Online Hypnotherapy: Will it Work for You?

19th October 2023/0 Comments/in Anger, Anger Management, Anxiety, CBT, Confidence, Depression, Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, Mental Health, Online Therapy, REBT, Self-esteem, Skype Therapy, Web Therapy/by Daniel Fryer

Online Hypnotherapy: Effective and Accessible Across the UK

A few weeks ago now, I wrote an article for Psychology Today on the benefits of online therapy and how studies show that it is as effective as psychotherapy delivered face-to-face. Since that article went live, I’ve had several emails asking if this also applies to hypnotherapy. The short answer is: “yes.”

The Rise of Digital Hypnotherapy

During the pandemic, hypnotherapists had to switch their clinics to an entirely online model, whether clients liked it or not. Since then, like other therapy forms, some therapists have remained fully online, while others offer both face-to-face and web-based sessions.

Although official studies on digitally delivered hypnotherapy are limited (at least as far as I know), some research is promising. One study showed effectiveness in treating migraines, while another suggested it helps children with nocturnal enuresis, or bedwetting.

Anecdotally, a magazine editor wrote positively about her experience with online hypnotherapy, while another described the joys of a FaceTime Hypnotherapy session. Many successful hypnotherapy apps now allow you to benefit from suggestions via smartphone or tablet.

Also, I am listed with the Hypnotherapy Directory and they are firmly in favour of it.

My Experience Delivering Online Hypnotherapy

From my own experience, online hypnotherapy works just as well as in-person sessions. I’ve been delivering digital hypnotherapy for years, long before the Coronavirus pandemic forced the first UK lockdown in March 2020.

Early in my career, about 19 years ago, a client asked to continue sessions while traveling across Europe for work. I conducted sessions in hotel rooms, once by a large empty pool, and another time on a patio overlooking a glorious mountain. Back then it was Skype rather than Zoom, but the variety of backdrops did not hinder our work together.

Choosing Between Online and Face-to-Face Hypnotherapy

Ultimately, the choice between online or in-person hypnotherapy comes down to preference. Some clients opt for digital sessions due to convenience or other constraints, while others prefer seeing their therapist face-to-face.

Reasons to choose online hypnotherapy include convenience, flexible scheduling, work-life balance, access to therapists in London, Bristol, or nationwide, comfort at home, mobility issues, and more.

Benefits of Web-Based Hypnotherapy

Web-based hypnotherapy is effective for many issues, including stress (life, work, burnout syndrome), anxiety disorders, reactive depression, anger management, self-esteem challenges, weight control, and pain management.

Preparing for Your Online Session

If you are considering digital hypnotherapy, keep a few things in mind:

Ensure your internet connection is stable so every hypnotic suggestion is delivered clearly.
Choose a larger screen; laptops or tablets work best for optimal visibility.
Sit in a comfortable chair to support deep relaxation.
Keep a blanket nearby if you prefer warmth and coziness.
Use high-quality speakers or headphones for precise audio.
Select a safe, private, and secure environment to maintain confidentiality.

Also, consider the severity of the problem. For high-risk cases involving suicide or self-harm, one-to-one live therapy with a nearby therapist and a clear care plan is essential. Mild-to-moderate issues, however, are well suited to online hypnotherapy.

Online Hypnotherapy and REBT in London, Bristol, and Beyond

If you would like to see me for online hypnotherapy—or online rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT)—my contact details are at the bottom of this page.

Finally, REBT is an elegant form of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) that works well for stress management, anxiety, confidence issues, and more. It can be used alone or alongside hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy: Icebergs and Hidden Depths

3rd November 2019/0 Comments/in Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, Unconscious/by Daniel Fryer

Quite often in psychology they compare the mind to an iceberg in the ocean. It was Freud who originally came up with the analogy. But why, and what purpose does it serve?

Well, very simply put, there is about ten percent of an iceberg above the waterline. You can see it. But, there’s about 90 per cent of that iceberg hidden below the waterline, and you can’t see it. It’s what can make them quite tricky buggers (or bergs) to navigate.

And there are two parts to your mind (again, very simply put): the conscious and the unconscious, but it’s not a fifty-fifty split.

Which is where that analogy comes in.

Your conscious mind is like the ten percent part of the iceberg visible above the waterline. It’s responsible for all your short-term memory ‘stuff.’ It’s responsible for your everyday thoughts. It’s the part of you that remembers that appointment you have at 1.30pm (if you remember that appointment, that is) and that phone number you only need to use once. It’s also the part of you that remembers to pick up a loaf of bread on the way home from work because your other half asked you to (and, because it’s cheeky and not entirely reliable, it sometimes only reminds you of that just as you cross the threshold to your home). And it’s also the logical, rational and analytical part of your mind.

But, what about the hidden bit?

What is actually going on with the 90 percent of the iceberg below the waterline? What is your unconscious mind responsible for?

Well, the short answer is, “everything else.”

