THE TRUTH ABOUT COUNSELLING AND HYPNOTHERAPY

Many people mistakenly assume that counselling and hypnotherapy are two completely different things. This is partly because most counsellors themselves know nothing about hypnotherapy, and likewise many hypnotherapists have misconceptions about counselling. Having trained in both counselling and hypnotherapy, I am able to "bridge the gap" between these two approaches. The majority of my clients receive both counselling and hypnotherapy.

Counselling is any kind of therapy in which the client and therapist talk about the client's problems. There are many types of counselling.

"Person-centred" or "Non-directive" counselling is most commonly provided in GP surgeries and college counselling services, and in private practice. These counsellors mostly just listen to the client. However, scientific studies have shown that more effective "non-directive" counsellors guide their clients in the "right" direction, using tone of voice and other subtle methods- much like a hypnotist in fact!

"Cognitive-behavioural" counselling (CBT) is most popular with psychologists, and is becoming predominant in the NHS. This approach is much more active, and aims to help the client make sense of their problem and to experiment with different approaches to it. CBT is very effective where the client can concentrate enough to analyse their problems rationally with the counsellor's help.

"Solution-focused" counselling is based on CBT, but often incorporates hypnotherapy in order to calm the client sufficiently so they can understand their problems rationally. This is my own preferred approach.

Hypnotherapy is any form of therapy that includes the use of hypnotic trance. Trance can be anything from a state of comfortable relaxation, similar to day-dreaming, to a deep trance in which the client cannot move or feel pain and can remember nothing afterwards. DEEP TRANCE IS TOTALLY UNNECESSARY FOR MOST CLIENTS. Its main use is in research.

Many clients are too emotionally "worked-up" to concentrate on understanding their problems rationally. Through hypnosis they can learn to control their emotions. This is especially helpful when they are not sleeping properly. Trance "frees up" the imagination, so clients can rehearse new ways of behaving in imagination before trying them out in real life- thus gaining confidence. Clients' motivation is increased when they can imagine their future goals more vividly. Trance is also useful to relax clients before using special methods like the "Fast Phobia and Trauma Cure."

I cannot work with clients who regard hypnosis as a "magic" cure for their problems involving no effort on their part. The truth is that changing anything about yourself is hard work. Hypnotherapy just makes it a bit easier and quicker. The other type of people I can't help are those who are afraid of something which they have suppressed and concealed even from themselves. These people will not allow themselves to be hypnotised, even if consciously they think they want it.

Absolutely not! My clients have included many serving and former members of the armed forces, police and prison officers, fire-fighters, and persons working in security and personal protection. Getting counselling is no different from seeing a physiotherapist about a muscle injury, or getting an electrician to rewire your house.

All registered counsellors are required to discuss their work with a small group of colleagues, to maintain and improve standards. This discussion is called "Clinical Supervision", and is becoming a requirement for all professions. No specific personal information is revealed that could identify the client. However, there are certain limits to confidentiality. Counsellors are legally required to inform the authorities if they know of serious offences being committed, especially terrorist activity and abuse of children. .