Solution Focused Hypnotherapy

The first step to making a change is understanding how and why we might be stuck in a particular thought or behaviour pattern.

Arming yourself with this knowledge is the first step in training your brain to get the best out of itself. Throughout our lives, our brains retain an amazing capacity to learn, change and form new pathways. This process, called neuroplasticity, includes our thought processes.

If we are motivated to consider change, through solution focused therapy we can work to replace old, negative patterns of thought with a new, forward looking and more positive approach. With repetition, we allow our brain cells to ‘fire together and wire together’, establishing new positive habits, thoughts and behaviours.

What’s different about solution focused hypnotherapy compared to some other forms of psychotherapy, is the switch in focus from what the problems are, or how we don’t want things to be – to exploring solutions, personal goals and how we DO want things to be. This forward looking and positive approach enables you to move on from problems of the past without the need to extensively analyse or constantly revisit them.

The focus on positive, sustainable change and moving forward, in combination with the deep relaxation of hypnosis, makes this a unique and often enjoyable form of therapy which can quickly produce beneficial results. Most people undertake between 8-10 sessions.

If you’ve never experienced hypnosis before, there can be misconceptions about what the process involves, and how you might feel or act during the trance or hypnosis part of a hypnotherapy session. The terms trance and hypnosis are used interchangeably and describe the state of deep relaxation you will experience through listening to me talk, not dissimilar to a guided meditation.

Trance is a very ordinary state which we all experience many times a day; perhaps while watching TV, running, driving a regular route or listening to music. In a trance or ‘daydream’ state, we remain focused but are able to ignore other environmental stimuli not involved in the daydream.

Most people choose to lie down and relax with their eyes closed during hypnosis, but you can sit, or keep your eyes open if you feel more comfortable.

Most people do find the process of being hypnotised enjoyable and relaxing, but it is also a vital part of how hypnotherapy works to help you make changes in your thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

When we consider making a change in our fully aware and conscious state, it can feel uncomfortable and threatening, and provoke defensive emotions such as anxiety or fear. These primitive, inbuilt protective mechanisms are powerful and deeply ingrained. They can be a barrier to positive change as it is easier to carry on existing in our bubbles of ‘uncomfortable familiarity’. Even when we recognise that how we are thinking, feeling or acting isn’t good for us, it can feel too scary, overwhelming or unachievable to consider anything different. Many of us may recognise that feeling of being ‘stuck in a rut’ of negativity.

Trance work helps achieve positive change by allowing you to access, whilst in a state where you feel safe and relaxed, parts of your subconscious mind. These are the parts of the mind which hold a treasure trove of valuable knowledge, memory and unique information about who you are, what you need, and how you can achieve your personal goals. Using hypnosis to access this part of the brain brings to your focused attention things your conscious or ‘aware’ mind might not have considered otherwise, allowing you to explore changes without feeling threatened, and find solutions to your problems.