Hypnotherapy – A New Hope

Conversational Hypnotherapy

(in English, French or Arabic)

Hypnotherapy is a collaborative process. The patient and the hypnotherapist work together to help the patient regain control of emotions, pain, and life. This therapy helps with phobias, stress, depression, unresolved grief, and trauma. The Mind Minders technique ensures that each session remains comfortable and pain-free for the patient.

Surprisingly, we experience hypnosis every day without realizing it. When you’re deep in thought or distracted, you enter a natural hypnotic trance while still awake. Hypnosis works in a similar way—it’s like daydreaming with focused awareness.

Our certified conversational hypnotherapist, trained at the Belgian Institute of Milton Erickson, guides patients into a state between waking and sleeping. It’s like having your head in the clouds but with a clear purpose.

Sessions are usually brief, lasting about 45 minutes to an hour, and typically require only a few sessions. In the face of traumatic events like accidents or catastrophes, the mind often uses a natural hypnotic state to protect itself. Hypnotherapy helps patients revisit these events, replacing painful memories with positive ones. This process transforms trauma into opportunities for healing and growth.

The therapist adjusts the session according to the patient, as the patient controls the session, not the therapist. Using a technique called PTR, taken from the french ‘Psychothérapie du trauma réassociative’.

When to use PTR?

The PTR hypnosis is useful for all kinds of traumas and other painful psychological experiences (accident, sexual abuse, mourning, aggression…) but it can also help heal many other psychological disorders like phobias, anxieties, fears, psychosomatic diseases, sexual problems, lack of self-confidence, children’s or adults’ nightmares, as well as stress at school among other things. The technique is used to prepare a person for a surgery, childbirth or a competition.

How PTR hypnotherapy works:

When a traumatic event occurs, like experiencing intense fear, the person often enters a modified state of consciousness, or hypnosis. This state helps the brain store the pain and emotions from the event deep in the subconscious. This is how post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops. For victims of accidents or aggression, it’s common to forget or only partially remember what happened. To protect themselves, the mind may create defenses like amnesia, dissociation, or numbing.

However, these defenses can become harmful over time. The trauma remains stored in the subconscious, leaving the person with ongoing symptoms such as psychosomatic illness, guilt, depression, phobias, anxiety, nightmares, or addiction to alcohol or drugs.

Hypnotherapy works by gently modifying these stored painful emotions. It taps into the patient’s natural defenses and uses their imagination to reshape the way the trauma is stored. This process is tailored to the person’s cultural and personal context. With hypnotherapy, the patient can regain control of their autonomic nervous system, which influences automatic bodily reactions like sleep, digestion, emotions, and psychosomatic symptoms.

Concisely:

The therapist takes time to create the anamnesis, which is the patient’s medical or psychiatric history told in their own words. The therapist facilitates the patient’s entry into hypnosis by initiating recollection of a positive moment, such as a holiday, a walk in a park, or a family gathering.

This chosen positive moment holds significant importance, serving as a secure refuge for the patient throughout the therapy. It becomes the focal point where the hypnotherapist guides the patient back in case of any emotional distress during the sessions.

Active engagement with the patient is crucial. The therapist encourages the patient to reject suggestions that may be too distressing or inappropriate for them.

Once the patient has comfortably settled into their chosen positive moment, the therapist gradually introduces elements related to the trauma, modifying them to desensitize the patient.

Hypnotherapy as a Catalyst for Change

Ericksonian Hypnotherapy, developed by psychiatrist Milton H. Erickson, focuses on the power of language to drive therapeutic change. Unlike traditional hypnosis, this approach uses indirect suggestions, metaphors, and storytelling to communicate with the subconscious. Ericksonian Hypnotherapy recognizes that every individual is unique, and it tailors interventions to fit each person’s cognitive and emotional state.

A key feature of this therapy is its use of metaphors. These symbolic tools deliver therapeutic messages in a way that the subconscious can understand and process. By doing so, metaphors allow the mind to integrate information based on personal experiences. This method not only helps clients become more receptive but also enables them to tap into their inner strength and see things from a fresh perspective.

A Holistic Therapeutic Approach

When combined, PTR and Ericksonian Hypnotherapy form a synergistic alliance, addressing both the conscious and subconscious aspects of an individual’s psyche. The introspective journey facilitated by PTR is complemented by the language-centric, client-centered approach of Ericksonian Hypnotherapy.

Benefits for Clients:

Deeper Understanding: The combination of PTR and Ericksonian Hypnotherapy allows clients to gain a deeper understanding of their challenges, fostering awareness of the interconnections between past experiences and present behaviors.
Empowerment Through Language: Ericksonian Hypnotherapy empowers clients through language, offering a unique avenue for self-discovery and personal transformation.
Resolution of Unconscious Patterns: By integrating these modalities, therapists can guide clients in resolving unconscious patterns and creating lasting positive change.
Enhanced Coping Strategies: Clients acquire enhanced coping strategies and resources, promoting resilience and emotional well-being.

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