Counselling is a talking therapy that involves a trained therapist listening to you and helping you find ways to deal with emotional issues. Sometimes the term “counselling” is used to refer to talking therapies in general, but counselling is also a type of therapy in its own right.

What can counselling help with?

Counselling can help you cope with:

• a mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety or an eating disorder
• an upsetting physical health condition, such as infertility
• a difficult life event, such as a bereavement, a relationship breakdown or work-related stress
• difficult emotions – for example, low self-esteem or anger
• other issues, such as sexual identity

Three main forms of therapy

Person Centred Therapy

Person Centred Therapy (PCT) is a client led talking therapy based on the belief that we all have the ability will grow and fulfill our potential. Person-centred counselling can help people of any age, with a range of personal issues, it is believed to be particularly effective in helping overcome depression, anxiety, stress or grief. The client led nature of PCT allows you to control the content of the session and pace at which issues are explored, with no worry that you are being evaluated or assessed in any way.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Therapy Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy which focuses on how your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect your feelings and behaviour, and teaches you coping skills for dealing with different problems. by changing the way, we think or behave in a situation, we can change the way we feel about life. The therapy examines learnt behaviours, habits and negative thought patterns with the view of adapting and turning them into a positive. CBT looks at the present and to the future. While past events and experiences are considered during the sessions, the focus is more on current concerns. CBT can help people of any age, with a range of personal issues, it is believed to be particularly effective in alleviating feelings of depression, anxiety and can help with, addictions, eating disorders and anyone who may which to chance specific behaviours or explore coping mechanisms.

Psychodynamic therapy

Psychodynamic psychotherapy looks at how childhood experience and thoughts you are not aware of (your subconscious mind) affect your thinking, feelings, relationships and behaviour today. Unlike other forms of therapy, these aim to help create deep-seated change in your emotional development. Helping you to understand and resolve your problems by increasing your awareness of your inner self and how this can influence your relationships, a number of different psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapies are available.

Hypnotherapy was created as an aid to psychotherapy (counselling or therapy). Hypnotherapy is used to help emotional rather than mental problems; no drugs or physical intervention is required. Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to help with a specific problem or issue, for example with anxiety, stress management, low confidence, phobias, weight management, IBS, hypnobirthing etc. Hypnotherapy can help relieve stress, fear and anxiety and it can also be used to help in coping with the symptoms of panic disorder.

Hypnosis is a natural, safe and gentle way to treat many conditions, such as emotional, nervous and psychological problems. Hypnosis uses guided relaxation and focused attention to achieve a heightened state of awareness that is called ‘trance’. Although this state appears similar to sleep, you’re fully awake and aware of what’s going on around you. You are fully in control and you’re able to relax and shut out the everyday world. During hypnosis you will be fully conscious and aware of your surroundings at all times; you will simply be in a state of extreme deep relaxation which helps reduce levels of stress and anxiety, provides the ability for you to imagine what makes you feel anxious and finally it allows me to communicate with the subconscious mind, allowing you to make changes.

Hypnosis brings on a total state of relaxation, making you better able to respond to suggestions and change the behaviours you want to change in your life for the better.

Hypnosis refers to the process of inducing a trance to help promote communication between the conscious and subconscious mind. The person’s attention is so focused while in this state that anything going on around the person is temporarily blocked out or ignored. It is only in this state that people can freely and without shame talk about their problems. They’re able to communicate things they don’t even know are bothering them. The hypnotic state allows them to explore painful memories, feelings and thoughts they might have hidden from their conscious minds. As Robert Frost said: ‘The best way out is always through’.

As a general rule, yes. However, if you suffer with epilepsy or severe mental health issues, psychosis or certain types of personality disorders, please consult your GP about your hypnotherapy suitability.

In therapy, hypnosis usually involves the person experiencing a sense of deep relaxation with their attention focused inward and appropriate suggestions made by the therapist. These suggestions help people make positive changes within themselves. In a hypnotherapy session you are always in control and are not made to do anything. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis and a hypnotherapist just facilitates the client’s experience.

Hypnosis is NOT Sleep 

Clients need to understand that they will not necessarily feel hypnotised, they will stay completely aware of things and sounds around them and they will certainly not be asleep.

You Will NOT Lose Control 

It is a commonly held belief that a hypnotist exerts some sort of control over his subject, this comes from stage hypnosis and the old movies of Svengali type characters controlling the minds of others. Reassure the client that they are in control and at any time could bring themselves out of hypnosis.

You Will NOT Reveal Your Deepest Darkest Secrets 

Again, you are in control; you will only do and follow the instruction that morally fit for you. If there are things that you don’t want others to know then you will in no way feel compelled to share these.

