FAQs

Here are answer to some frequently asked questions about hypnotherapy.

Is Hypnotherapy Effortless?

Hypnotherapy is NOT a passive therapy where you just lie back and listen to the hypnotist. You will need to make some effort to help yourself. However, hypnotherapy will make that effort more effective.

You probably know the words “comfort zone.” There is a “comfort zone” where you’re right away from the thing you fear. You also have a “horror zone” where you’re so close that it’s unbearable and you have to get away no matter what. In between these zones are the situations where you’re not comfortable but you can stand it. Therapy works by helping you to gradually step out into the “in-between” zone. When you stay in the in-between zone for a while, it becomes part of your comfort zone. So your comfort zone enlarges till you find yourself back in it. The goal is for the comfort zone and the in-between zone to go on expanding till there’s no horror zone left.

Actually no therapy is effortless. If a doctor gives you antibiotics, they will tell you to take them at specific times, and maybe to avoid alcohol. If you see a physio you’ll usually be given exercises to do at home. It is up to you to follow these instructions.

At the free initial discussion we will agree what you will be doing to help yourself. Your effort plus my expertise = success! You an read more here about how I work.

Is Hypnotherapy Scientific?

There is probably more scientific evidence available on the effectiveness of hypnotherapy than for any other alternative therapy. Scientists have been studying hypnosis for more than two hundred years. The most comprehensive scientific textbook of hypnosis is published by the world-famous University of Oxford. It is entitled the Oxford Handbook of Hypnosis: Theory Research and Practice and it contains hundreds of references to studies in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

The British Society for Clinical and Academic Hypnosis, to which I belong, includes professors and other researchers, doctors (both general practitioners and hospital consultants) , dentists, and psychologists.

Can Everyone be Hypnotised?

Almost everyone, so long as they cooperate and don’t deliberately fight it. I see many clients who have previously seen other hypnotherapists and not been hypnotised even after several sessions. Generally this is either due to poor technique by the previous hypnotists, or else the client was resisting hypnosis because they were afraid of it. If you have any fears about hypnosis we can discuss these at your free initial discussion and hopefully set your mind at rest.

Could I get stuck in Hypnosis and not come out?

No this cannot happen. If someone hypnotised you and just left you, you would either come out after a short while, or else pass into normal sleep and then awake. If an emergency occurred you would be able to come out of trance immediately.

Can anything go wrong in Hypnosis?

A competent and experienced hypnotherapist will know how to guide you through any powerful experience, such as a release of emotion known as an abreaction, which may occasionally occur. This means you can expect to leave each session feeling better than when you arrived.

If a therapist attempts to discover buried memories using regression hypnosis, there is a danger that your imagination may create memories of things which did not happen, or it may distort a real memory, for instance by remembering one person as doing something when it was actually someone else. Hypnotic memory is more vivid and therefore more convincing than normal memory, but it is just as unreliable. For this reason it is never safe to use hypnosis to discover hidden memories.

If a person is hypnotised and told something negative about their self, or something they would normally find unacceptable, this could create serious distress in some people. No ethical hypnotherapist would ever do this, but unfortunately this is sometimes done by stage hypnotists for cheap amusement. This is a very unpleasant and irresponsible practice.

Are some hypnotherapists unethical?

There are very rare cases of hypnotherapists taking advantage of their clients. Most people will reject unacceptable suggestions even in deep trance, but a few people are prone to being excessively trusting and obedient. These people are vulnerable in any situation, not just hypnosis. I have for instance seen cases of an audiologist (hearing specialist) and a podiatrist (foot specialist) perpetrating this behaviour. Neither of them had used hypnosis.

Most people know instinctively if they can trust a person once they’ve met them face to face. So I always start with a free informal discussion, which includes some simple hypnotic testing to see which type of hypnosis is most suitable.

Actually, by far the most common danger of hypnotherapy is the danger of wasting your money, by paying for ineffective therapy from an incompetent practitioner! At present there are far too many training schools turning out far too many hypnotherapists, most of whom will never gain enough experience to be really competent.

What problems do you not work with?

