I began my clinic 9 years ago after training as a Clinical Hypnotherapist.  Today I use a mixture of counselling, hypnosis and behaviour therapies to achieve results for my clients.  No two approaches are ever the same – while symptoms certainly may be similar for many clients, the reasons for them are always different.

Choosing my approach for your therapy will come directly from hearing about your problems (particularly during your initial consultation) and understanding your personality.

Hypnosis isn’t the weird or magical state of mind that we are led to believe happens from television, cartoons and stage shows, but a very natural, daily state of mind, that we have to go through as we enter and awaken from sleep. It is also a state of mind that we enter when engrossed in a good film, listening to music or deep in thought while driving a car, arriving safely at your destination without knowing how you managed to find your way there, and change the gears and steer too!

Hypnosis on its own doesn’t create change within a person, but enables the mind to be highly receptive to positive changes that the individual wants to achieve. This is where the trained hypnotherapist comes to the fore and helps to guide the client to their goals.

The hypnotherapist is merely a guide to help you achieve the depth of relaxation needed to make positive changes, and to guide you through all aspects of the therapy. Hypnosis on its own doesn’t create change within a person, but enables the mind to be highly receptive to change; the actual power of change is within the mind of the person who enters hypnosis and not the therapist. If at any time you wished to leave the state of hypnosis you could do so immediately as it is only a state akin to day dreaming and you are fully aware at all times.

‘Being in hypnosis’ may not be what you’ve always believed it is. People go in and out of hypnosis every day and are not aware of it! You just feel mentally very, very calm and content, relaxed, focused and alert.

Most people do not realize that they are hypnotised because there is no set feeling as a ‘hypnotised feeling’. Some people feel very relaxed and light, some alert and heavy. Time may seem to go slower or quickly. You may hear every word the hypnotherapist says or you may find your mind drifting with the words.

You are in complete control throughout the whole session and therefore will not be forced to tell any secrets or information that you would prefer to keep private. Obviously as much honesty given about your presenting problem will help the speed and success of therapy sought.

On completion of this consultation we will arrange an appointment for your first therapy session to start and I will draw up a formulation on how to help you to reach your goals.

For a stop smoking session with me the therapy is a one, 2 hour session that allows you to leave as a non smoker. No initial consultation is required and all areas and issues are explored and worked through in this appointment to allow you to leave easily as a non smoker.

I am a member of the Association of Professional  Hypnosis and Psychotherapy and part of the code of ethics that I adhere to is to ensure I help you to make the changes you want in your life in the quickest possible way.

As I work with you on a session to session basis I will not be holding you in therapy for longer than needed and you will be in control and aware of when your issues have been resolved and the  decision to end therapy will be something that we discuss and agree together.

During the hypnotherapy session you will feel very relaxed. Hypnosis is a very normal state of mind. It’s very similar to daydreaming or the feelings of complete and utter relaxation you experience just moments before you fall asleep.

We all experience the world in our own way so how we interpret these relaxed feelings differ from person to person. Each person’s experience is different and will vary from time to time. However, hypnotherapy is a safe and very pleasurable, enjoyable experience. During a session with an experienced hypnotherapist you’ll most likely feel extremely relaxed, comfortably warm, and very peaceful.

Hypnotherapy is a pleasant, peaceful state of physical and mental stillness giving you a general feeling of well-being which allows you to access your subconscious and make changes.

After your hypnotherapy session you will be alert and fully able to continue with your day. I see many people either prior to them going to work or in their lunch breaks and all find it easy to carry on their day with their subconscious already starting to make the changes being worked on in therapy.

The hypnotherapist is merely a guide to help you achieve the depth of relaxation needed to make positive changes, and to guide you through all aspects of the therapy.

Hypnosis on its own doesn’t create change within a person, but enables the mind to be highly receptive to change; the actual power of change is within the mind of the person who enters hypnosis and not the therapist.

If at any time you wished to leave the state of hypnosis you could do so immediately as it is only a state akin to day dreaming and you are fully aware at all times.

