How hypnotherapy can help you

What is clinical hypnotherapy?
Clinical hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis in a therapy setting. Hypnosis is a natural state - a state that unbeknownst to us, we use every day, and rely on even though we are unaware. You have two minds, the conscious and subconscious. The part you know about is your conscious mind. The part you use everyday but don’t realise you’re using is the subconscious. Have you seen a mother "kiss it better" for a child? Or have you arrived at your destination unable to recall the details of your journey? Or found that some sound or smell suddenly triggers off a lost memory? All these are evidence of the subconscious mind at work, and hypnosis is simply our ability to access and direct this subconscious activity in a positive and helpful way.

What does clinical hypnotherapy feel like?
Hypnosis is a very deep state of relaxation. First and foremost, it is very, very pleasant - the sort of feeling you have when you're almost asleep, and allowing the world to go by. But as with the pleasant dreaminess of almost sleep, in hypnosis you are still the person in control. You are totally aware of all that is happening, and you allow it to happen in much the same way as you allow yourself to drift in a daydream. It is your choice whether you accept or reject suggestions made to you, and it is your choice whether you continue in hypnosis.

It is important to realise that hypnotherapy is not magic, but it can produce what seems like a miracle - the miracle of helping you overcome the issue in your life letting you be happy and more content than you have for a long time.

What can clinical hypnotherapy assist?
The range of conditions clinical hypnotherapy is now recognised as helping is growing and growing. Medical research is now showing that apart from the area that everyone seems to know (smoking), clinical hypnotherapists are helping their clients overcome issues such as pain, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, migraine headaches, dermatitis, weight issues, sexual problems, study issues (such as end of year exam nerves), insomnia, sports performance, confidence, fears such as spiders or flying and many other issues.

How does clinical hypnotherapy work?
It is an age-old question, and perhaps we shall never know the answer completely. However unlike the days of voodoo and mystery, we do know now that clinical hypnotherapy suggestions can produce help both physical and emotional issues. It can allow the subject to reach back mentally and emotionally to deal at source with past trauma, and it can allow us to modify our behaviour. When we allow clinical hypnotherapy to access to these our subconscious mind, we access control of our own lives.

The use of self hypnosis can be invaluable, and its uses are limited only by your own imagination. It can be used simply for relaxation, for ego-boosting and confidence, for waking up in the morning or sleeping at night. We hear more and more now of its use in weight control, sporting performance, study, concentration, and the control of habits such as smoking or nail biting. Self hypnosis is self help. It is a positive reinforcement of your goals at your fingertips, for your use in your specific interest.

How do you find a clinical hypnotherapist who can help you?
There are a number of professional associations across Australia. The Academy sponsors the Hypnosis Advisory Line (02) 9415 6500 which is a free referral service. You can also get referrals from the Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association and the Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists who have members across Australia. These days many clinical hypnotherapists have government accredited qualifications but the main thing is to contact the clinical hypnotherapist and talk to them. It is not just what they say but they way you feel about what they say that is important. If you like the way you feel about them then they could be the right clinical hypnotherapist for you.