When I was 7 years old I shocked my mother by telling her I was going to be a hypnotist! Initially I forgot my dream and became a registered nurse; it was quite a number of years and a major nudge from the universe before I remembered that dream and made it reality! In 2000 I started my journey with hypnosis, which led on to NLP (Neuro linguistic programming) and also Huna (Hawaiian Shamanic Healing).

People frequently come for hypnotherapy as a “last resort” after they’ve tried everything else and then often wish they had come to it sooner as they find it to be a gentle, effective way of improving their health, wellbeing and resolving issues.

There are many myths surrounding hypnosis, however it is simply an altered state of awareness, a state of relaxation and heightened suggestibility. We all access this trance state naturally, many times a day, for example: have you ever driven along the highway, reached your destination and thought “I don’t remember how I got here”, you were in a trance state, you were still completely aware of what was going on, you made the right manoeuvres on the road yet you were in a pleasant daydream. Another example is when you are totally engrossed in a movie or TV show, someone is talking to you and yet you hadn’t realized or tuned in to what they were saying. A trance state is a natural state to be in, it is not sleep and it is certainly not unconsciousness.

Another myth is that the hypnotist has control of your mind, however all hypnosis is really self hypnosis as you are the only one who can allow yourself to relax and follow the suggestions of the Hypnotherapist, no one can “make” you do this. When you are in a TV trance you are in rapport with the television, whereas in hypnotherapy you are in rapport with the Hypnotherapist and enter into the trance state through verbal suggestion or focused attention.

Hypnosis is a normal pleasantly comfortable, relaxed state in which you are quite capable of hearing and understanding every word that is spoken to you. In this state our subconscious or unconscious mind is accessed and suggestions for health, wellbeing etc are accepted without resistance. This enables the client to make the changes he/she wants to make.

Hypnotherapy can be used for many things such as relieving pain, increasing confidence, enhancing performance (sports etc), overcoming emotional distress, anxiety, insomnia, giving up habits such as smoking or nail biting and for working with physical symptoms such as Irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue, ulcers etc… Hypnosis is wonderful for stress relief and many people find they sleep better after hypnosis. Most clients are surprised to find they often need only 3-4 sessions of hypnotherapy. Our quit smoking program is just 2 sessions (one and a half hours each), and many phobias can be released in as little as 2 sessions!

Written By Carolyn Gosling

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