What type of issues do I work with in hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy has been around a long time. Probably longer than you think. Originally used to treat injuries and pain, it’s come a long way and is now used for a wide variety of conditions. Most commonly people think of it for stopping smoking, weight loss or giving birth, but it’s actually been used to help trauma related symptoms since the late 1800s. So, what can hypnotherapy actually help with today?
A bit of history
Although it wasn’t called hypnotherapy at the time, it’s been recorded since 1550 BCE. In Ancient Egypt there were specific ‘sleep temples’ used for rituals including suggestions, chanting and trance states. The first clearly documented use of hypnosis in a medical setting was 1770s, and it was named ‘hypnosis’ in 1841 by a Scottish surgeon. At this time hypnosis/hypnotherapy was used for pain relief, assisting with major surgeries and child birth. Hypnosis for pain relief is so effective, that it was even used for major surgeries, including amputations!
Hypnosis was used less and less after chemical anaesthesia revolutionised surgery, and finally fell out of ‘mainstream’ surgical practice completely.
It was revived during WW1 and WW2, used to treat pain on the battlefield and in situations with limited medical supplies.
Today hypnosis is rarely used alone, but to complement medical anaesthesia in what is called hypnoanalgesia. It lowers the amount of anesthesia needed.
What about mental health?
After it was named ‘hypnosis’ in 1841 it was studied scientifically, rather than being viewed as a mystical force. This shift where it was recognised as a psychological state was vital, because it was then used to address anxiety, phobias, stress and emotional regulation. Neurologists explored hypnosis in patients with hysteria and trauma-related symptoms, which increased the research into hypnotherapy.
By the early 1900s hypnosis actually shaped psychotherapy, our understanding of the subconscious mind. In 1950 it gained formal recognition as a legitimate therapeutic tool, and has been increasingly used for clinical psychology and psychotherapy.
Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy for Mental Health Today
I help a wide range of clients, from around the world, using online hypnotherapy for:
Anxiety - generalised anxiety, social anxiety, health anxiety, performance anxiety etc.
Panic and stress - overthinking, overwhelm, burnout and racing thoughts
Phobias and fears
Trauma and PTSD
Habits and behavioural changes - nail biting, skin picking, procrastination etc.
Depression and low mood
Confidence, self-belief and self-compassion
Creative blocks, goal setting, concentration etc
Insomnia and sleep
Chronic pain, IBS, migraines etc.
Whilst hypnotherapy is still used for stopping smoking and weight loss today, these are not things I personally work in, so if I get enquiries for such issues I tend to refer them on to other therapists.