COGNITIVE
BEHAVIOURAL
HYPNOTHERAPY
​​​For Positive Lasting Change
The Neuroscience of Hypnosis
COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL HYPNOTHERAPY
COGNITIVE
BEHAVIOURAL
HYPNOTHERAPY
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I am a Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist specialising in stress reduction, applied relaxation and anxiety management.
Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy is a multi-model therapy which uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) combined with evidence-based Hypnotherapy. These are two models of therapy especially well evidenced to help reduce stress and anxiety in the immediate and longer term.
Many of us feel stressed and anxious from time to time. However, when we experience heightened or prolonged periods of stress and anxiety this can interfere with our everyday lives in all sorts of ways. Whether it’s avoiding certain challenges and situations, adopting unhealthy coping strategies (often leading to dependence and addiction), or simply not enjoying everyday life as much as we might otherwise.
However, stress and anxiety are not the mysteries they sometimes appear to be. Developments in the fields of cognitive science and neuroscience have furthered our understanding of how our brains respond to stress and the pivotal role that our autonomic nervous system (responsible for our fight / flight / freeze response) plays in managing and responding to stress.
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These insights have led to the development of a range of evidence-based tools and techniques which can effectively reduce stress and help manage anxiety in as little as 6-8 sessions.
For more information on the therapy please see below. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me via the contact page, or book in your free 20 minute phone consultation to see how this form of therapy may be helpful for you.
Stress Reduction
Stress Less, Live More.
'Relaxation' sounds like a luxury. Like the type of thing you might experience when you’re blissed out on a beach somewhere or on the verge of sleep. In fact, we often think of being more ‘relaxed’ as meaning more sleepy, drowsy and maybe even lethargic.
But being ‘relaxed’ physiologically, means that your nervous system is in a state of homeostasis. So you’re calm, focussed and have access to all of the crucial creative centres in the brain - the ones which govern problem solving, reasoning, motivation and emotional regulation.
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Our alternative mode of operation is what’s called a ‘survival’ response. It’s your body and mind perceiving something that could be in any way threatening, and revving you up in order to protect yourself or to flee from the situation.
Being in a survival response will feel familiar to you because it’s all the standard symptoms of stress - things like a raised heart rate, shortened breath, muscular tension, and erratic thinking.
Lowering your baseline physiological stress levels not only allows your brain to function on all cylinders, but can also have a profound effect on your health, happiness, career and relationships.
Applied Relaxation
A Real Life, Modern-Day Superpower.
Do you ever find yourself in situations where it would benefit you to remain calm and focused - but instead you find yourself flustered, anxious or reactive? This is where one of the most practical and transformational applications of Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy comes in.
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Applied Relaxation is a process which is quite well described by its name. We learn how to relax, and then how to apply that state of relaxation to situations and events in which we might otherwise feel nervous, stressed or anxious.
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What you’re doing physiologically, is teaching your nervous system to move out of its primal stress response and back into equilibrium. You’re then creating a neural connection in the brain between this state of relaxation and a ‘trigger’.
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This means that you can shift yourself into an optimised state of calm and mental resourcefulness during situations and events in which you might otherwise feel nervous, stressed or anxious.
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Useful for work stress, public speaking, parenting stress, social anxiety, performance optimisation, job interviews, exam stress, conflict resolution, first dates and so much more.
Anxiety Management
Evidence-based techniques to reduce stress and manage anxiety.
The world can feel overwhelming at times. Our current climate is a perfect storm of over-stimulation, rapid change, financial pressure and extreme demands on our time and energy. The result is that more people than ever are experiencing anxiety on a regular basis.
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The Office for National Statistics recently revealed that 37.1% of women and 29.9% of men reported high levels of anxiety. The same report showed that 60% of UK adults with anxiety experienced it interfering with their daily lives.
From an evolutionary standpoint, our minds and bodies are not really designed to live in the world that we live in. This means that anyone facing the everyday demands of modern life can experience anxiety.
Three key factors which determine whether you will experience anxiety or not are: your baseline physiological stress levels, your automatic thinking habits and your coping strategies.
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In these sessions we approach anxiety from all three of these angles. Sessions include:
- Relaxation Skills Training: To lower your baseline stress levels.
- Cognitive Restructuring: Addressing cognitive habits such as ruminative thinking cycles.
- Coping Skills: CBT coping skills training to manage target situations and common triggers.
Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy for Stress & Anxiety
Articles
Your Powerful,
Changeable Mindset
The Stanford Report
Rediscovering the
Power of Self-Belief
British Psychological Society
Interview with
Dr David Spiegel
Huberman Lab
The Biology of
Positive Habits
Harvard GSE
What is Cognitive Hypnotherapy?
The Guardian
Does Mental Practice Enhance Performance?
Research Gate
CONTACT
Appointments available online and also in-person in Reigate, Surrey. I offer a free 20 minute initial phone consultation for all new clients. Please visit the bookings page to book your appointment.
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For all other enquiries, please submit a contact form or email susanneridley@outlook.com.
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