Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What
is hypnosis?
Everyone
goes in and out of natural hypnotic trances every day,
without perhaps knowing it. Have you ever been so absorbed
in a book or film that the hours seemed to fly by? Have you
ever driven your car and arrived at your destination
without even thinking about it? However, if a danger
occurred you would be alert and respond to it. You can
still be in control when you need to be. All these are
examples of everyday trances we all experience. Hypnosis is
no different; it is a natural state of awareness where you
will not do or say anything that you do not want to.
Why
is the unconscious mind important?
90%
of your behaviour happens without you having to think about
it, driven by your unconscious mind rather than your
conscious mind. We have a very resourceful mind that allows
us to learn something consciously, and then that learning
runs as a programme in the unconscious mind. We are
designed to habituate and most of the time that works for
us. When we have a negative behavior pattern it can run
automatically, and so even though we consciously want to
change, unconsciously the programme continues to run
itself, and so the pattern happens and you might find
yourself saying ‘why am I doing this to
myself?’ You aren’t: the unconscious is doing
the job it was meant to do. You can talk about the issue
you have, but talking alone does not resolve it. The key to
lasting change resides at an unconscious level and this is
why hypnotherapy is so effective.
Will
I lose control in any way?
No,
you remain in control at all times. A hypnotherapist does
not have any control over you. In fact, the state of
hypnosis is one of heightened awareness where it is
possible for your mind to be aware of many more things than
what is possible in the conscious state.
Can
anyone be hypnotised?
Yes,
anyone can be hypnotised, provided that he/she wants to
be. No one can be hypnotised against his/her will.
Do
I have to go over the past?
"Sometimes the best thing about the past is that it’s
over," according to Richard Bandler, co-founder of NLP. You
can’t change the past, but you can change the effect
that it's having on the present. It might surprise you to
know that I can work with you on issues from the past
without discussing the content, or we can just focus on the
present and the future.
What
is Cognitive Hypnotherapy and what’s different about
it?
Hypnotherapy
enables you to deal with the things in your life you want
to change by working at the unconscious level leading to
lasting change. It is not traditional hypnotherapy (or
clinical hypnotherapy). Clinical hypnosis &
hypnotherapy is a generic term use for hypnosis for
therapeutic purposes. These methods tend to be focused
on the problem, so all clients with the same issue tend to
be treated in the same way.
Instead,
as a Cognitive Hypnotherapist, my approach is based on
modern neuroscience and positive psychology and works from
a modern understanding of the mind-body connection. I
also use techniques from a range of psychological and
therapeutic disciplines, including NLP (Neuro-Linguistic
Programming), New and Classic Code, EFT (Emotional Freedom
Technique), Positive Psychology and EMI (Eye Movement
Integration) and Time Line Reprocessing. This means that I
have a wide range or tools and techniques to draw on to
help you achieve your goals.
I approach each person as an individual. Everyone is unique
and so is their experience of their problem. I will
identify your unique patterns of thoughts, emotions and
behaviours relevant to your issue and create a programme
just for you to guide you towards the solution that you
want. Everybody’s treatment programme will be
different and tailored to his/her individual needs.
I work in partnership with you. I believe that you already
have everything you need to get you to where you want to
get to. My task is to support you to rediscover this
resource to enable you to achieve your goals, to get back
the control you want in your life. You’ll learn
tools, techniques and strategies to use for yourself. These
positive effects continue to multiply between sessions, and
long after the therapy has finished. It is a
creative
and
productive process that can make a difference surprisingly
quickly, providing value for money. Cognitive Hypnotherapy
is a solution-focused brief therapy, and so it does not go
on for many months or even years as some do. Many issues
can be resolved in a relatively small number of sessions.
Most therapy happens between sessions. I will ask you to
undertake a wide range of tasks between sessions, as I
believe that real change happens in your life, not in my
consulting room. This makes a significant difference to the
change process.
I am professional and ethical. I am a member of the
National Council for
Hypnotherapy (NCH),
which promotes and implements the highest standards of
training, practice and professional ethics.
Contact me today
to find out how I can help.
Jill Tonks, MNCH(Lic) DIP CHyp, HPD, NLP Master Prac.