Private Practice

Most of my time is spent with private patients. 

I expect my diary would be fuller if I pretended hypnotism is a miracle cure, but it isn't. I get a lot of calls from people who have been desperately troubled, psychologically or physically, for decades but who expect to be made well in an hour. I don't blame them. I'd want to be sorted as quickly as possible too.

I use hypnotism to give a patient a new, preferable way of responding to a particular stimulus; a new way to behave. That can be done astonishingly quickly in many cases. But a new pattern of behaviour has to compete with the old one. If the old behaviour has had years of practice and reinforcement you can expect it to be much stronger than any new pattern I help you to create. Those new patterns have to be exercised and strengthened. It isn't about bringing 15 years of anxiety disorder onto my couch and walking away forever to be cool, calm and composed a couple of hours later. You get homework. You get a minimum of three sessions. You get to participate fully in your recovery. If you expect someone to wave a wand and make you well in minutes, you need a magician rather than a clinical hypnotist.

That's all very po-faced, isn't it? I've seen a girl who had an anxiety disorder so bad she couldn't go to a cashier at the bank for fear she would be judged, who organized a rock concert after her first session here. I worked with a consultant physician whose blood pressure was 140/99 and we got it to 122/78 in three sessions. I saw a boy who did no GCSEs because his brain overcooked in exams, and three sessions got him through his A-Levels. It's great when that happens, but it isn't always possible to have such an impact so quickly. It's a pity, but it's a fact.

If you can find a therapist who will guarantee you a result, visit them first. You can always come back to me when it doesn't work.

I reserve two sessions a week for pro bono work. I can't do more than that as I have bills to pay. If you would like to be treated for free you must be referred to me by your GP.