypnotherapist can communicate directly with our subconscious has gained wide acceptance and it's as if the hypnotherapist's suggestions are coming directly from the subconscious, rather than from another person. We react to the ideas and suggestions presented just as we would to our own thoughts. Of course, our subconscious mind does have a conscience, a survival instinct and its own ideas, so it won't agree to any suggestions that run contrary to our values, our safety or our intentions or desires.
This theory of hypnosis is based mostly on logical reasoning, but there is some physiological evidence that supports it. The most notable data comes from electroencephalographs (EEGs), measurements of the electrical activity of the brain. Extensive EEG research has demonstrated that brains produce different brain waves and rhythms of electrical voltage, depending on their mental state. Deep sleep has a different rhythm than dreaming, for example, and full alertness has a different rhythm than relaxation.
In some studies, EEGs from subjects under hypnosis showed a boost in the lower frequency waves associated with dreaming and sleep, and a drop in the higher frequency waves associated with full wakefulness. Brain-wave information is not a definitive indicator of how the mind is operating, but this pattern does fit the hypothesis that the conscious mind backs off during hypnosis and the subconscious mind takes a more active role.
Researchers have also studied patterns in the brain's cerebral cortex that occur during hypnosis. In these studies, hypnotic subjects showed reduced activity in the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex, while activity in the right hemisphere often increased. Neurologists believe that the left hemisphere of the cortex is the logical control centre of the brain; it operates on deduction, reasoning and convention. The right hemisphere, in contrast, controls imagination and creativity. A decrease in left-hemisphere activity fits with the hypothesis that hypnosis subdues the conscious mind's inhibitory influence. Conversely, an increase in right-brain activity supports the idea that the creative, impulsive subconscious mind takes the reins.
This is by no means conclusive evidence, but it does lend credence to the idea that hypnosis opens up the subconscious mind and the purpose of any of the techniques your hypnotherapist will use with you is to allow you easier access to subconscious emotional drivers that may be the root cause of thinking and behaviour patterns that you would like to change. Working together with you at this deeper emotional level, your therapist will use a variety of hypnotherapy techniques including suggestion therapy, hypnoanalysis, parts therapy and regression therapy.
What is hypnosis like? Will I be asleep? Who controls my mind?
When you are hypnotised you are not asleep: you will feel very relaxed but at the same time you are in fact mentally quite alert. True, you are in a "hypnotised" state but it's very similar to the daydream state we all slip into quite easily and quite often.
As for the issue of "control", the idea that a hypnotist has power over a hypnotised person is a product of
You cannot be "made" to do or say anything against your will.
Should a hypnotherapist make an unwelcome or inappropriate suggestion, you would reject it or become fully alert.
A competent hypnotherapist will be able to answer any questions you may have so that you can feel quite comfortable with the idea of hypnosis and gain the maximum benefits of using this safe and effective form of therapy with confidence and ease.
Five Good Reasons to Consult a Hypnotherapist
These days, people are taking more responsibility for their own well-being. They look around and see a huge choice of practitioners. Why should they turn to a hypnotherapist?
1. BROAD SCOPE. Hypnotherapy can help with anything in which the mind has an influence so its range is far wider than is sometimes thought. Today's hypnotherapists work from an understanding of the mind and of the mind-body connection that is based on modern neuroscience. This enables them to work successfully with problems such as pain control, IBS and the stress/anxiety response as well as continuing to work in the more traditional areas of fears and phobias and habit control such as smoking and nail-biting. With the increase in obesity statistics in recent times, more and more people are using hypnotherapy to identify and resolve underlying psychological barriers to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.
2. SCIENTIFIC BACKING. Hypnotherapy is supported by more scientific research than any other complementary therapy. (The Which? Guide to Complementary Therapies, 2002).
3. FAST RESULTS . Using a very light state of trance, similar to day-dreaming, or absorption in a book or TV programme, means that change can take place more quickly than with other therapies. This means treatment is often surprisingly brief, comprising only a few sessions.
4. TAILOR-MADE. Each client's perceptions and experiences are different so a well trained hypnotherapist will give you designer service, as opposed to “off-the-peg”. They will listen carefully to what is currently going on for you and what you'd like to change and tailor the techniques they use according to your unique personality and context. This personalised approach cannot be emulated via mass-market tapes or CDs.
5. HIGH STANDARDS. Hypnotherapists who are registered with a relevant professional association have received a high standard of training and work to a comprehensive Code of Ethics and Practice. They are also required to undertake ongoing professional development each year to ensure that they are continually refreshing and broadening their knowledge and skills.
Does Hypnotherapy Work for Weight Loss?
and lost 789 pounds. By all accounts I should be
hanging from a charm bracelet!"