Mindfulness is a therapeutic technique where when learnt helps to create a positive state of mind by focussing fully on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting our feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations. Most of the time our attention is not where we intended it to be so mindfulness is a method of being more aware of the present moment inside your mind and your body and at the same time knowing what is happening in the outside world too. This allows us to be more ‘present’ thus reducing stress, anxiety, negative self talk, fear, sadness and experiencing more of what’s happening in the ‘here and now’.  

Mindfulness is a technique when learnt that allows you be aware of what is going on inside your mind and body, and what’s going on in the outside world as well. According to Professor Mark Williams (2011), Oxford University ‘Mindfulness’ is a translation of a word that simply means awareness.

Most of the time our attention is not where we intended it to be. As humans we are often “not present” in our own lives. We often fail to notice the good things about our lives, fail to hear what our bodies are telling us, or poison ourselves with toxic self critism.

Human minds are easily distracted, habitually examining past events and trying to anticipate the future. Our attention is hijacked by our thoughts and emotions, by our concerns, by our worries for the future, and our regrets and memories of the past. Mindful awareness is about learning to pay attention, in the present moment, and without judgement. It’s like training a muscle – training attention to be where you want it to be. This reduces our tendency to work on autopilot, allowing us to choose how we respond & react. By learning mindfulness we can have a better relationship with ourselves, reduce stress and anxiety, grow in confidence and belief in ourselves.

Have you ever started eating a snack bar, taken a couple of bites, then noticed all you had left was an empty packet in your hand? Or been driving somewhere and arrived at your destination only to realise you remember nothing about your journey? Most people have! These are common examples of “mindlessness,” or “going on automatic pilot.” In our modern, busy lives, we constantly multi task. It’s easy to lose awareness of the present moment as when we become lost in our efforts to juggle work, home, finances, and other conflicting demands.

Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to, and seeing clearly whatever is happening in our lives.  It will not eliminate life’s pressures, but it can help us respond to them in a calmer manner that benefits our heart, head, and body. It helps us recognise and step away from habitual, often unconscious emotional and physiological reactions to everyday events. It provides us with a scientifically researched approach to cultivating clarity, insight, and understanding. Practising mindfulness allows us to be fully present in our life and work, and improve our quality of life.

Interest in mindfulness has been growing steadily in recent years. There are now thousands of research studies into the uses of mindfulness, and professionals are using mindfulness in Boardrooms, Schools, Prisons, Court rooms and hospitals across the world.   

CBT is based on the idea that the way we think about situations can affect the way we feel and behave. In CBT you learn to stop the cycle of negative thinking and you work to identify and challenge any negative thinking patterns and behaviour which may be causing all sorts of difficulties in your life. In turn this can change the way you feel about situations, and enable you to change your behaviour in the future. CBT is a flexible therapy that can help in many mental health issues including anger problems, anxiety and panic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) phobias, sleep problems and depression.

Cognitive behavioural therapy is a talking therapy that can help both emotional and physical health problems by changing the way that you think and behave. Your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are all connected causing a cycle of thoughts and behaviours that keep you in a vicious cycle. CBT deals with the problems you are currently facing and the effects they are having on your life, helping you to find practical ways to improve your state of mind on a daily basis.

CBT is very effective in treating many issues including depression, anxiety, OCD, phobias, eating disorders, insomnia amongst many other things. We will work by breaking down your problems into their separate parts – such as your thoughts, physical feelings and actions and then form a new pattern of thinking and behaving to practice daily which will help to change your thoughts and feelings over time.

CBT cannot remove your problems completely, but it can help you to deal with problems in a more positive way. With this in mind I use elements of CBT in therapy with clients to help to start effectively making changes in thoughts and behaviours but use other methods to help remove the problem completely.

