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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Solution Focused Hypnotherapy?

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is a type of ‘talking therapy’, that combines the use of psychotherapy with hypnosis. Hypnosis or ‘trance’ is a very natural, relaxing state, encouraged by using guided relaxation, where the mind can relax and then focus on thoughts and suggestions that might be useful. As a modern psychotherapeutic approach, Solution Focused Hypnotherapy uses practical, structured, and well-researched strategies to help people make significant, positive changes in their lives in a relatively short period of time. Crucially, in Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, therapists look at what the client wants to achieve (the solution) rather than at whatever prompted them to seek help (the problem).

Through working with the client in a collaborative way, Solution Focused Hypnotherapists can also help individuals experiencing confidence and self-esteem issues. It can also help in addressing aspects and symptoms of stress, low mood, anxiety (including panic attacks), and in helping people to cope better with physical issues such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), certain chronic pain conditions even pregnancy and childbirth. Specific phobias such as fear of spiders, water, flying, and public speaking can also be minimised, along with painful memories and traumatic experiences.

Most modern hypnosis is accomplished by voice induction. A therapist can use slower and deeper voice tones to help create a relaxed state of mind. Indirect styles help the patient feel as though they are choosing to relax, as if “allowing” the changes to take place. No magical words or spells are involved in the process. Eye closure usually happens fairly soon into the induction, but individuals can be hypnotised with their eyes open. Daydreaming and a ‘TV trance’ state are examples of ‘eyes-open hypnosis.’ As part of the induction, the hypnotherapist can use ‘deepeners’ to trigger a deeper state of relaxation. This can vary from helping the patient recall ‘their’ place of relaxation to visualising images, sounds or sensations that remind the patient of ‘letting-go.’

Hypnosis can help place the patient in a heightened state of suggestibility when there appears to be a resistance to learning/change because of a trauma, anxiety or limiting fixed beliefs.

The hypnotic state is like ‘daydreaming’ rather than a sleep state. Another way to look at it is, consider your awareness when being immersed in a good book or television programme when, despite some background noise, you can still hear the noise in the distance but selectively attend to the book or television. This is considered as trance, but yet you wouldn’t consider yourself to be ‘under a spell.’

In hypnosis, you can think and hear what the therapist is saying to you. In lighter states of relaxation the patient may consider that very little has altered at all during the hypnotic induction. In deeper states it can feel like sleep, yet the patient is still fully aware of the therapist’s voice and can recall some of the suggestions used in the session. Hypnosis facilitates the patient’s receptiveness to the suggestion with some incredible results.

The majority of patients would describe hypnosis as a pleasant experience. Some of the changes of awareness include a slowing of one’s breathing, limbs and eyelids feeling heavy and a slower, yet more intensive thought-processing. In deeper states there can be eye-closure with rapid-eye movement (REM) where the patient is involved in intense visualisation (similar to being in a dream). Patients recall significant aspects of the relaxation yet feel in control throughout the entire process. A patient who has been in a relaxed state for thirty minutes may feel like they have only been relaxed for ten minutes.

Anyone who wants to be hypnotised can be. However, if you do not want to be hypnotised you will not be. Cooperation is crucial in the assistance of therapeutic change, a therapist cannot make you change against your will, you must want to change.

How responsive you are to hypnosis and the depth of relaxation achieved, depends on several factors;
These can be a fear of hypnosis, the inability to relax or over ambitious expectations.
The rapport between the patient and therapist. How well the therapist has listened and reflected an understanding of the patient’s condition helps build a feeling of trust and confidence. This in turn, reassures the patient that the treatment is being managed expertly by someone experienced.

Everyone can be hypnotised if they are reassured about the process and have a reasonable expectation about what the experience will be like.

Strong-willed people usually have excellent concentration spans and are able to focus their attentions more intensively. This makes them ideal candidates for hypnotherapy.

Other important criteria include:

A desire to be hypnotised an understanding of the process a willingness to co-operate fully with the therapistthe suggestions used to be convincing and believable and a patient who possesses a good visual imaginationIf you can imagine your journey to the nearest shop, then you are a potential candidate for hypnosis.

Misconceptions about hypnotherapy stem from stage hypnosis.
Imagin e for a moment the audience’s perspective… it can look as if the volunteers on stage are performing against their will. However, those selected to be part of the stage show are likely to be extroverts – that love the attention of being on stage. Therefore they have granted ‘power’ over to the stage hypnotist (a mere facilitator), the audience are fooled into thinking that the chosen subjects are under his/her spell.

Hypnotherapy is about empowering patients with suggestions to achieve
mutually negotiated goals.

Fears about being stuck in hypnosis probably originate from the media. If the therapist was to have disappeared halfway through a hypnotic induction, the patient would resume a full state of consciousness in their own time. We enter into, and come out of daydream states several times throughout our day.

Patients often feel embarrassed or ashamed about their condition or past events that may have created that condition. A therapist who has built rapport and trust into the process will help their patient visualise appropriate solution focused steps that can be made to aid their desired outcomes. The patient does not have to say anything that they do not want to speak about.

Conditions in which suggestion therapy is used effectively are smoking, weight control and habits e.g. nail-biting, can take between one to four sessions. Conditions which are more responsive to analysis (or have a more complex history) such as addictions, depression, eating disorders, obsessions and compulsions etc. can take five to ten sessions.
It is easier to gauge the number of sessions once an overview of the patient’s goal has been assessed and the therapist has evaluated their response to the hypnosis. When all the therapeutic dynamics connect, the patient can have a very rapid change, just like a ‘Light bulb’ moment.

You are likely to feel relaxed following your hypnotherapy sessions. Most patients enjoy the process of being treated this way.

Some patients have previously mentioned that their dream content has changed for a brief period. Again, this can indicate that the mind is working on those issues which may have been suppressed for a long time.

In the first couple of sessions, you can be more conscious of the condition e.g. you become more aware of aspects of an unconscious habit as you are being treated. Once your mind accepts the new image of you, and learnt techniques have been accepted, then symptoms begin to fade.

This really depends on the nature of your condition. I do recommend that clients use the free download in their own time, between sessions with myself. Where a patient makes rapid progress with a habit and leaves with a feeling of confidence for example, they may not need to do anything at all. Where a partial change has been considered, the patient may be required to complete some small homework tasks, related to their ultimate goal.