Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis-Hypnotherapy & Focused Relaxation
Hypnotherapy is often referred too as an ‘alternative therapy’ that uses hypnosis to help clients resolve psychological challenges. Hypnosis—can best be described literally as focused relaxation i.e. you focus on an object or the therapists voice and in doing so, naturally become more relaxed throughout your mind and body — and this practice has been around since humans first began to evolve into more self-aware beings.
You’ve probably experienced a form of self-hypnosis without even realizing it. Have you ever:
Stared into a fire, at the floor, or a screen with your eyes open but not really focused?
Gotten so lost in a film you didn’t hear someone talking to you?
Driven from point A to point B and arrived with no clear memory of the journey?
In each of these cases, your mind entered a natural hypnotic state, where the subconscious took over. This shows how powerful and automatic your mind can be—and why hypnosis can be so effective in therapy.
Hypnotherapy has been used for over 250 years across various cultures and eras. Recognised practitioners throughout history have tapped into hypnosis to bring about real and lasting change.
What can Hypnotherapy be used for?
As a fully qualified Clinical Hypnotherapist of RBCCH, I’ve been practicing locally for over 15 years, helping clients overcome a wide range of issues including:
Clinical Hypnotherapy vs Stage Hypnosis
Clinical Hypnotherapy involves guiding you into a relaxed, focused state—hypnosis—and using therapeutic techniques such as positive suggestion or analysis to help shift thought patterns stored deep in the subconscious mind.
These thoughts often block you from living life the way you want—whether emotionally, mentally, or physically. Hypnotherapy helps reframe and release these blocks, allowing for healthier and more beneficial behaviours.
It’s important to separate Clinical Hypnosis from Stage Hypnosis—the kind you might see in entertainment shows.
Stage Hypnosis is similar to magic: it’s fun, dramatic, and theatrical. It may seem like the hypnotist has full control, but in reality, the participants are always aware and in control of their actions. Most people on stage simply enjoy the spotlight and willingly play along.
In Clinical Hypnotherapy, the goal is transformation—not entertainment. You’re always aware, in control, and fully consenting throughout the process.
Hypnosis – Myths & Common Misbeliefs
- ‘I’ll say something embarrassing or won’t be in control”. You are always in control during Clinical Hypnosis. You are typically very relaxed but nothing more, and therefore will only say what you are comfortable to say or share. Likewise regardless of what is suggested to you, You will only do what your subconscious will allow you or is comfortable for you to do.
- “I might get stuck in a state of Hypnosis!” – There’s nothing or no where for you to get stuck. You are simply relaxed but fully conscious.
- “I might fall asleep or miss something the Therapist says to me”. Clients very very rarely fall asleep. However because you are so relaxed. you might find your mind drifts off and you only suddenly become aware that the Therapist is still speaking to you. But this is where hypnosis is different from a normal conscious, fully awake state. It is the subconscious part of your mind that the Therapist is actually addressing, not the conscious part of your mind that you think with. And the subconscious hears everything!.