Hypnotherapy can be grouped into two main types, suggestion and analytical hypnotherapy. Suggestion hypnotherapy is more common and involves helping a patient to achieve as relaxed a state as possible and then making suggestions relating to the change they require. Analytical hypnotherapy on the other hand involves finding the causes of the problem and treating those causes. This can be achieved through a number of techniques. One of which is regression, where the events and experiences that have caused a problem are reviewed and the emotional element is released, leading to a change in the perception of the experience and therefore a change in a patient’s consequential symptoms. Analytical hypnotherapy can also involve questioning a patient’s unhelpful psychological response in hypnosis, e.g. questioning the reasons for anxiety. The advantage of using hypnosis for this questioning is the mind is much more rational in hypnosis and any irrational thinking can be challenged and changed. In the example of anxiety, the questioning leads to the anxiety being alleviated through the irrational anxious response being challenged by your more rational subconscious response in hypnosis.

The advantage with suggestion hypnotherapy is that results can be rapid, often after just one session, the disadvantages being the success rate is lower, around 50%, and the suggestions often fade in their effect after a time. The advantage of analytical hypnotherapy is that it has a much higher success rate, around 95%, with the effect being permanent as the cause of the problem has been treated. The disadvantage of analytical hypnotherapy is that it can take a few sessions to see the effect of treatment. Since 2010 we have mainly used analytical hypnotherapy at The Hypnotherapy Practice because of what we observed regarding its long term success.

What does hypnotherapy feel like?
During therapy you will feel deeply relaxed and calm, it is very pleasant and enjoyable, similar to day dreaming or meditation, only your awareness can, in some cases, be heightened. It is important that hypnotherapy is not confused with stage hypnotism where the participant appears to have no control. This is entirely misleading; stage hypnotism is a stage trick for entertainment purposes, based loosely on hypnosis. At every point in hypnotherapy the patient is in complete control and aware of what is happening.

What does our subconscious mind do?
The subconscious mind controls all aspects of our behaviour and perceptions that we are not consciously aware of. Most critically, for therapy, the subconscious is responsible for our emotional and instinctive responses. This is important as we are able to make changes to the way our subconscious responds during hypnotherapy and so change our emotional and instinctive responses.

Do I have to believe in hypnotherapy for it to work?
No, unlike conventional medicine where there is great belief and therefore significant placebo effect, with hypnotherapy the normal approach is one of ‘giving it a try’. There is therefore little placebo effect but this hasn’t affected the success rates found in research which can be sourced either from our research page or from following the links on our further research page.

Why would I choose hypnotherapy over other talking therapies?
The state of hypnosis enables us to rationalise our irrational thoughts and behaviours in a way that cannot be achieved in a normal waking state. We are also able to find past experiences that are causing present problems and resolve those experience so that they do not continue to cause problems in the present day. This leads to the potential to treat problems that have been resistant to change over many years and a number of different therapies.

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