Treatments

Hypnotherapy offers a gentle and natural way to address a wide range of conditions, some of which are shown below.

If your issue is not covered here please do still get in touch as this list is not exhaustive.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a general feeling of nervousness, unease or worry.  Nearly everyone will feel anxiety at some time or another, but when this builds and continues for a sustained period of time the effects can be debilitating.  Anxiety is perhaps the condition which causes most clients to seek help from hypnotherapy.  Whether it presents in an easily recognisable form such as with  panic attacks, or whether it is less obvious,  many conditions are caused by, or made worse by, some level of anxiety. Using Solution Focused Hypnotherapy techniques I can help you to focus on how you want things to be, calming and  reducing underlying anxiety and gaining a clearer perspective on life.

Insomnia and Sleep Problems

Sleep problems may be either the inability to get to sleep, waking during the night or even the urge to sleep for too long and trouble with waking up.  Sleep is an essential part of keeping our body and mind healthy, and any disruption to sleep lasting longer than a few days will have a significant knock-on effect in many areas of our health and well-being. Using hypnotherapy we can address the underlying reasons for your sleep issues and help get you back into healthy and restful sleep patterns.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IBS is considered a biopsychosocial disorder –  meaning having elements associated not only with the physical functioning of the body, but also psychological factors such as stress and anxiety, as well as potential social influences.  It is recognised that IBS is exacerbated by stress and anxiety, perhaps initially caused by external factors but then also by the additional worry about the symptoms.   In this way a vicious circle is created where anxiety causes a worsening of symptoms, leading to further anxiety, which in turn further amplifies the physical aspects of the condition.  Hypnotherapy works by helping to break this cycle through processing existing fears and anxieties which contribute to symptoms and reducing the negative thinking which perpetuates anxiety.

Phobias

A phobia is an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something. When a phobia starts to affect the way you live your life, or stops you from doing something you want or need to do it’s time to do something about it. Phobias are created by negative templates stored in the sub-conscious mind. Hypnotherapy works by removing and replacing these with different patterns which give you an alternative and positive response to the situation that would previously have triggered your phobia. It is perhaps reassuring to know that in Solution Focused Hypnotherapy we do not use aversion techniques.

Weight Management

Weight management is sometimes seen as a simple equation – eat less and move around more.  However where food and eating are concerned it may not be that simple.  There are many different factors at play – both psychological and physiological – which can take more than a simple diet and exercise plan to resolve.  In particular weight issues can often have a complex relationship with stress, anxiety, depression & the related neurotransmitters and behaviours.  A short term approach of diet restrictions and enforced exercise will have an effect in the short term. However unless the underlying issues are addressed the likelihood is that the problem will return once the regime is relaxed.  Hypnotherapy offers a rounded approach, seeking to explain and deal with psychological issues that are contributing to the problem, and also gently address patterns and habits to help you achieve your aims for the long term.  

If you believe you are suffering from a medical condition it is important that you visit your doctor to obtain a diagnosis and rule out any other causes for your symptoms.

While Hypnotherapy can be used in a positive way to make changes in your life, it is important to note that it does require input from you too.  Hypnotherapy is not something that is done to you, but is a collaboration between you and your hypnotherapist. Success depends on your own commitment, determination and willingness to change.

My promise is to match your commitment to help you make the changes you want to make.

Am I Going Mad?
It's been the strangest couple of  years - more so than any in living memory perhaps. It's particularly striking at the moment how many of my clients are people who have never experienced poor mental health previously.  Those who have always regarded themselves as strong, capable people now genuinely concerned ... Read more
Hidden Anxiety
I am often asked 'What is the most common reason people seek you out?'. Without a doubt it's some form of anxiety.  Anxiety has a sneaky way of hiding itself in a range of seemingly unrelated symptoms. We’re probably all familiar with the immediate physical symptoms of anxiety – the ... Read more

Am I Going Mad?

It’s been the strangest couple of  years – more so than any in living memory perhaps. It’s particularly striking at the moment how many of my clients are people who have never experienced poor mental health previously.  Those who have always regarded themselves as strong, capable people now genuinely concerned at their own inability to deal with things they would usually take in their stride.

If this sounds like you I would like to reassure you, you are not going mad.

This is a real concern that I’ve heard more than once during recent sessions. It’s a very rewarding part of my job to be able to explain what’s happening, how we can start to put it right, and to see the relief that this explanation brings.

The fact is that brains change all the time (neuroplasticity), and the experiences of the last 18 months have inevitably changed some parts of the brain, often in ways that we find unhelpful.  Approached in the right way we can take conscious control of some of these changes and effectively reshape our own brain to work in the way that we want.  At the same time we can harness the power of the subconscious to work with us rather than against us.

In every first consultation with a new client I take time to explain some of the science of why the brain behaves as it does, and the steps we can take to influence our own mental state.

Many new clients find this extremely useful even before any treatment begins, as understanding it immediately puts them more in control.  We then follow this up with gentle and focused techniques to help the brain return to normal service, and to help them return to being the strong, capable person they really are.

Hidden Anxiety

I am often asked ‘What is the most common reason people seek you out?’.

Without a doubt it’s some form of anxiety.  Anxiety has a sneaky way of hiding itself in a range of seemingly unrelated symptoms.

We’re probably all familiar with the immediate physical symptoms of anxiety – the racing heart, feeling short of breath, a churning stomach or feeling hot and sweaty.

However, in the longer-term anxiety can manifest in a multitude of other ways, some without an obvious connection to our state of mind.   Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a classic example of this, but other physical complaints such as difficulty sleeping, migraines, skin conditions, over-sensitivity to pain or noise, high blood pressure etc. can equally have their foundation in anxiety.

And the list goes on.  Traits that we sometimes regard as part of who we are can also be indications that anxiety levels are running higher than is healthy.  Lack of confidence, fear of change, inability to stand up for yourself, fear of driving, phobias, discomfort in social situations, inability to cope with the simplest of challenges, becoming withdrawn or bad-tempered are just some of the clues that tell us that all is not well.

There is sometimes a perception that “well that’s just how I am”, however by working together in sessions we can often address underlying anxiety, achieving positive changes in areas of life where perhaps a change was least expected.

It’s unlikely any of us will ever be in a situation where there are no potential causes of stress, but we can help ourselves get to a more robust mental state so that we can cope better and alleviate some of the many possible symptoms of stress and anxiety.