What is Solution Focused Hypnotherapy?

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What is Solution Focused Hypnotherapy?

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is a modern, evidence-based therapy combining psychotherapy techniques with hypnosis to achieve long-lasting, positive change. Developed in the 1990s by David Newton, a leading hypnotherapist, it integrates insights from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). This unique blend, informed by neuroscience, has transformed the field of hypnotherapy and continues to evolve with ongoing research.

David Newton’s approach focuses on achieving results quickly by concentrating on solutions rather than dwelling on past problems. With over 36,000 hypnotherapy sessions during his career, he became one of the UK’s most successful hypnotherapists, paving the way for this innovative, goal-oriented method.

What Makes Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Different from Other Types of Hypnotherapy?

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) stands out because it focuses on your present situation and future goals rather than revisiting or analysing past traumas. Unlike analytical hypnotherapy, which often involves deep exploration of past experiences to uncover root causes of issues, SFH emphasises solutions, empowering you to move forward quickly and effectively.

Key differences include:

Goal-Oriented Approach:
SFH helps you identify what you want to achieve and uses your strengths and resources to create a clear path towards positive change.
Focus on Positivity:
Rather than dwelling on problems, SFH encourages you to focus on what’s already working in your life and build on these successes.
Practical and Future-Focused:
Sessions are designed to create actionable steps for the future, enabling you to achieve lasting results without being held back by painful memories or past events.
Collaborative Process:
SFH is a partnership between you and your therapist, using solution-focused questioning to explore possibilities and reinforce your sense of control over your progress.

This makes SFH an empowering and practical choice for individuals who prefer to focus on the here and now, with a clear vision of where they want to be.

How Does Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Work?

The process is collaborative, with a strong emphasis on your desired outcomes. By focusing on your strengths and what already works in your life, this therapy empowers you to build positive habits and let go of unhelpful patterns. Sessions are tailored to your individual needs, with a combination of:

Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT): Helps you explore what’s working in your life and set achievable goals.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Addresses unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP): Helps reshape thought processes and behaviours to achieve your goals.
Hypnosis (Trance State): A deeply relaxed state where your subconscious mind becomes more open to positive suggestions.

This approach has been refined over decades and continues to evolve with advancements in neuroscience.

How Does Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Work alongside Other Treatments?

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) can work alongside other treatments, complementing approaches like counselling, medication, or alternative therapies to support your overall wellbeing.

With Counselling or Talking Therapies:
SFH focuses on creating actionable solutions and future goals, making it a great complement to counselling, which often involves exploring past experiences. Together, these therapies can provide a well-rounded approach to mental health, addressing both the past and future.
With Medication:
SFH can support individuals who are taking prescribed medication for conditions like anxiety, depression, or chronic pain. While medication may help manage symptoms, SFH addresses the underlying thought patterns and behaviours to encourage long-term improvements. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any therapy alongside medication.
With Alternative Therapies:
Practices such as mindfulness, yoga, or meditation align well with SFH. The emphasis on relaxation and positive visualisation in SFH can enhance the benefits of these therapies by fostering a calmer and more focused mindset.

SFH is highly flexible and non-invasive, making it an excellent addition to many treatment plans. It is always recommended to discuss your therapies with your practitioners to ensure a coordinated approach to your care.

What Can Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Help With?

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is effective for a range of conditions, if you’re unsure whether hypnotherapy can help your specific situation, contact me to discuss your needs.

Benefits of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy

Focus on Positive Change:
SFH concentrates on what you want to achieve, helping you move forward without dwelling on past traumas or problems.
Reduced Anxiety and Stress:
By calming the mind and reducing negative thought patterns, SFH can significantly alleviate symptoms of anxiety and stress.
Improved Confidence and Self-Esteem:
This therapy helps you build a stronger sense of self-worth by focusing on your strengths and achievements.
Better Sleep Quality:
The relaxation techniques and MP3 recordings often improve sleep patterns, leaving you feeling more refreshed and energised.