The simple truth is that calories consumed minus calories burned equals either weight loss, weight gain or no change. It's not complicated so why do so many people find it so hard to do something which is, in theory, so easy?
The more complex truth is that the relationship you have with food has been programmed into your subconscious mind and if you eat when you are not hungry, then all the other reasons you are feeding yourself have become part of this programming. Furthermore, if the associations in your subconscious mind about diets or dieting include misery, guilt, deprivation and failure, then you can expect more of the same if you start another diet.
So what can you do? If what you have tried in the past hasn’t worked, you need to do something different.
Hypnotherapy is an extremely effective vehicle for “re-programming” the subconscious mind to allow you to change your relationship with food and I have helped many people lose unwanted kilos. In August 2005, Australian reporter for the ABC TV science programme “Catalyst”, Paul Willis, put hypnosis to the test himself for weight loss and found it easy to lose 5 kilos in a month. Indeed, since the broadcast of this particular programme on the ABC, many of my Australian colleagues and I are experiencing a noticeable increase in the number of enquiries we receive for hypnotherapy in general and about hypnosis for weight loss in particular.
Transcript of August 2005 "Catalyst" broadcast on Hypnosis
Findings of some of the research concerning the effectiveness of hypnosis for weight loss
Using Hypnotherapy to Quit Smoking
"Giving up smoking is easy. I've done it hundreds of times!"
(Mark Twain)
One of the first things that most people will think of when they think of hypnosis is that for many years, hypnosis has been used as a very effective way to stop smoking.
In October 1992 New Scientist Magazine published the results of an extensive clinical study carried out at the
"The results, published in the current issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology, show that the average success rate for all methods was 19 per cent: that is, only about one in five smokers is likely to succeed using methods covered by the study. Patients told that they had serious cardiac disorders, and so a clear incentive to stop immediately, had the highest quitting rate, at 36 per cent. But for most smokers the most effective technique was hypnosis, in which smokers go into a state of deep relaxation and listen to suggestive tapes. The analysis of treatment by hypnosis, which included 48 studies covering over 6000 smokers, gave an average success rate of 30 per cent for this method. 'Combination' techniques, combining, for example, exercise and breathing therapy, came second with a success rate of 29 per cent. Smoke aversion, in which smokers have their own warm, stale cigarette smoke blown back into their faces, achieved a 25 per cent success rate, followed by acupuncture at 24 per cent. The least successful method turned out to be advice from GPs, which appears to convince virtually no one to give up. Sheer willpower proved little better, with a success rate of only 6 per cent. Self-help, in the form of books or mail-order advice, achieved modest success - around 9 per cent, while nicotine gum was a little better at 10 per cent." (From issue 1845 of New Scientist magazine, 31 October 1992, page 6)
It is worth remembering that published studies provide "indications" rather than "predictions" and it is impossible to "predict" or "guarantee" the outcome of clinical hypnotherapy for an individual. Having said that, the general indication of this research seems to be that you are 5 times more likely to quit smoking using hypnosis rather than willpower and 3 times more likely to quit smoking using hypnosis rather than nicotine gum.
It is also worth noting that the above results included hypnosis studies incorporating the use of hypnosis tapes as well as clinical sessions with a qualified hypnotherapist. Research findings indicate that clinical sessions which are specifically tailored to the client are generally far more effective than mass market CDs so it is likely that the success rate for clinical hypnotherapy is probably considerably higher than the percentage suggested by the University of Iowa study.
When you make the decision to use hypnosis to quit smoking, as you shop around to find a hypnotherapist to help you quit, you will find a variety of approaches ranging from a single-session to programmes of five or more sessions. My experience has led me to develop an approach which might be described as somewhere in the middle and usually comprises three sessions.
Your first session with me is an intensive “preparation session” lasting approximately an hour and a half. About a week later you will have the actual “quit session” and two to three weeks after that you have the option to come for a “relapse prevention session” (which you may well feel you don’t need and which you can then cancel with 48 hours’ notice). I offer this third session because the honest truth is that some people who have quit smoking for a period of time can and do relapse and the available research indicates that being forewarned and forearmed against relapse is important in long term success.
In cases where there are more complex underlying issues associated with a person’s commitment to stopping smoking, additional sessions may be required to deal with these issues.
Therapy and Coaching for Lasting Change in Williamstown is 15 minutes from Melbourne and within 30 minutes of many inner city and western suburbs including Port Melbourne, Albert Park, South Melbourne, Newport, Altona, Kingsville, Seabrook, Spotswood, Footscray, Yarraville, Sunshine, Maribyrnong, Keilor, Taylors Lakes, Essendon, Moonee Ponds, Hoppers Crossing, Werribee, Laverton and Point Cook.
