Hypnotherapy and Mindfulness

Hypnotherapy and mindfulness go hand-in-hand. This approach provides skills and awareness that anyone can benefit from, which are part of universal human functions of the body-mind-heart.

Hypnotherapy is a form of psychotherapy, meaning the approach works with the body-mind-self to assist individuals to achieve personal outcomes across many health, relationship, and lifestyle related goals.

Hypnotherapy and our approach to therapy in general, including our use of Neuro-Linguistic Psychotherapy, is directed by the client’s learning about their options and making informed choices in therapy. When you are clearer in your therapeutic and life goals our advanced training can tailor therapeutic strategies and solutions to help toward your goals.

Contemporary hypnotherapy is guided by more recent studies in the psycho-biology of mind-mind healing. In simple terms, the brain is not only in the head. The brain is part of the nervous system which extends throughout the body. Neurological pathways are associated with physical, emotional, energetic, and embodied-states that parallel human cognition, that include sensory-based associations within recent and extended memory, and that can be expressed in non-conscious states including intuition, imagination, day-dreaming, unconscious everyday activities, and sleep states.

Modern research has extended our scientific understanding of the neurological networks that make up the body-mind-heart. Neurocardiology studies seem to indicate the heart contains over 40,000 neurons with associated neurotransmitters, supported by the complex physical structures medicine is familiar with. Some talk about the ‘heart-brain’ as having its own intrinsic nervous system that communicates with the ‘cranial-brain’ across a complex network that includes the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. These systems help regulate, inform, sustain, and nurture various embodied responses including unconscious processes like metabolism, cell regeneration, and healing after trauma. Hypnotherapy is shown to work in tandem with psychobiological systems to assist in activating changes that promote resolution in emotional responses, reduce anxiety and the stress response, as well as promoting experiences of resolution, relaxation, and recovery.

Clinical Hypnotherapy may be useful across a wide range of issues. In the book, ‘The Hypnosis Treatment Option,’ Dr Steven D. Lewis discusses issues like anxiety, smoking, phobia, chronic pain, labour pain, burn recovery, fear of flying, urinary incontinence, muscle tension, allergies, post traumatic stress disorder, surgical pain, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, claustrophobia, distress from medical procedures, postoperative nausea and vomiting, teeth grinding, eating disorders, and tension headaches…

Clients wanting to explore hypnotherapy can learn techniques and strategies that are both conducted by the therapist and methods to use at home. The mind-body-self works at two levels, to solve problems as quickly as possible and to learn new pathways and associations over time. This is why hypnotherapy may sometimes create brief-solutions and at other times needs booster-sessions or repeated practice at home. This is an accepted and normal part of the process, and reinforces that human beings can influence our wellness and health both in the moment and by nurturing healthy practices over time. Hypnotherapy is deeply rewarding, because once learned many skills can be applied on your own to help and improve your situation. And when feeling the need, you can choose to revisit a therapist to continue and reinforce positive supportive efforts and personal goals.

Dr Joseph Randolph Bowers, PhD Couns, MEd Couns, CPNLP, GCHE, BA Distinction, HACA, studied Ericksonian Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Psychotherapy over a four year period and while receiving a Master of Education Counselling in Person Centred Psychotherapy. From 1998-2008, he taught Counselling at UNE, while achieving during 2002 a Doctorate in Counselling and Health. He has published papers in hypnotherapy and healing, and his books include The Practice of Counselling by Cengage Melbourne. Continuing this life-long interest Dr Bowers is currently studying Ericksonian Hypnotherapy literature from the Milton H. Erickson Foundation, and undertaking a Diploma in Ericksonian Hypnotherapy with the British Hypnosis Research and Training Institute.

Hypnotherapy_Mindfulness Information Sheet.