Frequently Asked Questions About Hypnosis
If you have any questions that are not answered here, please contact me.
Hypnosis, or “being in trance”, is a way to describe feeling relaxed and comfortable. It is a natural state of mind that we go in and out of many times every day. Think of a time when you were in a meeting and found yourself coming “back into the room” realising that your mind had drifted to thinking about something you needed to get done that day or what you were planning to do that evening. You were in a trance state. Clients are often surprised that they are not asleep, that they can hear what I’m saying and that they’re aware of everything going on around them.
Hypnosis is not putting you to sleep; it’s putting your nervous system in a relaxed state. This means that even though you remain fully aware of everything going on around you, you are not bothered by them. As a result, you can turn your attention inward. I cannot get you to do anything in trance that you would not do otherwise.
Most times, one session is all that is needed, but it can take several sessions to overcome deeply ingrained habits or beliefs. Freeing yourself from behavioural problems is sometimes like peeling the skin away on an onion, and removing a layer may reveal something else that needs to be dealt with. The answer to this question depends very much on each individual case. I can advise better on how many sessions you might need during our initial consultation.
No professional will guarantee results. However, the fact that most of my clients come to me via referrals is the best indication I can give of how effective hypnosis is in helping people become free of their problems. Visit my testimonial page to see what previous clients have to say.
It is normal to come out of hypnosis feeling relaxed and perhaps slightly drowsy for the first few minutes. Many clients come out of trance with big smiles on their faces and feelings of excitement or empowerment, because they realize that something significant has happened. You may feel a tingling in the back of your head, a sense of reflectiveness or an incredible surge of energy. Everyone is different. Clients often tell me they experience additional insights and revelations in the days and weeks following their RTT session.
I work with anyone who is committed to change. I see a large number of clients who work in high-stress environments who want relief from stress and anxiety, a lack of confidence and insomnia. A further number of people contact me for weight loss, smoking cessation and help with overcoming stage fright so they can more easily give presentations. Others come to me for help improving their golf, tennis or squash games.
The leading charity Anxiety UK recommends hypnotherapy for helping with anxiety. More information is available here: https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/ get-help/clinical- hypnotherapy/ Please note that I do not treat clinical anxiety with RTT. I am certified in EMDR that works with anxiety and PTSD, among other issues.
The commitment to come for a session must be yours, as opposed to your partner’s wishes or those of your parents.
Hypnosis is a natural state that we go into throughout the day, so you have already experienced this, probably without realising it. Everyone is different, so some people will go into trance more easily and deeper than others. How quickly or deeply you go into trance has no bearing on the success of the treatment.
Hypnosis works just as well using Skype, Facetime, WhatsApp or Zoom as it does in person. All you need is a reliable internet connection.
The mind learns through repetition. Think of sports professionals training for a competition. They don’t stop practicing when they know they can hit several aces in a row, or have a serve that reaches 160 miles per hour. Professional golfers don’t quit training because they can drive the ball hundreds of yards, or hit consistently good putts. They train and train and train some more because they know the more they train, the more their muscle and eye/hand coordination becomes embedded and wired in their mind. This is no different to you working on changing your behaviour.
The science behind this is that neurons that fire together, wire together. Neurons associated with a certain activity form neural pathways that become stronger the more that activity is engaged in. By listening to the audio you are making sure the new neural pathways created during the hypnotherapy session are growing in strength. Think about how difficult it is to learn a new habit. You are shown a better way to hold your tennis racket, for example. It feels awkward and unfamiliar, but only in the beginning. The more you practice, the more comfortable it feels until you reach the point where trying the old way feels awkward.
On the other hand, nerves that fire apart, wire apart. The less an old activity is practiced, the weaker the neural pathways become.
There are different theories as to how long it takes for the brain to rewire. I suggest to clients that they continue listening to the audio past the initial 21-day period to continue strengthening that new neural pathway.
It’s important we talk so we can gauge whether we feel a rapport and could work together. This is one of the two most significant factors for hypnotherapy to work well. The other is that you must be committed to making change.