People experience stress in different ways and different extent. Hypnosis helps us identify the problem, relax and in the end gain control over it! Richard Hennessy, a hypnotherapist in Sheffield, talked on how effective hypnotherapy is both for students and non-students and explains why there is no such thing as stressful situation.
Richard Hennessy
Very often two people deal with the same situation but one of them is anxious and stressed whereas the other one may be calm and composed. Both of them face the same challenges but in different way and approach. Why?
‘Your thought processes are the only difference between you and the other person. Situations therefore are not stressful. You and your reactions to that situation dictate whether the situation is perceived as stressful’, as Richard pointed out.
We can always manage the situation once we control our reactions, thoughts and emotions and hypnotherapy offers the insight to achieve this.
What happens during hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy consists of one consultation and several treatment sessions. Richard finds out details of the individuals’ worries and feelings during the consultation session . The first treatment session begins a week after.
‘During this time I will help the person reach a state of hypnosis by guiding the person to a very relaxed frame of mind. I usually help people relax by talking about details of a time when they were relaxed in the past’, as he pointed out.
Breathing techniques are also helpful for relaxing. Richard recommends us to breath slowly and deeply. He finally uses a visualisation or two which is intended to deepen the relaxation which will have been achieved through the first few techniques.
‘Through these techniques a trance frame of mind can be achieved by 99.9% of people’, he said.
People are very suggestible at this stage. This means that if the hypnotherapist gives the clients suggestions that are focused on the things they have told they want to achieve then it ceases to be perceived as the hypnotherapist telling them to do something and more like he/she is reminding them of something they have said the hypnotherapist want to do. In hypnosis it is possible to be a bit more objective and a bit more detached.
‘This means those things that you have been consciously saying to yourself like “You can do this” or “stop being so stupid and get on with it” can suddenly have a lot more resonance and a lot more influence’, said Richard.
Other techniques
Regression and parts therapy are two other techniques that seem to be extensively used in hypnosis. Regression involves going back to an event that may have been the beginning of the problem developing. Parts therapy involves negotiating between the different parts of individuals that are causing the problem. For example if someone wants to buy an expensive car there may be a part of our self that supports this decision and another part that doesn’t support it. Hypnotherapy can help us find alternative ways of being and doing so we can feel happier.
Students and hypnotherapy
Frequency and amount of time of the sessions required vary according to the individuals’ level of progress but on average he sees clients for four sessions .
You can visit the official website of ‘Focused Hypnosis’ here to get more information.