Text Box: Consultations available at:- Whistlewood Heath Lane Upper Hale Farnham Surrey GU9 0PR 10 Harley Street London W1G 9PF The Richmond GP Surgery Richmond Close Fleet Hampshire GU52 7US The Fountain Centre St Lukes Cancer Centre Royal Surrey County Hospital Egerton Road Guildford Surrey GU2 7XX The Odiham Clinic 2 High Street Odiham Hampshire RG29 1LG Home or business consultations possible by appointment. We are happy to give talks and presentations to interested groups and organisations. Text Box: Who do we see and which areas do we cover? We are able to help patients worldwide in improving their lives with general and personalised self help products. We also arrange personal consultations with patients who travel to us from all over the UK, Europe and the Middle East (such is our reputation) and these include household names, top international sports people, world names in industry, doctors and nurses, forces personnel, business men and women, housewives, teachers, students and public sector employees. In fact we help people from just about every walk of life. Most of these come to us from personal recommendations from colleagues or friends that have visited us before or from GP’s or other health care professionals. However, it is fair to say that the majority of our patients are from the following areas:- Aldershot Alton Andover Ascot Bagshot Basingstoke Berkshire Bordon Bracknell Camberley Crowthorne Chobham Cobham Eastleigh Egham Fareham Farnham Farnborough Fleet Frimley Godalming Guildford Hampshire Hartley Wintney Hook, London (Harley Street) Odiham Petersfield Portsmouth Reading Salisbury Southampton Staines Surrey West Sussex Weybridge Whitehill Winchester Woking Wokingham Surrey, Hants, Berkshire, West Sussex, Central and Greater London. Text Box: Release Hypnotherapy is a Registered Trademark - All contents of this website copyright 2011 Garry Coles / Release Hypnotherapy BSCH Hypnotherapy Farnham Surrey Hampshire Winchester Basingstoke British Society Clinical Hypnosis Affiliate MemberNHS Trusts Association Complementary Practitioner NHS Contracted Hypnotherapy Specialist Surrey HypnotherapyHypnotherapy Harley Street London Visa LogoHypnotherapy Basingstoke Master card LogoHypnotherapy Hampshire AE LogoGeneral Hypnotherapy Standards Council Validated PractitionerHypnotherapy Surrey Traditional hypnotherapist

“I was petrified of heights, lifts, and escalators. After just a single  session I was able to go to the USA and climb to the top of the Empire State Building! I also shopped in large malls and was even able to go on high theme park rides !”

 - A recent patient
Text Box: Hypnotherapy is a totally safe, natural and effective form of complementary treatment. Hypnosis is generally considered to be an alternative or complementary therapy but according to the BMA (British Medical Association), it should be considered an "orthodox treatment" and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) consider hypnotherapy to be a valid psychological intervention. So perhaps it would be more correct to now term hypnotherapy a mainstream treatment, certainly there is evidence being produced on a regular basis from around the world showing it’s efficiency in treating a variety of problems and issues. Hypnotherapy is fast becoming the therapy of choice for many people.  It has been shown in research and scientific review to be more effective in many circumstances when compared to psychotherapy or counselling.  In addition, scientific research indicates that hypnosis has a therapeutic effect on many physical conditions, that it can be effective in addressing both psychological and physiological conditions. Text Box: What is hypnosis? Healing by trance state (or an altered state of awareness) is among the oldest phenomena known to man and is found, in one form or another, in virtually every culture throughout the world. It could also be legitimately described as the original psychological therapy and somewhat more contentiously, as the basis for many of the more recent styles of psychological intervention.   Although such altered states have been known for thousands of years, the term “hypnosis” (from the Greek “hypnos”, meaning “sleep”) was only coined circa 1840 by Dr James Braid, a Scottish physician and remains a somewhat less than accurate description of the experience, as the hypnotic state is, in most respects, entirely dissimilar to sleep.   At our current level of knowledge, the phenomenon of hypnosis cannot be conclusively defined but perhaps a reasonable interim definition might be that: Hypnosis is a state of mind, enhanced by (although not exclusively) mental and physical relaxation, in which our subconscious is able to communicate with our conscious mind.  It may be better to define “hypnosis” by what it does rather than what it is and in this regard, it is widely accepted as a most excellent method by which we may access our inner potential.  The state of mind referred to may be brought about either by oneself, unaided (self-hypnosis) or with the help of another person. If this other person is a trained professional, who utilises the resultant state of mind to encourage beneficial change to occur, the process is referred to as “Hypnotherapy”. Text Box: Text Box: What is hypnotherapy? Psychological therapy and counselling (sometimes referred to as the “talking cure”) is the treatment of emotional and psychological disorders, unwanted habits and undesirable feelings, using psychological techniques alone. The aim of all such therapy is to assist people (usually referred to as patients) in finding meaningful alternatives to their present unsatisfactory ways of thinking, feeling or behaving.  