6 Soul Quisine

Modern Suggestive Hypnotherapy

By Grant Boddington achieve. You must like and trust the Hypnotherapist not asleep! But then, you're not awake either. A high) whereas some will insist on multiple sessions.

H
ypnotherapy is probably one of today’s
most trusted and respected natural
therapies. From its roots of being a
rather ‘out there’ therapy using age (or life) regres-
sion, many modern Hypnotherapists are meeting the
demands and expectation of the 21st century client,
by using the much more direct and mechanical ‘sug-
gestive’ (motivational) style of Hypnotherapy. This
style involves helping a client to making changes by
visualisation of the future and affirmation of the
present. Together, these visualisation and affirmation
techniques combine to effectively ‘re-programme’
the subconscious and assist in overcoming many
blocks, obstacles, fears, phobias and habits.
To the uninitiated, Hypnotherapy initially oozes
intrigue and mystery - and that probably explains why
it was once often considered as a last choice therapy.
However, due to the amazing success rates achieved
today by many modern Hypnotherapists, the tide
is turning and people are flocking to learn how to
harness the power that lies within their own minds.
It is now becoming the first choice therapy simply
because it is so effective and such a pleasant way to
deal with so many, otherwise difficult, issues.
To those looking for an effective natural therapy
to address a wide range of issues, Hypnotherapy is
certainly worth a try. Generally your first contact
will be by telephone, probably after a referral from
a friend, or by choosing one from a list or directory
of Hypnotherapists or Hypnotherapy clinics. It is
important you speak with the actual Hypnotherapist
whom you intend to work with. The initial feeling
you have for this therapist and the attitudes you share
can have an enormous impact on the results you will
in order to reap the best benefits from the therapy. So
take the time to find one whose manner and qualifica-
tions help put you at ease. Ask the Hypnotherapist
about his/her training and experience - and only
book your first Hypnotherapy session when you're
totally comfortable with that therapist.
During your Hypnotherapy session, you should
expect to be treated with respect and dignity as with
any health professional. You will likely be asked to
complete a questionnaire about your reason(s) for
the consultation, a few personal details and some
medical history. Most Hypnotherapists will only
see you concerning any serious medical issue after
referral from your doctor or specialist. While every
therapist will have different procedures and methods
of beginning the consultation, it is important that
you feel safe and comfortable at all times and that
you and the Hypnotherapist gain a rapport together
that will later assist during the therapeutic evaluation
and intervention.
A few Hypnotherapists may seek ‘permission to
touch’ but will generally restrict any such touching
to hands, arms, shoulders or head. Nowadays, most
Hypnotherapists will choose absolutely no physical
contact with you, other than a handshake at the start
and finish of your consultation. Remember, you
always have a choice about any touching and you
have every right to decline any request from your
Hypnotherapist - and that should have little or no
effect on the outcome of your treatment.
The actual Hypnosis (altered awareness, or trance
state) will usually be a very relaxed, almost lethargic
feeling, but you can also experience lightness or
floating sensations. During Hypnotherapy, you are
light state of trance is closer to being awake perhaps Some Hypnotherapists will offer you a fixed number
during a day-dream, whereas a deeper level of trance of sessions for a specific issue when you initially
is more like being in a night-dream. A medium level contact them, or suggest a number that you may
of trance is best described as ‘like being awake and require. Soon after your trance, the Hypnotherapist's
asleep at the same time’. When you spontaneously suggestions may still have some effect, so if in any
drift into a light, open-eyes trance while driving doubt as to the necessity for extra or multiple ses-
(Highway Hypnosis) and still arrive safely at your sions, this is not the time to discuss them. Take time
destination, your relaxed consciousness is always afterwards to decide how much assistance you've
still just hovering below the surface in case of any already gotten from hypnotherapy and how much
threat to your well-being. Even in the deeper levels better it could be with more visits.
of trance achieved in most Hypnotherapy sessions, To visit a Hypnotherapist will probably cost you
you can be comfortable in the fact that during between $80.00 and $120.00 for a single consulta-
Hypnotherapy you cannot be made to do things tion. Rates usually are dependent on your location
against your morals, ethics or physical or mental and the skill/reputation of the Hypnotherapist. On
capabilities. Your conscious protector mind is always the www.hypnosisnewzealand.co.nz website there
ensuring your wellbeing. is a comprehensive directory of Hypnotherapists
After your Hypnotherapy session, you should be from all around New Zealand (many of whom have
feeling wide awake - either bursting with energy, trained with me).
or quite mellow and relaxed. This will depend
on a multitude of factors such as the style of Be The Person You Want To Be! Choose and
Hypnotherapy used, length and depth of trance, Use HYPNOTHERAPY!
etc. Because being in a trance is so beneficial for
our mind and body, afterwards
we may feel either refreshed and
rejuvenated or very settled and Author Bio
relieved. The Hypnotherapist may Grant Boddington is a Registered
give you a tape or CD as support Hypnotherapist and Hypnotherapy
Trainer with over 15 years experience
and arrange follow-up sessions
in Modern Suggestive Hypnotherapy.
with you. He is also a member of, and examiner
Many Hypnotherapists can for, the New Zealand Association
substantially improve your life in of Professional Hypnotherapists,
principal of Hypnosis New
just one or two sessions (espe- Zealand that is one of the member
cially if you are well motivated organisations of the New Zealand Hypnotherapy Federation.
to change and the rapport level is

