Harnessing the power of the mind

THE watch swings on its chain slowly and rhythmically. The patient follows its movement, eyelids drooping, as the hypnotist utters the words: "You are falling into a deep sleep".

Mention hypnotherapy and this is the image it conjures up, but hypnosis is an increasingly popular alternative treatment for a wide range of ailments.

"There are a lot of preconceptions about hypnosis and there are also a lot of misconceptions," says Christine Blessing, who runs The Northern College of Therapeutic Hypnosis. "People watch hypnotherapists on television and they assume it's going to be like that. They think they're going to come under someone else's control and be made to do things they don't want to."

Christine has a long history of training people and, for many years, worked with the long-term unemployed and later, those with mental health problems.

"I had no experience in the mental health sector so I decided to do some counselling training to help me and that led me into complementary therapies," she explains.

"I knew I wanted to do something different but I wasn't sure what. I looked at various things such as homeopathy and then I heard about hypnotherapy. I was so excited because I hadn't realised that Joe Bloggs could do it; I thought it was just for doctors and dentists."

She enrolled on a foundation course in Manchester and then took a diploma. Three years ago, she set up The Northern College of Therapeutic Hypnosis. Although based in Huddersfield, it runs courses in Newcastle, Leeds and Leicester. The Newcastle courses take place at the General Hospital in Westgate Road.

"We've had all sorts of people enrolling at Newcastle. We've had medical staff from the hospital, sales people, office workers and even a boxer and a bouncer. Some are just curious about hypnosis. Others are actually interested in becoming therapists themselves."

The foundation course takes place over three weekends and provides a practical introduction to the mechanics of hypnosis. It's a stand-alone course, which is ideal for those who just want to learn the basics, but some choose to go on to take a diploma.

"The diploma is for people who are really serious about hypnotherapy. It takes place over ten months and features more advanced methods, such as regression techniques."

Christine describes the methods taught on the course as eclectic. She trains people to work with a number of problems and conditions, including anxiety and stress, fears and phobias, giving up smoking or losing weight. It can also help with a range of stress-related conditions, such as headaches and skin disorders. Hypnotherapy is also used in hospices, where it can help relieve pain.

Gwen Featonby is head of complementary therapy at the Butterwick Hospice in Stockton and is studying for the diploma course.

She says: "Quite often, when patients are diagnosed with a terminal illness, they start to look at therapies to alleviate their suffering. We have found that we get good results with mechanical therapies such as massage, but not in all cases.

"For some patients, the root of their pain is emotional and that impedes their pain management. The more anxious they are, the worse their symptoms become and it is very difficult to help those patients. But when we started looking for something to help, hypnosis kept coming up again and again." After extensive research, Gwen enrolled on a course at the Northern College of Therapeutic Hypnosis.

"I have found it absolutely fascinating," she says. "When I went into it, I had very limited experience of hypnosis and I thought perhaps it would help a little with relaxation and stress management. But the more I have got into it, I have realised there is a huge array of different types of patients and problems it could be used. I'm understanding more about it and I think it's an absolutely wonderful therapy."

Gwen is currently using hypnosis for relaxation and ego strengthening, giving patients positive suggestions about their life. By Christmas, she is hoping to be using her newly-learned techniques for symptom and pain management.

Christine says: "Hypnosis is not a miracle cure but in some cases, it can help. However, we never advise our therapists to tackle anything like that unless it has been professionally diagnosed.

"We are not promoting ourselves as alternative therapy. It's complementary therapy and we work very closely with the medical profession."

So how does it work? According to Christine, everything we have ever learned or experienced is stored in the subconscious mind - just like the data on a computer. A hypnotherapist uses the techniques they have learned to access that part of the mind. "Hypnotherapy is all about the power of the mind. The hypnotherapist facilitates a person's ability to help themselves by tapping into the part of their mind that they don't use on a daily basis, and it isn't how people imagine it's going to be.

"We use our voices a lot - different tones and words to lull and soothe people into a relaxed state. For a lot of people, the first time is an anti-climax for them. They think they're going to go into some deep trance but they actually just feel really relaxed. They may feel so relaxed they can't be bothered to open their eyes but they're still conscious of what's happening around them. Once they're in that state, the therapist can talk to them and make suggestions that will penetrate very deeply."

But, despite the fact more people are trying hypnosis, Christine admits there are still many who are deeply suspicious.

"At a basic level, hypnosis takes someone into an altered state but people use other methods to do that themselves, whether that's a stress management class or meditation. It's not something to be afraid of.

"It does have quite a negative image, which is a shame, because hypnotherapy can be of enormous benefit in all sorts of cases."

* A new hypnotherapy foundation course starts on October 19 in Newcastle and takes place over three alternate weekends. For more information, call the college on (01484) 647539.