There are many different explanations and definitions of hypnosis. For example:

-A state of high suggestability

-The suspension of disbelief

-A selective state of mind

-A disassociation (split) between the conscious and unconscious mind

-An amplifier of experience

Of course no-one can know with any certainty what is experienced in anothers mind, making hypnosis a ‘unique and subjective state of mind’, which for the purposes of analogy can be likened to day dreaming, driving on auto pilot, or becoming so engrossed in a good book or film that external distractions just fade away.

An interesting explanation of what many believe happens to the mind before, during and after hypnosis is that throughout the brain are what are termed as ‘units of mind power’. Under hypnosis, these units are focused together and all are able to receive a suggestion. After hypnosis. the units disperse once again but each one now carries elements of what was suggested.

While consciousness is entirely suspended in natural sleep, it is most definitely present in hypnosis. This of course makes all the difference. In hypnosis, the subject is still aware of of everything going on around them, and can often remember everything afterwards.

Most hypnotists would agree that any hypnosis is self-hypnosis, in that it will only happen within a state of rapport and co-operation. In other words no one can be hypnotized unless they actively wish to enter the state of hypnosis.

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Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis as a means of communicating with the subconscious mind to bring about therapeutic change.

The ethical hypnotherapist will be a professionally trained hypnotist and therapist who acts as a facilitator, to help clients to help themselves.

As in any therapeutic relationship,for hypnotherapy to be effective and beneficial a combination of trust and rapport must be present.

About 85% of the population are believed to be susceptable to hypnosis (if they want to be) and actually only a light depth of trance is needed for many therapeutic purposes.

Hypnotherapy works as a wonderful adjunct to other types of therapy such as cognitive behavoural therapy and Neurolinguistic programming because whatever action we take is first of all determined by our thoughts, so if we change our thoughts, we can change the way we behave. The subconscious mind does not like changes but in hypnosis it can be persuaded to make them once it realizes that they are beneficial.

Whatever you want in life, it is important to have a goal. Thoughts have a boomerang effect. If we think negative thoughts, then we attract negative things happening to us. Likewise, if we visualize good things then we attract the positive. The more powerful and intense a thought is, then the more powerful and intense the outcome will be.

‘ The subconscious mind is like a preprogrammed, driverless car. It will automatically take the road it knows and has no ability to steer itself or to deviate from its well-run route, or even accelerate its progress. But by using hypnosis, you become the driver of that car. You can steer it in a new direction , you can show it how other routes might be more interesting or beneficial, you can show it all the other journeys it can make, now that you are the driver and now that you are in control.’

It is often said that each of us only uses a small percentage of our mind— Einstein estimated that we work with no more than ten per cent of it. No wonder then that the mind has been referred to as the ‘mental iceberg’ as so much of its activity is below the surface and so much of its capacity unused. One role of the subconscious mind is to act as our servant as far as habits are concerned. We learn at an early age to walk, talk, eat with a knife and fork, ride a bike and so on. These habit patterns are never forgotten. We just do them automatically. But what are the less obvious jobs of the subconscious and how can hypnosis help?

The subconscious mind can be regarded a our own personal computer, our memory bank. It stores everything that we have ever seen, heard, done, and experienced. Nothing is ever erased unless the brain is injured in some way. Through analytical hypnotherapy memories can be retrieved and reviewed with new understandings seen from a different perspective.

The subconscious mind controls all the involuntary functions of the body such as digestion, breathing, heart rate, temperature etc. This is obviously all done without any conscious thought. It is widely accepted now that anxiety, stress, and tension can negatively affect these functions, and these ill effects are known as psychosomatic illnesses. It stands to reason therefore that, as hypnosis can directly contact the subconscious mind, then hypnosis can bring about recovery.

All our emotions are controlled within the subconscious mind, and one of the rules of the mind is that emotion is usually stronger than reason. It would seem therefore that we are at the mercy of our subconscious mind, that is until we learn to take control of it through hypnosis.

Our subconscious mind provides us with motivation. For instance, if you decide to give up smoking, your conscious mind selects that goal. Unless the subconscious mind releases the energy to make this happen, you will probably either start smoking again or use a replacement activity such as eating or drinking. With the help of hypnosis, the subconscious mind can direct energy in a positive way to help us fulfil our goals.

Actually, it doesn’t.
For the vast majority of people there is actually no such thing as a ‘hypnotised feeling’ – the vast majority of people would insist afterwards that they had not ‘gone under’. After a few sessions, though, most people start to become aware of how the state feels to them. It may be that they feel excessively heavy or light. Their arms and legs may feel rigid, as if they have been moved into a different position, or even absent. They can sometimes feel other strange phenomena, too – sensations of floating, whirling and/or spinning are not unusual, or of some part of the body being distorted in some way (I always refer to this as Hypno-morphing) or as if they have become very small/big. I always feel as if my hands are encased in concrete gloves – my signal that I am in self hypnosis. Most people experience some form of time distortion, usually in the ratio of around 2.5:1, so that after the session there is a feeling that it was much shorter than it actually was. Typically, a 50 minute session would feel like 20 minutes.

An individual in the hypnotised state usually feels very relaxed, but this is not necessarily the case. They will often feel as they are half asleep and at the moment they open their eyes at the end of a session there is sometimes an awareness, for a spilt second, that ‘something’ had been different.

Never. No hypnotherapist can make you do anything you do not want to do nor make you behave in a way you would not normally behave.

The HYPNO-BAND System is a combination of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy techniques that helps you explore, analyse and change your eating habits. Then using the mind/body connection we fit a “virtual gastric band” to your stomach, making you eat less and less often.

No! the HYPNO-BAND system is a non-invasive behaviour changing method using the techniques of hypnotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy.

On the contrary. The HYPNO-BAND procedure is extremely relaxing and pleasurable.

If you are over-weight and really want and are committed to losing weight then you should be suitable. The only exception would be if there is a physiological reason for your weight problems or if you are taking certain medications. your suitability will be assessed at the initial session.us.