FAQ

There are many misconceptions about hypnosis, often with mystical connotations attached to it. However, the best way of describing it is by referring to hypnosis as a focussing of attention. By focussing the conscious mind it is possible to communicate directly with the subconscious (or unconscious) mind.

What is the subconscious mind?

Your subconscious mind is responsible for achieving much of what happens in your life. The point is you often don’t appreciate that fact, consciously. For example, your subconscious mind ensures that your body breathes at the right time, moves your hands and eyes correctly to catch a ball, and knows which muscles to move and when to enable you to walk down the street. Anything that you do without thinking, in fact. That includes driving a familiar route. Have you ever arrived at your destination and not really remembered any of the journey despite being the driver of the car? Perhaps you’d been consciously thinking of a meeting you were going to or where you were going to go on holiday that year and your conscious mind was focussed on those thoughts. You were, in fact, hypnotised during the journey: your conscious mind focussed on another task whilst your subconscious mind carried out the routine job of driving the familiar route. In this way, hypnotic states are both natural and common. Most people will experience them many times a day.

Why is it desirable to communicate directly with the subconscious mind?

Your subconscious mind has built up, over the years, a vast array of experiences that are stored in the form of memories. These memories and the associated emotions that accompany them dictate how you will behave in various circumstances. This is usually beneficial as you are able to react without thinking to external events based upon these experiences. It’s like having your own personal “What do I do next?” internal guide. Similar events will yield similar emotions and it is these emotions that affect the way you behave.

This is fine for those behaviours that are desirable. However, the subconscious mind is very literal and non-judgemental. It does not differentiate between desirable and undesirable behaviour. In addition, many of the learning experiences that it bases current behaviour patterns on have been formed in early childhood. These emotional decisions taken in childhood continue to affect behaviour in adulthood, and many of those we would reconsider with adult experience if we could.

Many of our “bad habits” and undesirable behaviour patterns originate from these childlike reactions because the subconscious mind reproduces the same emotions that similar events triggered in childhood.

The good news is that the subconscious mind is capable of being “reprogrammed” to alter these automatic emotional reactions; with one slight problem…we have to get past the conscious mind to do so. This is where hypnotism comes in.

What is hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis to address particular needs in people. These might be clinical needs, such as treating phobias, or more leisure-orientated uses like increasing sports performance. The objective is the same in both, though. Hypnotherapy moves the conscious mind aside so that we can beneficially reprogramme the subconscious mind to react differently to certain events that are currently resulting in undesirable behaviour.

Does that mean I could be brainwashed by hypnotherapy to do things I wouldn’t want to do?

No. This is an unfortunate misconception about hypnosis, probably made worse by people at stage hypnotism performances running round on stage like headless chickens. In reality, you are in control and you will reject any hypnotic suggestions that do not fit in with your personal beliefs or desires. Basically, if you don’t WANT the targeted outcome of a hypnotherapy session, you will not accept the associated suggestions that you are being given under hypnosis. People who have been supposedly brainwashed by people (in cults, for example) actually wished this to happen. Similarly, all those headless chickens you’ve seen on the stage, believe it or not, WANTED to be the centre of attention and to entertain the audience (sad, isn’t it!). So, if you came to a hypnotherapist for a particular purpose, such as smoking cessation, you would not be open to unrelated suggestions under hypnosis that you felt were unbeneficial to you.

What issues can be addressed by hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy can be used in circumstances where a person wishes to change their own behaviour. It is commonly used for things like smoking cessation, weight loss, overcoming phobias, stress relief, increasing sports performance, and improving motivation.

Are there different types of hypnotherapy?

Yes. There are many variations in hypnotherapy but they mainly fall in to two categories: suggestion therapy and analytical therapy.

Suggestion therapy seeks to make desired behaviour changes by enabling the subconscious mind to build choices in how to react to things. Through practice and repetition, undesirable behaviour is replaced by behaviour that you would prefer. Essentially creating a new you! All this is achieved without delving into underlying problems, some of which may be very painful.

Analytical therapy is based upon searching for the underlying problem, making you face up to it (and often relive it), and releasing pent up emotions surrounding the underlying problem.

Both types of hypnotherapy effectively have the same objective: to alter your perspective on particular aspects of your life (for the better).

Analytical therapy is best carried out in the physical presence of a hypnotherapist because he or she will alter the session according to your specific responses to their therapy. Suggestion therapy is something you can achieve without the direct intervention of a hypnotherapist in person. This is because the suggestions do not need to take into account your personal experiences to be effective.

Are there differences in cost for each type of hypnotherapy?

Yes. Because analytical therapy requires you to visit a good hypnotherapist, there are cost implications to this. You will pay handsomely for the personal attention of an adept hypnotherapist. However, through repeated use of quality suggestion therapy material, it possible to create the same result for a fraction of the cost of a one-to-one hypnotherapy session.

