Hypnosis is a state of increased focus and absorption into thoughts and feelings, which is often accompanied by a pleasant and deep feeling of relaxation. In this state, you can bypass many of the ‘critical thinking patterns’ that we all run (the ones that hold a problem or issue in place) and access other parts of our thought processes which allow for a certain freedom to explore and creatively address psychological, emotional or thought problems and issues that have developed at some point. Hypnosis is a state of ‘experience’ and learning. It accesses the best of your learning, focus, memory, experience and creativity to provide resolution through possibilities forgotten or not yet learned. Strategic Hypnotherapy is the use of the natural phenomenon of hypnosis to assist and facilitate a client to target a specific issue or problem, to bring all of their experiences, creativity and skills from the heightened state of hypnosis and create a platform for learning and experience which leads to lasting resolution.

Hypnosis is a naturally occurring phenomena in all people, which is utilised in strategic hypnotherapy to create lasting resolutions to problems and issues. Therefore, it is using normal skills that everybody has, in a focused way. There are no drugs or tricks. Hypnosis is a vehicle to allow you to explore your experiences and is neither good nor bad. It is safe in almost all people and the important thing is what the client does whilst in hypnosis. At worst, the client receives a nice ‘relaxing’ experience. At best, they get the opportunity to resolve problems which may have been with them for years.

This is a valid question. Firstly, are you motivated to have a resolution to your problem? Do you want relief, finally? If so, then we have a fantastic basis for creating a resolution for you. However, we want to make sure that you are absolutely certain that hypnotherapy will be right for you before we even charge you one cent. We offer all of our clients a no fee, no obligation start to their first session. If, after 20 minutes, you feel that hypnotherapy with Reflective Resolutions is not for you, then we charge you nothing. Otherwise, we get on with working together and finding an elegant way for you to find a resolution and relief.

It is highly likely that you can be hypnotised, if you want to be. (If you don’t want to be, then chances reduce to zero!). Hypnosis is a natural state based upon heightened focus and absorption, which we see every day in our lives, like driving the car, watching TV, reading a book, etc. There is a suggestion that about 5% of people have an incredible capacity to be hypnotised. There are about another 5% of people at the other end of the spectrum which find hypnosis difficult. The remaining 90% can enjoy hypnosis and can enter the state of hypnosis with some facilitation by a trained hypnotherapist with reasonable ease. Therefore, it is highly likely that you can ‘be hypnotised’ and get the benefits from a hypnotherapy session

No, Phil offers all new clients the opportunity to come to the clinic and sit down and have a chat. If after 30 minutes you don’t think that his approach is right for you then you are free to get up and walk away. No strings attached.

Our aim is to get you long term results in the shortest time possible.  Your outcome is not based on a fixed number of sessions – individual results will vary as different people like different levels of support and have different things to learn and process on their journey.  Together we will design a treatment plan that is specific to you.

I can only tell you what hypnosis feels like for me. Every person is unique, and experiences everything in their lives – including hypnosis – differently. Some common themes heard from clients is that hypnosis feels ‘peaceful’ and ‘focused’. They often report feeling peaceful, refreshed, optimistic, hopeful, determined, empowered, motivated and relaxed at the conclusion of a session.

There is significant clinical evidence from many of the top universities and medical facilities that prove, beyond any doubt, that hypnotherapy is a highly effective clinical tool creating lasting change. So much so that in a study by Barrios in 1970, it was shown that 600 sessions of psychoanalysis had a success rate of 38%. Behaviour therapy was a little better, with 72% recovery rate after 22 sessions. Hypnotherapy was the most effective and fastest therapy: 93% success rate after only 6 sessions. This is why we encounter clients who have been in ‘therapy’ for years and believe they cannot be helped. They are surprised by the speed and the lasting nature of the resolutions achieved. As the science and practice of hypnotherapy has further advanced, we are getting even better.

Surprisingly, when people find out I do hypnosis and hypnotherapy, this is one of the most often asked questions! I understand where it comes from – from the use of hypnosis in entertainment “Stage Hypnosis” and the fear of losing control whilst in hypnosis.
So let’s tackle these:
Stage hypnosis has been very popular, from being a parlour trick through to the grand stages of Las Vegas. Interestingly, it uses volunteers who are keen to be hypnotised. By successively reducing the volunteers, the stage hypnotist is really selecting those people who most keenly want to participate. Think about the number of people you know who would love to do something ‘crazy’, get fame and attention, and still have the fallback of ‘blaming’ the hypnosis for their actions! In the end, everyone has a great time. The power of the show is in the stage hypnotist putting on an act like he has ‘magical powers’ over other people. In reality, this is not true. All the control lies with the person being hypnotised. It is their experience. It is their state of focus. They can choose to stop participating and come back to full awareness any time they choose.

Hypnotherapy requires the full participation of the client. It is not a process of ‘installing’ things into a person and magically ‘changing’ them. In fact, you would accept and reject the same suggestions when you are in or not in hypnosis. Your morals, ethics and beliefs all underscore your experience and this ensures that everything that happens is completely congruent and appropriate for you. You are aware of everything that happens, and be able to comfortably accept or reject any suggestion made by the hypnotherapist. There have been no reported cases (ever!) of ‘mind control’ or ‘implantation’ of suggestions that go against the person’s moral code. In fact, experiments clearly show that every attempt to do this has failed! So, when people ask if they will ‘cluck like a chicken’, the answer is…”Only if you want to!”

Meditation also involves focus and absorption, and many people get a great deal of relaxation, relief and pleasure from the effects of meditative practices. Often people report that it ‘clears their mind’, and this has beneficial physical and emotional effects. Hypnosis can mirror this. However, strategic hypnotherapy takes the next step and utilises the natural state to facilitate an experience where resolution of problems and issues occurs. Often, we will include some ‘meditation education’ for clients suffering stress as a method of them having a useful tool for ongoing support, after the resolution has been achieved. We often refer clients to meditation or other classes where this is indicated as follow-up.

I hope not! There is no evidence that hypnosis works when clients are asleep. In fact, the brainwaves of people in sleep is very different from that of people in a state of relaxed focus and absorption. Hearing a hypnotist say ‘Sleep! Deeper and Deeper!” is really a metaphor because that relaxed state before sleep often has the same relaxed feeling that clients report in hypnosis. When you are alert, relaxed and focused, you can access the resources and experiences that form part of your lasting resolution.