CURIOUS ABOUT HYPNOTHERAPY?

As you can see most of our lives are lived in our subconscious mind (90% in fact).  Our habits, beliefs and long-term memory are stored there.  Yet we try to solve our problems with the tiny section of our brain above the surface, our conscious mind (10%).  It incorporates good old "will power" which we often chide ourselves for not having enough of.  Is there another way? 

I must admit I was skeptical about hypnotherapy.  I had little to no understanding of what it really involved and thought it was a lot of hocus-pocus.

I had hypnotherapy myself and felt incredibly relaxed and knew something had happened on a deep level.  I also realised I was fully in control the entire time.

  I then studied a Diploma of Clinical Hypnotherapy and Applied Psychotherapy at the Hypnotherapy Training College of Australia where I was amazed at how down to earth yet effective it was for clients.  (I will complete these studies in mid November 2024)

Having said that, it's not my job to convince you of anything.  Some people want to try hypnotherapy, others don't.

Do you feel like the proverbial duck or duckling, looking like you have it all together on the surface but below you are paddling madly and not quite sure where you're going or what you're doing?

Your subconscious mind also works beneath the surface so to speak but instead of paddling madly it helps you to access your issues on a much deeper level, leading to deeper understanding and lasting change. 

I will answer this firstly by saying what it isn't!  It is not what you see on TV or in stage shows.  Those people are hypnotists who, in my opinion, are mis-using or abusing an incredibly powerful therapeutic tool.  The word "therapy" after "hypno" is important as hypno-therapy is best used with a competent, trained therapist.  I am a registered Counsellor with the Australian Counselling Association and believe in providing a holistic service when using hypnotherapy with my clients. 

In your first session I use the first part of the session to gain information much like I do in a general counselling session. This will allow me to tailor a hypnotherapy session specifically suited to you. Proper hypnotherapy should be gentle, sensitive and tailored to the individual.

 I like to be up-front and honest about this because that's what I would want.  Hypnotherapy is not magic.  I don't wave a magic wand and "fix" you.  Your subconscious mind does the changing. Obviously, like any modality I cannot 100% guarantee it will work for you but if you are open and continue to apply the hypnotherapy techniques after the session, not just during, you have a wonderful chance of success.

I also believe people need approximately 4 to 6 sessions to implement lasting change. Again, there are always exceptions to this rule and some people see change in just 1 session, others need several. You also need to be ready to change. I like to ask potential clients "On a scale of 1 to 10 how ready are you to stop smoking, change your eating habits, feel less anxious, exercise more, stop drinking alcohol, increase your confidence, want to do public speaking nerve free?" et cetera. If your answer is 8 or above I believe you are a great candidate for hypnotherapy.