Weight Loss

I do not generally work with clients who simply wish to lose weight. This is because being overweight or obese is often a complex problems involving the body as well as the mind. A really effective weight-loss therapist needs a deep understanding of nutrition, the composition of modern foods (which may be artificially altered to stimulate appetite), and the different types of healthy bacteria which should be present in the gut (this is a new area of scientific study and is very important). There is so much to learn about these topics that I think it’s generally best left to those who take a special interest in it.

Sports Performance

Many scientific studies show that hypnosis can be very effective in enhancing sports performance, and there are therapists who specialise in this field. I don’t deal with it because although I keep very physically fit I have absolutely no interest in competitive sports. So I’m just not the right therapist for people to whom this is really important.

Hypno-birthing

I don’t generally deal with women who want help in preparing to give birth. Hypnotherapy can be very effective in this area, but I would rather leave it to female specialists who concentrate on this area and have a detailed knowledge of the physical side of giving birth. There are many “hypnobirthing” practitioners, many of whom are also midwives and have given birth themselves.

Extreme Jealousy

I don’t work with clients who are extremely jealous. I sometime have people calling me about their partners who are extremely jealous and controlling, asking if I can hypnotise the partner to remove this problem. Well for one thing it’s very unlikely that the partner would even see me, because these people generally believe that they are in the right and that their partner should reassure them by submitting totally to their wishes. These people simply cannot have normal satisfactory relationships in our modern world where people expect a reasonable amount of freedom. A relationship with an extremely jealous and controlling partner will always end badly, so it’s better that it ends sooner when less damage has been done.

Do you help people stop smoking?

Twenty years ago most hypnotherapists (myself included) saw a lot of people to help them to stop smoking. These days I don’t often work with this issue. There are many scientific studies of hypnotherapy to stop smoking. These studies show that after one year, about one third have stopped and the other two-thirds have gone back to smoking. This success rate is much less than what most clients would be hoping for.

If anyone claims a significantly better success rate I suggest you ask them for the evidence. You’ll probably find they’ve not done any long term follow up. Having said this, a well-designed programme of hypnotherapy does have a better success rate than other treatments for stopping smoking. So by all means go for it if you can find an experienced hypnotherapist who specialises in this issue. Whatever kind of help you go for, you take some time to plan ahead. Consider the possible temptations, withdrawal symptoms, and how you will get past them.

Is Stage Hypnotism for real or are they just acting?

Bit of both. The stage hypnotist carefully selects his subjects after testing the whole audience for hypnotic suggestibility. And the ones who come up on stage are volunteers who are “up for it.” They who know how to act their part, participating in an entertainment. Where stage hypnotists have caused harm it’s usually by touching on some underlying worry which the subject has not revealed.

Is any physical contact involved in hypnosis?

Some techniques involve my lifting your arm, by gently holding your wrist. No other physical contact is necessary. If you don’t like anyone touching you at all there’s plenty of other methods I can use.

My phobia is very embarrassing and I’m afraid you’d laugh at me.

Having had a phobia myself when younger, I never make fun of anyone who has this problem. The experience of phobia feels totally real to the person who has it, however strange it may seem to somebody else. It is no laughing matter.

What if my phobia is very unusual?

All phobias work in much the same way and a competent therapist can treat them all using similar methods. That’s why you need to see a therapist who understands the underlying factors. Not somebody who just recites a script which they have memorised out of a book. Even in the case of common phobias no two clients are alike. For instance, some people with emetophobia cannot bear the sound of someone being sick, but have no problem cleaning up that person afterwards. For others it would be the other way around. So every client needs a therapy programme tailored to their individual needs.

My child has a phobia but is reluctant to have therapy, shall I make them come to see you?

All therapy requires the client’s cooperation. Tere is no point forcing anyone to come. In fact this could make things worse by giving them a phobia for therapy, so they’d never want to have it in future! However, you could bring them for an initial chat, without therapy, and without charge, so I could explain to them exactly what therapy involves. Peoples’ fears are usually due to mistaken ideas about what therapy involves. A competent therapist will not make you do anything.

How young a child can you work with?

I work with teenagers down to about fifteen years old. All clients under eighteen must have a parent or guardian accompany them. Their parent must also sign a consent form on the first session.

I have another question.

You can contact me via the contact form on the first page of this site. I will answer your question by return email.