Right now, as you read this article, you are blinking and breathing and regulating your body temperature, together with a thousand other process that you don’t consciously think about: your unconscious mind simply takes care of the for you. But, it’s also the database of everything you are. Everything you’ve ever learned and experienced, all of your skills and habits and all that you have seen and done.

To put it into a context, a 2017 study by tech giant Huawei found that whilst the brain actually makes around 35000 decisions every single day, we’re only ever conscious about a hundred of them. Most of our daily decisions then are made by the unconscious. We are not consciously aware of them. That means there’s a hell of a lot going on with that hidden beneath the surface part of you.

Now, a very nice thing happens in hypnotherapy and it happens to your mind. Hypnosis itself is a trance-like state, very similar to nodding off, daydreaming or losing yourself in a really good book. In this nice-and-dreamy, trance-like state, your conscious mind becomes more passive. It kind of takes a back seat for a while. When that happens, the unconscious part of your mind (that big old database of everything you are) becomes more alert and receptive to positive suggestions.

Especially when those suggestions are tied to goals you already know you want to achieve.

So, in a hypnotherapy session, the hypnotherapist can communicate directly with your unconscious mind and suggest new thoughts, feelings, behaviours and ideas. And these suggestions take hold because you are motivated for change; they take hold because those suggestions are totally in line with what you want to happen and how you want to be.

Pretty cool, huh?

October Mental Health

1st October 2019/in Mental Health, Mind, Stop Smoking/by Daniel Fryer

It’s cold, it’s wet, winter is on its way and it’s getting darker for longer. Seasonally Adjusted Disorder aside, there’s a lot to feel down about this month but there is also a lot you can do about it as, mental health and wellbeing-wise, there’s quite a bit going on this October. Not only do we have World Mental Health Day, but we also have that perennial NHS stop smoking initiative, Stoptober. Stopping smoking will do wonders, not only for your physical health but also for your mental health. But, what exactly is the link between smoking and mental health?

Most people who smoke say smoking relaxes them but it can’t. It just can’t. Nicotine is a stimulant you see, not a relaxant. Smoke too much and you become over stimulated and more prone, therefore, to stress and anxiety. Studies have also shown that, over time, smokers are more likely to become depressed than non-smokers.

When you quit the fags, however, you’re more likely to feel more calm and positive. There’s a strong correlation between quitting and improved life satisfaction levels. You’ll feel more in control for a start. Some studies have suggested that the beneficial effects of stopping smoking on anxiety and depression can equal that of medications often prescribed for the two conditions.

By the by hypnotherapy (of which I am both a proponent and a practitioner) is one of the more successful methods for stopping smoking.

World Mental Health Day, meanwhile, is an opportunity for us all, at both a professional (i.e., at work) and personal level (i.e. in our day-to-day lives), to increase awareness of and decrease the stigma attached to mental health issues.

I personally would like to get to the point where going for a mental health check up is seen as just as important and just as routine as going to the doctors or the dentists.

Held every year on 10 October, the theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day is suicide (and more importantly) suicide prevention.

Every year 80,000 people around the world take their own life and many more attempt it. Here in the UK, it is the leading cause of death among young people aged 20-34 years.

Do you have a mental health advocate where you work? If so, ask them what they have planned for the day.

Or perhaps, think about what you can do to help.

For more information on World Mental Health Day click here and for more information on Stoptober click here.

Hypnotherapy: Here to Help you Shed those Pounds

21st April 2018/in Addictions, CBT, Habits, Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, Men, REBT, Weight Control/by Daniel Fryer

Hypnotherapy is an altered state of consciousness, very similar to daydreaming, or losing yourself in a really good book. In this trance-like state, your unconscious mind becomes very susceptible to positive suggestion, especially when those suggestions are tied to a goal you already know you want to achieve. When it comes to weight loss, whether you goal is to shed a few pounds or a few stone, you’ll be amazed at what a good hypnotherapist can help you with. Read more

Brand New Bristol Based Therapist

2nd November 2016/in Addictions, Alcohol, Anger, Anger Management, Anxiety, Bullying, CBT, Chronic Pain, Coaching, Confidence, Cyber Bullying, Depression, Fear of flying, Frontpage Article, Gay, Goals, Habits, HR, Humour, Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, Images, Insomnia, Jealousy, LGBTQIA, Men, Mental Health, Mind, News, Online Therapy, Pain Control, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder, Phobias, Psychosexual Dysfunction, Psychotherapy, REBT, Relationships, Self-esteem, Skype Therapy, Stigma, Stop Smoking, Uncategorized, Unconscious, Web Therapy, Weight Control, Work Stress/by Daniel Fryer

Well, fairly new; well, sort of new. New-ish; okay, I moved here from London in January 2016 but, due to other work commitments, it’s taken me this long to sort a private practice out. However, I am a psychotherapist and I’ve been working as one since 2004. Read more

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