Why hypnotherapy is so effective.

Hypnotherapy is a form of psychotherapy, i.e., a talking therapy, which enables us to help others, or ourselves, to change aspects of our behaviour typically for the better. For example, we can use it to relax, quieten our minds, create and enjoy happiness, and we can also use it to change and/or explore unhealthy or unhelpful behaviours, emotions, thoughts, and psychosomatic responses.

We can use it to find the reasons issues started, or why we continue doing things that harm us or are a form of self-sabotage. We can figure out why and when we resist change, and what those resistances are about, i.e., what purpose they serve. We can use it to change or reframe aspects of our past, be mindful of the present, and also influence our future, by implementing the things we have consciously decided to change.

The psychotherapy processes, i.e., the talking part, of what hypnotherapy is, are perhaps not that different to what a psychologist, psychotherapist or counsellor may use. However, hypnotherapy enables us to get there much quicker by relaxing and reducing our defensiveness and resistance, openly allowing us to address our fears and obstacles, and enabling us to be?more receptive and open to new, or revisit old, ideas.

We can use techniques during trance to implement those new ideas in a safe way and effective way until they become familiar and non-threatening, and part of our internal tapestry of embodiment. That is, we make changes to our conscious everyday processing and scripts, and affect change at a deeper subconscious level, which is often beyond our everyday awareness.

An example here may suffice. Imagine you do a behaviour which isn't healthy for you e.g., snacking on sweets or biscuits between meals. You know from experience or have been told or read that eating so many extra calories than your body needs will lead to weight gain and put you at risk of developing a chronic condition such as diabetes.

However, there are times when you find yourself doing this behaviour, but yet haven't become aware until someone points it out to you, or you start to feel emotional guilt or nausea from eating so many sweets/biscuits.

This is where the behaviour of snacking on unhealthy foods has become an unconscious act, i.e., you aren't aware of it consciously when you started to do it. Once you are aware you can then make the decision to continue self-harming i.e., causing yourself unnecessary pain or discomfort, or to stop it. This kind of rigmarole can continue for years, and some may stop, even for long periods, but relapse back into their old ways when triggered by an event or emotion.

Sound familiar?! Hypnotherapy works effectively to explore the behaviour subconsciously in direct or indirect ways, get a sense of what purpose it has, and discover other, better ways, of achieving the same purpose, without continuing the same self-harming or irritating behaviours.

So for a snacker/grazer, they may experience anxiety when they are having to make decisions or are having periods of procrastination. In the past, the behaviour has served as a helpful stopgap to manage the nervous energy they experience when they 'don't know' something.

Hypnotherapy could help them to reprocess and change their behaviour, so at these times of anxiety, they find other ways to manage their nervous energy which is more conducive to making better decisions, without procrastinating.

Karen is an advanced practitioner and has been specialising in mental health and behavioural change for over 25 years. In 2008 She co-founded the Academy of Advanced Changework, a hypnotherapy and NLP academy providing training for beginner to advanced practitioners.

Schedule your free 20-minute call to find out how hypnosis can help you struggle less and manage your issues well: https://calendly.com/karenbartle/hypnosis-initial-chat?

??Warning Hypnosis is seriously addictive and awesome for improving your health and wellbeing! ????