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Hypnotherapy – Debunking the Myths and Misconceptions

Think about films or TV programmes you’ve seen that feature hypnosis or hypnotherapy. I’ll bet a recurring theme among them is an unsuspecting volunteer falling immediately into a deep sleep-like state, controlled by a hypnotist and their swinging watch – In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. 

These distorted displays can cause unnecessary fear. In this month’s blog, I’d like to debunk some of the most common misconceptions people have about hypnotherapy, in the hope of reassuring even the most sceptical of those of you reading. 

MYTH 

Hypnotherapy isn’t real therapy.

REALITY 

Whilst hypno- refers to the state of altered consciousness you enter, the therapy that takes place whilst in this state is safe and extremely effective. Hypnotherapy can treat people suffering from a wide range of issues, ranging from mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, addiction and eating disorders to physical issues, such as migraines, excessive pain and irritable bowel syndrome.

Andy Griffiths Hypnotherapy Training

MYTH 

Hypnotherapy is like going to sleep, you won’t remember a thing that happens during your sessions.

REALITY 

People may look like they’re asleep when undergoing hypnotherapy, but that’s because they’re physically and mentally relaxed. Clients remain responsive and aware of their surroundings throughout their treatment – In fact, they’re an active participant! 

When an EEG scan has been conducted on a person receiving hypnotherapy, it’s been shown that their brain is very much awake and responsive, compared to a person who is asleep and not alert. 

MYTH 

You might never be able to “get out” of your hypnotic state.

REALITY

Remember, a hypnotic state is not a scary thing to happen. You will be in a relaxed state which most clients find a pleasant, enjoyable experience. What’s more, you can bring yourself out of your relaxed state at any time you wish. 

MYTH 

You can be made to do things against your will during hypnotherapy. 

REALITY 

Your therapist will make suggestions based on your therapy plan and individual needs, but you are in complete control of your decisions. You’ll stay in touch with your morals and won’t be made to do anything that you wouldn’t usually do. At no point will you be helpless or out of control.  

MYTH 

Hypnotherapy solves all life’s problems in one session. 

REALITY 

Whilst some clients do see significant improvements in their condition, Rome wasn’t built in a day. 

One of my biggest bugbears is therapists who make wild claims of being able to cure any mental health condition in only one session. Yes, it’s a great story to tell and an even better way to attract new clients, but it’s nothing more than a lie – And a particularly unfair one at that. A client expecting to be “cured” in the space of 45 minutes will experience significant disappointment and, often, questions over whether there is something “wrong” with them. 

As your hypnotherapist, I will work with you to create a therapy plan best suited to your needs. This may be two or three sessions, but for a deeper, longer lasting improvement in your condition, a course of treatment may be required. Change takes time and I will guide you all the way. 

MYTH 

Hypnotherapists are weird and extravagant. 

REALITY

Have you met me? No? Let me tell you, I’m one of the least extravagant people you’re likely to meet. Whilst I probably seem pretty weird when I talk to Barney, my beloved canine sidekick, on our morning walks, I’d like to think that, as a therapist, I’m one of the more relatable! 

Debunking the Myths of Hypnotherapy

Let’s be honest, no one is going to relax if there’s someone sitting across from them with this look on their face! 

MYTH 

You can’t lie during hypnotherapy – Or, worse, you’ll blurt out your biggest secrets.

REALITY

In my many years as a hypnotherapist, I’m yet to experience a client divulging their secret family recipe for beetroot chocolate cake. Hypnotherapy doesn’t put you under some kind of magical trance that means you can only tell the truth. Just as you aren’t helpless during your therapy, you aren’t at risk of being made to confess to breaking the “finger” off an ancient statue at the museum when you were 6. 

As with anything you’ve never tried before, it’s understandable that you may feel apprehensive. I didn’t become a hypnotherapist by chance – I received hypnotherapy for life-limiting anxiety and swore to myself that I would help to change the lives of others suffering like I once was. You can read more of my journey to recovery and beyond here.

If you have any doubts about hypnotherapy treatment or aren’t sure if your condition can be treated, please get in touch. I will gladly discuss therapy options with you. 

Contact Piece of Mind today: 

EMAIL

hello@piece-of-mind.co.uk

PHONE

0141 340 9870

Anxiety at Christmas

7.Drink responsibly 

Whether your festive beverage is a Baileys or a Buck’s Fizz, try to drink responsibly. Getting drunk might be fun, but the morning after never is. Avoid the hangover (and the family arguments about who ate the last Malteser Celebration) to avoid unnecessary anxieties. 

8.Live in the moment and ENJOY YOURSELF

Anxiety can take away all feelings of joy. It’s easier said than done, but try to enjoy yourself whenever you can and remember… It’ll all be over soon! 

