What is Hypnotherapy? / FAQ’s

What is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy can facilitate you to rewire your subconscious in a safe, supportive and guided manner. It gives you the power to control your mind, break cycles and change the narrative. It can help you overcome struggles and free you from the limitations that hold you back, so you are able to move forwards and achieve your goals with clarity and confidence. Hypnotherapy is a transformative journey that we embark on together. It is not mind control or the same as stage hypnosis, heavily stigmatised in the media. You are always in control.

There are no pocket watches involved. Hypnotherapy feels like being in a relaxed meditative state, also known as a trance state. Stage hypnosis uses hypnotic techniques for entertainment purposes and other factors are at play here, for example the conformity effect. Hypnotherapy uses the hypnotic techniques for therapeutic benefits. There is no right or wrong way to experience this hypnotic state and it is different for everyone. Whilst in hypnosis, I will talk to your subconscious, making positive suggestions. However you will always be in control. Whilst in this state you will not accept any suggestions that are not in line with your current morals, needs, wants, beliefs, or best interests. Therefore myths regarding mind control are exactly that, even operating in sleep brain waves- you are always aware and in complete control.

The Subconscious

Knowledge is power, if you know how your brain works, you can learn how to control it. Scientists calculated 95% of thoughts are repetitive, which is not helpful if your thoughts are negative. Your conscious part of the brain- the thinking part, makes up about 10- 15% of your mind, the subconscious makes up around 85-90 % of your mind, therefore most of our thoughts and behaviour come from the subconscious and are the same thoughts.

Operating on autopilot and not being in the present moment because your stressed or worried means you may find it hard to relax and when you do try, your mind continues to have thoughts for example, ‘what am I eating later’  or ‘did I lock the front door’ etc, every day, this is your conscious mind doing its job, very well, in keeping you alive however this survival instinct is not helpful in , for example- reducing anxiety. Break the cycle, repeat different, positive and healthy thoughts. Hypnosis works by talking to the subconscious, bypassing the conscious mind. The subconscious is your hard drive, it runs all your body functions in the background, for instance- when you arrive somewhere and can’t remember the drive, you are on auto pilot- this is your subconscious taking over. The subconscious is where issues can stem from, you would have experienced something to trigger a pattern of behaviour or an associated feeling. You may not be consciously aware or have memory of this experience, it is all stored in the subconscious and being relayed to the conscious mind by way of anxiety, habits, and so forth, which is essentially a complex survival mechanism. Before you reach the age of 7, your brain waves operate the same way an adult brain operates in a relaxed state, at all times. This is where expressions of comparing children’s brains to sponges comes from, if you have had a negative experience before the age of 7 your likely to express this as an adult in some way as your subconscious remembers everything before the age of 7, even though you may not be consciously aware of it.

The subconscious mind can to take something specific and apply it to the general. For example, if you have had rejection in the past you think (mostly unconsciously and automatically) that you are more likely to experience it again. For instance, being upset as you were not picked for a football team as a child, may make you fear rejection as an adult. We are a collection of memories , our past experiences determine who we are and how we act. We fear the unknown and use these lived experiences to anticipate the future.

We transfer information from the senses from our spinal column nerves. Information is usually processed by being transferred from the short term memory to the long term memory via the Hippocampus. However events that are stressful or traumatic trigger the fight/flight or freeze response, activating the limbic system. This effective survival system, ensures we remember this event and it is kept in our short term memory in the Amygdala, anything that triggers this memory can cause a reaction such as anxiety, which is why sometimes you may feel anxious and not know why. Hypnotherapy can help this by processing and transferring the memory to the long term memory and dissociate the negative emotions, so you can over come it and move on.

How does Hypnotherapy work?

During day-time conscious thinking your brain operates on what is called Beta waves, which is a higher frequency of electrical activity and connection, and Gamma waves for high levels of concentration. When you are sitting down, for example watching TV, your brain operates on Alpha waves. When you are relaxing, e.g. during meditation, your brain operates in a Theta wave state which is reduced electrical connections and lastly when you are in a pre-sleep and sleeping state, your brain operates on Delta waves.

Hypnotherapy prompts relaxation and uses this relaxed state to reduce brain wave activity to Alpha and Theta waves, possibly delta depending on your suggestibility. This is because it allows the subconscious to become more accessible, as it is not conflicted with conscious thoughts such as ‘ I need a cigarette’ . When you are in Gamma and Beta waves, the conscious mind takes control and any survival instinctual behaviours, such as habits, override any alternative suggestions. In Theta waves the subconscious is more open to change, as it is not prioritising survival as you are in a relaxed state, provided you allow yourself to relax. By talking directly to your subconscious positive changes will be accepted and relayed to the conscious mind, provided they are what you want, and after the session, your subconscious will start relaying these new positive suggestions to your conscious thought process.  By planting seeds of change into your subconscious, each time you consciously do something differently, because of these suggestions, the plant will blossom and you will rewire your brains neurotransmitters.

Are there any risks/ side effects?

There can be contraindications and as such I have devised a comprehensive consultation form, for example if you are epileptic, hypnosis can induce a seizure. It is also not suitable for clients who have psychosis as it can make symptoms worse. You can not get ‘stuck’ in hypnosis for example if you are receiving a session remotely and the connection gets lost, you will realise this and reorientate.  You may experience an abreaction which is an emotional response/release during or after hypnosis such as laughing or crying, this is completely normal but does not happen to everyone and is not reflective of the effectiveness of the session.  You may experience physical symptoms which include; rapid eye movement, twitching, tingling, body and time distortion, facial flushing, slower breathing, piloerection (goosebumps), increased swallowing, please note these symptoms are not indicative of the effectiveness of the session, they are normal reactions but not everyone has them.