Neuro- Linguistic Programming focuses upon the detail of how we communicate both externally and internally, and how we can change and empower this communication to achieve the results and goals that we want. NLP is a therapy method of influencing brain behaviour (the ‘neuro’ part of the phase) through the use of language (the ‘linguistic part) and other types of communication (subliminal messages) to enable a person to ‘recode’ the way the brain responds to stimuli (the ‘programming’ part) NLP can help you to release limiting emotions like anger, sadness, hurt, guilt, remove limiting beliefs and decisions that cause a lack of confidence and low self esteem and rid yourself or fears, phobias and addictions.

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is an approach to communication and personal development which was created by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in America in the 1970s. It’s creators found a connection between the neurological processes (“neuro”), language (“linguistic”) and behavioural patterns learned through experience (“programming”) and that these can be changed to achieve specific goals in life. NLP is considered to be one of the most useful and accessible tools to come from modern psychology.

A key element of NLP is that we form our unique internal mental maps of the world as a product of the way we filter and perceive information absorbed through our five senses from the world around us. If we push the boundaries of our thoughts by ‘reprogramming our internal control systems’ through language it gives us the ability to formulate, express and communicate our thoughts.

Neuro: Each individual has established their own unique mental filtering system for processing the millions of bits of data being absorbed through the senses. Our first mental map of the world is constituted of internal images, sounds, tactile awareness, internal sensations, tastes and smells that form as result of the neurological filtering process. The first mental map is called ‘First Access’ in NLP.

Linguistic: We then assign personal meaning to the information being received from the world outside. We form our second mental map by assigning language to the internal images, sounds and feelings, tastes and smells, thus forming everyday conscious awareness. The second mental map is called the Linguistic Map (sometimes known as Linguistic Representation)

Programming: The behavioural response that occurs as a result of neurological filtering processes and the subsequent linguistic map.

In NLP there is a saying: the conscious mind is the goal setter, and the unconscious mind is the goal getter. Your unconscious mind is not out to get you–rather, it’s out TO GET FOR YOU whatever you want in life. However, if you don’t know how to communicate what you want properly, it will keep you away from your goals, be that in your work, relationships or with yourself.

NLP is a set of tools and techniques, but it is so much more than that. It is an attitude and a methodology of knowing how to achieve your goals and get results.

EFT is based on acupressure points in the body and is often referred to as ‘psychological acupressure’ by releasing blockages within the energy system of the body. Fingers are used to tap on the end of energy meridians that are situated just below the surface of the skin releasing blockages that are the source of emotional intensity and discomfort.

EFT is a non evasive treatment involving the fingertips and is a fast evolving treatment which is catching the attention of therapists and scientists. EFT can help with many things to clear the emotional blockers that cause pain, anxiety, fear, phobias, low self-esteem all emotional issues.   

EFT operates on the premise that no matter what part of your life needs improvement, there are unresolved emotional issues in the way.  Emotional stress can impede the natural healing potential of the human body, it is common knowledge that any kind of emotional stress can impede the natural healing potential of the human body, which can cause physical and emotional issues and chronic pain.

EFT breathes fresh air into the healing process by borrowing from the Chinese meridian system and the ancient practice of acupuncture. About 5,000 years ago, the Chinese discovered a complex system of energy circuits that run throughout the body that is invisible to the eye. By analogy, you do not see the energy flowing through a television set either but you know that it is there, however, by its effects and the sound and pictures provide your evidence. These energy circuits, meridians as they are called, are the centerpiece of Eastern health practices and form the basis for modern day acupuncture, acupressure and a wide variety of other healing techniques.

EFT taps into the Chinese Meridian system but without the use needles, combining the physical benefits of acupuncture with the cognitive benefits of conventional therapy for a much faster change. The combination of tapping the energy meridians and voicing positive affirmation works to clear the ‘short-circuit – the emotional block- from your body’s bioenergy system, thereby restoring your mind and body’s balance.

Whereas acupuncture and acupressure are primarily focussed on physical ailments, EFT works also on emotional issues too. The process of tapping the meridian energy points while focussing upon specific statements allows physical, emotional and performance issues to be released.