Understanding the Mind

All neurosis (phobias, anxiety, depression, compulsive disorders etc) are manifestations of unconscious conflicts. Many have primary and secondary causes - you may often remember the secondary cause, but the primary cause is often deeply buried.

Repression is a mechanism the mind uses to defend us from suffering. If (especially as a young child) we have a trauma involving say fear or shame, the unconscious may choose to protect us from the experience by repressing either the emotion or the experience it self. However, this mechanism is only of short term use. Part of us will stay stuck in the experience, and the repressed energy will manifest eventually (often via a trigger) as a neurosis or illness. Using regression techniques a hypnotherapist will seem to release the repression via catharsis and reframing.

Catharsis involves re-living the experience in miniature. This will often lead to abreaction which means we will release the repressed emotion as either tears, anger or some other emotion.

This in itself often releases you from your problem. However, a hypnotherapist will usually also apply reframing technqiues. Using your maturity and innate wisdom, and with your new found insight, you gain a new perspective about the past. This sets you free in all sorts of ways, causes you to reconsider values and beliefs, and changes your present and future.

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Different clinical Approaches

Analytical hypnotherapy
This is a so-called psychodynamic approach. It is based on the idea that a client's problems are based on past experiences, negative conditioning and unfavourable influences. It is well accepted within modern psychology and the first 7 years of a child's life are formative: their experiences and environment will form their character for life.

Analytical hypnotherapy (the favoured approach by most professional hypnotherapists) seeks to resolve, recondition and reframe the past.

Suggestion Therapy
This is the use of carefully worded suggestions which in the state of hypnosis are accepted by the unconscious mind. I use suggestion therapy to help people STOP SMOKING, for minor problems, for success, exam nerves or motivation. Some therapists use it to treat serious problems--however analytical hypnotherapists believe that this is an incorrect use because it simply covers up the problem which will then appear in a different guise.

Ericksonian Therapy
Milton Erickson, an American psychiatrist was probably the greatest hypnotherapist of this century. He favoured an indirect approach. Using stories and metaphors, reframing and many complicated therapeutic manoeuvres, he would allow the unconscious to gain new learnings and understandings, ultimately releasing the client from their problem and giving them new cognitive patterns and ways of behaving.

Erickson's approach is included in most trainings now, and many of this hypnotic inductions are now standard practice.

I have great respect for this man, and use many of his techniques in my work.

Transpersonal Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis is also a tool for personal and spiritual growth. The hypnotherapist can be the modern day equivalent to the Guru or the Medicine man. Working within the belief system of the client, the therapist will enable the client to draw upon their innate wisdom to grow on a personal and spiritual level. See separate section.