Personalised and Goal-Oriented:
Sessions are tailored to your unique goals and needs, offering a structured path to achieving positive outcomes.
Quick and Long-Lasting Results:
SFH often delivers noticeable changes in a short time, making it effective for those seeking fast improvements in their mental wellbeing.
Supportive and Empowering:
The collaborative approach helps you feel in control, encouraging independence and self-reliance as you work towards your goals.
Safe and Non-Invasive:
Hypnosis is a natural, relaxed state of mind, making SFH a safe and non-invasive therapy suitable for most people.

What to Expect From Your Sessions

Your journey begins with an initial consultation, where we’ll discuss your goals and desired outcomes. This allows me to understand your unique circumstances and tailor a personalised treatment plan. You’ll also receive a free MP3 to listen to daily, reinforcing the benefits of your sessions and improving your sleep quality.

The Hypnotherapy Sessions

Sessions last around 50 minutes.
A blend of psychotherapy and trance work is used to achieve your goals.
You’ll remain fully in control and aware during the trance state.
Sessions are typically held weekly, with flexibility to suit your schedule.

The number of sessions required will vary based on your needs. For example:

Smoking cessation: One intensive session (100–120 minutes).
Simple phobias: 3–4 sessions.
Anxiety and complex conditions: Variable, discussed during the initial consultation.

More about solution focused hypnotherapy

Why is the main image a bucket?

The “stress bucket” is a metaphor used in Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) to help explain how stress, anxiety, and negative emotions build up in our lives—and how we can manage them effectively.

The Concept:

Imagine your mind as a bucket that collects all your daily stresses, worries, and negative experiences.
Each stressful thought, challenging situation, or unresolved issue adds to the water in your bucket.
A full or overflowing bucket represents when stress becomes overwhelming, often leading to anxiety, sleep disturbances, and other mental health issues.

How SFH Helps Manage the Stress Bucket:

Emptying the Bucket Through Trance:
SFH incorporates hypnosis to guide you into a deeply relaxed state, allowing your brain to process and “empty” some of the accumulated stress in your bucket. This relaxed state helps reduce anxiety, promote calmness, and clear space for positive thought patterns.
Focusing on Solutions, Not Problems:
By concentrating on future goals and what is working well in your life, SFH reduces the mental “water” being added to your bucket. This helps to prevent the bucket from overflowing.
Empowering You to Stay in Control:
SFH encourages you to identify practical ways to keep your stress levels manageable, such as creating healthy routines, practising mindfulness, and building on your strengths. This proactive approach prevents stress from accumulating unnecessarily.
Understanding Sleep’s Role in Emptying the Bucket:
The metaphor ties closely to the brain’s natural processes during sleep, particularly during REM (Rapid Eye Movement). REM sleep allows your mind to process daily stresses, reducing the “water” in your bucket. SFH promotes better sleep by helping you relax and reframe unhelpful thoughts.

Why Is the Stress Bucket Useful?

This metaphor offers a simple, relatable way to understand how stress affects your mental health and how SFH can help you manage it. By visualising your stress levels as a bucket, you can take proactive steps to reduce the load and regain control over your wellbeing.

Will I Have to Talk About My Past?

No, Solution Focused Hypnotherapy focuses on the future and your goals. While I may acknowledge events from your past, we won’t dwell on painful memories or analyse them in depth. Instead, we’ll work together to reduce their impact and help you move forward.

What Is Hypnosis and Is It Safe?

Hypnosis is a natural, deeply relaxed state that we all experience regularly, such as when engrossed in a book or daydreaming. In this state, your mind is more open to positive suggestions. Hypnosis is entirely safe, and you remain in control at all times.

Can Hypnotherapy Make Me Do Something I Don’t Want to Do?

No. Hypnotherapy cannot force you to act against your will. If a suggestion is inappropriate for you, your mind will simply ignore it. Hypnosis is about guiding you to achieve the changes you want, not controlling your actions.

