HYPNOTHERAPY

Problems suitable for treatment:

Psychological phobias, stress, anxiety, panic attacks
Insomnia, depression
Relationship problems, functional sexual problems, weight reduction
Pregnancy:relaxation, nausea & sickness, pain reduction
Pain relief-reduction & control of a painful condition such as arthritis or cancer
Learning and performance: shyness, blushing, concentration, studying, exam nerves, public speaking, stage fright, selling, sports, driving test
Addictions such as smoking or alcoholism
Habits: nailbiting, thumb sucking, bed wetting, overeating, stuttering

Drawbacks:
Television & stage hypnotists may have diminished its credibility as a complementary therapy
Many patients worry that they do things in a trance that they would not normally wish to do (this is not the case where a trained doctor, dentist or psychologist is involved)
Need to trust the therapist completely
Not suitable for the very young or those with a learning disability
More difficult to achieve in those patients who are very left brained (logical & unemotional)

Hypnotherapy, when practiced in the right environment, can offer a powerful and nurturing form of treatment. It is all about regaining the use of the part of our mind which we may have "forgotten about". Through our lives, we are taught to become rational thinkers and with the stress of modern day living, we develop a very high proportion of left sided thinking. In many people, the right side of the brain, which is the intuitive, perceptive, feeling, sensory side of the mind, involving the subconscious, can be ignored. If this happens over a prolonged period of time, it may contribute to the development of problems such as anxiety, depression, stress and burnout. In my experience, I have found that people suffering with all these things have forgotten how to be happy. They have forgotten to listen to their intuitions, instincts or gut feel and probably do not even know what these are. Often, they do not know themselves, possibly do not even like themselves and often do not know where to turn for help.

Depression is an illness which is very common in this country and the Royal College of General Practitioners recommends that the best form of treatment is antidepressant therapy combined with cognitive behavioural therapy. These treatments, whilst very successful, are mainly "left brained". Hypnotherapy, on the other hand, can help you to use the right side of your mind and help you to relearn "happiness". The changes do not happen overnight and can be successfully combined with cognitive therapy. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the process by which we look at the negative thought and behavioural patterns associated with low feelings and convert them into positive thought and altered behaviour. This is aided by the understanding of other concepts such as Transactional Analysis and Projection.

I use hypnotherapy for treatment of anxiety, for treatment of phobias and depression, also for life planning and confidence building - (a full list of conditions which may be suitable for treatment with hypnotherapy can be found below). It is often combined with neurolinguistic programming and it is this which is used in life planning. Many major companies now use this form of treatment at Board level in order to develop the direction of their companies. I am a great believer in the power of self help and within my medical practice I teach "self-hypnosis". For those people who are able to use the technique and master it, it provides a nurturing form of deep relaxation and helps to form the basis of their recovery. They are often provided with an individual tape that is made especially for them according to their own trigger factors, which are based upon the happiest times in their lives. The treatment works well and can be combined with many other kinds of psychological help.

The main comment that I receive from patients who get better with hypnotherapy is that they "feel whole again". They become more in touch with their own feelings, more relaxed about life, more able to cope with their underlying fears and have more confidence in their ability to follow their own intuitions and gut feel.

One final word of warning is that any operator who uses hypnosis must remember that he is dealing with the subconscious mind and that he must be fully aware of the significance of any suggestion planted therein. I therefore feel that it is highly inappropriate and even dangerous for hypnosis to be carried out by anyone other than a doctor, a psychologist or a dentist and it most certainly should not be carried out on television or on stage.

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If you would like to book an appointment please call us on 0116 2700373 or email info@privategp.com.

Dr J Piper, updated on 26th February 2006