I'm a hypnotist (remedial, not stage) AMA

[Eyesopenwideawake]

As per the title! I love my work and happy to answer any questions 😊

@PrawnToast5 I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I felt the 'tone' of your questions was maybe a tad combative (certainly compared with other posters) but I shouldn't have suggested you were discourteous. And I DO hope you're OK.

@Nowmum43 Children are a mystery to me - horses and dogs are more my thing! However one of my colleagues specialises in hypnotherapy for children and I'd be happy to DM you with her details if that's OK? BTW, 20 sessions at any price seems crazy to me!

I’m sure dogs and horses are much simpler 🤣 yes if you could send me their details that would be great. Thank you

You're tone policing my basic and innocuous questions about the therapy that you provide in order to avoid answering them.

You're also suggesting that my questions in some way indicate or affect my mood or mental health. That's unprofessional and I would hope you don't treat potential clients (who will likely have the same questions!) with the same suspicion and disdain.

I was simply interested in hypnosis as a taking therapy, and don't know anything about it. So I would very courteously like to know the below:

• How does hypnosis work?

• What's the evidence to support its therapeutic use?

@Justkeeppedaling Again, it's difficult to guess why it didn't work for you. What do you think is your issue with food?

I eat too much. I like food and am in the "live too eat" rather than the "eat to live" category.

I don't eat any fast food or junk food though. No ready meals either.

@Sylfia "I had to imagine a lovely safe place and I hated it and felt really exposed there." That's an unusual reaction, maybe you didn't feel comfortable with the hypnotherapist or you weren't ready to face whatever it was you went to him/her about? I don't really know but I guess the question is - do you want to try again, despite your previous experience?

Thanks. I don't know. I don't think I'm good at mental images and I think I found the effort to produce and then describe them really stressful. Is it possible to do it without all the visualisation?

@Justkeeppedaling I don't think hypnosis would help if it really is a case of "I eat too much". I've been overweight too and there's no quick fix I'm afraid. Hypnosis can help if there's an emotional element to overeating - for example the fear of unwanted sexual attention if you lose weight, or if you equate food with comfort or to replace affection.

Sorry if this has been raised. My question is can a hypnotist help retrieve traumatic memories. I believe I experienced an event I only have a sketchy idea of.

@PrawnToast5 "I can, of course, only describe how it works with my own clients; for a wider view on how hypnosis works Google is your friend. With the permission and assistance of the client I talk directly to the subconscious mind to change or stop outdated/unhelpful/incorrect thought patterns and behaviours - most of which began in childhood, or came about as a result of trauma.

As with all alternative or complementary therapies there are arguments for both sides of whether it works, but you will find a good number of scientific studies into hypnosis."

Here's a good article - www.researchgate.net/publication/328461257_Hypnosis_Science_Pseudoscience_and_Nonsense

Hypnosis is a massive subject and there is a wealth of research into how and whether it works. None of which I took part in.

@Sylfia Yes, it is possible to do it without visualisations - especially the scripted ones sometimes used by hypnotherapists. For me, the standard one of imaging walking along a beach would have me thinking of sand on my feet (ugh!) and stepping on baby crabs! I don't use trance work but the hypnosis I use does require accessing the subconscious by way of the imagination.

@BlooDeBloop - I am VERY wary of retrieving memories, simply because our memories are not concrete. I'll give you a couple of (simple) examples. I remember as a child wearing my very favourite blue dress one Christmas, my memory of it is clear in my head. Except when I saw old photos of the day, the dress was actually red, not blue. Also I would have swore blind that the first time I visited the USA was in 2004. I remember clearly being in New Orleans just before Katrina hit. Except Katrina hit in 2005; so even as an adult my memory is not reliable.

Thank you Eyesopen. There's something in me that needs to 'know' what happened. Not necessarily every detail, not necessarily to stand in court. I understand what you say though.

@BlooDeBloop - I understand. When whatever it was happened, a part of your subconscious ("something in me") was 'assigned' to figure out what happened. And that's what it's still trying to do, even though there is very possibly no answer, because sometimes things that happen are so random we can never figure them out - or maybe the people who could fill in the gaps are no longer in our lives. If this makes sense to you then thanking that part of you for its efforts but telling it that the job is done and it can stop now might bring you some relief.

Hi,

How much do you charge for a session and how many sessions do people have on average? Interested in hypnosis for binge eating.

@Heracles1000 -There's an initial consultation to see if we can work together and if the programme is right for you. If it is (and sometimes we do another one, just to be sure) the fee of £295/€295 in the EU is payable. This covers three further weekly sessions. If the work isn't complete in three sessions - often it's done in two - then we carry on until it is.

Can hypnotherapy fast forward feelings of grief, Eyesopen?

@Orgasmagorical - No, I don't think it can fast forward grief and I wouldn't be comfortable offering it even if it did - I think it would be stacking up problems for the future. If someone gets 'stuck' in the grieving process then yes, hypnotherapy can gently ask the subconscious to move onto the next stage and that does have a value.

Thank you. It was fairly soon after the death and I think the person was going through the natural process but they did feel this therapist had helped them (at the time).

@Eyesopenwideawake have you ever treated or heard of people treating vaginismus with hypnosis? I'm constantly told it is a fear response and have tried other therapy with mixed results.

I haven't, but I'd be happy to have a no fee, no commitment conversation with you to see if I can help.

Edited to add - I meant to say, vaginismus can be treated with hypnosis but I haven't had a client suffering from it yet.

I had hypnotherapy to deal with a fear of flying. I was going to Australia and I was petrified. It was AMAZING! Previously I would sit staring at a film obsessively, I was terrified to stand up, go to the loo etc etc, the entire flight I would be wracked with anxiety.
On the way to the airport for the Australian flight, I suddenly found myself yawning. On the flight, the anxiety was there but mild and I just kind of viewed it. I remember standing waiting for the loo, feeling relaxed and saying to myself 'wow, I couldn't have done this before'.

I don't really understand how or why it worked but it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I've only flown once since dammit but the result was the same.

Can you treat health anxiety @Eyesopenwideawake?

@FayeGovan - Yes, anxiety of any kind responds well to hypnosis. Remember, your mind wants you to be happy but there's a part of your subconscious that has developed a belief around illness. By communicating with that part and letting it know it can 'stand down' we can remove the anxiety.

Hi @Eyesopenwideawake please can you DM me a list of practitioners? Thank you for being here and answering these questions.