How Does Hypnotherapy Work ?

How Does Hypnotherapy Help You Make Changes?

How does Hypnotherapy work is one of the questions I'm most frequently asked.  As a therapist I have often seen my clients transformed through the work we do together, which is why I chose the image of the caterpillar to butterfly to illustrate this post.  This transformation is not about superficial beauty but about them becoming open to achieving their full potential as their true authentic self.

Hypnotherapy has a number of variables, these include the therapist, the client, the techniques and training, the rapport established between the therapist and the client, the life experiences of the client, whether or not the client is analytical and the list goes on...

Each session of Hypnotherapy is different.  Successful Hypnotherapy takes place when the therapist and client establish good rapport and an understanding of the change the client is seeking.   Although people may present with what on the surface are similar issues, there is often a big difference in how they interpret the issue, how it effects them and how they would like it to change.  
A good therapist listens to the individual and therefore requires:

• Good counselling skills in order to put the client at ease
• Empathy
• The ability to ensure that the client  feels safe and are aware that they are not being judged
• Listening and analytical skils
• Psychotherapy skills so that they know how to help their client create change in their subconscious based on the information discussed.  

Once the therapist has gathered the information they require, this information is utilised during the hypnosis component.  Simply relaxing someone and reading a hypnosis script is not enough, the therapy must be tailored to the client as they've presented that day. The words must resonate and be congruent with the values and desired change of the client.  The skilled therapist will use various techniques to help the client create the internal insight required to resolve whatever has been keeping them stuck and move forward in their lives.

Hypnosis creates a deep state of focus and absorption during which the mind becomes more open to change.   Entrenched habits, beliefs and behaviours are hard to shift at a conscious level because they are protected by our critical factor,  this is because once the brain establishes a belief or behaviour it tends to want to protect it because at one time our beliefs and behaviours were critical to our survival e.g. "don't trust red plants they may be poisonous" may not have been universally true but it was certainly useful in helping our ancestors avoid some natural toxins. This protective system is maintained in our reptilian brain, it's a legacy of our evolution which although still critical to our survival hasn't quite evolved in line with our lifestyles.  In Hypnosis this critical factor is lowered so that alternative beliefs or behaviours can be considered and even swapped out for existing unhelpful or unhealthy ones.  The key to this is that the alternatives suggested must be congruent with the clients values and objectives.

Some issues that a client presents with may have several triggers and factors contributing to them and these are dealt with similar to peeling the layers of an onion, which is why more than one session is required for deep lasting change.

For some clients unconscious  shame, anger, and fear are often underpinning the beliefs that are  keeping them stuck and triggering self soothing behaviours (eating, nail biting, hair pulling, avoidance, alcohol, smoking etc.)  and these emotions can be resolved in hypnosis.  Often the root cause of the shame may have occurred in childhood, and even if the incident when recalled consciously now doesn't seem so bad, at the time in the child minds it impacted enough to trigger the  hard coding of  a subconscious belief into the survival system.
 Hypnosis empowers a person to resolve emotions experienced as negative  and rewire their belief system in relation to it to one that is more appropriate for them as an adult.
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If you'd like more information on how you can be transformed through Hypnosis please give me a call on 0435 923 817.
I'm located in Mentone, South East Melbourne.  You can also contact me via the contact form at the bottom of this page or at this link

I also see clients via Skype and Zoom so if you are not in Melbourne don't let that be a barrier to you working with me to achieve the change you want in your life. Contact me to find out more.