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Hypnotherapy – de-bunking the myths…

When I tell people I’m a practicing hypnotherapist, the first thing I am asked is usually `can you make me bark like a dog’ or ‘can you make me cluck like a chicken’. To which I always smile and say – let me tell you a joke – “how many hypnotherapists does it take to change a light bulb?” (cue shakey heads) me: “only one – but only if the lightbulb wants to change” and that is the key… hypnotherapy can help you do anything – but only if YOU want to…

So here is a list I have compiled of all the myths I have come across during my time as a Hypnotherapist.

1. How do stage Hypnotists make people do all those weird things?

The clue here is ‘stage hypnotist’ – They usually have several tools to help them identify the kind of people that will ‘perform’ for them, and they are usually the type of people who like attention and like to act the fool, often fuelled with alcohol and in a show where they are expected to act like one.

Hypnotherapy is also good at reducing inhibition (just like alcohol) and it does this by helping you remain relaxed. Inhibition is essentially just anxiety about behaving in a particular way, so if you are relaxed you are less inhibited.

So, you have someone who likes attention, likes to play the fool and with a lessoning of inhibition combined with the expectations of the audience and  the excitement of the occasion you have your perfect recipe / mix and candidate to perform for the stage hypnotist.

• Can only some people be hypnotised?

As mentioned above, if you really dont want to be hypnotised, you wont allow yourself to be hypnotised. However, there may be a small group of people who wont respond to hypnosis due to their inability to perceive context and implication, which can be an aspect of Asperger’s syndrome. People who struggle with imagery may also find it difficult.

Its also not suitable for people who suffer from psychosis to have hypnotherapy.

• Will I loose control / be helpless when I’m hypnotised?

In hypnosis you are still `awake’ as your subconscious is accessed where the changes are made and your conscious is still.. well conscious – acting as your ‘watchman at the gate’ – you will not accept any suggestions that you dont want to as your conscious won’t accept them (remember the lightbulb joke?).

As your conscious is still active – if you hear a fire alarm for example you will still know that it is a fire alarm and you will need to get out.

• Is Hypnosis the same as being asleep?

No, but the brainwaves associated with sleep, in particular REM are similar. You need to be awake for hypnosis to work because you need your brain and your subconscious to be processing the words and suggestions – so you need to be listening. In hypnosis you have an experience in parallel with your conscious awareness, you are fully aware of where you are and what is happening but at the same time you have an internally – focused awareness.

So there we go, I hope that’s de-bunked some of the myths of Hypnotherapy!

If you wanted to discuss how Hypnotherapy could work for you, please contact me

help@betterdaystherapy.co.uk

I started bereavement counselling before the pandemic which was face to face in clients homes or in a venue. Come late march, I has switched to telephone support which while it was different, and not having that face to face contact, I felt as though it was important to still support clients in some way, especially now as there seemed to be excess deaths due to Covid-19. I think the fact that the Pandemic has cause so many excess deaths has caused excess anxiety and being in lockdown has lead to more loneliness in clients I have been supporting . I hear again and again from the clients I have had with the bereavement charity how lonely they are, how awful it is that they cant go and see ‘so in so’ down the road for a natter, or have a pint up the club with the boys. Many of my clients were members of a sporting team, or some kind of shared interest group like a choir or knit and natter for example. All of this stopped when the pandemic happened and bereaved people have been left isolated with their grief, instead of being able to get to a ‘restoration’ stage or start to grow around that grief as they are completely isolated with it. Some cemeteries have even been closed meaning people can’t visit a grave side, or memorial, and some people, particularly the elderly are too afraid to go out for fear of catching the virus meaning that they cannot visit these memorials either as they are too afraid, which often adds to guilt of their grief. Not having proper funerals, paying last respects or having a drink to celebrate the life of the deceased has also added to the complexity of the clients grief. Many clients spoke of this need to say goodbye and have a proper ending frequently in our sessions, as well as not be able to go out and learn to live with the grief. It was hard not to break Covid restrictions and give the client the face to face support that they needed. I noticed that there was also some discrepancies with the older clients that I supported. Some of them just didn’t have the technology to have a face time or zoom call, meaning that they were extremely limited to the contact that they could have with the outside world. Sometimes, a voice on the other end of the phone is all that they had.

Whilst I am continuing to support my clients through the charity and my own private clients through telephone support or zoom, I cannot wait to be able to get back in the room, face to face and do the work that I love… helping people achieve better days 🙂

So, Hello and Welcome! this is my first blog…. I’m so glad you stopped by read it 🙂

I started my new career journey in 2017 when I decided I wanted to be a counsellor and help people live better lives. I have lived in many different places in the UK, and met many, many wonderful people in my lifetime. The one thing that I noticed when meeting and forming relationships with people, is that everyone is different and have their own history, their own backgrounds and their own ways of coping with life events and everyday stresses.

I quickly noticed that these people, friends and acquaintances were able to open up to me and tell me their problems, troubles, and worries. A common theme was that I was non judgemental, easy to talk to and felt like I was listening to them.

I did some research and realised that this could be seen as a form of counselling.. but talking to your friends and associates is completely different to counselling, and counselling requires years of study and practice. I studied Psychology at ‘A’ level which fascinated me and still does to this day and decided that I was going to enrol on a counselling course.

Early 2019 I qualified as a Hypnotherapist and this work completely thrills me. I love how the subconscious mind works and through hypnotherapy people can make a lasting change.

2020 I achieved my Level 4 in Counselling skills and Theory and currently enjoying my Level 5 course and looking for a level 6 course to further my knowledge and to offer better help and support to my clients.

I absolutely love what I do, I love helping people and see people change when they realise their worth, or deal with their issues and turn into confident human beings.

I also volunteer for the bereavement charity Cruse and offer support to those in grief.