What is troubling you today?

We are suseptible to a wide range of anxieties. Anxiety, worry and fear is a normal part of being human. It is the way our subconscious mind protects us from harm. Sometimes that anxiety becomes irrational, and starts to have a detrimental effect on our lives. The most common forms of irrational anxieties are listed here:

• Social Anxiety - more than shyness, this is an intense fear of dealing with people and social situations.

• Health Anxiety - constant worry that you are or may catch or develop an illness or condition.

• Performance Anxiety - more than being nervous, this is a fear so strong that it can stop you from performing as well as you could.  Public speaking, job interviews, exams, sports events are all potential situations that can bring on this anxiety.

• Panic Attacks - Sometimes anxiety can get so strong that the body is sent into a state of panic. Quite commonly, the cause of the panic attack is the fear of having a panic attack, perhaps in a public place.

• General Anxiety Disorder - In some cases anxiety is experienced across a wide range of situations, rather than having one specific trigger.

• Coping with stress - at work or at home.

Lack of good quality or adequate sleep can affect your whole life, making everything seem difficult to cope with, and increasing anxiety and stress. All our hypnotherapy sessions include suggestions about sleep, with specific and additional help being added for those clients experiencing particular issues.

• Not being able to get to sleep.

• Waking often in the night, or early in the morning.

• Being disturbed by dreams or nightmares.

• Anxiety about inability to sleep.

If you are struggling with low mood or depression, feeling that you are not getting on in life as you want to be, but find yourself unable to take the steps to start making changes, then Hypnotherapy can help.

Clinical depression is a long lasting condition that people often endure for years without seeking out help. It is a serious condition, and many people take regular medication to help them through this time, and some therapies are available via the NHS and local mental health services.  However, Hypnotherapy can help by creating new positive beliefs at a subconscious level, enabling the client to recover their energy and ability to function and move on with their lives.

In other cases, lack of motivation is linked to fear of failure, lack of confidence or assertiveness, or simply poor time management. In these cases Hypnotherapy can help to increase confidence, concentration and clarity of thought, leading to a better focus and increased ability to carry out whatever tasks are required.

Smoking is firstly a habit, and only a very slight addiction. In fact, caffeine is more addictive than nicotine. The smoking habit is often learned at a critical age (around mid-teens) when we try very hard to learn to do this thing that we perceive to be "cool" because at that age we want nothing more than the social acceptance of our peers, and to fit into the group.  The habit becomes ingrained, and we carry on smoking for many years after the positive aspects of smoking cease to be a thing.

Habits can be very hard to change at a conscious level because they are a product of our subconscious mind helping us out by doing something for us.  We learn how to walk without falling, we learn how to eat and swallow without choking, we learn how to change gear without stalling, and we learn how to smoke without thinking.

Hypnotherapy works with your subconscious mind directly, allowing us to change that subconscious habit, a little like changing the source programming.  You do still need some conscious willpower - we can't force you to stop smoking if you don't really want to, so if you are thinking of booking a session just to prove to your partner that you've "tried everything" to stop, then we suggest you keep your money.  If you do want to stop however, then we can enable you to start your new life as a non-smoker in just one session.  Or if vaping has become your thing, then start your new life as a non-vaper.

• Stop Smoking / Vaping in just one session plus one follow up online booster.

• Benefit from improving health from day one of becoming a non-smoker.

• Amount paid to Stop Smoking will quickly be recovered through not spending money on your old smoking habit.

• Enjoy the social benefits of not smoking. It's no longer "cool".

Habits are our subconscious minds way of helping us out by "doing the thinking for us".  However, our helpful subconscious mind can get carried away and set up a repetitive habitual behaviours that we would prefer not to have.  Simple habits might be just annoying. Some may become so addictive that they have a detrimental effect on the persons life, such as gambling or shopping.

In addition, substance abuse is both habit forming and addictive, which makes it harder to change without help.  However, all of these problems can be helped with Hypnotherapy, which works by allowing the client to change the subconscious minds automatic programs of behaviour. By changing how you think and feel, and dealing with any underlying issues, you can change your behaviour also.

