What is Hypnotherapy?

When people first hear the word hypnotherapy, they often picture stage shows with someone in a cape, swinging a watch, while people cluck like chickens, or laugh uncontrollably, seemingly under someone else’s control.” No wonder it raises a few eyebrows.

Going back a few years, I used to do talks to publicise hypnosis and its benefits, from helping lose weight to overcoming phobias, from managing stress to overcoming fears. Hypnosis has an interesting history and I found that the more people understood it the less apprehensive they were about trying it for themselves.

In a nutshell, hypnosis is a natural, focused state of attention (a bit like when you get so absorbed in a book or film that you lose track of time). While your mind is so deeply relaxed it is also more open and responsive.

And hypnotherapy is the therapeutic use of that state. A trained hypnotherapist will guide you into hypnosis and then use specific techniques to help you change patterns of thought, emotion, or behaviour. No mind control involved! You are in control the whole time!

Most people describe it as feeling a bit like that dreamy state just before you fall asleep -calm, relaxed and very comfortable, and that makes it perfect for managing stress.

The most common questions that people asked me were things like:

• Can you get stuck in hypnosis?
• What if it doesn’t work on me?
• Will you take over my mind and make me reveal my secret thoughts?

Well people naturally go into and out of trance like states several times a day so there is no danger of “getting stuck”. And if you’re with a therapist he or she will always guide you back gently at the end of the session.

And you don’t have to be “highly suggestible” for it to work, you just need to be willing to relax and follow the process. Hypnotherapy works best as a collaboration between you and the therapist.

Finally, you can’t be made to say or do anything you don’t want to in hypnotherapy. You stay fully in control, and you can come out of the relaxed state at any time. It works with your consent and goals and never against them.

Hypnotherapy isn’t about mind tricks, losing control, or doing anything embarrassing. It is a safe, relaxing state where your mind can focus deeply to access new perspectives. In this space, fear often loses its grip. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” In hypnosis, you’ll find there is nothing to fear, as you replace it with calmness, curiosity and a sense of possibility.

So perhaps a good question to ask now is “How would my life change if I could reduce my IBS symptoms naturally and feel more in control”?

Book a free discovery call with me and let’s have a chat.