Hypnotherapy

The SFHT approach also utilises psychoeducation by informing and providing clients with a neuroscientific understanding of the human brain, how it works and what we can do to make changes. This includes an understanding of why we sleep and the importance of sleep, why we suffer from anxiety, depression and anger management issues, the importance of searching for the positives in our lives, how trauma and phobias are developed and how to improve motivation.

Sessions with Lara are 1 hour long and are part solution focused psychotherapy, meaning talking therapy, and part hypnotherapy or guided relaxation. In solution focused psychotherapy the therapist uses their skills and questioning techniques to help the client move into the intellectual intelligent part of their brain and to begin to search for and find their own inner skills and resources, to find exceptions to their problems and to start to build a detailed visual image of what they want in their lives, their goals or best hopes for the future, and the small steps required to get there in a manageable and sustainable way.

This is then solidified during the hypnotherapy part of the session. Hypnosis or the trance state is simply a state of being that is very natural and one that we all go into many times a day; it is purely a focused state of attention. Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic treatment option that uses this state for beneficial purposes because when we are in this relaxed state of focused attention we are more open to suggestion and we can begin to make changes to our subconscious mind. During a SFHT session you are always in control and can open your eyes and bring yourself out of trance at any time should you wish.

In SFHT we don’t need to go over the past or understand why we may have problems and issues, we start in the present moment and look to the future, when the problem is no longer a problem and in this way SFHT is a gentle and positive approach to change which usually happens relatively quickly. This approach begins with the tenant that the client is the expert in their own life and hence the therapist is not there to tell them what to do as to help them discover the solutions for themselves.

SFHT has been shown to be an effective treatment for a number of common mental health concerns including anxiety, stress and depression. This approach is also well supported in the treatment of trauma, fears and phobias as well as pain management and weight management. SFHT is also recommended in sports performance as the use of visualisation can help the person both remain calm under pressure and help automate certain skills/actions through mental repetition. Lara is trained and insured to work with adults and children 11 years and older and holds a full DBS certificate.