About Hypnosis

    Congratulations on being open minded enough to want to learn about hypnosis and how it can help you. Because you're reading this perhaps you are already aware of just how effective it can be when used professionally. This might indicate that you wish to try it for yourself, so here is a brief explanation of what it is and why it works.

    Until someone has been for a consultation they usually have lots of questions but if you're reading this then perhaps you might be wondering whether it can help you or maybe even a friend. I hope that as you continue to read on you should find answers to many of your questions and you'll start to understand how what I do can be of benefit. If you have questions that haven't been answered then please ask.

What is it like?

    Within the confines of a website it is impossible for me to fully explain what hypnosis feels like. What I can tell you is that the experience of hypnosis is almost universally enjoyed. As well as doing therapy I sometimes teach self-hypnosis. This is because many people enjoy the state so much they want to be able to enter it at will for themselves and ask me to teach them. Of course you really need to experience it for yourself but I have tried to explain as much as I can here. As you read on you can be reassured that hypnosis is a beautifully relaxed state which my clients enjoy.

My work relies upon a very specific state of mental relaxation which allows suggestions of change to be quickly internalised in order to create change. There is no magic in hypnosis. My primary tool is understanding how the mind (and specifically the subconscious) processes information . Hypnosis is simply a term applied to a very specific mental state in which new ideas or information is dealt with in a very specific way.
I use this incredibly useful state to remove the unhelpful thoughts, beliefs and behaviours which have been driving unwanted behaviours. In short, when correctly used, hypnosis allows the mind to change it's internal processes for the better.

About it's uses

    Medical science has long understood the power of suggestion. That's why placeboes have their place in medicine. Just the suggestion that a tablet will correct a problem or ease pain can often produce the desired effect even without any active ingredient. It's also a historical fact that some forward thinking doctors have studied hypnosis and in America a very famous hypnotist called Dave Elman taught thousands of professional medical people about hypnosis for many years. Sadly the techniques which this this great innovator pioneered have mostly fallen into disuse as medicine has become ever more reliant on pharmaceutical interventions but the techniques he used are still as valid today as ever. I use a number of his techniques in my bulimia work and you too may already know that much research has already been done to assess the effectiveness of hypnosis with other issues too.

How does hypnosis work?

    First it's important to realise that hypnosis is only likely to correct a problem if the practitioner is very skilled.
Unfortunately there seems to be an increase in unskilled practitioners and most of these seem to think it's acceptable to simply read to their clients. Their clients might just as well buy a CD or Internet download because it's much cheaper and has just about as much likelihood of success (very little).
Fortunately though, there are also a number of excellent practitioners who get great results with a wide variety of problems. The reason that these skilled practitioners can get their excellent results is only because they understand how to properly use hypnosis and how to apply that knowledge to the benefit of their clients.
Tip: If seeking help for any issue, your first question of any hypnotherapist should be "Do you read to your clients?"

    Hypnosis when properly practised allows real interaction between hypnotist and client. This is not (and should not be) just a one way process and I ask my clients lots of questions whilst in hypnosis. In the hypnotic state, properly worded suggestion can be extremely powerful. I ask questions so that I can determine what the causes are and therefore what specific suggestions will be of benefit. In other words, what I establish is exactly what beliefs and attitudes need to be changed and in what way. This determines the nature of the new "programming" and this in turn determines the actual suggestions given to you. The suggestions that will be made are designed to be both permanent and powerful and to enable you to exit the session an ex-bulimic.

To understand why hypnosis works to correct bulimia and how this is even possible you need to consider the mind as being composed of two halves. These are the conscious and subconscious. The conscious part of the mind is the part that we are most aware of. The conscious is our rational thinking self. The subconscious is our protective and feeling self.

How it works in brief.
The subconscious affects us profoundly and often without us realising quite why. In many ways it can be thought of as working like a computer, running programs to protect us or to save us from having to think consciously about everything we do. As with all computers, the subconscious can only operate on the information it is given and it relies upon having high quality input to do it's job properly.
By knowing exactly how to give the subconscious much better and more useful information to process, it's internal processes can be very significantly and quickly changed. This is what allows problems such as bulimia to be eliminated.

