During hypnosis, your critical mind is distracted allowing suggestions to go directly to the unconscious mind. The suggestions usually highlight flexible thinking, unexplored possibilities and focus on bringing powerful internal resources to the surface so they can be utilised to help reduce or alleviate a variety of issues.

If you are asking yourself if there is such a thing as an unconscious mind, think about trying to control the growth of your hair or nails! Yes, that’s right, you can’t. It is done through unconscious processes deep within our brains. These unconscious processes in our brains also control our limbic system which is responsible for our primal needs and once a habit we created becomes unconscious it can be a lot harder to change it. That is why sometimes it feels impossible to control an irrational fear, an impulse or a habit (i.e. nail biting). The good news is that these behaviours and impulses are usually created by you and therefore CAN be changed by you with the help of techniques and an effective therapist.

Another approach used in hypnotherapy is analysis of past experiences that causes current problems such as in cases of phobias and traumas. In this case the root cause of the problem is explored, allowing the perception of the event to be updated, releasing emotions and preventing you from experiencing the event over and over again.

Research has shown that hypnotherapy is effective not only with psychological but also physical issues such as pain management. This is because hypnotherapy can help you control the interference and even intensity of pain. Research has also shown that it is effective as analgesia during surgery and dental treatment, providing individual with intolerance for analgesia with an effective alternative.