Being Hypnotised does NOT Mean You Are Gullible or Stupid 

There is evidence to suggest that there is indeed a correlation between a person’s level of intelligence and their level of suggestibility and it would appear that the opposite holds true, the more intelligent that you the more suggestible that you are hence the better a hypnotic subject you will make.

You Will NOT Get Stuck in Hypnosis 

Very occasionally a client will not respond immediately to your requests for them to emerge from hypnosis, this is purely because the trance state is so relaxing and such a pleasant place to be that they are reluctant to come out.

Hypnosis is often associated with stage shows and other often mystical things. Hypnosis is not at all mystical and is a perfectly natural state of mind that we all go into hundreds of times every day.

Have you ever experienced driving in your car but not knowing the exact things you did (like every turn of the indicator or wheel for example) – this is because you would have been in a very light hypnotic state. On a sub conscious level, you were still in control of the vehicle you were driving. The same happens when you are focused intensely on a movie or book, just that slight shift of awareness from your normal conscious state and that is Hypnosis.

Hypnosis 

The term Hypnosis comes from the Greek word “Hypnos” meaning sleep. Here are a few of the many definitions of Hypnosis: 

• Focused consciousness
• An altered state of consciousness
• Extreme relaxation
• Guided Meditation
• A series of instructions

“In therapy, Hypnosis usually involves the person experiencing a sense of deep relaxation with their attention focussed inward and appropriate suggestions made by the therapist.”

These suggestions help people make positive changes within themselves. In a Hypnotherapy session you are always in control and are not made to do anything. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis and a hypnotherapist just facilitate the client’s experience.

• Hypnosis was accepted by the American Medical Association is 1958
• Hypnosis is a very natural state of mind and is safe
• No-one has ever been hurt by Hypnosis
• Hypnosis is not mind control
• You cannot get stuck in Hypnosis – this has never happened to anyone
• The worst-case scenario is that you fall asleep
• Hypnosis is focused consciousness
• Sleep is a state of unconsciousness
  The wording of “Sleep” in Hypnosis means close your eyes and go deeply relaxed as if you are asleep. Hypnosis is simply a series of instructions; all you have to do is focus on what the hypnotherapist is saying and follow his or her instructions.

Hypnosis is a powerful tool for implementing change within a person’s life.

Hypnotherapy induces a hypnotic trance state which: 

• turns off internal censors 
• makes you more suggestible 
• makes memories more easily accessible 

Suggestions will help your brain: 

• change faulty beliefs into beliefs that support and nourish your progress in life
• change your feelings towards the issue into feelings that support you better
• posthypnotic suggestions implant behaviour changes

Regression work helps you to: 

• access memories that are at the source of the problem issue
• re-frame the emotions attached to painful memories into self-compassionate feelings
• better understand, accept and love yourself

When a hypnotherapist is consulted to initiate a change in the life of a client, that’s exactly what happens. The hypnotherapist initiates the change. In other words, the hypnotherapist is in a position to set the wheels in motion for that change to take place but the client plays an important role in the process also. It is the client, themselves, who have the power to make it happen. It is their subconscious that actually does the work that’s needed. That’s why it’s important for the client to be genuinely ready to make that change. If this is the case, then huge life-changing habits can be made or broken in a single session of hypnotherapy.

It is important that you are determined and committed in order to maximise the success of your treatment sessions. Results may vary depending on the individual and their commitment to the process.

Hypnotherapy is a technique which uses your ability to enter a natural trance like state (like a daydream) to access your subconscious mind. Once there, you can make positive changes through suggestion. It’s helpful for:

• Stress and Anxiety
• Breaking bad habits (such as smoking, nail biting)
• Sleep issues and phobias
• Confidence, focus, learning, communication
• And so much more

Hypnotherapy is a technique which uses your ability to enter a natural trance like state (like a daydream) to access your subconscious mind.

This Life Regression is useful for addressing trauma, negative emotions that have a negative impact on your life today, and going back (within this life by accessing your subconscious) to find and tackle the root cause of the issue and going through a process of letting go/reframing to allow you to move on in a positive manner in the present.

Hypnoanalysis is a form of hypnotherapy. It’s a technique to uncover the underlying cause of a problem a client may have now. Hypnoanalysis doesn’t rely on ‘therapist insight’. It’s also not about the therapist telling the client what they think is the cause of the problem. The fact is, nobody can or will be made to do anything directly as a result of going through hypnoanalysis. The process works through letting the client’s mind analyse thoughts and memories from the past that have sometimes become suppressed to ‘protect’ themselves, but then when they are in certain situations this memory triggers the emotion attached to it and makes them feel the same as they did then. Most of the other forms or types of therapy don’t get to the underlying cause of the problem, totally resolving them, but they ‘mask’ the symptom somehow – it’s like putting a plaster over it. When the specific cause of a physical, mental, spiritual or emotional problem is found, then often the problem is healed.