Will Hypnotherapy work for me? 

Hypnotherapy can be adapted to suit you. Individual hypnotherapy has many benefits and higher effectiveness over any app. You need to be ready and want to make changes. You also need to be positive in thinking it can work for you. You will need an open mind, to let go and not resist relaxation and suggestions.

Links to meditation- the power of the mind

In 1992 the Dali llama asked to meet with scientists to study the brain, using brain scans of those who meditate (The Mind explained: Mindfulness, 2019).  This led to research being conducted and the significance of the brains default mode network. The default mode network is where your mind wanders when it is not doing anything else. The DMN is abnormally activated in individuals with mental health and it has now been termed as a biomarker for diagnosis (The Mind explained: Mindfulness, 2019).

During meditation individuals are constantly training their brain to bring their attention to the current moment, training it not to wonder which is a powerful tool if your thoughts wander and are negative. Not surprisingly researchers found that the DMN is less active in individual’s who meditate regularly demonstrating the control they have over their thoughts and subsequently the benefits of mindfulness on mental health, Engström, et al (2015).  It was also discovered that those who practice meditation experience pain less which could be correlated with the hypnosis used during surgeries, Kox et al (2014) and Wim Hof’s ability to cold water bath and prevent disease through breathing techniques. Additionally, participants could control their immune response using Wim Hof’s breathing techniques, Muzil et al (2018).  By directly communicating with the subconscious we are trying to turn down the DMN. Meditation has also been found to increase neuron connection and thus neuro plasticity (Engström, et al, 2015), which means we can rewire the  brain to the desired outcome using the relaxed state and training the DMN through suggestions, as long as the participant is willing, the brain will respond and welcome this change  (Engström, et al, 2015).

We are not biologically designed to live in this modern world.  

Where did hypnotherapy come from?

It is noteworthy of how prevalent hypnosis has been used in human history and how all medicine evolved from prehistoric shamanism, with the goal of having ‘enhanced control over one’s mind and body on the way to enlightenment’ see appendix 1.  Shamanism is the practice of healing and has a holistic approach of treating the mind, body and environment as one and uses plants, surgery, remedies and altered states of consciousness to heal and treat people. These ancient healing practices of hypnotic suggestions were also used by the Native American Indians for healing and right of passage. These healing practices were subsequently banned in the mid 20th century by the Roman Catholic Church until being rediscovered by Mesmer in the 18th century, although In 1027 ‘The Book of Healing’ had mentions of hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy has been documented in Ancient Egyptian times, archaeologists have discovered a doctors toom, named Imhotep, which contained evidence that he used hypnotic suggestions in the form of incubations (deep sleep after certain rituals , i.e cold water bathing, fasting and dream analysis) for healing treatments of both the mind and body in temple hospitals, this technique was also used by Hippocrates . Eastern meditation has also been suggested in the scientific community as the original origin of hypnosis which makes sense when thinking of the effect of meditation on the DMN. Non-Ordinary Mental Expressions (NOMEs) has been used as the term to define the altered state of consciousness in the scientific community.

Franz Mesmer a German doctor in 1734 termed his practices as mesmertism and used magnets to control human energy frequencies for healing purposes, proposing healing is an energy exchange, and a researcher called Sandby in 1848 found links to Buddhist meditation. Additionally, Esdaile in 1805 preformed major operations using mesmeric sleep as anaesthetic to stop people feeling pain. Mesmer, Freud,  Dave Elman  (1960’s) and Milton Erikson (1930’s) are the main stays of modern hypnotherapy as well as, Jacobson 1929, who suggested physical muscle relaxation (PMR) is not needed as simple suggestions can relax the body, for instance rather than physically tensing and relaxing your toes, you can simply tell your brain to relax your toes.  There are many other hypnotherapists in between these time periods, up to the current period of time, who have shaped and influenced hypnotherapy as we know it today and I am happy to provide more information and references upon request.

References

Engström, M, Simon, R (2015) ‘The default mode network as a biomarker for monitoring the therapeutic effects of meditation ’http://www. Frontiers | The default mode network as a biomarker for monitoring the therapeutic effects of meditation (frontiersin.org) (Accessed: 10th February 2024).  

  Jirakittayakorn , N, Wongsawat, Y (2017) ‘Brain Responses to a 6-Hz Binaural Beat: Effects on General Theta Rhythm and Frontal Midline Theta Activity’ https:// Frontiers | Brain Responses to a 6-Hz Binaural Beat: Effects on General Theta Rhythm and Frontal Midline Theta Activity (frontiersin.org) (Accessed 17th February 2024).

  Kox M, van Eijk LT, Zwaag J, van den Wildenberg J, Sweep FC, van der Hoeven JG, Pickkers P (2014) ‘ Voluntary activation of the sympathetic nervous system and attenuation of the innate immune response in humans’. https://Voluntary activation of the sympathetic nervous system and attenuation of the innate immune response in humans - PMC (nih.gov) (Accessed 10th February 2024).  

Image from: Facco, E., & Tagliagambe, S. (2021). Learning from the past: from incubation in ancient Egypt and Greece to modern hypnosis. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(7), 268–285. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.87.10541

  Muzik O, Reilly KT, Diwadkar VA (2018) "Brain over body"-A study on the wilful regulation of autonomic function during cold exposure. Neuroimage’ https:// Brain over body"-A study on the willful regulation of autonomic function during cold exposure - PubMed (nih.gov) (Accessed 10th February 2024).  

 The Mind, Explained: Personality. (2021). Netflix, 19th November 2021.

  The Mind, Explained: Anxiety. (2019). Netflix, 12th September 2019.  

The Mind, Explained: Mindfulness. (2019). Netflix, 12th September 2019.

Appendix 1