Book Your Initial Consultation

Take the first step towards positive change with Solution Focused Hypnotherapy. Whether you’re seeking help for anxiety, stress, or phobias, I’m here to guide you through a supportive and empowering journey.

Contact me today to book your consultation or learn more about how Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help you.

Sarah P.

14:12 13 Dec 24

Jenny was amazing throughout my whole experience. She has a wonderful calming nature and I can honestly say the hypnotherapy worked for me. I would 100% recommend Jenny to everyone.

icylogan 1.

16:39 17 Aug 24

Jenny was amazing. I chose Jenny because of her excellent reviews with patients with depression and life worries. I was at first sceptical about zoom meetings but this proved to be one of the best decisions I have ever made . As for the zoom meetings they were great and always on time. And Jenny was always accommodating. I highly recommend her to others facing similar challenges

Bob B.

15:23 14 Aug 24

Jenny has helped me tremendously in my time of need Jenny is one to one and always there for you she is caring and considerate and I would recommend her to anyone she has a wonderful talentKeep up the good work 😊

wendy L.

17:39 13 Aug 24

I have been to a few counsellors over the years and had decided that what little I had achieved seeing them was all I could hope for.Someone recommended Jenny to me, and I thought, what have I got to lose?I found her to be a very friendly person who put me at ease straight away.I had about six appointments with Jenny and have come away, feeling so much more confident and a much stronger person.

Jack M.

17:28 20 Feb 24

Jennys work has helped improve my quality and outlook toward life, helping me towards beating my addictions and improving my mental and physical health. Anyone struggling with panic attacks etc, also anyone suffering with insomnia i would highly recommend. this is the first time I’ve slept naturally for over 15 years.

Chris B.

17:40 30 Dec 23

I’m so pleased that I went to Jenny for weight loss. She was very professional and helped me with my mindset. I have lost over 2stone so far and continuing to lose more. I would have no worries about returning if I have any other issues to resolve.

Louise W.

16:57 05 Jul 23

I had a fantastic therapeutic experience with Jenny and highly recommend her to anyone wishing to address any kind of issue, behaviour, habit/addiction - or simply for self-care.In six sessions she worked very effectively and empathetically with me to kick-start a process of change that I believe will be long-lasting. She provided a safe and wonderfully relaxing space to undertake this work - and at the end of each session I felt not only empowered but as though I was walking on air!Thank you, Jenny! 🙏🏻

Paul H

16:39 06 Oct 21

Jenny has helped me cope with some big changes in my life and overcome self-doubt and lack of self-confidence to start afresh, make correct and considered decisions and significantly reduce the stress and anxiety I was under. Jenny was very clear in her approach and messaging and got me focusing on positives, whilst recognising the behaviours which were causing stress. I have no hesitation giving a 5 star review and would highly recommend Jenny to anyone with similar feelings of anxiety, and a lack of self-confidence as she can effectively help you overcome these.

Kathryn W.

10:43 02 Jun 21

Jenny is a highly committed, knowledgeable and effective practitioner who takes great care to work with her clients until they have reached a good situation. I recommend whole-heartedly.

Helen W.

16:28 21 May 21

After almost two years of trying to find the right support to help my daughter with her severe anxiety, we decided to try Jenny’s services. Within a matter of weeks, Jenny had helped her to turn things around completely and we now have our happy and confident daughter back. Jenny is friendly, welcoming and professional and put us at ease from the outset. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

Suzanne W.

16:36 09 Dec 20

Jenny has helped my daughter with her chronic insomnia, which in turn was causing migraines. We've just cancelled her next appointment as my daughter felt she didn't need it. She's sleeping so much better, is much more relaxed about going to sleep and is also more positive generally. The migraines are reducing all the time. I really can't thank Jenny enough or recommend her enough!

Linda H.

