”Do just once what others say you can’t do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again.”
―James Cook
Considering Cognitive Hypnotherapy?
Ever thought ‘why did I behave like that, that’s not like me?’ Are you scared of something that seems ridiculous? Perhaps you think you are incapable in some areas and unable to change. Do you hear yourself saying ‘I can’t’ more times than is fashionable?
But what if you really could learn to do things differently? With Cognitive Hypnotherapy it’s entirely possible
When I first discovered Cognitive Hypnotherapy, I found my knowledge and passions were a perfect fit. Through life’s hardships I gained resources to help me cope, but was not fully aware I had them, or how to conjure them when needed.
During training, I had many eureka moments. The times in life when I pondered ‘what’s that about?’ felt like seeds waiting to be germinated. It took a sprinkle of Cognitive Hypnotherapy to unlock the growth within and for me to break away from many negative beliefs I had assumed were part of my identity.
Cognitive hypnotherapy, draws on the work of the late Milton Erikson’s, a Master of Human Observation and Psychology, and combines Hypnotherapy with NLP, a linguistic therapy with many of the techniques of mainstream Psychotherapy. Therapy is tailored around the individual. Results may be very fast in comparison to other therapies, but it does rely on your desire to try the techniques given to you and a willingness to be open to new concepts.
Sessions are usually face-to-face.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy is an evidence-based approach
What it is and what it isn’t
Cognitive Hypnotherapy is an evidence based form of Hypnotherapy, I do not use swinging watches, neither am I going to make you walk like a chicken or do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. My therapy is solution focused and about empowering you. I believe we are all engines of pure possibility. I aim to find your resourcefulness, examine why and how it works for you and draw on it. My therapy can be fun, illuminating, relaxing and rejuvenating, and has been likened at times to a mind massage.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy is a two way process. I want to hand you the tools to change, use your ideas to re-frame your challenges in a more positive light so that you no longer need therapy.
How Cognitive Hypnotherapy Differs from traditional authoritarian Hypnotherapy
Cognitive Hypnotherapy is an evidence-based approach. The three main principles are:
As a Cognitive Hypnotherapist, I use trance in a positive way to wake you up out of negative trance. This is because I see trance as an ‘every day’ state. E.g. ‘Have you ever driven a car and forgotten driving a part of the journey – Worryingly you are not alone.
So who is in the driving seat? The answer is your unconscious which is busy working in the background taking on routine tasks that have become so second nature and automatic, you no longer have to think about them. It doesn’t always get it right though, ever driven somewhere you didn’t mean to, because you regularly go there? Disconcerting isn’t it?
There are many types of trance. Have you experienced searching everywhere for your keys only to find them in the first place you looked? Or been so engrossed in a book on the beach you didn’t notice the tide coming in? Your mind brings things in and out of focus all the time, often obscuring the view of another path of action that might be more beneficial.
We are thought to spend 90% of our lives in this trance state, and we ‘do’ our problems in them, it should therefore follow that we need to tap in to this state of unconsciousness to correct the problems that exist there.
I believe that unconscious driven behaviour has the positive intention of protecting us. The subconscious uses ‘neurological pathways’ of understanding that relate to feelings of the past. These pathways dictate the way we travel in the future, reliving, strengthening and reinforcing what we believe to be true. In travelling these pathways our subconscious tricks us in to believing there is only one way to respond to problems it deems similar. In therapy, we seek to create new tracks of our choosing helping us see other more positive opportunities.
In response to emotional or physical pain the subconscious generates a fight, flight or freeze response, flooding our bodies with chemicals and reducing blood flow to the brain. In the past this might have saved you from a sabretooth tiger but today it might see you freezing at a work presentation, running away from a spider or shouting obscenities at your computer.
These unconscious mistakes may lead to addictions, phobias and life limiting behaviour, narrowing our beliefs that we are able to change. I can help you make more positive connections that can open up a whole range of possibilities.
The good news is our minds can be moulded and when subconscious thought is brought to light, there is every possibility it may be changed. A new positive belief may then be stored in a stable form back in the subconscious.
Although we might revisit past events we do not do this without reframing the meaning of the event.
Though talking is definitely useful for me to gauge the context of your concerns, and hearing your inner voice might be useful to you, there are ways of addressing issues without you ever having to explain your story if you so wish.
There is every possibility that your thoughts and emotions can be changed. If they are holding you back, I will work on them with the aim to achieve a more positive future for you.