Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer online hypnotherapy?
Yes. Offering remote, online treatment sessions to clients has always been an option for individuals unable to access a clinic. However, with the recent restrictions imposed on us due to covid-19, providing remote hypnotherapy via online video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, or Skype is a great alternative to face to face sessions.
There are many benefits of offering hypnotherapy online: it is convenient and accessible for all, irrespective of geography or mobility issues and can be offered from the comfort of your own home, which many people find relaxing in itself. It goes without saying that online hypnotherapy is not the same as face to face , but the real question is whether it is effective? To date, the majority of research into the effectiveness of internet based therapy has been focused on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with studies suggesting that online CBT work is a viable and effective alternative to face to face treatment (Ruwaard et al,. 2011). Specifically related to hypnotherapy, Hasan et al, 2019 conducted a study comparing a group of patients being treated with hypnotherapy for IBS - one group being delivered treatment via Skype, with the other group of patients being delivered hypnotherapy in person. Although a small scale study, it offers evidence that online hypnotherapy, whilst not as effective as face to face, does indeed achieve significant improvements, which is reassuring to know. And like all things, having a positive mindset and committing to a process greatly helps.
What is Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy?
Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy (CBH) is an effective, goal-focused form of hypnotherapy that can help to manage and overcome individual problems and challenges by changing the way we think, feel and behave, in a more positive way. It is essentially the integration of hypnosis with modern social, cognitive and behavioural psychology and benefits from a strong evidence base to support its use in the treatment of certain conditions, such as feelings of stress or anxiety, as well as to help manage certain physical ailments.
What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis can be described as an active process of focused attention on a particular idea, or suggestion (typically guided by the therapist) where you become so absorbed in something imagined that your body responds as if it’s actually happening, thereby increasing receptivity to therapeutic change work.
Therapeutic hypnosis creates a context where you can use your imagination to evoke positive emotions, rehearse behaviour change and absorb new ideas and new possibilities more easily. It creates a means to learn alternative ways of thinking about things, as well as to discover resources within you that you had forgotten, or didn’t know you had. The suggestions delivered in hypnosis are a means of experiencing certain helpful ideas at a level profound enough to directly influence your emotions and behaviour, at a therapeutic level. It is empowering and gives people a sense of control over their experience.
Hypnosis was recognised as an effective treatment by the British Medical Association (BMA) and American Medical Association (AMA) in the 1950s and, more recently, by the American Psychological Association (for obesity) and NICE guidance (for IBS) used by the NHS.
What hypnosis isn’t…
Hypnosis is not a state of sleep or unconsciousness. Roughly 90% of people report being aware of everything that happens, and relaxation helps but is not essential.
Hypnosis is definitely not a state of mind control and you cannot be made to do anything against your will. It is a collaborative process in which you must want to accept the suggested ideas and actively imagine responding to them to experience their beneficial effects.
Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy is nothing like comedy/stage hypnosis, which has little to do with clinical hypnotherapy. You are always in control and would never do anything you didn’t want to do.
What approach does Mindhub Hypnotherapy use?
My training at the Anglo European College of Therapeutic Hypnosis covered a wide number of approaches to hypnotherapy and opened my eyes to the importance and benefits of using evidence based treatments, i.e. treatments that have been researched and demonstrate success with clients. My preferred style of hypnotherapy is cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy (CBH), although I may combine this with other treatment approaches. Being a therapist who adopts an evidence based practice is important to me because I want my clients to be fully aware of the service they are engaging in and the success with which hypnotherapy treats certain conditions.
What is NLP?
NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) offers a practical way of achieving positive changes by understanding how our mind works and how we do what we do in life. It refers to the relationship between our mind (neuro), the language we use to communicate with ourselves and others (linguistic) and how this in turn affects our bodies and our behaviour (programming). It can help to increase self-awareness and the ability to change our thinking to achieve different results in life. The more choices we have, the more chance we have of success.
What can hypnosis help to treat?
Hypnosis can help with a wide range of different issues, with clinical evidence and research tending to provide most support for its use in:
Anxiety management
Pain management
Overcoming sleep disorders
Treating certain psychosomatic or stress-related illnesses, such as IBS.
Hypnosis is also used with success in a number of other areas, including enhancing performance, conquering fears or phobias, overcoming unwanted habits, boosting confidence or self esteem and smoking cessation and weight management.
My primary areas of interest and those which I work with clients the most are: anxiety, women’s health (menopause symptoms), performance coaching and insomnia.
Can anyone be hypnotised?
Anyone can, in principle, be hypnotised, if they wish to be. There are some individuals who if diagnosed with certain conditions, are contra-indicated to hypnotherapy treatment (these may include individuals who are delusional or hallucinatory, actively abusing drugs or alcohol, people suffering with dementia and those with suicidal tendencies). This will be covered in the initial consultation and assessment session where I take a detailed case history to identify any instances where treating with hypnotherapy would be considered inappropriate.
