Hypnotherapy & NLP

"Inner Light Therapies" in Bournemouth is able to offer hypnotherapy and NLP, which can be of help in changing many behavioural patterns, such as stopping smoking; losing weight; increasing self-confidence; overcoming fear and phobias and changing self-limiting ways of behaviour. This page will tell you a little about hypnotherapy and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP): what they are and how they are thought to work; how they can help in a wide variety of cases; why they work well in supporting vibrational healing; what to expect in a session as well as the duration and cost of a treatment session.

What is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic treatment facilitated by a relaxed state called trance. This state allows the subconscious mind to supply and support suggestions to the conscious mind. These allow beneficial changes in behaviour to occur and encourage positive self-belief about yourself and your capabilities to be exhibited. In essence trance supports a connection between the conscious and unconscious parts of our minds, allowing us to communicate with the unconscious and rewrite or correct its' database. Trance feels like being in the state we call daydreaming, or the deeply relaxed state that we experience just before we go to sleep.

What is NLP?

NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) is a therapy that acts mainly on the conscious mind. It uses techniques that link feelings to behaviours and actions. Our body has a natural protection and reward system. It automatically wants to reward actions or stimuli that protect it or give it pleasure, and conversely wants to avoid negative stimuli that result in danger or pain. When negative associations are extreme, the body can produce intense reactions resulting in what we know as "phobias". NLP takes advantage of the body's reward system by setting up positive stimuli to override or correct negative behaviour patterns. It can also teach the body new behaviours and responses by utilising the same natural reward system.

How can NLP and / or hypnotherapy be of help?

Hypnotherapy works with the unconscious or subconscious mind, which can influence the conscious mind to change its behaviours. In the altered state (trance) a person is more open to suggestion. When sufficiently relaxed the conscious mind is distracted from placing blocks or thinking about the suggestions offered up by the therapist, thus allowing suggestions to be more easily placed into the person's subconscious.  Such suggestions will be aimed at influencing behaviour, removing fears, bolstering confidence and self esteem, and even changing one's reactions, feelings or emotions about a situation. It should be borne in mind however that unless a person is motivated to actually change their behaviour then hypnotherapy will not change their situation. This is because in the altered state a person will only accept suggestions that are right for them and that they will readily accept at that time. If they are not motivated to change a behaviour, state or pattern then they simply will not change.

These are just some of the situations or life-style changes that may be helped by these therapies:

• Stopping smoking
• Weight control and issues surrounding food (including eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and overeating)
• Removal of fears or phobias (such as fear of spiders, fear of flying, fear of heights etc.)
• Addictions (such as to alcohol or drugs)
• Lack of confidence or self-esteem issues
• Boosting self-belief and enhancing performance (in competitive sports for example)
• Setting and achieving goals
• Clarifying and understanding issues and facilitating their release (such as working with childhood or past-life issues)
  

Why do hypnotherapy and NLP work well together?

The individual therapies focus on the conscious mind (NLP) and the subconscious mind (hypnotherapy). By combining them together we have a more complete and supportive way of working with the mind. Although each technique is excellent in its own right, together they provide a more powerful treatment than using the therapies in isolation. NLP tends to provide the conscious motivation and hypnotherapy the subconscious stimuli to help successfully change behaviour.

How does hypnotherapy and / or NLP enhance vibrational healing?

We believe that how and what people think strongly influences their physical health. Our subtle bodies (especially the inner layers of the auric field) build up their energetic structure from our belief systems and what we learn, find out or are told about who and what we are. Because our minds can reinforce the positive aspects of our lives and the positive things we have learnt from experiences in our lives, or dwell on the negative aspects,  thus reinforcing those, hypnotherapy and NLP can help us make life-enhancing changes. Within the auric field ideas take form in the mental body, which in turn create emotions and patterns connected with them in the emotional body. These patterns may also lodge in the etheric body and, if negative patterns, can end up manifesting in the physical body as a physical "symptom" or disorder (or dis-order.)  There is no doubt that we can retrain the brain into new positive ways of thinking, and thus change what we have created (including physical disease) in our non-physical bodies.

Many of the problems clients present us with have their roots within the emotional or mental bodies. These have probably taken root there over a period of time through frequent reinforcement of beliefs they have about themselves. If they are told or made to feel that something is true about themselves (perhaps that they are not lovable, or that they have nothing worthwhile to contribute) then this will eventually become what they actually believe about themselves. Even if an attempt is made to rationalise such a situation logically,  many people can not distinguish what their "true" self is, as opposed to what they have come to believe about themselves. A person often has to learn to distinguish between:

• Physical feelings (identifying physical pain, fight / flight responses etc.)
• Base emotions and feelings (identifying anger, fear, sadness etc.)
• Thought processes (how they process and sort what they feel on a mental basis)
• Reactive processes (how they react emotionally to what takes place in their lives)

Hypnotherapy and being in a relaxed, slightly detached trance state can help us identify and understand these different concepts and how they apply to our own unique situations. Vibrational healing can then help release and actually remove any negative energetic anomalies that may have manifested in our subtle bodies, and repair any etheric damage caused by them. Restoring and returning the energy bodies to their "true" state will then support the physical body in its' process of self-healing.

What can I expect to happen in a hypnotherapy / NLP session?

Firstly you will be invited to give details covering a pertinent history of your general health. You will then be asked about any fears or phobias you may have, and about what you want to deal with in the session. Any questions you have about the process and your understanding of what is to happen will then be covered, so that you feel at ease. There is then an opportunity to talk more about the issue you want to deal with, in order for both parties to get a full understanding of the situation and determine the best approach to resolve it. If appropriate, the first step is often to work with a few simple NLP techniques to start off the conscious process. Then, if appropriate, the trance state is induced in order to address the subconscious issues. Once you have returned to a normal wakeful state you are encouraged to talk about what your experiences of the session were, and to receive feedback. This will enable any questions arising to be resolved and follow-up advice to be given. Where additional sessions are required or other steps are recommended, these will be discussed and a future plan agreed with you.

Some rumours about hypnotherapy debunked!

Hypnotherapy is not like stage hypnosis. You will not end up clucking like a chicken every time you hear the word "egg", nor do anything that you would not normally consider doing or be willing to do! Even when in trance state you will be totally aware of all that is said or that is taking place, and you have the ability to come out of trance state if you choose to do so. You will also be given the option of consciously recalling all that has taken place during a session, if that is your preference. Obviously a high degree of trust in the person working with you is important so that you can fully relax and benefit from all that the techniques have to offer. You may if you wish bring a friend with you to observe the session, and we are always willing to meet with you to discuss your options, free of charge, before you consent to treatment taking place.

HYPNOTHERAPY / NLP - SESSION & CHARGES:

Smoking Cessation £50 per session (2 hours)
All other issues, including past-life regression £40 per session (up to 1½ hours)
(concessions £40 / £30)

The first session and any future sessions that address new issues will take between 1 1/2 and 2 hours. Other sessions take up to 1 hour on average. The time depends on the depth and complexity of the issues being worked on, and the amount of work the body can process at a time. The number of sessions again depends on the issues being addressed. Many issues (such as smoking, phobias, confidence and addictions) can be settled in one session. However each individual and their situation is unique and may require several sessions to achieve full resolution. The deeper and more complex issues (such as those held around weight and food issues or deep childhood concerns) may take longer to resolve.