In hypnosis you self-consciously and purposefully create a powerful learning effect.
More and more people experience hypnotherapy as a comfortable and effective method for emotional and psychosomatic problems. In hypnosis you use your imagination to change your (automatic) thoughts, your emotions and physical sensations. The effect is even greater when you also practice the learned hypnosis technique after each session at home.
Hypnotherapy works for many people who suffer from anxiety or a phobia, and for people with chronic pain issues.
Hypnosis for fear and phobia
Maybe you’re afraid of certain situations or what others think of you, you feel unsafe or you have panic attacks. If you are anxious for a long time, it is a sign of a vicious circle. Although your fear is caused by what you have experienced, your coping style and safety or avoidance behavior also play a role.
In hypnotherapy we use a few principles. The first one is deep physical relaxation. This keeps your autonomic nervous system balanced, so that your internal alarm goes off less quickly. We work with imaginal exposure to situations that trigger your fear. In a deep hypnotic relaxation you confront these situations with focus and imagination. We do this in small steps, where you learn to deal with situations better and better.
Hypnosis for pain
Hypnosis against pain is one of the oldest and most successful applications. This can be the case with:
- Recurrent pain, such as headaches
- Pain due to illness or medical intervention
- Pain without medical cause, such as irritable bowel syndrome or low back pain
We look at all kinds of aspects of pain: its intensity, your thoughts about pain, how you react to it physically and emotionally, sleeping, and how you deal with pain in your daily life. You will learn different self-hypnotic techniques to reduce your pain and additional problems. This includes techniques to relax physically deeply so that pain stimuli are dampened and techniques that focus on the place in your body where the pain is. In addition, we may include possible psychosocial factors in the therapy.
Course of therapy
During the intake consultation we discuss your situation and what you wish to achieve. Prior to this, you have filled in an intake form at home, so you are well prepared for the intake interview. I will also explanation the principles of hypnotherapy and answer the questions you may have. If there is time left, we do a simple visualization exercise.
From the second consultation, the therapy starts. Usually around six sessions are needed, sometimes more, sometimes less. At home you regularly practice self-hypnosis using the audio recording of the session. Your motivation to do this is important for the success of the therapy. If applicable, in addition to hypnosis, we can also work with another method as well.
A hypnosis session in practice
A consultation usually follows this pattern:
- We discuss how you are doing and what we will work on this session.
- The hypnosis starts with suggestions for relaxation, focusing your attention on what is going on physically, emotionally and in your mind.
- Being in a hypnotic state, you follow the therapeutic suggestions that are tailored to the goal of this session.
- Finally, you emerge from hypnosis and we discuss what you have experienced and what you have learned.
- Usually you get an audio recording of the hypnosis session to listen to at home as an exercise in self-hypnosis.
Frequently asked questions
There are many myths about hypnosis as a result of what we see on TV or in movies. I would like to answer a few questions about this:
No, research shows that it is not sleep. During hypnosis, brain waves are active that do not resemble those of sleep, but rather those of being awake. Hypnosis can be better described as a state of focused attention in which you can gain more control over the feeling of comfort. However, hypnosis does have a calming effect on the brain. This allows you to easily fall asleep, for example, once you have learned self-hypnosis.
No, by learning self-hypnosis you develop skills to increase your own comfort. At no point will I try to control you. On the contrary. If I give suggestions, you will also hear me say something like “… You will find that it is easier to respond positively to those suggestions that are suitable and appropriate for you.” So you will only accept those suggestions that you find helpful and ignore all others.
Most people find hypnosis very pleasant and remember almost everything about it afterwards. The purposeful attention that comes with hypnosis is familiar to many people. Some people say they did not feel hypnotized. This is because the relaxed state of hypnosis resembles those everyday moments when you are completely absorbed in something, and experience a kind of natural, spontaneous trance.
Rates and registration
- For private clients, see the different rates on this page. A partial reimbursement from the healthcare insurance is often possible.
- Different rates apply for coaching programs for business purposes, or paid for by the employer.
Do you think you may benefit from hypnotherapy? Via the button you can immediately make an appointment for a free telephone call or an intake session.