The Edinburgh Reporter’s Mike Smith is a fully qualified hypnotherapist. In the latest of a series of articles on what hypnotherapy can do for you, Mike gives a personal account on how it changed his life – and how it can change yours.
Life-changing decisions. By their very definition, these can be unsettling, uncertain and not without risk. Many such decisions take people out of their comfort zone and into the fear of the unknown. This can be a scary prospect for some – but for others it can be very exciting, stimulating and give their life a much-needed new direction.
A couple of years ago I was working in the field of human resources for an Edinburgh business which was linked to a UK company. The salary and benefits were good. However, there developed a culture of constant pressure where mistakes were criticised and analysed but praise was seldom forthcoming for work well done. Now one shouldn’t expect praise for doing what one is paid to do but it reached a stage for me that the pressure and long hours began to tell and I was off work for a couple of months with stress and depression. There had been a difficult period in my personal life just before this and this contributed to my lack of well-being. But I had reached the stage where I had to step out of the rat-race for some recuperation and some self-reflection.
My GP referred me for counselling which I found beneficial. And this got me thinking – I could do this. I could be a counsellor, helping people address their issues – there’s nothing to it! Which is quite the opposite, of course, as I am now discovering as I battle my way through a quite intense three-year course.
The first year of this course was to study to be a hypnotherapist. Before I embarked on this course I had little idea of what a hypnotherapist did. Now, nearly two years after first starting my studies, I am a fully qualified hypnotherapist – and I feel like, at the age of 54 (honestly, guv’) I have finally found my vocation.
So, what is hypnotherapy I hear you ask (if you’re still reading this – and thank you if you have) Well, contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is not a state of deep sleep. It does involve the induction of a trance-like condition, but when in it, the client is actually in an enhanced state of awareness, concentrating entirely on the hypnotherapist’s voice. In this state, the conscious mind is suppressed and the subconscious mind is revealed.
The therapist is able to suggest ideas, concepts and lifestyle adaptations to the client, the seeds of which become firmly planted. Hypnotherapy aims to re-programme patterns of behaviour within the mind, enabling irrational fears, phobias, negative thoughts and suppressed emotions to be overcome.
You are not asleep during hypnotherapy, you are awake and aware of sounds around you – in fact, these sounds can help enhance your relaxation. You are in control at all times and you will not be asked to do something you feel uncomfortable with.
Hypnotherapy can help with many things. Many of my clients have approached me about weight loss and the habit of snacking between meals. Snacking is habit-forming. The reason for it is not really because you feel hungry – it’s for something to do because you’re feeling stressed (comfort-eating), anxious, rejected (perhaps your relationship with your partner has ended and you eat to try and replace the lost feelings of contentment) or bored. Snacking is something to do and when it becomes a habit and forms part of your routine then this is when it causes an increase in your weight. And so a vicious circle commences – you snack because you feel stressed, it becomes a habit and your weight increases, thus your feelings of stress increase.
One of my clients has reached this stage and it was clear his snacking had developed into a habit. However, after just a couple of hypnotherapy sessions he has cut back hugely on his snacking – and he told me on his last visit he has lost ten pounds of weight in a little over a fortnight. This gave both of us a huge feeling of satisfaction. And this is where I feel a huge difference in my current profession. Whereas before, I felt the constant criticism left me deflated and completely lacking in motivation, now I care about my clients and I really want them to achieve their goals. The feeling of doing some good and making a real difference to people’s lives is priceless. In recent years I used to dread going to work. I would get up in the morning wondering what was going to go wrong in the day ahead. Now, I look forward to each day, looking to make a positive impact on people’s lives.
Hypnotherapy can help with many things such as weight management, smoking cessation, self-confidence and self-esteem issues, phobias (from a fear of spiders to a fear of flying) eating disorders – including a fear of trying new foods – a fear of heights, alcohol addiction, anger management – and so much more.
The process begins with an initial consultation meeting. This will last about an hour and establish your needs and what you want to achieve. This consultation is free and you are under no obligation to proceed. After this, if you decide to proceed, sessions will probably be on a weekly basis.
If you want to make positive changes to your life, whether it be any of the issues above or anything else – please contact me to arrange your free consultation and we can discuss what hypnotherapy can do for you.
Visit Mind Generating Success for more information or contact me on 07521 353787 (24 hours)
Author of The Team for Me - 50 Years of Following Hearts. Runs Mind Generating Success, a successful therapy practice in Edinburgh. Contact me if you want rid of any unwanted habits. Twitter @Mike1874
