Are You Feeling Sleepy?

From this title, I could either write as the Mum of two young girls (one who keeps falling out of bed, the other who is just learning to sleep through the night... ) But many of you know about this feeling, so I thought I'd write about something you may not realise. So lets call it:

Are you feeling sleepy? How to put someone in a trance.

You will need:
1 pocket watch on a chain1 swirly pattern picture1 sharp black suit

Oh no, sorry, that is my Christmas list!

Seriously though, lets start by realising that we all go in and out of trance all day. It is a perfectly natural state, in fact it helps us deal with our lives. As we daydream, we are processing what is happening to us. Our minds 'wander' and we find ourselves thinking about anything and everything. (There is a technical term for this, but I don't really worry about technical terms here!). Around a third of the kids in a class will be in a trance at anyone time! But they need to be, or they would never learn what the teacher is saying, or deal with the strains and joys of being at school. In a trance, your brain is working over time, burning white hot, working harder than your heart -we just don't consciously realise that much is going on.

Yes we all go into a trance, even those of you who have been told you can not be hypnotised (and by the way, you can, just come and see me or one of my colleagues at the Observatory Practice!). Just think of all the times in the day when you go off in a daydream, while washing up, while driving, while jogging, swimming, dancing, walking, listening to the radio, while someone is telling you about their holiday in great depth... I could go on!

So, in order to go into a trance you must be focused on one thing, an activity, a noise, something visual. This allows your mind to relax, and the subconscious part of your mind to takes over. You are not 'under' 'out' or 'somewhere else'. No, in fact this subconscious mind is more aware, in control and capable than your conscious mind. You are fully in control, and are able to bring yourself out of a trance at any moment you should wish to (imagine for example how quickly you react when a sheep jumps out in front of your car, even though your mind was 'elsewhere'... ).

So how do we do it? Well, we ask you to lay on a rather comfy couch (much comfier that it looks generally!), I have to admit, we do play plinky plonky music (it helps), and ask you to close your eyes (again, it helps), then we talk to you in a way that allows your body to relax, to become comfortable (you could do this at home by reading someone a story). You listen to us, or the music, or the traffic, either way you find your mind wanders and hey presto! So there we have it, I've told you 'the secret'!

You've probably worked out that what's really important for us as therapists, is how we use this trance, what we talk to you about before and during the trance that really helps you make great strides in life. Of course we have very effective ways of being able to deepen your trance (by our choice of words), so it is particularly relaxing and productive when you are working with a hypnotherapist. At the Observatory Practice, we use Solution Focused Hypnotherapy that mixes the clinically proven aspects of a few therapies with the power of trance, to help you feel less anxious, happier, sleep better, have better relationships... again I could go on, but I shan't... after all, I wouldn't want to send you into a trance...

Sometimes in life things can get on top of us and we struggle to cope. We may want to perform better at work, behave differently at home, even overcome illnesses, sadness or anxiety. Often what stops us is our underlying thought and behavioural patterns. Hypnotherapy uses the power of your subconscious and your own natural abilities to change these patterns. The Solution Focused approach uses the best of clinically proven therapies and applies modern neuroscience. We focus on who you want to be and therefore don't need to dig back into your past. The change is fast, lasting and effective.

I am based at the award winning Observatory Practice in The Crescent, Plymouth (Devon, UK). You contact me through my website ( http://www.tiffanyarmitage.co.uk/ ) and on 01752 710 275

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