How does Hypnotherapy Work?

You may not like the idea of being out of control…

First of all, relax!!! This therapeutic approach does not entail deep trance states. Rather, it uses gently relaxed mind-states that we all encounter voluntarily on a daily basis. Think about your last drive or walk somewhere. Chances are you completely lost yourself in thought on the way, often not knowing how you reached your destination.

Cognitive Hypnotherapy uses this light but naturally relaxed state to access your subconscious mind where the changes can take place that can transform your life. In each therapy session, you will be in ultimate control of your state at all times.

Unlocking your unconscious mind

Your unconscious mind acts as a protective device and its purpose is to keep you safe. It processes millions of pieces of information received from your senses and filters them in order to decide what in your environment is likely to bring you pain or pleasure. We don’t even realise it but we end up being motivated to move towards things - people, activities and behaviour - which our unconscious has decided is good for us based on past experiences. It also decides what things to avoid believing they might bring us harm.

The problem is that for 99% of the time humans have existed in a Stone Age existence where ‘harm’ was obvious and physical. Our nervous system is hardwired still to protect us from tigers rather than the stresses of modern life.

Let’s not run away! Our behaviour has positive intentions 

If our busy, modern lives are considered by the unconscious as ‘stressful’, the body treats it like a threat (the tiger) and the fight, freeze or flight responses are triggered to get you away from it. Going to pieces in an interview is just the struggle between your unconscious trying to get you away from that challenging situation and your conscious fighting to stay put. So, it’s helpful to understand that all behaviour has a purpose. Problems arise however when that behaviour has a negative effect on our lives and the decisions we then make are often made more out of fear than out of the reality of any given situation.

When the fight, freeze or flight responses are triggered, your body is flooded with hormones that increase respiration, body temperature and work to move blood to the muscles away from any area of the body that isn’t involved in fighting for survival.

Note those unhelpful butterflies in your stomach or the sweaty palms. Blood drains away from the brain because you don’t need to think to fight or run away. This means that we can think or feel, but not both at the same time! As soon as anxiety takes hold, often the mind goes blank - unhelpful in an interview but great news if you find yourself running from a tiger!

The root of the problem

We often don’t understand why we get locked into unhelpful behaviours, beliefs and habits which we know are reducing the quality of our lives. The answer is often because the unconscious holds fast to thought patterns long after they are useful. In fact, recent research has shown that the unconscious is responsible for about 90% of our daily behaviour.

How do we tackle this? By talking directly to the unconscious, Cognitive Hypnotherapy can work to reframe those out of date, incorrect beliefs and memories, updating the system so that a fresh approach can be called upon instead, leading to more positive decisions – big and small - and a more fulfilling and fun existence.

People can be viewed as living a life of either growth or protection. Cognitive Hypnotherapy aims to move you gently into ‘growth’ with each and every technique.

Wake up from unhelpful trances

In Cognitive Hypnotherapy, we believe that trance is a part of the normal experience of being human. We spend most of our day in some kind of altered state or reverie – like we are in a daydream or running on automatic pilot. We make the same mistakes over and over. We respond to challenges the same ways. We limit ourselves to keep up the illusion of ‘safety’.

Often, we don’t even trust the good times, waiting for that something bad to happen – as it always has done in the past. Before you know it, loving relationships become sour and fail, potential careers aren’t realised, new starts aren’t even started. As the saying goes - old habits die hard. The smoker keeps smoking. Those feeling isolated and alone, shut people out even more so as not to get hurt again. They don’t go for that promotion. They make a myriad of ever-limiting decisions. It’s a sad cycle to find yourself in and often just gets worse as we get older. But this cycle can be broken more easily than you think.

Get de-hypnotised

Many people experience their difficulties as being beyond their control. Some annoying but uncontrollable part of them takes the reins and makes them have the cigarette, eat that extra biscuit, scream at the sight of a spider or ring in sick rather than give that presentation.

This is their unconscious trying to keep them safe and it is a type of trance. You become ‘hypnotised’ by your unconscious into seeing, feeling or doing things a certain way. As we get older, this pattern often becomes even more ingrained. With Cognitive Hypnotherapy, the idea is you can be ‘de-hypnotised’.

You can be bought back in control of those aspects of life that you wish to be different. So those trance states are a major part of the problem - and they can also become a super-powerful part of the solution

Bespoke Tailoring

Cognitive Hypnotherapy employs a variety of clever techniques to change these patterns for good. Each client’s problem pattern has been formed uniquely, through their very personal life experiences.

As a result, each client will require a unique sequence of techniques to overcome their issues. This is the opposite of a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

Ten people can come in search of a way to finally give up smoking, lose weight or lessen their anxiety, but each one will need a very different approach for the techniques to work, especially in the longer term.

You already have everything you need

Cognitive Hypnotherapy is an interactive therapy where the therapist acts as your guide. You are helped to find your own solutions with skilled assistance. It does not involve the therapist as a ‘controlling’ agent, or someone who dictates what might be best for you. A client isn’t considered in any way broken in need of being ‘fixed’.

One of most important differences from other forms of hypnotherapy, is that the Cognitive Hypnotherapist works entirely within your model of the world and is skilled at allowing you to lead the way to your own idea of a solution and ultimately towards living a more fulfilling, richer life.

This involves a greater level of skill than many traditional Hypnotherapy models, which depend on using standard scripts to treat problems. These can work well in the short term but are less likely to reap longer term benefits and won’t dive as deeply into what’s behind the issue and resolve it at its core. One person’s reasons for unwanted weight gain or loss for instance, will be very different from some-one else.

Access the power of language

Cognitive Hypnotherapy also includes a unique approach to using the powers of hypnotic language, developed by Trevor Silvester, which frees the therapist from ever needing to use standard scripts. By contrast, the client’s own words, images, stories and ideas can be cleverly woven into a pattern of powerful suggestion.

All Quest Institute therapists are highly trained to tailor these ‘word-weaving’ recordings to each client to help tune their unconscious minds to what is most useful, and to tune out what is not. These also work to deeply embed any learnings in between sessions.