• Simple habits : Nail biting, teeth grinding (bruxism), bed wetting, picking.

• Addictive behaviours : Gambling, shopping, sex, porn.

• Substance addictions : tobacco, caffeine, drugs, alcohol.

We are all affected by our past experiences, and our ability to process and deal with those experiences. For many of us, our experiences are mostly positive, and this may help us to cope with those areas in our lives that were less so.  For people who have experienced specific traumatic events, or long-term abuse, these experiences may lead to a lifetime of negative thoughts and emotions.

Unlike some forms of therapy, it may not be necessary to revisit and explain in detail to your therapist everything that caused your particular trauma. We are aiming to change your life now and for your future, helping you to get past the negative feelings that you have been left with.

• Sexual abuse / traumatic sexual experience

• Emotional abuse leading to long term issues with self esteem, confidence, anxiety or depression.

• Physical abuse / physical violence

• Childhood abuse

Many adults struggle with sexual issues during their life, and sadly these often go on for years without help being sought because of fear or embarrassment.  There is no reason why adults should not seek and hope for a fulfilling sex life, and in many cases help is available.  I am able to help clients talk about and change the issues that are stopping them from enjoying sexual experiences, and am happy to work with clients of any gender or identity.

• Loss of sex drive - lack of interest in sex.

• Worries about excessive masturbation.

• Porn addiction - inability to become aroused or to orgasm except when watching porn.

• Worry or nervousness about potential sexual encounters.

• Female orgasmic disorder - (inability to orgasm)

• Dyspareunia - genital pain or discomfort associated with intercourse

• Vaginismus - involuntary contractions of the muscles surrounding the vagina when penetration is attempted, causing discomfort, pain, or even preventing penetration.

• Male erectile disorder - inability to get or to keep an erection.

• Premature ejaculation - orgasm and ejaculation with a minimum of sexual stimulation.

• Male orgasmic disorder - inability or difficulty in reaching orgasm during intercourse, although in some cases orgasm may be reached with other stimulation.

• Insecurity about sexual performance or physical attributes.

Children and teenagers are often very receptive to Hypnotherapy as they are open to trying new things, and often find the process interesting and enjoyable.  I am happy to work with children, usually from the age of around 8, as this is when they have reached an age where they are able to understand what we are doing, and work with me.  Teenagers make particularly good subjects for hypnosis, often displaying positive changes in far fewer sessions than I would expect with adults.

Young people have their own set of pressures and stresses, with school life, changing friendship groups, peer pressure, and exams all adding to the list of potential anxieties.  Anxiety and stress can lead to a wide range of symptoms and behaviours, and may be more obvious than with adults (who may have learned to mask their anxieties more proficiently over time).

I am very happy to see children and teenagers, with the caveat that they are aware of what we are trying to achieve, and are open to my helping them.

It is not possible to hypnotise your children to be better behaved, but if they need help and support with stress or anxiety then I will do my best to help.

• Childhood habits - Thumb sucking, bed wetting, nail biting.

• Anxiety or panic attacks - about school life, exams, performances, home life.

• Lack of concentration and inability to focus.

• Confidence and Self-esteem.

• Problems with sleeping - getting to sleep, waking during the night, nightmares or disturbing dreams.

• Difficulty with relationships - making friends or getting on with family.

• Phobias and fears - including spiders, dogs, the dentist, claustophobia, heights, water, the monster under the bed etc

• Self-harm – Cutting or other harm.

There are some limits to what can be effectively treated with Hypnotherapy. Major psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia cannot be cured with hypnotherapy. If you are already under the care of a mental health team or practitioner, we would need to obtain their permission before offering you any treatment - this is to ensure that different therapies do not conflict

In addition, there are certain things which, while possible, we choose not to offer in normal circumstances, including Hypnotic gastric bands, and past life regression.  Please do contact us if you want to discuss these therapies and see what alternatives we can offer.