10:04 17 Oct 20

Jenny was a huge help to our teenage daughter, who was suffering with extreme anxiety. She couldn't eat, sleep, and was missing school. She was a shadow of her usual self. Jenny helped her to cope with her anxiety and turned her life around. She is now doing really well, and managed to get through her exams and start college. Occasionally she still gets anxiety, but manages this easily by using the techniques that Jenny taught her. I have also recommended Jenny to many of my friends, who have all found her help invaluable.

James

17:38 11 Oct 20

I went to see if Jenny could help me just before we went into lock-down and have since had all of our sessions online through video sessions. I asked about lots of issues that I had and she said that she could try to help with all of them. The main issue for me was a huge lack of confidence at work (which had even been pointed out to me by bosses) and with certain women that I liked. These resulted in difficulties which were both of verbal and physical attributes. Now I'd never been to anything like this before, so the first thing for me to realise was that it wasn't like anything you see in the movies (at least not with Jenny anyway). It isn't one session and you're fixed, and you don't have a stopwatch being swung in front of you to get you into a trance state either. It's much more about concentrating on the positives, learning about what's actually happening to your brain in those moments, and then gradually changing your thought processes over time to make things clearer. It feels a little unusual, but isn't weird, and the bedtime audio becomes very relaxing and satisfying, even if I did get the giggles the first few times. I can't say that I wasn't skeptical or even that I wasn't totally convinced that it was doing anything sometimes, but over time it's left a sort of calmness and confidence to deal with situations better, to the extent that I'm doing things that I never ever thought I'd be confident enough to do before, and not constantly looking over my shoulder worried what everyone else's opinions will be. But to counter that, I also haven't changed who I am, which was also a big fear, so I'm only saying and doing what I wished I could've done in the past, rather than doing things which are totally out of my character. It's a boost rather than a rip out the old and bring in the new. Don't get me wrong, this isn't some sort of miracle cure, because you do have to work at it as well, but I guess it's a way to try to help me guide myself with any problems I face in the future too.I've had other help too, but Jenny has been instrumental to the change and guided me and picked up on and dealt with any other issues along the way. I really believe she could help many people with loads of different problems, but you just need to be open to letting her in to help you. As a further testament, I've just had the dreaded virus and been locked away isolating again, and despite being knocked about by it a bit, I still feel confident that the changes Jenny instigated are still there to help in lifes ups and downs, so it's not just a quick short term fix either! Thanks again Jenny!

claire K.

19:53 23 Sep 20

I have found seeing Jenny for hypnotherapy the most effective theraputic practice I have tried. The way I see it, in this crazy world the ones with the mental health problems are the ones who don't think they have a mental health problem. I happy to accept that need all the help I can get to stay sane and positive. I live an hour from Stafford and that Jenny can offer her services zoom is wonderful for me. Finding the time to travel an hour there and an hour home was a bit stressful, not to mention the carbon cost of driving, whereas being able to have hypnotherapy in the comfort of my own home has made it much more accessible whilst still being just as effective. Thanks Jenny

barbara G.

10:49 17 Sep 20

I found Jenny to be a most professional and highly knowledgeable practitioner. She dealt with my issue, and I have no hesitation in recommending her.Peter Gold.

Vickie L.

15:58 02 Jul 20

I took my daughter to see Jenny as she was absolutely petrified of dogs and her nan had recently got a dog so this was causing some real issues. We had a consultation with Jenny and I straight away felt at ease and really happy to proceed with the sessions. Unfortunately we then had lockdown but Jenny suggested we try the sessions via zoom and gave us a hypnotherapy mp3 to start listening too to get ready. The sessions were fab and my daughter felt really at ease with Jenny. The sessions really paid off and my daughter is so confident around dogs which is amazing considering she would burst in to tears at the mere sight of one. Only downside is that she now wants us to have a dog. I would highly recommend Jenny, I found her to be really engaging with both myself and my daughter. She was very clear about how she could help and extremely positive about the process and how it could benefit us. 5 star service from start to finish.

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What is Solution Focused Hypnotherapy?