I want you to realise that bulimia is simply a set of thoughts and behaviours which originate deep within the subconscious. That is why hypnosis is of such value and of course this is also why so many other treatment methodologies (which do not address the subconscious properly) work so poorly for so many of those who have bulimia. Because I know from experience just how quickly and easily someone with bulima can generally be helped I personally find it quite depressing how much time is wasted giving bulimics cognitive type therapies which stand so little chance of giving any long term success.

Do you think it can solve my problem?

    YES! Irrespective of how severe the bulimia may be I have absolutely no doubt that it can be corrected. This is because ALL human behaviours are there for a reason. In principle, correcting the problem is simple: just address the reason and the behaviour disappears because it no longer serves any purpose. In practice of course this requires a series of very specific methods need to be employed which may vary from client to client.

Fortunately, the real keys to success are in your own hands. There are a couple of things I need all my clients to bring with them.
What I require of you is:
1) You REALLY want to change. (I cannot help those who are being coerced into seeking help by other people) You must have a real readiness and desire for change.
2) You must also have decided to participate fully during the course of the session.
Since these are factors which only my clients have control over and I do not, I can never absolutely guarantee success although it is my belief that if you allow me to help you you will be completely successful. Of course the only way that you will find how big a difference my methods will make to your life is to try this for yourself and discover just what can be achieved through specialist professional hypnotherapy.

    Unfortunately there's not enough space here to fully explain more about the conscious and subconscious, their interaction and their specific properties, but I will explain this fully when I see you. I will also explain the principles and mechanics of hypnosis because its very important that before you enter hypnosis you understand exactly how it works. Any anxieties or questions you may have had will be discussed and completely answered until you are 100% comfortable and you feel ready to begin. Then with your permission, you can be hypnotised and we can work together to have you get rid of bulimia for good.

    As long as you want me to help you you can be hypnotised very easily but no one can force you to go into hypnosis. It is a state which you choose to allow. Essentially I am someone who knows how to guide you into hypnosis in order to help you achieve the things which were previously impossible on your own.

    Please note: some unfortunate people have been told by hypnotists of limited skill and training that they are poor subjects and cannot be properly hypnotised. Those "hypnotists" are very wrong. What is true is that some hypnotherapists struggle to hypnotise some people and these are generally also the same "hypnotherapists" who sit and read to their clients. If you have ever had hypnosis and heard pages turning you now know who may have been at fault for any lack of success.

Let's be really clear on this. Everyone can be hypnotised in the hands of a skilled professional as long as they want to experience the state and this includes you. Of course some people need to know more about it than others before they feel fully at ease or want to begin but they can all be quickly and easily hypnotised when their anxieties or misconceptions have been cleared up.

When I'm hypnotised can I be controlled?

    In reality hypnosis is a choice you make. You can choose to allow it or not to allow it. The fact is, it's actually such a pleasant experience that most people wish it could have lasted longer. When you choose to allow it I'm very confident I can help you with the bulimia.

The myth about control is the one that for some people creates needless apprehension. You will discover as you enter hypnosis that you are fully in control of yourself. Even whilst hypnotised you CANNOT be made to do anything that you do not want to do. What surprises many people is that if anything you'll actually feel more in control of yourself than normal. Of course it is partly this control that allows us to make the changes that you want in your life.
Can I use hypnosis to control anyone? No.
Can I use hypnosis to help people? Yes, but only if you give me the opportunity to do so.

These 2 facts about hypnosis are important too...

    You will hear everything that is said to you and you will almost certainly remember everything afterwards.
Forget the Hollywood films you've seen. Your experience will teach you what hypnosis is really like.

Invest in yourself and get the benefits

    By now you have read my short introduction to hypnosis. This has been nothing more than an introduction, I promise to fully explain to you exactly how hypnosis works and then how your specific problem can be corrected. I'll explain all of this during your appointment and before undertaking any hypnosis with you.

One last thought.......
Thinking about getting in touch with me will not correct your bulimia. I can only help you by working with you.