Therapy also tends to help patients become more accepting both of themselves and others and can be most useful in promoting personal development and unlocking inner potential.   There are many forms of psychological therapy but Hypnotherapy is distinctive in that it attempts to address the patient’s subconscious mind.  In practice, the Hypnotherapist often (but not exclusively) requires the patient to be in a relaxed state, frequently enlists the power of the patient’s own imagination and may utilise a wide range of techniques from story telling, metaphor or symbolism (judged to be meaningful to the individual patient) to the use of direct suggestions for beneficial change.  Analytical techniques may also be employed in an attempt to uncover problems deemed to lie in a patient’s past (referred to as the “there and then”) or therapy may concentrate more on a patient’s current life and presenting problems (referred to as the “here and now”). It is generally considered helpful if the patient is personally motivated to change (rather than relying solely on the therapist's efforts) although a belief in the possibility of beneficial change may be a sufficient starting point. Who can be hypnotised? The answer to this question is undoubtedly “virtually everyone”. This claim must, however, be qualified by the observation that some are more readily hypnotisable than others and that it will also depend upon one’s willingness to be hypnotised at the time. This willingness will itself depend upon a number of factors, not least of which will be the strength of the person’s particular need and their trust and confidence in the therapist concerned.  A corollary to this question is “What level of trance is required in order to achieve a beneficial outcome?”  Although there remains some disagreement over the answer, most researchers concur that the actual level (or depth) of trance obtained does not relate to the beneficial results that might be obtained.   In practice, this means that even where a person feels that they have not been hypnotised, given time (and this is a very important factor), the desired outcome of therapy might yet materialise. This matter of time is especially important in our current society, which has, in many respects, been coerced into believing that gratification of every desire should be instantaneous.  Hypnotherapy can be extraordinarily effective but it is not magic.  However, if the right ingredients are present, if the time is right and if a suitable practitioner can be found with whom the patient is willing to work, then all their (realistic) goals are achievable. Who may benefit from hypnotherapy? Again, the answer to this question is “virtually everyone”.  Given that hypnotherapy can be utilised to access a person’s inner potential and that probably no one is performing to their actual potential, then this answer is literally true.  However, it is not just potential which Hypnotherapy is well placed to address but also one’s inner resources to effect beneficial change.  In this regard, it is the innate healing capacity of our own body that may be stimulated by Hypnotherapy.  Consequently, the list of problems which may be amenable to Hypnotherapy is far too long and varied to catalogue but certainly includes: stress, anxiety, panic, phobias, unwanted habits and addictions (e.g. smoking, overeating, alcoholism), disrupted sleep patterns, lack of confidence and low self-esteem, fear of examinations and public speaking, allergies and skin disorders, migraine and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).  Additionally, it has proved of value within surgery, where normal anaesthetics have not been practical, in the wider sphere of pain management and in the areas of both sporting and artistic performance enhancement.  As an adjunct to other counselling techniques, it can also assist in helping to resolve relationship difficulties and be useful within anger management strategies.   Although there remain many other areas of human suffering in which Hypnotherapy may bring relief, there are instances in which it may be contra-indicated.  These could include some manifestations of depressive illness, psychosis, schizophrenia and epilepsy. Some common concerns People are sometimes concerned that they will “lose control” in hypnosis.  However, general consensus indicates that regardless of how deeply people may go in hypnosis and however passive they may appear to be, they actually remain in full control of the situation.  They are fully able to talk if they wish to (or not, as the case may be) and can stand up and leave the room at any time.  Neither can a hypnotised person be made to do anything against their usual ethical or moral judgement or religious belief.  It is likely that the notion of a loss of control stems from most people’s misconception of stage hypnosis, wherein participants are apparently made to perform all manner of (usually foolish) acts.  However, the reader should be aware that participation in a stage act is an entirely voluntary process (thus “permission” is already given to the hypnotist) and that there can be no such volunteer who is unaware of exactly what they are letting themselves in for!  William Broom Chief Executive & Registrar, The General Hypnotherapy Standards Council and General Hypnotherapy Register Text Box: