HYPNOTHERAPY

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  Many extremely effective and wonderful forms of hypnotherapy have been developed  over the years.  I personally utilize several methods depending upon the clients current situation and needs, from “waking and  conversational hypnosis” to advanced “Parts” and  “ Regression” modalities, both current and past life, all of which are considered Solution-focused hypnotherapy  The majority of hypnotherapists are trained to be ‘solution-focused’. Whether a hypnotherapist labels him/herself as a solution-focused hypnotherapist is up to them, because you don’t need to use the label in order to use the approach (as is the case with many of these branches of hypnotherapy). Solution-focused simply means that the hypnotherapist works with the client in order to create and work towards a solution, rather than focusing simply on ‘getting rid of the problem’… It’s generally much more effective to work ‘towards something’ (a goal), as opposed to ‘away from something’ (a problem). 

  Analytical hypnotherapy (or hypno-analysis)  Using ideas and approaches from the analytical school of psychotherapy, analytical hypnotherapy is used to identify ‘why’ a client has a problem, or why they’re doing what they’re doing. Many analytical hypnotherapists work to find ‘root causes’, with a view to helping the client respond to said causes differently. Analytical therapists also help clients to find ‘insight’ within themselves, because sometimes we have ‘the answers’ within us, yet we may not be aware of them. 

  Ericksonian hypnotherapy  Named after Milton H. Erickson, an American psychiatrist and hypnotist (and a key figure of modern hypnotherapy), Ericksonian hypnotherapy uses ‘indirect suggestions’, storytelling/metaphors and more ‘off the wall’ approaches in order to create changes in clients, whether on a behavioural, cognitive or even analytical level. Ericksonian hypnotherapy (when performed properly) can be highly effective, however there are some hypnotherapists that label their approaches as ‘Ericksonian’ when in fact they are not. True Ericksonian hypnotherapy is highly adapted to each individual client and tends to rely on the therapist’s innate ability to judge what type of intervention a client needs. Whether a story relating to their problem, a challenging homework task to break a habit, an abrupt and confrontational conversation or even simple, indirect suggestions relating to their goal… Fundamentally, Ericksonian hypnotherapy can be thought of as a combination of many different therapeutic approaches, but in it’s simplest form (the form that is most often taught by modern hypnotherapy schools), it refers more to metaphors and indirect suggestions (which can be a very useful tool in creating change with clients). 

  Regression hypnotherapy (or regression to cause)  Regression (or ‘regression to cause’) refers to taking a client back in their mind to past events that may have some bearing on their problem. It’s worth noting that regression doesn’t have to be used to access negative events/memories, regression can also be used to access past resource states and positive memories too. In terms of therapy, regression is often one of the last approaches a professional hypnotherapist will use (or should be), because most of the time a behavioural, cognitive or analytical approach will be much easier on the client (psychologically). When a hypnotherapist works through the above-mentioned approaches first, they’ll usually find a more appropriate/effective solution for the client, without needing to ‘go back’ and search for a potential cause (which could potentially re-traumatise the client).  Occasionally a well-trained hypnotherapist might use regression as a first approach, but usually this will only be for phobias/fears. The reason hypnotherapists might use regressions for phobias as a first approach is because it’s highly likely that the phobia relates to a past event (often from childhood). Working with said event will often be the key to removing the phobia (though some hypnotherapists use non-regression approaches to work with phobias too) Many therapists who’re only trained in regression and nothing else are not as skilled at dealing with the potential issues that may arise in the therapy process. 

  Past-life regression hypnotherapy  Some clients believe in past lives and that those lives have a bearing on their current issue. Upon experiencing ‘past life memories’ some clients gain insight into their own problems and why they’re happening. Sometimes the goal of past life therapy is to ‘cut the ties’, removing connection to unhelpful past lives. As a therapist, believing in past lives is not a prerequisite for performing past life regressions, however having respect for the client’s own beliefs is important (as is the case, no matter what type of hypnotherapy you are doing). Some therapists and clients believe in past lives, others believe that the past life is a metaphor for change. Either way, it works for some people. The techniques used in past-life regression are very similar to those used in normal (current life) regression.