Does hypnotherapy work? This is a question we are asked a lot of the time. Obviously, we are going to say that it does, but don’t take our word for it. There are hundreds of independent research studies across a wide range of topics that show it is a very effective, if not the most effective way of dealing with psychological issues like IBS, hypnotherapy for Stop Smoking, anxiety, problem behaviours, weight control, low self-confidence, pain control and many more.
The fact that it has been around for hundreds of years might give you a clue. Another hint is that hundreds of thousands of people around the globe turn to hypnotherapy to resolve their problems.
The Advertising Standards Authority said in a recent ruling that “There is evidence that hypnotherapy can help relieve anxiety, confidence issues and minor skin conditions.” but this is just the tip of the iceberg.
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Definition of hypnotherapy
Most people think that during a hypnotherapy session they will be asleep, or something close to it. New clients expect to be “under” during the hypnosis part of the session, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is not a state of sleep. It does involve generating a trance-like condition, but when in it, the client is actually in an enhanced state of awareness, concentrating entirely on the hypnotherapist’s voice. In this state, the conscious mind is relaxed and the subconscious mind comes to the fore.
The hypnotherapist is able to suggest ideas, concepts and behavioural changes to the client. This seeds new patterns of behaviour which become firmly planted.
The practice of promoting healing or behavioural changes in this way is known as hypnotherapy. Even though hypnotherapy is a kind of psychotherapy, it is very distinct because of the use of this trance-like state. Hypnotherapy helps to change patterns of behaviour within the mind, enabling inappropriate fears, negative thoughts and suppressed emotions to be overcome and more appropriate behaviours put in their place.
During the hypnosis part of the hypnotherapy session, breathing becomes slower and deeper, the pulse rate drops and the metabolic rate falls.
How does hypnotherapy work?
Hypnotherapy is thought to work by creating an altered state of consciousness in such a way that the analytical left-hand side of the brain is in a relaxed state, while the non-analytical right-hand side becomes more active.
The conscious part of the mind is relaxed to such an extent that it “can’t be bothered” to intervene, and the subconscious mind becomes dominant.
The subconscious mind is the emotional part of the brain and it is this part which holds all our beliefs. These beliefs need to change for the client to see a change in their behaviour.
For example, a client who consciously wants to remove their feelings of anxiety may try everything they consciously can to do it, but will still fail as long as their subconscious mind feels unsafe. Change can only be achieved if the subconscious fears are assuaged and the belief that the client is safe is installed.
Does hypnotherapy work? Convinced yet?
At the Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy, we have amassed over 15,000 happy clients in 20 years, so we must be doing something right. In fact, over 40% of our clients are referrals from clients that have successfully made the changes they wanted in their life and have told their friends to come and see us. One of our happy clients has sent 22 clients our way after she finished her treatment.
We have clients that fly to the UK specifically to see us from all over Europe, including France, Italy, Iceland and Portugal. Over the years we have had clients come to see us from all over the UK, even flying down from Scotland weekly to receive treatment for Psoriasis.
Does hypnotherapy work? Well, what do you think?
For most people the only way to answer the question “Does hypnotherapy work?” is to book a session or two and see the changes for themselves. Most people will not believe how fast they can make changes and how powerful and long-lasting those changes are.
What is the success rate of hypnotherapy?
Because we are used to the medical model, when we say “Does hypnotherapy work?”, what we are really saying is “I can’t believe something this simple and so un-intrusive can really work.” After all, we are used to drugs with significant side effects, surgery with all the pain and recuperation time and, of course, the answer “There’s nothing you can, do you’ll have to live with it.”
Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy, not an alternative therapy. By that I mean it works alongside traditional medical treatment, it is not a replacement for it.
However, if you have exhausted all other avenues and you’re at a loss, why not give us a call and we will give you an honest opinion on if we think we can help? In case you’re in any doubt as to our integrity, if we say that we can definitely help you and we can’t, we’ll give you your money back in full, no questions asked.
So does hypnotherapy work? Yes but it’s not a magic pill and it does not work for everything.
If you would like to book a session please contact The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy
If you are still not sure why not read what the Daily Mail had to say.
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