What we help with
Addictions & cravings
Addictions can range from simple unwanted habits to more serious problems which affect our health, and can involve a variety of substances and behaviours including cigarettes, caffeine, sugars, alcohol, drugs, spending and gambling. Cravings describe the underlying discomfort we feel which pushes us towards the next cigarette, chocolate bar or drink as a way of relieving that unease for a while, although we know the effect won’t last.
We may initially develop an addiction as a way of dealing with anxiety and stress, boredom or sadness, but the addiction can then become an extra problem in itself, rather than a solution.
It’s important that you really want to overcome the addiction. Therapeutic techniques can help you release the addictive behaviour and provide you with other, better ways to calm and relax yourself and re-build your life, as well as addressing any underlying problems that gave rise to the addiction in the first place. This can enhance the effect of any other treatment you may be receiving.
Anger
When we are under stress of any kind, at work, in our relationships, or as a result of past problems, or poor health, we are more likely to become irritable, frustrated and angry with ourselves and those around us. In more extreme situations, this can lead to a highly emotional and impulsive state which can result in physical as well as verbal outbursts.
Therapy can release any underlying stress as well as help you to identify your triggers for anger. You can learn to control and release your feelings in a healthier way which will enable you to act and respond more calmly and thoughtfully.
Anxiety & stress
Stress and anxiety seem to be becoming more common in our society. A little stress can help us to perform at our best, but prolonged anxiety can affect every aspect of our lives including our health, eating, sleeping, relationships, energy and mood. The mind can become overly active so that we feel we never have any peace, even when we do stop. The body can feel constantly tight and tense.
Diet and lifestyle changes combined with therapy can significantly reduce stress and provide really effective ways to relax the body and calm the mind, helping you to feel much more able to cope with the demands of everyday life. Learning practical techniques which you can self-apply means that you can continue to gain benefit long after therapy has ended.
Bullying
Bullying can take place amongst young people at school but can also be a problem in the workplace. It can have a huge impact on our confidence and self-esteem at any age.
Therapy can help you to explore different coping strategies, develop assertive and confident communication skills and lower the overall stress and anxiety involved.
Confidence & self esteem
We are not born with low confidence or self-esteem, but difficult or painful experiences and relationships can dent our natural confidence and lead us to develop unhelpful beliefs about ourselves. Therapy can help you to identify and release these old beliefs and develop the necessary skills and thinking patterns to enable your innate confidence and self-esteem to rise to the surface again.
Depression & low mood
If we’re exposed to stress and anxiety for prolonged periods of time, or experience a very painful event, the body and mind can be become exhausted, affecting our sleeping and eating patterns, and causing the mind to get increasingly caught up in a spiral of negative thinking.
Sometimes we need some help to break out of this cycle and get back on track. Diet and lifestyle changes can be very important together with therapies that relax the body, calm the overactive mind and help you start re-engaging with the world in a positive way. Practising some of these techniques on a daily basis for a while can make a real difference.
Eating disorders
Difficulties with eating can range from a reluctance or inability to eat a healthy range of foods, to disorders such as bulimia and anorexia. It can be helpful to view problems with food and eating as a way of coping with underlying stress and anxiety, and therefore similar in origin to addictions and compulsive and self-harming behaviours. The individual may be seeking a way to release or quieten distressing feelings, but the behaviour itself then becomes an additional problem in its own right.
It is important to address both the eating problem and the underlying discomfort that gave rise to it. Using techniques to increase self-esteem, to deeply relax the mind and body, and to rehearse new, more helpful behaviours can be very beneficial and may also enhance any other treatments you may be receiving.
Grief & bereavement
Loss of someone close to us through death, divorce or separation can cause us immense pain. We may also experience a sense of loss when we lose or change employment, develop health problems, move home or experience some similar life-changing event. Very often, given time, the mind will heal itself but there are times when for some reason, the grieving process seems stuck and we can’t move forward.
Therapy can help you to address any unresolved feelings about the loss you have experienced, and enable you to regain a sense of meaning, optimism and pleasure in life.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
In a similar way to addictions, the repetitive, compulsive thoughts and behaviours involved in OCD are frequently symptoms of an underlying stress or anxiety which the person is seeking to control in the only way available to them.
Therapy provides practical, alternative ways to calm the mind and body which can initially be used on a daily basis. This can quieten the mind and relieve the need to perform the behaviour. Addressing any underlying stress which may have contributed to the development of the problem may also be important.
Panic attacks
People usually vividly recall their first panic attack and the sense of terror they experienced, together with unpleasant physical symptoms such as shallow breathing, pounding heart and trembling. Panic attacks may start during a stressful period in our lives, or they may be associated with an intense fear or phobia.
One of the key components of treatment is teaching you a quick and effective way to calm yourself so that you feel able to control this “fight or flight” reaction in the body, and then to address any underlying stress that may be present. Diet and lifestyle advice can also be crucial in alleviating panic attacks.
Performance and test anxiety
Taking an exam or driving test, having to make a speech or perform in public can cause crippling anxiety for many people. This can prevent you doing what you want to do, and affect your overall levels of confidence and self-esteem.
Therapy focuses on releasing your fears and helping you prepare for the event by rehearsing it successfully in your mind whilst you feel comfortable and confident. You can also learn practical tips and techniques which you can use for an additional boost on the day itself.
