Questions people ask.
What is the mind?
Put very simply, the mind is the system that drives our behaviour. This can be divided into two parts, the conscious and the subconscious.
The conscious mind is responsible for our complex decision making and reasoning. We are fully aware of the decision making that happens at the conscious level and have full control over it.
The subconscious mind is responsible for our instinctive, often emotional, responses to situations. While the subconscious mind also makes decisions, they are based on very simple criteria and happen without our being consciously aware of it. Usually the first sign that a subconscious decision has been made is that we become aware that we're responding to a situation automatically without having "thought" about it.
In many cases, we recognise that a particular subconscious response is not appropriate in a particular situation, or is not how we consciously want to behave, and in these situations, hypnosis and hypnotherapy can be used to change the subconsciously-held ideas that drive these responses.
What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a state of mind that allows direct influence over ideas that are embedded in our subconscious mind and affect the responses that come from the subconscious mind.
While hypnosis is often seen as being some sort of "mind control", this is not the case. Hypnosis can only be established when the client consents to it, and they will only accept to suggestions given during hypnosis if they are compatible with their beliefs and desires.
What if I'm not a good subject?
The only poor subjects for hypnotherapy are people who cannot follow instructions, or who don't really want to change. The methods we use to help a person into hypnosis are very successful, and by taking the time to understand a client's goals and circumstances, we can put therapy programmes in place that deal with their problems in the way that suits them best.
How long does it take to see results?
This varies widely from person to person, and depending on the nature of what they want to achieve. Many people start to see changes in themselves almost immediately, though to get the result they want they will require on average between 3 to 6 sessions in the clinic.
In between sessions clients are required to work with a relaxation exercise, and may be expected to support the work done in clinic through self hypnosis. This should not take more than 10 minutes per day, and often considerably less.
Clients should not expect to receive a one-session permanent fix. While the effects of hypnotherapy can sometimes appear miraculous, there is no miracle involved, and to enable a client to make long term progress, it is necessary to put together an individual therapy programme for each client, and to make sure that the changes the client wants to make are supported over a period of time so that their new way of doing things becomes dominant over months or even years of experience with the old ways.
Do I need to keep coming for sessions forever?
No. As part of their therapy programme, clients are given the tools they need to be able to make progress on their own, and to help them maintain the changes they want for a lifetime. This includes a highly effective relaxation exercise, designed to help keep stress and tension under control, and will often include self hypnosis, which enables you to take charge of your own subconscious mind.
In most cases, once a suitable programme is in place, clients are able to work with this on their own, phoning the clinic from time to time to discuss progress.