Cognitive Hypnotherapy explained

 Cognitive hypnotherapy incorporates hypnosis to help ‘update’ the subconscious in line with the conscious and its understanding of reality, it is based on three key principles:

Trance is something we do every day, without realising

Traditional hypnotherapy focuses on the therapist ‘guiding you into a trance-like state’. Cognitive hypnotherapy believes hypnotic states to be a naturally occurring state of mind. E.g. When you daydream during a meeting or get lost in your thoughts while driving.

All behaviour has a positive purpose

While any behaviour when ‘under trance’ has the intention to fulfil a positive purpose, not all behavioural choices will be good. For example, when an individual has a fear of flying, the fear aims to keep them on the ground, away from the threat of the plane. They may know that flying is no more dangerous than the car they drive, but the fear is there nonetheless.

While fear is there to protect, it can a hindrance to this person’s life. Cognitive hypnotherapy aims to ‘update the subconscious’ with the conscious mind and its understanding of reality.

Everyone is unique

There is no one size fits all approach in cognitive hypnotherapy. This style of therapy focuses on guiding the client out of any problematic states (fear of dogs, phobias, lack of concentration) to live a more productive, happy life. This form of therapy understands that every person’s problem is unique to them and will require a personalised treatment plan.

On a side note, in case you're wondering, unconscious and subconscious are the same thing in the context of hypnotherapy and you may see the two words used interchangeably.

 Cognitive hypnotherapy is a fluid and flexible approach. It's designed in such a way that the therapist and client are able to work together to achieve a certain goal. Cognitive hypnotherapy provides the client with the knowledge and skills needed to take back control of their own feelings, thoughts and behaviours.

In cognitive hypnotherapy, trance states are believed to be an everyday occurrence. It's thought we spend much of the day in some form of altered consciousness, for example, daydreaming during a boring meeting. 

Many people believe this is what causes uncontrollable urges or feelings, such as smoking or feeling nauseous at the sight of a snake or spider. While this appears to be a bodily reaction, cognitive hypnotherapy suggests that it’s actually your unconscious trying to keep you safe. It’s as if you’re being hypnotised by your own mind into reacting to, and seeing and feeling things in a particular way.

Cognitive hypnotherapy focuses on ‘de-hypnotising’ the client to change the way they think and behave toward their particular problem. By de-hypnotising the client, they can help them regain control over the problematic aspects of their life. For example, instead of viewing a dog as frightening and dangerous, they can alter their thoughts to be in control of the situation and know the dog is likely to be harmless.

 Often, sessions will begin with a discussion between you and the professional. You will talk about what it is you’re after, your problem and what you’d like to gain from cognitive hypnotherapy. Together you’ll look at the issue, how you experience it and how it affects your life. Next, you’ll work towards a personal treatment programme, tailored to you and your individual experience.

The number of sessions you need will depend on you and your situation. You may get what you need after just one session, while others may need three, four, six or 10 sessions.

You may also be given tasks to complete at home, between sessions. This may include listening to  recordings of hypnotic suggestions and/or a therapy diary to record your thoughts and development. You may also be taught self-hypnosis techniques, to help you continue treatment outside of sessions and long after treatment is over.

My training allows me to incorporate other types of therapy into my work and where appropriate I will use elements from Havening, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), EMI (Eye Movement Integration), CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming).

Many people think of hypnosis as onstage entertainment or something that is completely out of their control. But hypnotherapy isn’t something that is 'done' to a person. The client is entirely in control - the professional is merely there as a guide.