Cognitive Hypnotherapy is a bit different to traditional hypnotherapy in that it’s much more interactive and you’re in control at all times.. With Cognitive Hypnotherapy you’re in control throughout. It’s a modern evidence-based approach that continually evolves according to the latest findings from neuro-science and other research.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy draws from (among other things) CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy),, NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Positive Psychology, Solution Focused Approaches, EFT (emotional freedom technique), and Narrative Therapy. It’s based on the following principles:
The solution to the problem lies within the problem itself
As a Cognitive Hypnotherapist I don’t believe that I have all the answers to your problems. However I do believe that you already have all the wisdom and resources you could possibly need.
My role is to help you connect with that inner wisdom so that you can let go of any limiting beliefs and make all the changes you desire.
Trance is a natural state
We all go in and out of trance every day.
Have you ever driven or walked somewhere only to find when you reach your destination that you can’t remember the journey you’ve just made? That’s a trance state.
Or day dreamed your way through a boring meeting only to realise (maybe to your horror) that you haven’t heard a word that was said? That’s a trance state too.
Or noticed that time just flew by when you were absorbed in a pleasant activity, so that you couldn’t imagine where all the time had gone? Yes, you’ve guessed it, that’s another trance state.
When you’re in a state of trance your unconscious mind is taking care of things for you and your conscious mind is free to wander.
Research suggests that we spend up to 90% of our waking lives under the control of our unconscious minds. This is a good thing in many ways because it means we can deal with the mundane day to day stuff without having to consciously think about what we’re doing. It’s as if your unconscious mind is a series of programmes running in the background that’s dealing with all the routine stuff for you.
The primary purpose of the unconscious mind is to keep you alive and safe. It controls all your bodily responses like your heartbeat, your breathing and your immune system. If it detects a danger it creates an automatic response which causes you to take the necessary action. You’ve probably heard of the fight/flight/freeze response? This is a type of trance state that overrides your conscious decisions in response to a perceived threat.
The trouble is, the unconscious mind has a tendency to generalise and can get things wrong. This means you can react, think and behave in ways that aren’t necessary or appropriate. Because this process is triggered outside of your conscious awareness, it can be very hard to stop it from happening.
So rather than putting you into a trance, one of my aims is to de-hypnotise you from any unhelpful trance states that may be causing problems.
All behaviour has a purpose …
… and the intention will always be positive, even though the outcome may not be what you want. The primary purpose of the unconscious mind is to keep you alive and safe from harm.
Any behaviour that was helpful in the past will be repeated, even though it may no longer be appropriate or necessary.
These reactions are automatic and bypass your conscious mind.
Imagine if as a child, you were made to feel stupid whilst reading aloud in class. At a young age an experience like this can feel catastrophic. Your unconscious mind will see any similar situation as something to be avoided. Any situation that the unconscious mind recognises as being similar to the initial unpleasant event will trigger a fear response to keep you safe from a repeat of the humiliation you initially felt. Fast forward 20 years and you may find you’ve developed a phobia of public speaking. At times you may be able to consciously override this and go ahead anyway but it won’t be easy or pleasant.
In therapy we work together to process the original event so you can be free of the automatic triggers that have been holding you back.
We’re all unique …
.. and so there’s no one size fits all method that suits everyone,
Each person who comes to therapy for help with something they call anxiety will have had completely different life experiences and will be experiencing their problem in a way that feels unique to them.
Because we’re all so different, whatever works well for one person may not work so well for another.
Therefore, as a Cognitive Hypnotherapist the approach I take is holistic and I’m more interested in the individual person than in the label given to the problem.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy draws from a range of evidence based disciplines to provide an approach that is individually tailored to each persons unique circumstances. With each client the therapy will continually adapt, according to their individual progress and feedback.
Wordweaving
As a Quest Institute trained Cognitive Hypnotherapist I use a bespoke form of hypnotic language called wordweaving, which communicates with your unconscious mind in a way that feels natural and is readily accepted.
The Quest Institute conducts continual research regarding the effectiveness of it’s approach and has been proven to be more effective in less time than other therapies including CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). You can read about this research here:
If you’d like to find out more, I’d love to have a chat,. There’s no pressure and no obligation. You can call or text me on 07717-194423 or email me on jill@jillbrowntherapy and we’ll arrange a time to talk.