Phobias
Phobias involve an intense fear which is linked to a trigger which may be an event, physical sensation, situation or object. Particular phobias can involve heights, enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), being outdoors (agoraphobia), fear of flying, needles, spiders (arachnophobia), snakes, being sick (emetophobia), social phobia and many, many more. As part of our survival mechanism, the brain is very quick to make a connection between intense fear and any linked event or circumstance. Once it has done so, it will continue to produce fear or panic attacks every time we are in the presence of the trigger. This can give rise to very unpleasant physical and psychological symptoms including increased breathing and heart rate, sweating, trembling and an overwhelming desire to escape.
Therapy helps to calm the intense reaction and then assists you in uncoupling the unhelpful link the brain has made between the trigger and the fear response, so that you can get on with your life feeling calmer and more confident.
Relationships
Whether it’s difficulties with a partner, child, parent, friend or employer, relationship problems can cause great discomfort. Often we’re able to work things out ourselves, but there are times when it can help to talk it through with someone outside the situation.
Therapy helps you examine any unhelpful beliefs you may have which could be influencing your behaviour and reactions and gives you a new perspective on what’s happening. You can also learn effective ways to calm yourself and to develop more assertive, confident and thoughtful styles of communication.
Sleep problems
Many of us experience temporary problems with sleeping when we’re busy or going through a difficult time, but if that pattern persists we can become increasingly tired and frustrated. Just getting through the day can become difficult if you’re not having enough sleep.
Treatment can help with all forms of insomnia as well as sleep-walking, and involves a combination of diet and lifestyle strategies together with techniques that help to calm your overactive mind and relax your body. You can even have a CD recorded for use at bedtime to help you get back into the habit of relaxing into a deep sleep.
Social anxiety
Many people find social situations challenging and uncomfortable. Being in a large group or with people you don’t know very well can give rise to shy, anxious or self-conscious feelings, and may even lead to social situations being avoided altogether. When these feelings are very intense they can give rise to blushing, stammering or perhaps phobias and panic attacks, and can be linked to difficulties with confidence and self-esteem.
Treatment is focused on helping you to relax and develop the skills and confidence you need so that you can feel more comfortable and at ease in social situations.
Stop smoking
As with any other addictions, it’s vital that you really want to stop smoking. If that’s the case, then hypnotherapy, together with other techniques used, can really help you quit. Many people fear that if they stop smoking, they’ll start to eat more and gain weight. That’s why it’s important not just to help you let go of the habit, but to look at the reasons why you’ve continued to smoke. If smoking has been a way of relaxing or dealing with boredom or anxiety, or perhaps has been a reward when things are difficult, we need to help you find other, more positive ways of meeting those needs, so that you don’t return to smoking or start eating unhealthily. Doing this means you are much more likely to be successful in quitting for good. Two appointments are recommended for smoking cessation, each lasting 90 minutes and costing £55.
Stress-related health problems
Many physical problems associated with ill-health may be aggravated by long-term stress and anxiety which can deplete the immune system. Headaches, migraines, digestive disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, chronic fatigue, eczema and many other problems can flare up or become worse when we’re very tense. Even our perception of pain can be intensified.
For a special feature on hypnotherapy and irritable bowel syndrome see the newsletter page.
Applying really effective therapeutic techniques which deeply relax the mind and body, and which can be self-applied and used on a regular basis, can be highly beneficial. The visualisation techniques used in hypnotherapy can also assist in encouraging the body’s natural ability to heal.
Trauma
When we experience an overwhelmingly traumatic event, or series of events, the mind can find it difficult to process what has happened in the way that it does with ordinary memories. This can leave us in a state of “red alert” which may involve intense anxiety, phobias, panic attacks, nightmares and flashbacks. In the long term this can lead to problems with sleep and relationships, and difficulties with anger, depression and concentration.
We tend to think of trauma in terms of war zone experiences or childhood abuse, and this can certainly be the case, but being involved in, or witnessing, an accident or someone being taken ill, for example, can trigger trauma in varying degrees depending on the individual, their age and circumstances.
Treatment of trauma helps the mind to process the event properly and so releases the associated discomfort. Using modern therapeutic techniques, treatment is gentle and effective. There is no need to re-experience the pain of the event or even to discuss it. If you wish to talk through in more detail this approach to the treatment of trauma, you are welcome to contact Rachel at any time.
Weight loss
Excessive weight problems are linked with increased health risks but many people struggle to find really effective ways to lose weight and to maintain a healthy weight afterwards.
Treatment is designed to assist you in setting realistic goals for weight loss and adopting an eating pattern, rather than a diet, which is healthy, enjoyable and which you can maintain indefinitely. Examining any anxiety and stress, depression or confidence and self-esteem problems which may be contributing to difficulties with eating and weight gain is important. You can also learn effective techniques for overcoming addictions and cravings for particular foods. Working on increasing your confidence and self-belief helps you feel good about yourself both on the inside as well as the outside.
A significant factor in the success of therapy is your motivation and desire for change, together with a willingness to practise and use the techniques learned in the sessions.
Your hypnotherapy session can be recorded onto CD so that you can gain even more benefit from listening to it regularly at home.
Most people experience significant improvements after an average of only three appointments.
