Getting into trance
My journey into hypnosis began with a personal challenge.
I used to struggle with public speaking, becoming tongue-tied no matter how much I prepared.
This was not just awkward - it became catastrophic after I published my first book. My first radio interview about it was so awful that they didn’t air it. Having spent over a decade researching and writing, collecting thousands of citations in the British Library and facing life-threatening illness in the Amazon, I had to do something.
A single hypnotherapy session was all it took to shift a limiting belief I had carried for years. My awkwardness was replaced by a quiet confidence. Today I receive regular invites to podcasts and international conferences. I’ve even done the Elman induction over the radio.
I returned to the hypnotherapist a few years later with an anger issue. In trance, he guided me to imagine my anger as an entity within a circle, and as it took shape I was able to understand that part of myself and deal with it on my terms. Its hold over me dissipated as it diminished in my imagination, and it left me with a gift - one to keep to myself.
That single session brought an element of conscious control to a confusing dynamic, and opened my eyes to the immense power of the imagination. It also made me realise the potential for using traditional techniques of mysticism for managing modern afflictions.
That was when I decided to retrain as a hypnotist.
How does hypnosis work?
Some people think that hypnosis is about giving control of your mind to someone else.
The truth is that your mind is being manipulated constantly anyway, not just by marketing and political propaganda, but wherever people communicate.
With hypnosis, the way I do it, the facilitator and the client approach the unconscious consciously, using linguistic techniques and imagery to manipulate the mind as we want to. Rather than losing control, hypnosis extends control into processes normally beyond the reach of our will, so people can slow the heart beat or switch off pain so completely that surgery becomes possible.
Just as thinking about something delicious can stimulate the salivary glands, so the imagination can be brought to bear on various involuntary processes of the body, from immune response and wound healing to body language and the unfolding of our fate.
We can rewrite and reframe stories that limit us and access the intelligence of the unconscious - that part of us that can draw upon millions of years of experience with infinite creativity.
The power of hypnosis
Trance has been part of shamanic and religious ceremony for millennia - perhaps as long as we have been human.
Scientific inquiry can barely scratch the surface of what is possible with hypnosis, but even within those limitations, the data is impressive. Studies of hypnotised subjects have measured improvements in a huge range of areas, including depression, pain, stress, IBS, weight, dermatitis, phobias, PTSD, focus and cognitive flexibility, addictive behaviours, nail-biting, immune function, self-esteem, allergy symptoms and athletic performance.
Scientific research
Beyond science
Hypnosis is not just about resolving problems. It’s about expanding possibilities, and the possibilities go way beyond even the impressive results of scientific investigation. The obstacle that brings us to hypnosis may turn out to be a stepping stone that takes us to a completely different place.
Inspired by Milton Erickson, I often enter trance myself to create a shared space of openness and discovery, trusting the process to guide us towards some truly extraordinary experiences and insights. My approach is collaborative and intuitive, and I welcome the magic that happens in the generative space of a shared trance.
What you can expect
A hypnosis session is a facilitated conversation with your unconscious - a journey of insight, release and transformation.
You may feel deep relaxation or a surprising moment of clarity, or you may feel very little but walk away profoundly transformed - a non-smoker, for example. Sometimes, change is immediate; other times, it unfolds gently over days or weeks. Whatever your experience, it will be organic, unique and co-created for that moment.
Integrating change
Interrupting the normal patterns of trigger and response makes space for the emergence of the unconscious, and while nothing that emerges in trance goes against the well-being of the subject, there is a chance that it can call into question some long held assumptions. In that sense, hypnosis can be disruptive. It may cause you to reconsider an unhappy marriage or an unfulfilling job, but even so, the trance itself will not jeopardize your relationship with your boss. If anything, the unexpressed tension in your workplace may already be causing problems, and it will be easier to manage if the unconscious is made conscious.
More on the radical history of trance here.
Who I work with
I work with anyone ready to entertain a vision of a more empowered version of themselves.
Clients come to me for migraines, sleep disruption or IBS, to break a habit or overcome writer’s block - for many things. One guy came to improve his cricket strokes, so we slowed the movement down in his mind and isolated the muscles and streamlined the sequence. Others want to deepen their meditation practice.
Contact me and let’s have a think about how we can help.
If you’re curious about hypnosis, you can explore one of my guided trance journeys or reach out with a question.
I’m also the author of Science Revealed and Neuro-Apocalypse.
If you’re curious about my wider explorations into consciousness, you can find out more on my personal website.