Hypnoanalysis is about simply allowing the client to bring up what is important to them and resolve it completely and permanently. Hypnoanalysis creates a safe, trusting and confidential environment (if carried out by skilled and qualified hypnotherapists) allowing the client to slowly bring all their bottled-up emotions to the surface. Whether you would benefit from hypnoanalysis or not is a matter to be discussed with a professional and ethical hypnotherapist who is qualified to provide such treatment and they will also advise on how many sessions you may need. They say ‘time heals’ but does it? With hypnoanalysis it’s more about ‘time doesn’t heal but the release of emotions does.’

Causes are like dandelions

Kevin Hogan’s comparison of getting to the root of a cause in his New Hypnotherapy Handbook is spot on: ‘Causes are like dandelions. If you don’t pull up the whole root, the problem will reappear at a later date. Gardeners know that the entire dandelion must be extracted from the earth to prevent its re-emergence.’

Hypnoanalysis offers a complete and permanent resolution.

Hypnotherapy is goal focused and client led and our mind loves to grow. This year doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom for you. If you too are thinking about getting rid of your problems and finally sharing them with someone, then take your first step towards changing your life for the better and give hypnotherapy a try. Hypnotherapy is the process of using hypnosis to achieve a specific goal or outcome. Feel, heal and let go. Once the problem is gone, then it is gone.

Conscious mind

The Conscious Mind is where we spend most of our time, but it is actually the weakest part of our mind. The Conscious Mind is the rational, analytical part of the mind. It’s the thinking, judging part of the mind. Humans must have a reason for everything.

Subconscious mind

The Subconscious Mind is the most powerful part of our mind. This is the part of our mind that is in control and that will help you to achieve your goals. The Subconscious Mind is the part of the mind that we work with in hypnosis; this is where our imagination is stored.

Conscious mind versus subconscious mind

Conscious mind

• Takes control over logical and intellectual processes.
• Decision making, planning, communication through language and skills of organization are controlled by conscious mind
• Does not depend on the accessible information
• Can be aware of both internal and mental functions and external happenings

Subconscious mind

• Mainly has the control over physical functions
• Breathing and digestion, memory, feelings, emotions, beliefs, attitude and gut instincts are controlled by subconscious mind
• Depend only on the accessible information
• Not aware of both internal mental functions and external happenings

Emotional freedom technique (EFT) is often termed a modern meridian therapy. It has evolved from therapies that can trace their origins back many thousands of years to acupuncture and shiatsu, which developed independently but alongside each other in China and Japan respectively.

EFT is an alternative treatment for physical pain and emotional distress. It’s also referred to as tapping or psychological acupressure. People who use this technique believe tapping the body can create a balance in your energy system and treat pain. According to its developer, Gary Craig, a disruption in energy is the cause of all negative emotions and pain.Though still being researched, EFT tapping has been used to treat people with anxiety and people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). EFT is based on modern psychology and the principles of acupuncture’s meridian or energy system, without using needles. By tapping on specific meridian points on the face or body, while focusing on a problem, it’s possible to go from the stress response to the relaxation response, often in minutes.

EFT is designed to help you reduce feelings of anxiety and stress by tapping pressure points on the head and body. The theory behind EFT tapping is that tapping various points on your head and body releases negative emotions. So the release of things like anxiety, stress or fear, signal the amygdala (the ‘fight or flight’ part of the brain) to calm down and relax. As soon as this happens, it immediately reduces anxiety, which allows you to move forward in a calmer way.

We carry traumas, stresses and grief with us throughout our lifetime. The memories of these events can become stored in our body, often presenting as emotional or physical discomfort or pain. Each memory has an energetic pattern associated with the memory. This energetic pattern is stored in our “mid-brain”. We are unable to access the mid-brain through our conscious thoughts, but through tapping into our meridian system, we can connect. Through repetitive tapping around the main energy centres in our body (meridian points), we access the stored emotion or energy patterns associated with the memory interrupting this energy pattern. The energy is released and moves through and out of the body. When an effective “short” circuit has been created, the negative energy pattern doesn’t repeat.

Tapping can be particularly effective in releasing negative emotions such as anxiety, stress, sadness, fear, being stuck, grief, anger and physical as well as physical pain. This release then allows for feelings of:

• emotional freedom
• pain relief
• clarity
• feelings of love / peace / joy / freedom
• motivation
• calmness
• insight and/or inspiration

EFT has been proven to be especially helpful with:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Food Cravings
• PTSD

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