CATHERINE TUCKER BA (HONS) D. HYP BSCH (ASSOC) |
Catherine Tucker has an honours degree and is a fully qualified experienced clinical hypnotherapist. She is an Assistant Lecturer with the London College of Clinical Hypnosis as well as a course supervisor and an external tutor. Catherine runs a successful clinic in Lymington Hampshire and in Central London. She specialises in stress management and relaxation techniques as well as goal setting and focus. Catherine also successfully treats other symptoms listed below. Catherine is a registered member of the BSCH (The British Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists) which is a society that only accepts members that are properly trained and abide by a strict ethical code of practice. CALL 0800 6 121 040 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION |
BRITISH SOCIETY OF
CLINICAL HYPNOSIS
WHAT IS HYPNOSIS AND THE HYPNOTIC STATE?
Hypnosis employs a naturally occurring state of mind and it may surprise many to learn that we
experience trance states often during our lives, even several times during each day. Just drifting into
ordinary sleep involves a kind of trance state, typically one where our mind is becoming free of verbal
thinking (left brain) and entering a more visual state (right brain), similar to that of dream sleep.
The experience of hypnosis is in many ways similar to the sleepy hypnogogic state: being neither asleep
nor awake and prone to imagery and association, with a pleasant feeling of calmness and relaxation
behind it all.
The hypnotic state occurs normally in everyone when certain physiological and psychological
conditions are met and with the assistance of a properly skilled hypnotherapist it is possible to use this
state to make deep and long lasting changes to thoughts, feelings and behaviour.
If your problem has an emotional, habitual or perhaps psychological origin then hypnotherapy is an
excellent way to communicate with these parts of your mind.
Hypnosis is a different state of consciousness to the normal ‘alert’ state and you can easily enter it so
that, for therapeutic purposes, beneficial instructions may be given directly to your receptive
unconscious mind. In hypnosis the tendency is for these suggestions to be accepted far less critically
than in the normal state and a skilled hypnotist may ‘seed’ constructive ideas which then change
behaviour and attitudes at their source.
Thus, hypnosis is an effective way of making contact with our inner (unconscious) self, which is both a
reservoir of unrecognised potential and knowledge as well as being the unwitting source of many of
our habits and problems.
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HYPNOSIS
Some people worry that once hypnotised they may be taken advantage of by a person who is less than
scrupulous.
However, it’s a fact that no one can be hypnotised against their will and even when hypnotised, a
person can still reject any suggestions offered to them or return to normal alert consciousness at will.
Hypnotherapy is actually a state of purposeful co-operation between the therapist and subject, to obtain
a specific result, agreed upon beforehand.
Similarly, a common fear is that under hypnosis a person could be made to reveal personal details that
they would rather keep secret but again this is not possible. If it were the police would be the keenest
students of hypnosis! I suspect the image of trance created by the media is at fault here as people
expect that ‘under’ hypnosis they will become quite unconscious and robotic, not aware of or realising
what they are doing or saying. The truth is that you may remain quite conscious and aware, perhaps
even more so than usual. However, a skillful hypnotist will keep you at the balancing point where your
critical faculty is suspended and beneficial directions can be given to your unconscious mind.
Many people have had the experience of driving along a familiar road and suddenly realising that
several miles have gone by of which they have been completely unaware. This is very similar to the
hypnotic state; you are awake and aware - but somehow not quite there!
CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPY
Clinical Hypnotherapy means using hypnosis to treat a variety of medical and psychological problems.
It does not usually deal with problems that have an organic origin but those that are due to emotional
and psychological sources. It is estimated that 85% of people will readily respond to clinical
hypnotherapy and it may even succeed where other, more conventional methods of treatment have
been slow to produce the desired results.
When carried out by a professionally trained and skilled hypnotherapist, the benefits are usually long
lasting and often permanent. It is completely natural and safe, with no harmful side effects.
CLINICAL APPLICATIONS
Hypnotherapy is accepted to benefit the following:
Stopping smoking
nail biting
weight control
healthy eating
sporting performance
performance anxiety
exam nerves
learning, memory and concentration
self-confidence
phobias
compulsions and compulsive behaviour
emotional problems
sleep problems
inhibition
anxiety and panic
worries
stress reduction
blood pressure
self-image problems
stress related stomach problems
lBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
childbirth
skin problems
pain control
bed wetting
some sexual problems
and more...........
The main criterion is that the cause of the presenting problem lies within the unconscious mind, often
due to a traumatic ‘seeding’ event or to unintentional behavioural conditioning in early years.
It’s interesting to note that the unconscious mind always acts in such a way that it attempts to protect
and preserve the individual and many fears and phobias have at their root a form of exaggerated self-
preservation. Unfortunately, these can become over-exaggerated and generalised over time, even to the
point where they begin to restrict a normal successful life.
In one text book example, the subject was a business man who had turned down successive promotions
because they would have required him to travel by aeroplane. Eventually he decided to try hypnosis
after seeing it work successfully for a phobia sufferer on a BBC television programme. Quite
interestingly the causal event turned out to be an accident in his childhood, when he was playing on a
garden shed roof with his older brother. They had begun some horseplay and together rolled off the
roof and onto the ground, Neither was seriously hurt, though both would have been shocked, however
the first words out of his brother’s mouth were “you’ll go to prison for that now!”
Though this event was quickly forgiven and forgotten, years later the gentleman in question was in a
real sense ‘in prisoner held under lock and key by an irrational fear of flying (or more accurately, fear
of falling). A skilled hypnotherapist can be likened to a locksmith in situations like these and the man
was soon released.
Originally all habits are intended to be useful. Many of the routine activities of our daily lives would
become a nuisance if we had to consciously think them through each time we wanted to do them. Alas,
this habit-making force can turn against us, particularly when it comes to things like smoking or
overeating, but with hypnosis we can intervene and reprogram our unconscious minds with healthier
requirements. The power of hypnosis is quite literally the power of habit and we all know how strong
that can be!
The British Society of Clinical Hypnosis exists to ensure that all recommended therapists have proper
training and abide by a strict ethical code of practice.
| A Member of the British Society of Clinical Hypnosis WHAT ABOUT HYPNOSIS? |
BRITISH SOCIETY OF
BRITISH SOCIETY OF
CLINICAL HYPNOSIS