Frequently Asked Questions - Hypnotherapy and CBT
Well, it may not be 101 questions, but here some of the most common! Any more, please email them to
barry@presentfutureself.com
What is hypnosis/hypnotherapy, and does it work on everyone?
Hypnosis is a safe and natural way of using your mind to make change with lots of empirical evidence to support it (see below).
Hypnosis elicits a place of heightened focus and awareness where you are mentally awake and fully engaged with yourself and me. We use your innate, natural suggestibility to access your imagination so that you can make sustained and positive changes.
It is not ‘trance’ or ‘mind control’ - in fact it is a natural process that allows you to be in control, not me.
Anyone can be hypnotised. Whilst some people are more suggestible than others, you can actually be trained to be better at it.
Hypnotherapy is simply the use of hypnosis in a therapeutic setting. I use hypnotherapy alongside CBT to help you make changes to the way you think, feel and act.
So what is CBT?
CBT is short for cognitive behavioural therapy. It is the most well researched and evidenced psychotherapy there is.
It combines 2 types of therapy -
cognitive therapy - examines the way you think
behavioural therapy - examines the way you do/act
It is based on the idea that how we think, feel and act are all inter-related and impact each other.
If we can learn to challenge and change one element, then it has an impact on the others; that way we can change negative/unhelpful thinking, feeling and patterns of behaviour to elicit positive change.
It also teaches coping skills so that these changes can both happen and be maintained in the real world.
What is clinical cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy (CBH)?
Put simply, it is a combination of hypnotherapy and CBT above. It utilises the best of both worlds.
Please see my short video on CBH.
What is your specific training for hypnotherapy and CBT?
I have an evidence-based Level 4 Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy (or CBH) from the outstanding UK College of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy.
It is independently awarded by the government regulated, national exam awarding body the NCFE. It is the only UK hypnotherapy training course that is approved by the British Psychological Society (BPS) as CPD for psychologists, and is accredited by all of the major hypnotherapy organisations.
It is an integrated model of CBT, mindfulness and hypnosis which focuses on those aspects of hypnotherapy which have been shown through scientific studies to work.
CBT is actually originally derived from hypnotherapy!
Yes, but it is 'woo-woo' isn't it? Where is the evidence that it works? Is hypnotherapy a recognised therapy?
I think this is a fair question, so I have put some of the empirical evidence at the bottom of this page for you to look at your leisure.
Unfortunately there is a lot misinformation, exaggerated claims and poor practice out there that can sometimes make people nervous/mistrustful about hypnosis and therefore hypnotherapy. It is sometimes offered by people without proper, rigorous training, and sometimes also alongside very dubious alternative practices for which there is no evidence of efficacy. Although there is plenty of evidence for its usefulness it is recognised that there is also a severe lack of funding for the gold standard of clinical evidence, randomised control trials.
However, hypnotherapy was recognised as an effective therapeutic treatment by the American Medical Association (AMA) and British Medical Association (BMA) back in the 1950s. The British Psychological Society (BPS) in 2001 stated that 'enough studies have now accumulated to suggest that the inclusion of hypnotic procedures may be beneficial in the management and treatment of a wide range of conditions and problems encountered in the practice of medicine, psychiatry and psychotherapy'. Most recently in the BMAs submission of evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology in 2000 it stated that 'hypnotherapy and counselling may be considered as orthodox treatments' (as opposed to complementary or alternative treatments).
Hypnotherapy is currently classified by the Department of Health as being a complementary therapy.
There is much other evidence gathered over the last 250 years or so (!) and there are many excellent books and articles on the subject. You can find more detailed knowledge in 'Hartland's Medical and Dental Hypnosis' should you be interested in some not-so-light bed-time reading!
When deciding on a hypnotherapist please ensure they are properly trained by a recognised provider, are a member of a reputable regulator such as the GHR or CNHC, are fully insured and, just as importantly, feel like the right fit for you. Unfortunately at present anyone, regardless of whether they have been formally trained or not, can call themselves a ‘therapist’.
In hypnotherapy, does the hypnotherapist have 'control' over their client?
Absolutely not!
In fact it is the exact opposite - hypnotherapy is used to enable you to have far greater self-control over your own thoughts, feelings and actions.
You are aware, and in control, at all times. I use suggestions for positive change that we have agreed and talked about in advance.
Will I remember everything? Will you make me do silly things?
Yes you will, and no you won’t!