The Sustainable Self

By Nickei Falconer and the internal balance you create with(in) yourself ‘gunked’ by the accumulation of feelings that have Like Rosie, many people who feel gunked up with

W
hen I was 18, I saw a poster which
had great impact upon me. It told
me, “If you want to change the world,
change your life”. For the subsequent 28 years I’ve
experimented with this challenge; the last 18 years
have included the great privilege of working as a
counsellor/psychotherapist with others as they quest
to change their life.
If you want to change your life, improve the inner
relationship you have with yourself. Easy words, but
how do we do that? An effective way is by identifying
and acknowledging your feelings.
In our culture we are taught to be goal oriented
and to be focused on the future, which is useful
when we want to achieve and plan. Thinking skills
and rational/logical processes are really valued in
our culture, and deservedly so- we can achieve a lot
from these skills. However, our feeling experiences
are not as highly valued. We are not taught skills
to identify and deal with our emotions, nor are we
really culturally supported in having them. An easy
example of this is that employees are usually given
3 days bereavement leave. Have you ever grieved
enough to return to work in 3 days?
We are currently faced with major considerations
of ecological sustainability. Sustainability can also be
built from personal levels; in fact this is crucial to
wider sustainable change. How you relate to yourself
will change your relationship with yourself, and
by association with others and your environment.
Sustainability is about relating; the inter-relatedness
you have with your self and interdependence with
something other than yourself.
Pause for a moment…right now…
Take time to notice where your centre of atten-
tion is focused…
(For most people in our western culture it’s in
the head).
Where are the eyes of your inner self looking out
from as you pay attention in this moment?
If you check inside yourself a little deeper, can
you identify the feeling experience you are having?
If so: can you describe your experience, do you have
the words to do so?
Do you have a response to yourself ?
Any answer is the right one; it’s your awareness
I am inviting you into, rather than checking-up to
see if you are behaving properly! Is it a confusing
invitation to reflect or become aware of your experi-
ence? We are generally not taught the skills to work
with our inner selves and our feelings.
What happens when we don’t pay attention to
our feelings and learn how to identify, support and
express them?
They build up.
We don’t stop having emotions, we just get
been suppressed. The suppressed/unexpressed emo-
tions create an internal imbalance. Recall how you
feel lighter (albeit tired) after a good cry. I suspect
the prevalence of depression in our culture is in part
a result of our cultural tendency to ignore emotions;
the suppression of emotions often becomes the
heavy gunk feeling called depression we recognise
and medicate.
Awhile back, Rosie came to see me and described
her experience of being ‘gunked’ like a linen cup-
board. She said she kept stuffing feelings she couldn’t
deal with into an ‘internal cupboard’. The day came
when she went to stuff one more thing in and every-
thing spilled out! This was scary for her because she
only knew the stuff technique. Rosie felt a failure;
as everyone else seemingly ‘had it together’. Rosie
used my support as someone who could provide a
map and walk the journey with her while she learnt
the skills. This added to her courage: “I didn’t feel
so alone and it was good someone understood me”.
Rosie built her confidence in herself and increasingly
relied on her self-knowledge and wisdom to respond
to herself and what she wanted to do (rather than an
idea of what she should do). Rosie built her internal
sturdiness and an internal core self that she could
recognise and rely upon; she befriended herself. She
learnt that her feelings could be her trustworthy
allies. Rosie built her sustainable self.
emotion will feel unconfident inside themselves;
having this internal build-up inside without knowing
how to deal with it can be scary. When people have
a tumult of feelings inside they often think there is
something wrong with them. This can contribute
to them not feeling good within themselves and
therefore with themselves. It’s easy to confuse our
internal experience for who we are; (all of us have
probably confused ‘feeling bad’ with ‘being bad’).
Building a sturdy, sustainable experience of self is
often what people are yearning to do without having
the faintest idea where to start.
Author Bio
Nickei Falconer
loves her working
with people and
is a registered
psychotherapist,
counsellor,
supervisor and
trainer. Her practice
in central city
Christchurch is
called “Lifeworks” and she has over 25
years experience working with people’s
health.