Introduction to Hypnotherapy
Our mission..
..is to help you take back control of your lives again, and reassure you there is a way of doing that by choosing to use your mind in a different way.
Given our medical backgrounds, we are hopeful that you will feel able to integrate the conventional evidence-based treatments recommended for you by your oncological team with the all-important realisation that you can and will influence your outcomes for the better, by 'caring for yourselves' psychologically and physically.
Ironically, life often demands we evolve, change and grow when faced with the harshest challenges, such as illness, loss, and pain.
Our mission is to help you take back control of your lives again, and reassure you there is a way of doing that by choosing to use your mind in a different way. You can change the chaos, disorder and confusion of your emotional world that so often follows a cancer diagnosis, and change yourselves psychologically, emotionally and physiologically for the better.
The process we aim to teach however, depends on you. It can be rapidly transformative for some, but for most it will require repetition, persistence, and consistency to achieve the best outcomes. However, the simple tools we give you can be integrated and adapted to fit into the small spaces in everyday life and visits for treatment, and indeed we hope you will make time for these moments of self-care and reflection.
We can live lives of greater meaning, deeper connection with our own potential, inner strength, so that we can focus on what brings us joy, peace and satisfaction despite the challenges confronting us.
Both of us have used clinical hypnotherapy for cancer patients over the past 10 years, and feel that this could be a huge asset for so many. However, there remains scepticism and concern regarding hypnosis, which in large part often relates to its use for entertainment. In this context, highly suggestible hypnotic subjects are exhibitionistic volunteers keen to experience the limelight, and are willing participants in audience amusement.
However, within trance, it can be observed that these subjects can exhibit ‘superhuman’ abilities, and demonstrate altered senses and perceptions. It is these features of hypnosis that if harnessed oneself, can have a transformative impact.
Clinical Hypnosis has very different objectives, with no risk of exhibitionism or embarrassment.
We all know we can alter our perceptions consciously, through reasoned thought and for example, willing ourselves to see the positives, when our instincts highlight the negatives.
This takes considerable effort, time and determination to translate into a new, more optimistic emotional state.
The wonderful thing about hypnosis is that meaningful emotional and perceptual changes can be brought about more easily, in a state of relaxation-induced, light trance state, often with use of metaphorical imagery. Although the depth of trance attained is lighter for self-hypnosis than for those who do not have access to individualised hypnotherapy, it can be extremely worthwhile, and with practice, provides a life-skill that will be invaluable in dealing with a wide array of physical and mental symptoms.
The format we have designed is one that we hope will allow you to learn the foundations for self-hypnosis, albeit remotely through audio and video format. Thereafter, there are a variety of therapeutic recordings that you can choose which are hopefully relevant to the treatment path you are experiencing. You can also be your own therapist, and make your own scripts, or inner dialogue when practising self-hypnosis, ideally for a short time each day.
Although we cannot be with you in person, we sincerely hope you can sense our keen motivation to help you get through the challenges in front of you, and we will be grateful to hear any feedback if you feel you can help us improve this website for others in future.
We plan to hold Group Workshops in London from time to time to support you embed these techniques into everyday use, and if you are interested in joining these, then please email your details. Perhaps in time we will be able to facilitate these more locally to you, depending on support and enthusiasm of those of you who are keen to see this initiative grow.
Please be a part of growing with us, and together we can all achieve something that can change the future for the better for so many others.