Hypnosis is not a magical potion made out, as some suggest. But it is a powerful method of resolving inner conflicts and stresses that bring about unwanted habits like smoking or fingernail biting. If the issues you come to see me about aren’t addressed in our hypnotherapy sessions, it generally comes down to two reasons:
1) Stress or anxiety levels are so high that other methods have to be utilised simultaneously, e.g., medication, or yoga, to reduce the overall stress level for us to resolve the unwanted habit or behaviour you came to see me address in the first place.
Example:
It’s tough to quit smoking when you’ve just broken up with your partner (a time of enormous stress!). It is not impossible, but hypnosis combined with doing yoga, doctor consultations, and perhaps nicotine replacement therapy will likely make the outcome more optimistic during such high stress.
2) Your level of motivation to address the issue needs to be higher. Often I will receive a referral from a past client who sends a friend who needs help with a similar problem. They will often think that no work is involved due to what their friend has said to them. Hypnotherapy will help significantly a lot of the time, but you still must expect that there’s work involved. It would be best if you still had motivation on your part.
Example:
If you come to see me to curb your alcohol consumption, you must also expect certain behaviours to change for some time. For instance, you might have to make sure you don’t go to after-work drinks on Friday or spend time with a particular friend who is constantly with a bottle of wine in a social environment for some time.
Unlike other hypnotherapists, I do not offer a guarantee for my services because I believe it reduces client motivation to get the result they’re looking for. You are less likely to quit smoking, for example, if you can get a refund later in the time of weakness and smoking. The money you spend for hypnotherapy creates another barrier to help ensure that money isn’t wasted by smoking again. Or by drinking too much again.