FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Is hypnotherapy right for me? If you’re experiencing anxiety, stress or difficulty sleeping, if you’ve got stuck in unhelpful habits, lost your motivation or are experiencing IBS symptoms and you genuinely wish to change and are willing to meet the therapy half-way, then hypnosis is very likely right for you. I’m happy to talk things through with you so you can make up your mind – please feel free to contact me for a no-obligation consultation. You may also find the free hypnosis recordings on this site helpful in giving you a feel for hypnosis. What does hypnosis feel like? Hypnosis is often a deeply relaxing experience. It can feel slightly different to different people and at different times. Sometimes you may hear the hypnotherapist’s voice and external sounds throughout; at other times, you might drift off and not consciously hear anything. Occasionally, people feel that only ten minutes have passed, when in fact half an hour or more has gone. Every experience is individual, but people frequently report that the relaxed, calm feeling remained with them long after the session ended. Will I be conscious during hypnosis? Yes, you’ll be conscious. It can feel very similar to what you might experience when you’re engrossed in a book or a film: you are consciously aware of the outside world but it seems a little further away. Will I lose control? No. The objective is for you to gain more control and you will accept only the suggestions that align with your values and that are beneficial to you. The popular portrayal of hypnosis in films as external mind-control is misleading and done for dramatic effect. Similarly, while the control demonstrated in stage hypnosis is a useful reminder of the power of hypnosis, it is worth bearing in mind that the volunteers are there out of a desire to be entertained and to entertain their friends. If you choose hypnosis to improve your life, then this factor is not present and you will find you will have better control over your mind. Will I be made to do strange, embarrassing things in hypnosis? Nobody can be made to do anything they do not wish to do. Although we are communicating directly with the subconscious mind during hypnosis, the conscious mind is always present. This means that you are always in complete control and can choose to open your eyes and end the trance at any time you wish. Can I get stuck in hypnosis? No. It is impossible to ‘get stuck’ in trance. As with daydreaming or focussing on an activity, people either come out of their trance when something demands their conscious attention, or the relaxation deepens until they fall asleep. In a clinically-induced trance, I will count you gradually out of the trance so that you emerge feeling refreshed, alert and ready to get on with the rest of your day. Can I be hypnotised if I'm sceptical? As long as you are willing to follow instructions that are beneficial to you, then yes. In fact, in all the years I have been practising as a hypnotherapist, I have encountered many sceptics. The vast majority have walked away astounded at the power of their minds and delighted with the changes they have been able to make as a result. What happens in the sessions? During the first session, I take a detailed personal history and we discuss your specific goals in order to establish the most effective approach for you. You will also experience hypnosis as I talk you into a deep state of relaxation, make positive suggestions to your subconscious mind that have been tailored to your needs, and then count you slowly back into full alertness. Upon trance termination, there usually follows a reflection stage in which we discuss the experience and outline any further treatment where it is felt to be necessary. Any subsequent sessions will begin with a discussion of how things have improved, followed by further work in hypnosis. I sometimes give homework assignments to support you between sessions and, depending on the issue you are seeking treatment for or the stage of treatment, I will give you a free recording of the session that you can listen to at home in order to further reinforce the positive changes. Can I have hypnotherapy online? Certainly. A lot of people choose online hypnosis – particularly in the last few years as many people feel more comfortable with online platforms such as Zoom. The therapy is the same, the experience of hypnosis is very similar (how often have you drifted off a little during an online meeting or a phone call?) and it can be more convenient as there is no need to travel, find a parking space etc. For more information, see Online Hypnotherapy. Is hypnotherapy suitable if I've tried everything else? Yes. In fact, people often come to hypnosis as the last resort. Which is a bit of a shame; I’ve had people tell me that if they’d tried it earlier, they would have saved themselves often years of struggle. Nothing is lost, though; I believe that we learn something from every experience we have and different therapies and approaches can provide us with a variety of tools we can use. What if I don't relax easily? Most people describe hypnosis as relaxing – and I’ve often worked with people who are astonished afterwards at how deeply they were able to relax, even though their mind may have been chattering and fidgeting initially. This is completely normal. Hypnosis is more than relaxation, though, it is about narrowing the focus of your mind – on a sensation, a story, a visualisation etc. If you can drift off, get absorbed in a book or tv programme, or focus on a feeling or a memory or a fantasy to the point where everything else just seems less important for a while, then you can be hypnotised. The relaxation is largely a rather nice, though not necessary by-product of hypnosis. Do I need to put in any effort? Yes, all successful therapy requires commitment, so come prepared to work and make changes. Hypnotherapy is very powerful and helps you achieve lasting results. It is not magic, though, and change is all about choice. You decide how much work to put in to get the benefits you desire. You need to be open and honest, and you need to complete any tasks that are given to you. How many sessions will I need? It depends on the individual and the particular issue. Sometimes people will find their issue is resolved completely after just one or two sessions, but other people may feel that they need more sessions to really get to where they want to be. The reason I offer packages of 3 and 5 sessions for most things is that experience has shown me this is the number most commonly required; most clients I see for a single issue come for 3-6 sessions, usually once a week, but this is flexible depending on the work we are doing. After finding out more about you and how you respond in the initial session, I will be able to advise you as to the likely number of sessions you will need in order to achieve your goals to your satisfaction. We will then regularly evaluate your progress and decide together whether you would benefit from further sessions. Do you give me a recording? Yes. I record the hypnosis part of sessions and email the link to my clients so that they can listen to reinforce suggestions and practise techniques between and after sessions. I have had clients from years ago tell me they still listen and benefit from the recordings they received. Can hypnotherapy help with IBS? Yes. It is very important to consult a medical practitioner first in order to rule out any other causes of the symptoms. Once that has been done, hypnotherapy is an excellent tool for helping manage IBS symptoms, cope with the anxiety and fear around it and even gently reintroduce the digestive system to the comfortable and natural processes it ran automatically before the IBS began. For more information on how I can help you with IBS, see the page on this site dedicated to Irritable Bowel Syndrome or contact me. Can hypnotherapy help with emotional eating? Yes. It is one of the key things we use hypnosis for when using it for weight loss. Most of us know what we should be eating, but when we are feeling sad, angry, anxious – and sometimes even when we’re feeling happy and celebrating something – the rational part of the mind gets hijacked by our emotional state, making it harder to choose wisely. Hypnotherapy not only calms the mind and puts us back in control, it can also be used to reprogramme our eating habits so that we no longer react to the emotional cues in the same way. If you'd like more information on how you can use hypnotherapy for weight loss , please see my page here or contact me. Can hypnotherapy support people living with cancer? Hypnotherapy cannot claim to cure any illness. However, it can and does help alleviate the pain, discomfort and anxiety that are often caused by such illnesses. The Cancer Research UK website includes details of why people with cancer use hypnotherapy alongside their medical treatment. This does not mean hypnotherapy is a treatment for cancer. If seeking treatment for any physical or mental illness or chronic pain, it is essential that you seek your doctor’s advice and bring a referral letter with you to the hypnotherapy session (I can provide a template for this, if you like).

Didn’t find your question here?

What would you like to know?

Please contact me and I will be happy to answer your queries.

Book your free 20-minute consultation