Christmas might be the most wonderful time of the year for some, but living with anxiety only becomes harder when you’re faced with festive pressures. At Piece of Mind, our diaries remain open throughout December, with hypnotherapy available to help you live the anxiety-free life you deserve and not only for Christmas, but for the rest of your life. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

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Ian Young

Ian Young

Training & Development

Tagline: Grounded, real and genuinely hard to forget.

LinkedIn:

Ian is an experienced therapist whose work spans trauma, addiction, anxiety and recovery. His approach is shaped as much by lived experience as by professional training and that combination makes him exceptionally relatable to the people he works with.

People who’ve worked with Ian consistently say the same thing — he gets it in a way that goes beyond what most trainers can offer. He doesn’t just understand the subject. He understands people.

Within Piece of Mind Training, Ian also plays a key role in business and strategic development, bringing a practical, grounded perspective to how the organisation grows and evolves.

David

David Gowans

Training & Development

Tagline: He’s seen mental health crisis at its most acute. And he knows what actually helps.

LinkedIn:

David’s background is probably unlike anyone else you’ll meet in a mental health training room.

Twenty-three years on the frontline of emergency services first as a police officer, now as an HCPC-registered practising paramedic. He hasn’t studied stress, trauma and burnout from a distance. He’s carried them, in uniform, responding to people at the absolute worst moments of their lives. He understands the culture that makes asking for help feel like the hardest thing in the world because he’s lived inside that culture.

That frontline experience sits alongside his clinical practice as a qualified hypnotherapist and accredited EFT practitioner. David works with real people navigating real challenges every single week. What he brings to Piece of Mind Training isn’t theoretical. It’s current, grounded and built entirely from the inside out.

As part of the team, David delivers training, practises as a therapist and plays a key role in the development and direction of the organisation making sure that everything Piece of Mind produces is professionally rigorous and genuinely human.

David is responsible for development and ensures that Piece of Mind Training programmes are grounded in real-world application. Not what the textbook says should happen. What actually works when it matters.

Iona

Iona Russell

Growth & Partnerships

Tagline: She’s written the book. Literally.

Iona has spent more than twenty years working at the intersection of human potential and real-world impact — across psychology, coaching, education, broadcasting, the charitable sector and social policy, in both the UK and the USA.

She is a Master Positive Psychology Coach and twice bestselling author who has supported hundreds of people through coaching qualifications and worked alongside some of the most respected names in positive psychology and personal development. As a keynote speaker and leadership advisor, she helps organisations rethink what success and human flourishing actually look like.

But what drives Iona’s commitment to mental health work goes deeper than her professional background. She lost her brother to suicide. That experience — and everything it taught her about the gap between what people are going through and the support available to them — shapes everything she brings to Piece of Mind Training.

At Piece of Mind, Iona leads our partnerships, builds community impact and drives our growth across Scotland and beyond. She brings commercial insight, deep human understanding and a personal reason for being here that no CV can fully capture.

Ann

Ann Stewart

Head of Training

Tagline: The person who makes sure the learning delivers every time.

LinkedIn:

Ann has spent her career helping people make sense of the things that are weighing on them and finding a way forward when everything feels tough.

Her background is genuinely rare. A qualified teacher, certified hypnotherapist, coach and First Aid for Mental Health practitioner, Ann brings together an understanding of how people learn with a deep, practical knowledge of how people struggle. She still works directly with adults and young people every week supporting those experiencing anxiety, low confidence, emotional distress and the kind of quiet difficulties that don’t always have a name but make everyday life feel impossibly hard.

As a trainer, Ann knows that the best mental health training doesn’t just inform people, it changes how they see themselves and the people around them. She brings that belief into every session she delivers, whether she’s working with a room full of HR professionals or a team who’ve never talked about mental health at work before.

As a therapist, trainer, teacher and mum of three, Ann understands that most people are dealing with far more than anyone around them realises. That understanding is the foundation of everything she does.

At Piece of Mind Training, Ann leads on training quality and consistency, making sure that what we promise is what every learner experiences, every time.

Andy Griffiths

Andy Griffiths

Founder

Tagline: The man who built this because he needed it himself.

Qualifications include:

Clinical Hypnotherapy

NLP

Psychotherapy

CBT Coaching

Trauma-Informed Practice.

Andy is a practising therapist, clinical hypnotherapist and the founder of Piece of Mind Training. He’s spent over a decade working with clients across anxiety, trauma, panic disorder and complex mental health presentations not as a theorist, but as someone who has experienced many of these challenges himself.

His personal journey through mental health struggles, panic disorder and years of pretending everything was fine is the reason Piece of Mind Training exists. He built what he wished had existed when he needed it most.

As a trainer, Andy is known for his directness, his warmth and his ability to make people feel genuinely seen. He doesn’t stand behind a slide deck and talk at people. He brings the subject into the room.

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