I get asked this question a lot, and it isn't a straightforward question as there are many variables. Every person is unique, and what works for one person may not work for another. There are a couple of things that can get in the way of successful Hypnotherapy.
What is Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is a brief solution-focused therapy that focuses on how you want to be going forwards. We consider how the past influences you now, but we don't spend hours delving into the details.
What Hypnotherapy isn't is a magic wand. Some people are under the impression that you can come for Hypnotherapy; I will hypnotise you, say some magic words and bingo, your problems have vanished. Whilst hypnotherapy can be a fast-acting therapy much quicker than traditional talking therapies because we work directly with the emotional subconscious mind, you still need to consciously make the changes happen.
Hypnotherapy helps the conscious work become more achievable because your subconscious is on board rather than holding on to outdated beliefs.
You must want change!
Lisa came to see me as she wanted help reducing her wine o'clock habit. She felt it was becoming an unhealthy habit, and it was contributing to her anxiety, poor sleep, and weight gain. She was using wine to relax at home in the evenings and to help her socialise when she went out. It may seem obvious, but if Lisa didn't want to change her regular evening habit, Hypnotherapy wouldn't work for her. Lisa had to want the changes on a conscious level for her subconscious to resonate with the suggestions I gave to her. She also needed to recognise the reasons why she believed alcohol was the only thing that could relax her and help her socialise (secondary gain). Committing to change.
Lisa was committed to making this change because she felt she missed out on special time with her family. The alcohol stopped her from being motivated to do things she used to enjoy doing with her family.
An essential part of her therapy process was consciously making an effort to stop drinking. One of the ways she did this was to remove alcohol from her house. Make plans with friends that didn't involve alcohol and find ways to relax that didn't involve alcohol. By consciously making these changes between sessions, she reinforced the work we did in her sessions. Once her new pattern of behaviour was embedded, she was able to, over time, reintroduce seeing friends at the pub and making a choice whether to drink alcohol or have a soft drink.
Secondary gain.
This can be a stumbling block for some people. Secondary gain is when there is a psychological belief that the behaviour, habit, or diagnosis benefits you somehow. This can be on a conscious or subconscious level, and it's important to address it sensitively.
For Lisa, her secondary gain was the belief she could only relax if she had a glass of wine each night (NEWS FLASH – Alcohol doesn't relax you in the long run, but that is a whole other blog) and that she needed alcohol to relax her. This had become part of her subconscious belief at some point, and we worked on updating these beliefs so that her subconscious was working with her conscious mind to create her desired change – to reduce her alcohol consumption.
Lisa was open to experiencing Hypnotherapy and ready to make the necessary changes to her lifestyle and long-held patterns of behaviour and subconscious beliefs.
In short, Hypnotherapy isn't for you if:
You want me to do all the work for you – sorry, I don't' have a magic wand. (I wish I did, though)
You have the following contraindications: Bipolar, schizophrenia, psychosis, epilepsy, and BPD.
You want me to make you cluck like a chicken
Hypnotherapy is right for you if:
You are ready to make the changes required to fulfil your desire for a better, healthier, more emotionally balanced lifestyle.
You are open to experiencing a therapy you haven't tried before.
You have had enough of talking about your issue and want a solution-focused therapy.
You want a brief therapy. On average, l see clients for 3-5 sessions, depending on the depth of the issue.
You believe it is possible to make the necessary changes.
You are committed to the therapy process.
You are ready for change.
Would you like to know more about how hypnotherapy can help you to overcome current issues? You can contact me HERE and book an online free consultation. There’s no obligation to book in with me. Once we have chatted you can wither book in or have a think and get back to me.