Are there any other benefits of suggestion therapy?

A massive added bonus is that you can create the desired behaviour changes using high quality suggestion therapy sessions in the privacy of your own home without inflicting potentially painful and embarrassing emotional trauma for yourself.

Will I like everything I discover about myself during my hypnotherapy sessions with you?

Yes. Because you are using suggestion therapy and you are generating a positive thinking approach to changing your behaviour for the better, you are avoiding delving into aspects of yourself that are negative. You are simply creating positive alternatives to things about yourself you might not like then using these positive new behaviour choices. This is another big advantage of suggestion therapy over analytical therapy. Everything is positive!

Can I be hypnotised?

Yes. Most people are hypnotised at various times throughout the day. It’s simply the state where the conscious mind is focussed on something whilst their subconscious mind is carrying out routine tasks, or as in the case with hypnotherapy, is listening to the suggestions in the therapy session.

Can anyone be hypnotised?

Most people, yes. However, certain groups of people are not suitable candidates for hypnosis. These include very young people, those suffering dementia, people under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and those with severe learning difficulties. In addition, only those who wish to be hypnotised will be.

Are there different levels of hypnosis?

Yes. Whilst there is much debate on the subject, there are basically three main hypnotic states: light, medium, & deep.

They relate to the type and frequency of brain waves emitted at each level (alpha, theta, and delta respectively). As a guide, the following descriptions give an idea as to how each level might be characterised.

Light: being conscious but feeling calm and relaxed. The state that people associate with daydreaming.

Medium: that conscious but “floaty” feeling as if the body is no longer part of us.

Deep: unconscious to the extent that surgery can take place without any feeling of pain.

It is rare for people to slip into the very deep states of hypnosis in hypnotherapy sessions, nor is it necessary.

What level of hypnosis do I need to be in to gain therapeutic benefit?

Research tells us that nearly all hypnotherapeutic benefit can be gained in light or medium hypnotic states. The deepest states would only really be of advantage if you were undergoing open-heart surgery!

People usually drift between hypnotic levels. This is often perceived as not consciously registering everything in the recording. However, the subconscious picks up and acts on the suggestions whether they are consciously registered or not. Therefore, it does not matter how deep your hypnotic state is.

Will I always come out of a hypnotic state?

Yes. Hypnotherapy sessions finish with a “count-out” phase where you will be roused from your session in such a manner that you will feel refreshed and revitalised. In the unlikely event of this not happening at the end of a session, the reason will be is simply that you are asleep and, in this case, you will awake perfectly naturally after your nap. This might have occurred if you are listening to a hypnotherapeutic recording when you are over-tired or late at night.

How will I know I’ve been hypnotised?

Unless you are in the very deepest states of hypnosis (which is very rare in recorded hypnotherapy sessions), you will be conscious throughout the session. You will have experienced the relaxed feeling associated with hypnosis, you will have heard the suggestions in the recording, and will have recognised how beneficial they are for you. To do all this, you will have had to slip in, at some level or other, to the naturally focussed state that is hypnosis. Each person will experience this at different levels but, so long as you have made yourself open to be hypnotised, you WILL be.

Will I lose self-control?

No. Being in hypnosis is entirely voluntary and you retain self-control at all times. You will not accept any suggestions that you are not happy with or you do not feel are going to be beneficial to you.

What if there is an emergency whilst I’m in a hypnotherapy session?

If an emergency occurs, you will be able to be immediately aware of any alarms and be able to react accordingly. This is because in hypnosis you are focussed and suggestible, but still fully conscious. Knowing this, you will be able to relax fully whilst the session is in progress.

Is going into hypnosis the same as going to sleep?

No. The objective is to simply distract your conscious mind through focussing its attention so that the subconscious can be accessed. You will normally remain conscious at all times.

Will I have wasted my time if I do fall asleep during a session?

No. Whilst hypnotherapy recordings are designed to be listened to under conscious hypnosis, occasionally people do drop off to sleep during a session. This is not a problem and suggestions during the session will still be effective even if you are asleep (this is the normal method of operation of sleep suggestion therapy). Your subconscious mind will still absorb the messages in the recording. Don’t worry about this. Your subconscious mind will still reject any suggestions that do not fit with your belief system so you don’t need to be concerned about nodding off.

Will I remember everything during the session?

So long as you have not fallen asleep, yes. You will remember everything that you are conscious of hearing. Some recordings make use of subliminal suggestions. These you may not be aware of and, therefore, may not recall at the end of a session.

What does subliminal mean?