I am a fully qualified hypnotherapist, not an entertainer. I am in the business of empowering people and helping them to develop and grow over time, not embarrassing them or making them feel small.
The reality of cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy is quite different from the widespread public perception of hypnosis - stage shows and TV like Derren Brown use a multitude of tricks, deception, misdirection and peer pressure to keep you entertained and on the edge of your seat. I utilise serious evidence-based therapeutic techniques and skills.
The key thing to remember is that hypnosis gives you more control over you, not less.
Can I get 'stuck' in hypnosis?
No. The hypnotic process requires your continual and active involvement. I talk to you and you talk to me in hypnosis.
I do not use ‘past life regression’, as research shows it is neither ethical nor is it evidence based, and risks the chance of implanting false memories.
Is your hypnotherapy practice near me?
My practice is based in Bath, near Bristol. I have clients from all over the country as I do sessions online by Zoom and have clients who come from all over the place!
Whilst it is a slightly different experience hypnotherapy, CBT and mindfulness works just as well by Zoom as it does in person. Many prefer it for the convenience it gives.
What is the evidence base for hypnosis?
There is a lot of nonsense and misinformation out there. It is important to me that the therapy and coaching I offer is based in empirical evidence. My qualification in hypnotherapy is, as far as I am aware, the only one currently approved by the British Psychological Society.
All points below are substantiated by reference to at least one major piece of scientific research. This list is not exhaustive.
Hypnosis is a tool, not the therapy itself (Williamson, 2019).
Experiencing hypnotic phenomena does not indicate gullibility or weakness (Barber, 1969).
Hypnosis is not a sleep-like state (Banyai, 1991) as confirmed by electroencephalographic (EEG) studies (Lillienfield and Arkowitz, 2008).
Hypnosis depends more on the efforts and abilities of the subject than on the skill of the hypnotist (Hilgard,1965) and subject expectancy plays an important role in hypnotic responding (Benham et al., 2006).
Response to hypnosis models generally focus on biological, psychological and social factors, with those that combine all 3 possibly being the most efficacious (Jensen et al., 2016).
You can be taught self-hypnosis, so that you can help yourself (Dillworth et al., 2012) and it is an effective treatment for, amongst other things, stress and anxiety (Eason & Parris, 2018).
Subjects retain the ability to control their behaviour during hypnosis, to refuse to respond to suggestions, and to even oppose suggestions (see Lynn et al., 1990, NHS 2022).
Spontaneous amnesia is relatively rare (Simon & Salzberg, 1985), and its unwanted occurrence can be prevented by informing clients that they will be able to remember everything that they are comfortable remembering about the session.
Suggestions can be responded to with or without hypnosis, and the function of a formal induction is primarily to increase suggestibility to a minor degree (Barber, 1969; Hilgard, 1965); Meyer & Lynn, 2012).
Hypnosis is not a dangerous procedure when practised by qualified clinicians and researchers (see Lynn, Martin, and Frauman, 1996).
Most hypnotised subjects are neither faking nor merely complying with suggestions (Kirsch, Silva, Carone, Johnston & Simon, 1989).
Hypnosis does not increase the accuracy of memory (Lynn et al., 1997), indeed it may increase confidence in false memories (Green et al., 2001) or foster a literal re-experiencing of childhood events (Nash, 1987).
Direct, traditionally-worded hypnotic techniques appear to be just as effective as permissive, open-ended, indirect suggestions (Lynn, Neufeld, & Mare, 1993).
A wide variety of hypnotic inductions can be effective – e.g., inductions that emphasise alertness can be just as effective as inductions that promote physical relaxation (Banyai, 1991).
Most hypnotised subjects do not describe their experience as “trance” but as focused attention on suggested events (McConkey, 1986).
Hypnosis is not a reliable means of recovering repressed memories but might increase the danger of creating false memories (Lynn & Nash, 1994).
Hypnotisability can be substantially modified through a “skills training” approach (Gorassini & Spanos, 1999; Spanos, 1991). Many initially low-hypnotisable participants can respond like high-hypnotisable participants after positive attitudes about hypnosis are instantiated and training in imagining, interpreting, and responding to suggestions is undertaken. Research in at least five laboratories (see Spanos, 1991) has shown that more than half of participants who test as low hypnotisable can, after assessment and training in a variety of cognitive-behavioural skills, test in the high hypnotisable range on a variety of assessment instruments and suggestions, some of which were not specifically targeted in the training.
