1. What is hypnosis?

Opinions vary on the exact definition of this natural state of mind. First of all, contrary to what many people believe, hypnosis is not always a trance state or a sleep state even though a person in hypnosis may appear to be sleeping. Hypnosis is really natural state of mind and is an important part of everyday life. Whenever our mind wanders, daydreams or is focused on something, such as reading a book, driving a familiar route, watching a film we are in a state of hypnosis.

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2. If I’m hypnotised do I lose control?

Do we give up control of our mind to someone else when we are reading a book or watching a film? In situations like this you are in a hypnotic trance, although you still have the power to emerge from that state if you wish. Whatever or whomever hypnotizes you; you always have the power to resist. When you realise that you are the one in control, when you decide how deeply into hypnosis you wish to go, then you become aware of what hypnosis is.

A hypnotherapist is a guide and helps you on a journey, but the change can only be made by you. Often the realization that you are in control, and that you can make change yourself is very empowering. You will find that the more often you going into hypnosis, aware that you doing it, the more you realise how easy it is to let go, secure in the knowledge that you can always stop a session if you feel uncomfortable.

3. How does hypnosis feel?

Hypnosis is a natural state of mind; people are often surprised that they hear every word and could get up and walk out of the room at any moment. Unless you enter a deeper state, you may not seem any different, just very relaxed. Its a similar to drifting off to sleep at night, that stage when you are not quite awake and not quite asleep, you may feel a sense of weightlessness or you may feel heaviness as all your muscles relax. Everyone experiences it differently, we will be able to reassure you and help you relax and enjoy the experience.

Most people are surprised at just how relaxing it is.

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4. What can hypnosis be used to treat.

        Hypnosis can be used to help treat a wide range of issues such as:

• Fears and phobias

• Physical conditions eg, IBS, skin conditions and migraines

• Anxiety and stress

• Panic attacks

• Tinnitus

• Addiction

• Fertility

• Insomnia

• Lack of confidence

        It can also be used as a tool to:

• Manage pain

• Improve performance at work or in sport

• Improve birth outcomes

 

5. What will happen in a hypnosis session?

• We will take detailed history and with some conditions may request permission from you to write to your doctor, to let them know you are having hypnotherapy.

• We will then discuss your goals and what you would like to see or feel at the end of your sessions. Using a range of different techniques we will relax you, make you feel comfortable and work with you towards achieving your goal.

• After a session you may feel uplifted, lighter and very relaxed. Often change is very subtle, as we will be working with you subconscious mind, and you may just notice a very positive shift in how you are feeling.

 

What is NLP

NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a name that encompasses the three most influential components involved in producing human experience: neurology, language and programming. The neurological system regulates how our bodies function, language determines how we interface and communicate with other people and our programming determines the kinds of models of the world we create. Neuro-Linguistic Programming describes the fundamental dynamics between mind (neuro) and language (linguistic) and how their interplay affects our body and behavior (programming).

NLP is a pragmatic school of thought – an ‘epistemology’ – that addresses the many levels involved in being human. NLP is a multi-dimensional process that involves the development of behavioral competence and flexibility, but also involves strategic thinking and an understanding of the mental and cognitive processes behind behaviour.

NLP provides tools and skills for the development of states of individual excellence, but it also establishes a system of empowering beliefs and presuppositions about what human beings are, what communication is and what the process of change is all about.

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At another level, NLP is about self-discovery, exploring identity and mission. It also provides a framework for understanding and relating to the ‘spiritual’ part of human experience that reaches beyond us as individuals to our family, community and global systems. NLP is not only about competence and excellence, it is about wisdom and vision.

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In essence, all of NLP is founded on two fundamental presuppositions:

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1. The Map is Not the Territory. As human beings, we can never know reality. We can only know our perceptions of reality. We experience and respond to the world around us primarily through our sensory representational systems. It is our ‘neuro-linguistic’ maps of reality that determine how we behave and that give those behaviours meaning, not reality itself. It is generally not reality that limits us or empowers us, but rather our map of reality.

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2. Life and ‘Mind’ are Systemic Processes. The processes that take place within a human being and between human beings and their environment are systemic. Our bodies, our societies, and our universe form an ecology of complex systems and sub-systems all of which interact with and mutually influence each other. It is not possible to completely isolate any part of the system from the rest of the system. Such systems are based on certain ‘self-organizing’ principles and naturally seek optimal states of balance or homoeostasis.

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All of the models and techniques of NLP are based on the combination of these two principles. In the belief system of NLP it is not possible for human beings to know objective reality. Wisdom, ethics and ecology do not derive from having the one ‘right’ or ‘correct’ map of the world, because human beings would not be capable of making one. Rather, the goal is to create the richest map possible that respects the systemic nature and ecology of ourselves and the world we live in.

The people who are most effective are the ones who have a map of the world that allows them to perceive the greatest number of available choices and perspectives.

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NLP is a way of enriching the choices that you have and perceive as available in the world around you.

• Excellence comes from having many choices.

• Wisdom comes from having multiple perspectives.