The benefits of hypnotherapy – it’s not clucking chickens and mind control!
By Ki Addis, Counsellor & Hypnotherapist
What’s the first thing that comes into your head when you hear the word “hypnotherapy”?
You might think about Paul McKenna, Derren Brown, that scene in Zoolander where Derek Zoolander played by Ben Stiller is “hypnotised” to the song Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia. I appreciate how bizarre that sentence must be if you haven’t seen it!!
There are still a lot of misconceptions around hypnotherapy and as a result, it is often underused as a form of therapy, but it has so many benefits. Whilst hypnotherapy can help everyone and anyone who is open to it (even children as young as 5), I feel that it has a particular benefit to mums, which I’ll explain later.
But first, let’s deal with some of the myths.
Here’s what hypnotherapy is and isn’t
The state of hypnosis is simply a deeply relaxed and/or focused state of mind and it’s completely natural. In fact, we go in and out of hypnosis several times a day. Do you know that feeling when you’re driving, and you realise you haven’t been paying any attention at all and your mind has wandered off somewhere? Well, it’s that state – a drifty, dreamy type of state. When we purposefully go into that state for a prolonged period, the brain waves slow down and it’s incredibly relaxing, as well as being very restorative for the body and mind.
When in that state, your subconscious mind becomes open to positive suggestions and messages. Your subconscious is powerful and not in your direct control, but it absolutely controls you. In fact, it is responsible for all your thoughts, feelings and actions and stores information about everything that has ever happened to you throughout life. It is a bit like planting positive seeds in a deeper part of your mind. Over time those seeds grow, connections and patterns in the brain can begin to shift, and the changes are felt automatically. It can be extremely powerful!
It isn’t mind control. You’re completely in control throughout a hypnotherapy session and you cannot be made to do anything you don’t want to do. Everyone is susceptible to hypnosis but if you don’t want to go into hypnosis, you won’t. It’s only effective if the person really wants to make those changes, otherwise it just won’t happen.
Issues that can be addressed with hypnotherapy
The list is pretty endless really. I see clients for mental health difficulties, such as depression, OCD and trauma; support with making and breaking habits; physical difficulties, such as managing pain and IBS; relationship issues; and so much more.
Anxiety is by far the most common issue I deal with and I’m currently seeing a lot of children, teenagers and adults who are struggling, and a significant proportion of my clients are mothers.
Motherhood is a time of so much change (to the body and brain), huge lifestyle adjustments, significant challenges and responsibility for a life, yet society just isn’t set up to properly prepare and support mothers in the way they deserve, on so many levels.
The mothers I work with often struggle with intrusive thoughts, catastrophic thinking, panic attacks and self-doubt, which can be utterly exhausting! When some mothers are finding that their nervous system is constantly on high alert, the relaxation element of the sessions can calm and slow things down, which is a welcome relief from the overwhelm.
What happens in a hypnotherapy session
My sessions always start with some checking in, reviewing progress, talking through any challenges that have come up and then, depending on the individual, 15-40 minutes of hypnosis. I am also a counsellor, so this can be incorporated into sessions where needed.
The clients I see in person get themselves comfy on the heated massage bed, wrap up in a cosy blanket, close their eyes and simply listen to my words. I also have some soft music playing in the background. For online sessions (which are just as effective as in person) clients can find a comfortable space in their own home to relax and unwind.
Any insights or learning that has come up can be processed during this time and the relaxation allows any difficult thoughts or feelings that have come up to be soothed and released. The positive effects can be felt straight away, and many clients talk about feeling lighter after hypnosis, with people generally leaving a session feeling better than when they came in.
For a lot of people, just having the opportunity to pause, rest and enjoy some peace and stillness can be extremely beneficial, and then there’s the bonus that we’re also making positive changes at a subconscious level.
There are a wide range of techniques that can be used in hypnosis, and some require a bit more engagement than others, dependent on the issue. Everyone is different so I like to make sessions as personalised as possible, working with the client to find images or symbols that really resonate.
Using the techniques for yourself
Relaxation is a key part of hypnotherapy, and I talk to my clients a lot about relaxation techniques and ways to calm the nervous system outside of sessions. Being able to relax the body helps with stress, anxiety, anger, overwhelm and helps you feel more in control.
Here are 3 simple techniques that I use in all my sessions that you can try for yourself:
1) Take a few slow, deep breaths. Imagine there’s a balloon in your tummy that inflates as you breathe in and deflates as you breathe out. Make the exhale last a bit longer than the inhale.
2) Soften your forehead, unclench your jaw, drop your shoulders and check your body for any tension or tightness.
3) Close your eyes and take yourself to a special place. A beautiful beach, a peaceful woodland, a refreshing mountainside. Somewhere you feel happy, peaceful and at ease. Build the scene in your mind and take some time there, enjoying the experience in any way you choose.
If you would like a bit more support with these techniques, feel free to email me and I would be happy to provide you with a free 15 minute relaxation recording that can help to release stress.
Find out more
Feel free to check out my website for more information and you can follow me on Instagram. I also offer a free, no obligation initial consultation over the phone or online if you want to have a chat and see whether hypnotherapy can work for you.
Written by Ki Addis, Counselling & Hypnotherapy in Nottingham and Online