References
Banyai, E. I. & Hilgard, E. R. (1976). A comparison of active-alert hypnotic induction with traditional relaxation induction. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 85: 218–224.
Banyai, E. I. (1991). Toward a social-psychobiological model of hypnosis. In S. J. Lynn and J. W. Rhue (Eds), Theories of hypnosis: Current models and perspectives (pp. 564-598). New York. Guildford Press
Barber, T. X. (1969). Hypnosis: A Scientific Approach. South Orange, NJ: Power Publishers.
Barber, T. X., Spanos, N. P. & Chaves, J. F. (1974). Hypnotism, Imagination & Human Potentialities. New York: Pergamon Press.
Benham, G., Woody, E.Z.,, Wilson, K.S., Nash, M.R., (2006). Expect the unexpected: Ability, attitude, and responsiveness to hypnosis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 342–350.
Dillworth, T., Mendoza, M., & Jensen, M. (2012). Neurophysiology of pain and hypnosis for chronic pain. Transitional Behavioural Medicine, 2, 65–72.
Eason, A.,& Parris, B. (2018). Clinical applications of self-hypnosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 6.
Gorassini, D. R. & Spanos, N. P. (1999). The Carleton skill training program for modifying hypnotic suggestibility: Original version and variations. In: I. Kirsch, A. Capafons, E. Cardeña-Buelna & S. Amigó, Clinical Hypnosis & Self-Regulation: Cognitive-Behavioural Perspectives (pp. 141–177). Washington: American Psychological Association.
Green, J. (2001). Hypnosis may give false confidence in inaccurate memories. Science Daily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/08/010828075745.htm
Hilgard, E. R. (1965). Hypnotic Susceptibility. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
Kirsch, I. Silva, C. E et al (1989) The surreptitious observation design: An experimental paradigm for distinguishing artefact from essence in hypnosis. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 98(2), 132-136
Lillientfield, S.., Arokiwtz, H. (2008). Is hypnosis a distinct form of consciousness? Scientific American.
Lynn, S. J., Kirsch, I., Neufeld, J. & Rhue, J. W. (1996). Clinical hypnosis: assessment, applications, and treatment considerations. In: S. J. Lynn, I. Kirsch & J. W. Rhue (Eds.), Casebook of Clinical Hypnosis (pp. 6-7). American Psychological Association.
Lynn, S. J., Lock, T., Myers, B., & Payne, D. (1997) Recalling the unrecallable: Should hypnosis be used for memory recover in psychotherapy? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 6, 79-83
Lynn, S. J., Martin, D., & Frauman, D. C. (1996). Does hypnosis pose special risks for negative effects? International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 44, 7-19
Lynn, S. J. & Nash, M. R. (1994). Truth in Memory: Ramifications for psychotherapy and hypnotherapy. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 36, 194-208
Lynn, S. J., Neufeld, V. & Maré, C. (1993). Direct versus indirect suggestions: a conceptual and methodological review. International Journal for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 41: 124–152.
Lynne S. J., Rhue J. W., & Weekes. J. R. (1990). Hypnotic involuntariness: A social-cognitive analysis. Psychological Review, 97, 169-184
Jensen M.P., Adachi, t., Tome-Pires, C., Lee, J., Osman, Z., Miro, J. (2016). Mechanisms of hypnosis: Toward the development of a biopsychosocial model. International Journal of Clinical Experimental Hypnosis, 63(1), 34-65.
McConkey, K. M. (1986). Opinions about hypnosis and self-hypnosis before and after hypnotic testing. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 34, 311-319
Meyer, E., & Lynn, S. (2011). Responding to hypnotic and nonhypnotic suggestions: Performance standards, imaginative suggestibility, and response expectancies. The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 59, 327-49.
Nash, M. R. (1987). What if anything is regressed about age regression? A review of the empirical literature. Psychological Bulletin, 102, 42-52.
Simon, M. J. & Salzberg, H. C. (1985). The effect of manipulated expectancies on post-hypnotic amnesia. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 33, 40-51
Spanos, N. P. (1991). A sociocognitive approach to hypnosis. In S. J. Lynn and J. W. Rhue (Eds), Theories of hypnosis: Current models and perspectives (pp. 324-361). New York. Guildford Press
Williamson A. (2019). What is hypnosis and how might it work? Palliative Care, 12.
