The cause of anxiety or any other neurotic behaviour is a thinking distortion that produces an effect that is detrimental to the emotional, mental or physical wellbeing of an individual. Clients learn self-hypnosis to change learned behaviour into a conditioned response (or habit).
A conditioned response results when someone visualises something repeatedly in his or her mind, until the thought is there without consciously having to think about it. (Steve Norton, 'The Principles of Life') This problem is analogous to a whirlpool of negativity the more anxious a person is the more negatively they think ad infinitum.
Self-hypnosis can effectively break this cycle by distracting the client from the faulty thought process. This distraction brings the client to a realisation that they have some control over their anxiety. If a client can successfully control their anxiety some of the time repeatedly, then it becomes a conditioned response. The anxiety vanishes as control becomes a habit (Steve Norton,'The Principles of Life').
Clients learn a self-hypnosis process on their first session, and I encourage them to affirm suggestions relating to their presenting issue. If a client were having hypnotherapy for weight control, I would encourage them to affirm suggestions like:-
I enjoy drinking a glass of water before each meal.
I enjoy eating healthier foods with less calories, fat, and sugar than before.
I feel invigorated and it puts me in a good mood when I take more exercise - even if it is going for a walk or a jog etc.
If attention drifts away during self-hypnosis, just bring it gently back concentrating on the chosen visualization using imagination and physically feel the body relax. There is no resistance to the suggestions communicated in the hypnotic state providing the client is receptive and delivery is competent. This is true for a therapist delivering hypnotherapy, or the client practicing self-hypnosis.
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Additional Hypnotherapy
Any additional hypnotherapy sessions are kept to a minimum and most clients achieve a satisfactory outcome with between one and three sessions in total.
We have consulting rooms for hypnosis in Gateshead serving Newcastle Upon Tyne. We also have consulting rooms at Chester Le Street, Durham City, Bishop Auckland and Darlington.
We provide home visits for hypnosis upon request throughout County Durham, Tyneside, Teesside and North Yorkshire covering the Newcastle Upon Tyne area and the remainder of the North East. The most recent addition to our consulting rooms is the Hall Garth Manor Hotel at Darlington.