“Subliminal” is used to describe something that is registered by your subconscious mind but that you conscious mind is unaware of. Subliminal messages are in use frequently in things like advertising but are a naturally occurring phenomenon. Research suggests that 55% of communication is in body language. Most body language messages are picked up subconsciously. This is how we get a “feel” for whether we believe someone or not, for instance. Body language is a good example of subliminal signals as they are often not consciously noticed but are picked up and acted upon by our subconscious.

What are subliminal suggestions?

Subliminal suggestions are used in recorded hypnotherapy sessions to reinforce the suggestions that you are more aware of consciously. Just as body language is a very important element of communication in one-to-one conversations because of the subliminal signals that your subconscious picks up on over and above what is actually said, so subliminal suggestions enhance the suggestions that you are aware of. Basically, they put the same or complementary suggestions directly into your subconscious mind and the combination of the consciously heard and subliminal suggestions is very powerful indeed.

How are subliminal suggestions incorporated in the sessions?

Subliminal suggestions are usually incorporated by adding simple therapeutic suggestions in the recording right at the edge of the conscious hearing range. These suggestions are commonly integrated in the recording at times when the conscious mind is focussing on something else that is being said. The subconscious mind doesn’t need to focus in the same way and will pick up these messages even as the conscious mind is listening to something else. In effect, this is the whole point of hypnosis, i.e. distracting the conscious mind to allow access to the subconscious. Subliminals effectively become a hypnotherapy session inside a hypnotherapy session: your conscious mind is listening to therapeutic suggestions whilst your subconscious mind is absorbing still more complementary suggestions. This is why these sessions are so powerful.

Are all the subliminal suggestions in your sessions beneficial?

Yes. All subliminal suggestions are specifically designed to complement the prime purpose of the hypnotherapy session. It should be noted that your subconscious mind would not accept any suggestion, subliminal or otherwise, that did not fit with your desires or belief system.

Your sessions greatly increase self-belief. Does it matter what religion I belong to?

No. Self-belief is not connected directly to religious belief. Therefore, it does not matter what religious beliefs you have or whether you are agnostic. The sessions are designed to be neutral as regards religious connotations so that you experience no internal conflict when you use them. Remember, your subconscious mind will reject anything that is not beneficial for you.

How many times do I have to repeat the session?

You will begin to feel the benefit of sessions immediately. However, lasting benefits are usually gained by repeated use of sessions. We recommend you use sessions at least three times a week for the first four weeks for lasting benefit to be gained.

Is there a limit to the number of times I should listen to sessions?

No. You can listen to sessions as often as you like. The more you listen to them the more effective they will be.

Why does repeated use of sessions increase their effectiveness?

This is because the subconscious mind does not differentiate between reality and the imaginary world. Repeated use of the imagery created by the sessions builds permanent experiences that result in the subconscious mind changing our behaviour patterns. What happens is that new neural pathways are created in our brain from the imagined experiences just as if we experienced these things for real. Just like a well-worn path, these new neural pathways will become the norm for our behaviour since our subconscious mind usually takes the easiest route when it comes to generating behaviour. The result is that behaviour we perceive as undesirable is changed to behaviour we are happier with.

How long will it take before I see the desired changes?

This varies; however, you will normally see a positive effect immediately. The primary reason for this is that, by starting down the path of change, you have already made a positive step towards a desired result. This will generate an immediate feeling of well-being. You must keep things in perspective, though. An entrenched behaviour pattern will have generated very well worn neural pathways in your brain that your subconscious finds easy and comfortable to use. Repeated use of sessions will create new neural pathways that will give your subconscious mind an alternative behaviour choice. It can take time and repeated use for this to become the preferred behaviour route. Your repeated sessions will give your subconscious mind the familiarity with the desired behaviour pattern until the new pattern replaces the old one as the normal behaviour. The important thing is to be gentle with yourself and to allow change to take place at a pace that is right for you.

Are there any medical conditions that preclude the use of hypnosis?

Our hypnotherapy sessions are designed to be completely safe to use and not to adversely effect any existing medical condition. However, if you have any doubts, it is recommended that you consult your family doctor or other suitably qualified clinician.

Will hypnotherapy make me more suggestible?

Yes, but it will not make you more gullible. Repeated use of hypnotherapy sessions will enable you to accept therapeutic suggestions more readily. This is beneficial as the more you accept these suggestions the quicker the desired change in yourself will occur. However, you will still retain all your natural resistance to any suggestions that you do not perceive to be beneficial and compliant with your personal belief system.

Are your recorded sessions created by a fully qualified and adequately insured hypnotherapist?

Yes. All recordings are carefully prepared by Mark Horner, a fully qualified and insured hypnotherapist. He is also a Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and is a member of a variety of relevant national and international professional associations. Mark is extremely skilled in combining sounds, imagery, and suggestions into powerful therapeutic sessions.

What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming?

Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) is a particular approach to creating beneficial behavioural change. It is based on studies of how successful people achieve their success. From these studies a wide range of powerful techniques has been developed (and continue to be developed) that can be utilised to enable exponents to be the best possible person they can be. In short, NLP provides many opportunities to create desirable behavioural change. NLP is frequently used as a personal development tool in cutting edge corporate enterprises that wish to get the very best out of their staff.

How does hypnotherapy relate to NLP?

They are interrelated. Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy in its own right and has its own qualifications and professional associations. It is one of the most widely accepted complementary therapies. NLP also has its own qualifications and professional associations and is commonly used in corporate circles to increase the effectiveness of staff. However, because both are used to alter behaviour, they are considered to be related disciplines. The major difference is that hypnotherapy utilises hypnosis to access the subconscious mind in effecting change, whilst many NLP techniques do not necessarily require hypnosis to be effective. Superpower Within hypnotherapy recordings combine the benefits of both disciplines into a powerful tool to create the change in behaviour that you desire.

Do you use NLP in your therapeutic sessions?

Yes. Some aspects of NLP are readily adaptable to suggestion therapy and these are incorporated within the sessions to make the recordings powerful tools to enable you to create the behavioural change you are looking for.

What if I have a phobia about imagery used in the hypnotherapy sessions?

Our recordings are carefully vetted to remove or circumvent the more common phobias that can afflict people. In general, if there is an aspect of a recording that causes you discomfort, you can remove the phobia by using one of our recordings specifically for your phobia or by using the general phobia relief recording.

Many of our hypnotherapy sessions make use of the incredible power of water imagery. Water has been symbolic of healing throughout human history. Your brain is normally conditioned to accept and act upon this symbolism massively increasing the power of the therapy.

However, you may have a fear of water, usually the result of some perceived or actual water-related trauma in childhood. Again, you can either remove this phobia by using the appropriate phobia relief recording or you can opt to buy your recordings from our water-free range of therapy sessions. These are still effective but may require more repeated use for their full effects to be felt.

What is the best time to use your sessions?

The best time to use them is when you will not be disturbed for the duration of the recording. Find somewhere quiet and relaxing to listen to the recordings. Never use the recordings in any circumstances when you require conscious concentration, for example, whilst driving or operating machinery.

General Queries

How long will it take for my purchase to be delivered?

We normally despatch orders within one working day of payment receipt. For UK customers, delivery will usually be within one or two working days. However, due to delivery issues that may be outside our control, we ask that you wait a minimum of four working days before contacting us if you have not yet received your order.

Do you despatch to anywhere in the world?

Yes. Postal charges are itemised on each product description. Obviously, delivery times are dependant on the destination. However, we still aim to despatch within one working day of receiving your payment so delivery times are minimised.

How do you accept payment?

We accept payment via a secure, internationally recognised, third party billing processor (PayPal). PayPal accepts all major credit and debit cards.

Is it safe to use my credit/debit card for my purchase?

Absolutely. PayPal is one of the world’s leading third party billing processors. It was originally set up by the founders of eBay to ensure secure transactions between buyers and sellers. Since then, it has rapidly expanded to become a very widely used general third party billing processor in its own right. You do not need to be a member of eBay to use it.

Do you have access to my credit/debit card details?

No. Not at any time. PayPal securely holds these details and handles all financial transactions between ourselves and our customers.

I do not have a PayPal account. Can I still use PayPal to make my purchase?

Yes. PayPal can be used by anyone making a purchase, even if they do not have an account with PayPal. When you click the “PayPal Click here to buy” button and are redirected to the PayPal site to process your payment, you will see that there is an option to use PayPal if you do not have a PayPal account. Simply follow the instructions. You will be able to enter your credit/debit card details into their secure payment site and make your purchase. You will receive an email receipt from PayPal and your purchase will be debited directly to the credit/debit card you nominated.

Do I have to pay any of PayPal’s fees for using them to make my purchase?

No. PayPal do not charge purchasers for processing their payments.

Is there any way I can preview your recordings?

Not at present. However, we do offer a comprehensive money-back guarantee of satisfaction.

Do you have a returns policy?

Yes. We have a 100% money-back guarantee. Unless it says otherwise on the sales page, the following policy applies. If you are not wholly satisfied with your purchase, simply return it to us within seven days of receipt for a full refund of the purchase price (excluding any outward or return postage and packaging costs), so long as the product is returned in the same condition as it was sent. Any returns must be sent by recorded delivery, include details of the sender (name and address) and the reason for return (to facilitate our quality control procedures).

Do you offer discounts for multiple orders?

Not normally. The reason is that there are too many products to be able to easily set out a reasonable policy on this. If you intend purchasing a large number of items, say for a training course you are running, please feel free to contact us to enquire about bulk discounts. You can do so via our Contact Us page.