What can I expect from a treatment session?
Before starting any hypnotherapy, I offer a free phone consultation to discuss the issue for which you are seeking help, as well as your goals for therapy. This helps me understand how the problem is affecting your life and whether hypnotherapy would be a suitable treatment approach to help you make the desired changes. After this and prior to our first meeting and assessment session I will collect some contact details from you, information about your health and lifestyle, as well as some further details about the particular issue you’re experiencing and your treatment objectives; all of which helps to inform me and tailor the subsequent assessment session to your needs.
The purpose of the assessment session then, is for us to discuss the above information so that we reach a shared understanding of the problem and your goals for therapy. This helps ensure I have as much relevant information as possible in order to make the best decisions about our treatment plan.
In order to gain the most benefit from our sessions, it really helps if you are as honest and candid as possible so that I can build up an accurate picture of the presenting problem and start to formulate ideas about how we can treat it, in order to achieve your therapy goals.
The assessment session is also where we discuss confidentiality, what hypnotherapy and hypnosis is and clarify your understanding of the process, in particular in relation to my preferred approach of cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy. I will explain what your role and my role is throughout the process, so that you have a clear idea of what to expect and a solid understanding of why we do it. The more you understand and engage with the therapeutic process, the more you will benefit from our sessions together. You will have an experience of hypnosis and come away with a good understanding of how you can develop a good hypnotic mindset and use your imagination to further benefit your experience of hypnotherapy.
After the assessment session and based on our shared understanding of the problem and your treatment goals, I will email you a treatment plan proposal for you to review and feed back on, from which we will base subsequent therapy sessions. Each session will typically start by reviewing your progress, discussing any feedback, homework exercises and checking progress against our therapy goals and the treatment plan, adapting it where necessary. We will use hypnotherapy to deliver therapeutic interventions that leave you feeling more empowered, positive and in control of your life. Hypnotherapy can also be very relaxing. At the end of each session we will discuss your experience of it, with an opportunity to ask any questions. I really value your honest feedback, so I welcome any comments that can make your experience of hypnotherapy as enjoyable and beneficial as possible.
Why do I need to do homework?
‘Homework’ tends to remind people of school and can have associations with being an onerous task... I prefer to think of any tasks assigned during our therapy sessions as self-care tasks, which we will agree upon at the end of each session to help embed any changes in your mind and to ensure that you make progress even when we are not together. Whatever we call it, these exercises are a necessary part of the programme. In order to derive the most benefit from hypnotherapy, it is essential to understand that hypnosis is a collaborative process and requires commitment from you to complete the exercises we discuss, as part of the treatment plan.
It is my aim to equip you with new skills, resources and a new found awareness which you can apply to any challenges you may encounter, long after you have left the therapy room. So, I will do my absolute best to help you meet your therapy goals and all you have to do is commit to doing any psychological tasks, self-hypnosis techniques I teach you, or exercises so as to increase your chances of successful therapy. Of course, I appreciate that sometimes life gets in the way, which is why we review progress at the start of each session and discuss any barriers to progress, should they arise, and how we can overcome them.
How many sessions will I need?
Hypnotherapy usually requires more than one session in order to be successful. Your treatment plan is tailored to you, so it’s hard to pin down an exact number of sessions. However, it is probably one of the briefest forms of psychological therapy, and in clinical studies the average number of sessions is around 4-6, but may require more, depending on the nature of the presenting issue. The first session, the assessment session, lasts 90 minutes with subsequent sessions lasting one hour.
Hypnotherapy is not a one-hit wonder treatment and requires commitment from you, the client, in order to maximise the chances of achieving the kind of change you are looking to make. As such, I work to a minimum of 4 therapy sessions as this has been shown to offer more lasting change and positive results.
How much do sessions cost?
FREE — initial 20 minute phone consultation.
£300 — block booking of 4 treatment sessions (including 90 minute assessment session) totalling 4.5hrs, paid in advance.
£75 — subsequent individual sessions (1 hour).
See terms & conditions for full details.
Do you offer any guarantees?
As with any medical or therapeutic process there can be no definite guarantees. Hypnotherapy treatment plans are reliant, in part, on ‘you’ the client. You will be required to be 100% committed & motivated and complete the exercises we agree upon. In return, I guarantee I will do my best to help you, offering my expertise and wholehearted support.
Where do you treat from?
I work from clinics in Chippenham, Wiltshire and Thornbury, Bristol. For those people who are unable to access the clinic, I also offer remote treatment using Zoom. Please contact me for further details.