FAQ and Common concerns about clinical hypnotherapy

Is Hypnotherapy safe?
Hypnotherapy is completely natural and safe and there are no side effects, the benefits are long lasting and often permanent.  

How long can I expect the outcome of hypnotherapy to last?
The longevity will often depend on the patient continuing to practice self hypnosis which I teach in order for the patient to become independent of formal sessions.  


How can I know I will be safe when I have been put “under”?
Firstly there is no such thing as being “under”.  Hypnosis is a normal, naturally occurring state in which the hypnotised person is completely aware of their surroundings and is always in complete control.  In therapy one chooses to engage in hypnosis and nobody can be hypnotised against their will, nor can they be made to do anything that they would not want to do or that would contradict their intrinsic moral code of behaviour. 
It should be recognised that stage hypnosis is an entirely different thing to therapeutic hypnosis.  Even people who do silly things on stage are indeed willing participants who have agreed to comply, ultimately they are still in control and could not be made to do anything they were not comfortable with.   


Can anyone be hypnotised?
Hypnosis is a totally natural state that can be experienced by almost all mammals.  It is estimated that approximately 85% of people will readily respond to clinical hypnotherapy.  It is often successful when other, more conventional methods of treatment have failed.  It matters not whether one believes it will work, all that is needed is a personal motive and desire for positive outcome.  


Will it work for me?
There are very few people for whom hypnosis will not work, the only requirement is that they want it to work and that it is in their best interest for it to work.  As previously stated, hypnotherapy cannot make a person do anything that they do not want: so for example if a person seeks to stop smoking it must be totally their own idea, for themselves, rather than to please another person or because they have been told they should.  Once again, for the key to success, one needs personal motivation and a drive for achievement.  


How do I find out if clinical hypnotherapy can help me?
You can contact me for an informal chat about how hypnotherapy could be helpful to you.  If you decide that it is a way forward, the initial consultation will be around an hour and a half, and further consultations are up to one hour, depending on needs, for example hypnosis itself takes around thirty to forty minutes.  


How many sessions will I need?
This is a very hard question to answer, it depends entirely on the personal needs of each individual.  Some people I see just two or three times, particularly if the problem is behavioural.  For others with more deep rooted psychological issues then therapy can be much longer.   But for whatever the problem, if hypnotherapy is going to work for them, I do expect people to notice a difference in their thoughts and behaviour pretty much after the first session, and I have never had anyone who has contradicted this assertion.