Hypnotherapy For Dummies (eBook)

Mike Bryant is a hypnotherapist, counsellor, and an expert in mental health. Peter Mabbutt is Director of Studies at the London College of Clinical Hypnosis.

Hypnotherapy For Dummies 5
About the Authors 7
Authors’ Acknowledgements 9
Contents at a Glance 13
Table of Contents 15
Introduction 25
About This Book 25
Conventions Used in This Book 26
Foolish Assumptions 26
Why You Need This Book 27
How This Book Is Organised 28
Icons Used in This Book 30
Where to Go from Here 30
Part I: Understanding Hypnotherapy 33
Chapter 1: Examining Hypnotherapy 35
Getting to Grips with the Basics of Hypnotherapy 35
Getting Past that Old-Style Hypnosis 40
Finding Help with Hypnosis 42
Understanding the Therapy Part of Hypnotherapy 42
Chapter 2: Techniques: The Tools of a Hypnotherapist 45
Choosing a Tool from the Hypnotherapist’s Toolbox 46
Giving It to You Straight and Not So Straight: Direct and Indirect Suggestions 48
Safely Splitting Your Mind with Dissociation 50
Adding the Sum of Your Parts: Parts Therapy 54
Travelling in Time 56
Scanning a Variety of Other Common Techniques 62
Chapter 3: Preparing for Hypnotherapy 69
Keeping Your Individuality in Mind 69
Identifying Your Problem 70
Communicating Your Problem 72
Setting SMART Goals and Checking Your Motivation 75
Negotiating Your Goals with Your Hypnotherapist 79
Part II: Considering How Hypnotherapy Can Help 83
Chapter 4: Making the Mind-Body Connection 85
Understanding the Mind-Body Connection 86
Considering How Your Emotions Affect You 89
Integrating Hypnosis into the Mind-Body Connection 93
Chapter 5: Breaking Away from Old Habits 101
Examining Habits and How to Change Them 101
Quitting Smoking 103
Managing Your Weight 109
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep 113
Controlling Your Words: Stammering 118
Reaching a Nail-Biting Conclusion 120
Chapter 6: Touching on Body Matters 123
Letting Go of Pain 124
Helping Your Skin Look Good 128
Relieving the Pressure of Hypertension 132
Taking a Pregnant Pause for Childbirth 134
Improving Irritable Bowel Syndrome 137
Loving the Dentist! 139
Dealing with Problems with a Psychological Basis 141
Chapter 7: Feeling Good 147
Conquering Performance Anxiety 148
Taking the Confidence Trick 151
Sorting Out Your Anxieties 153
Beating the Blues 154
Stress Busting! 156
Accessing Your Creativity 158
Touching on Sexual Problems 161
Chapter 8: Considering the Limits of Hypnotherapy 165
Realising That Hypnotherapy Helps, It Doesn’t Cure 165
Accepting Hypnotherapy’s Limitations 166
Letting Go May Be Harder Than You Think 169
Examining Your Hypnotherapist’s Ethical Responsibilities 173
Looking at Your Hypnotherapist’s Legal Responsibilities 174
Part III: Expanding the Reach of Hypnotherapy 177
Chapter 9: Your Kids and Hypnotherapy 179
Considering Ethical Issues 180
Noting the Differences in Hypnotising Children 181
Helping Your Child with Therapy 184
Understanding Some Common Childhood Issues 186
Chapter 10: Visiting Your Former Selves 189
Examining Past-Life Regression 189
Journeying to Your Past Life 192
What to Expect during Your PLR Session 195
Chapter 11: Removing Your Phobias 203
Rationalising the Irrational: Defining Phobias 203
Examining the Various Types of Phobia 208
Removing Your Phobia through Hypnotherapy 212
Confronting Your Phobia: A Contract for Action 216
Part IV: The Practical Stuff 219
Chapter 12: Finding a Hypnotherapist 221
Looking Out for a Hero 221
Looking Into Your Hero 225
Selecting Your Therapist 228
Chapter 13: Your First Hypnotherapy Session Step by Step 229
Entering the Office 229
Starting Your Hypnotherapy Session 231
Supplying a Case History 234
Going Into a Trance 235
Experiencing the Actual Therapy 237
Strengthening Your Ego 239
Waking Up 242
Doing Your Homework 244
Chapter 14: Practising Self-Hypnosis 245
Connecting to Your Unconscious 245
Setting Your Goal 246
Hypnotising Yourself 247
Examining the Pros and Cons of Self-Hypnosis 252
Developing Your Own Scripts 253
Ongoing Self-Hypnosis 254
Chapter 15: Meeting the Family: Some Cousins of Hypnotherapy 257
Looking at Reasons to Use Something Other Than Hypnotherapy 258
Gazing at Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) 260
Tuning into Thought Field Therapy (TFT) 263
Feeling Out the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) 265
Talking about Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) 266
Part V: The Part of Tens 271
Chapter 16: Ten Common Misconceptions about Hypnotherapy 273
Hypnosis Is Magical and Mystical 273
You’re Under the Power of the Hypnotherapist 274
Hypnosis Is Dangerous 274
Hypnosis Makes You Cluck like a Chicken and Lose Control 275
You Have to Keep Your Eyes Closed and Stay Completely Still 275
Hypnosis Is Therapy 276
You May Not Wake Up from Trance 276
You Go to Sleep during a Hypnosis Session 277
Some People Can’t Be Hypnotised–Even if They Want to Be 277
You Don’t Need a Hypnotist–You Can Hypnotise Yourself 277
Chapter 17: Ten Pioneers of Hypnosis 279
Franz Mesmer (1734–1815) 280
James Braid (1796–1860) 280
Hippolyte Bernheim (1837–1919) 281
James Esdaile (1808–59) 281
Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–93) 281
Pierre Janet (1859–1947) 282
Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) 282
Clark L. Hull (1884–1952) 283
Milton Erickson (1901–80) 283
Ernest Rossi (1933–present) 284
Chapter 18: Ten Qualities to Look For in a Hypnotherapist 285
Confidentiality 285
Honesty 286
Well-Trained 286
Empathy 287
Ethics 287
Experience 288
Tidiness 288
Punctuality 289
Non-Judgemental 289
Active Listening 289
Chapter 19: Ten Tips for Choosing a Hypnotherapy Training Programme 291
Making Sure the Institution Is Accredited 291
Training for Clinical Hypnosis, NOT Stage Hypnosis! 292
Looking at Length of Training 292
Going through the Interview Procedure 293
Sitting Still for Classroom-Based Training 293
Checking the Experience, Background, and Variety of Lecturers 294
Getting Help from Tutorials 294
Talking to Previous and Current Students 294
Offering Continuing Professional Development 295
Supporting You After Training 295
Appendix: Resources 297
Hypnotherapy Organisations 297
Training Institutions 298
Useful Books 300
Code of Ethics 304
Index 305

"If you want to look before you leap, the hypnotherapy edition of the sensible Dummies range gives an excellent roundup of the issues, possibilities, dos and don'ts." (Sunday Times, Sunday 26th August 2007)