Solution Focused Hypnotherapy

Your First Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Session Explained

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If you’re considering Solution Focused Hypnotherapy for the first time, it’s completely normal to feel a little unsure about what to expect.

You might be wondering:

Will I actually be hypnotised? Will I lose control? What will I have to talk about? What if I can’t relax?

At Illuminating Minds, I understand that taking the first step towards therapy can feel like a big decision. As the sole therapist, I offer a personal, one-to-one approach where we can take the time to understand what you’re experiencing and, most importantly, where you would like to get to.

My aim is to make your first session feel comfortable, relaxed and reassuring, without any pressure or judgement.

Here’s what you can expect.

What is Solution Focused Hypnotherapy?

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy combines solution-focused talking therapy with hypnosis.

Rather than spending a lot of time analysing everything that has happened in the past, we focus on where you are now and where you want to be.

Together, we’ll explore what you’d like to change and what life could look like if the difficulties you’re experiencing were no longer getting in the way.

This might be feeling calmer, sleeping better, becoming more confident, managing anxiety or simply feeling more like yourself again.

Your first session is about you

At Illuminating Minds, I don’t believe that therapy should feel like a one-size-fits-all process.

Your first session gives us the opportunity to talk about what’s brought you to hypnotherapy and what you would like to achieve.

You might already know exactly what you want to change, or you might simply know that something needs to change.

That’s okay.

You don’t need to arrive with everything figured out. I’ll guide you through the process and we can work together to identify what you’d like your future to look like.

We’ll talk about your preferred future

One of the things I love about Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is that we don’t have to spend the entire session focusing on what’s going wrong.

Instead, I may ask questions such as:

“If you woke up tomorrow and things were better, what would you notice?”

Or:

“What would you be doing differently if anxiety wasn’t holding you back?”

These questions can help us identify the small but meaningful changes that could make a difference to your everyday life.

Sometimes the answers can be surprisingly simple.

I’ll explain how your brain works

As part of your first session, I’ll explain some of the ways your brain responds to stress, anxiety and perceived threat.

Understanding what’s happening in your brain can be incredibly reassuring.

For example, if you experience overthinking, anxiety or difficulty switching off, you may have wondered why your mind seems to keep returning to the same thoughts.

Learning about these patterns can help you understand that you’re not “broken” and that there are things you can do to influence how you respond.

I want you to leave your first session feeling that you understand yourself a little better and have some hope about what is possible.

Then we’ll experience hypnosis

After our conversation, I’ll guide you through a relaxing hypnosis session.

You’ll be sitting comfortably while I guide your attention using a calm voice and carefully chosen suggestions.

You don’t have to make anything happen.

There’s no test to pass and no particular sensation you’re supposed to experience.

Some people feel deeply relaxed, while others describe the experience as similar to daydreaming or becoming completely absorbed in a thought, image or feeling.

Everyone is different.

Will I lose control?

No.

This is one of the most common questions I hear from people who have never experienced hypnotherapy.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy isn’t like the hypnosis you may have seen on television or in stage shows.

You remain aware and in control throughout the session.

You won’t be made to say anything you don’t want to say, and you won’t be asked to do anything against your wishes.

My role is to guide you into a relaxed and focused state while you remain completely in control of yourself.

What if I can’t relax?

Don’t worry!

You don’t need to be naturally good at relaxing, and you don’t need to have any previous experience of meditation or hypnosis.

If your mind wanders, that’s completely normal.

You might suddenly think about work, your children, dinner or something you need to remember later.

That’s okay.

I’ll guide you through the process, and there’s no expectation that you have to achieve a particular state of relaxation.

What happens after the hypnosis?

Once the hypnosis part of the session is complete, I’ll gently bring you back to your normal level of awareness.

We’ll have an opportunity to talk about how you found the experience and answer any questions you may have.

Depending on your individual goals, I may also suggest something simple that you can practise between sessions.

This is an important part of the Solution Focused approach. The aim isn’t simply to make you feel better while you’re sitting in my therapy room; it’s about helping you develop skills and awareness that you can take into everyday life.

How long is the first session?

Your first session may be longer than subsequent sessions because we need time to get to know each other, discuss what you’d like help with and explain how Solution Focused Hypnotherapy works.

I’ll always explain the structure and cost of your appointment before we begin, so you know what to expect.

What if I’m nervous?

If you’re feeling nervous, you’re certainly not alone.

Walking into a therapy session for the first time can feel daunting, particularly if you’ve never spoken to a therapist before.

At Illuminating Minds, I want you to feel that you can be yourself.

There’s no judgement, no expectation that you have to have the “right” answers and no pressure to share anything you’re not comfortable discussing.

As an independent therapist, I offer a personal and confidential space where we can work together at a pace that feels appropriate for you.

What can Solution Focused Hypnotherapy help with?

People come to me at Illuminating Minds for many different reasons.

This can include:

– Anxiety and excessive worrying
– Stress and overwhelm
– Low confidence and self-esteem
– Sleep difficulties
– Fears and phobias
– Overthinking
– Confidence around work or public speaking
– Unhelpful habits and behaviours
– Feeling stuck or lacking motivation
– Managing life’s changes and challenges

Everyone’s circumstances are different, so we’ll always start by understanding you, rather than simply treating a label or diagnosis.

You don’t need to have everything figured out

Perhaps you’ve been thinking about trying hypnotherapy for a while but haven’t been sure whether it’s right for you.

You don’t need to know exactly what you need before getting in touch.

Sometimes the first step is simply having a conversation.

I’ll answer your questions, explain how Solution Focused Hypnotherapy works and help you decide whether it feels like the right approach for you.

There is no pressure to commit to anything you’re not comfortable with.

Your first step towards a different future

Starting therapy can feel like a big step, but it can also be the beginning of something positive.

At Illuminating Minds, my approach is about helping you look forward rather than feeling defined by what’s happened in the past.

Through our sessions, we’ll focus on the changes you want to make, recognise the strengths you already have and work towards creating a future that feels more manageable, positive and fulfilling.

You don’t have to change everything at once. Sometimes the first step is simply deciding that you’d like things to be different.

Ready to take the first step?

If you’re considering Solution Focused Hypnotherapy and would like to find out whether it could help you, I’d be happy to have a conversation with you.

Contact Illuminating Minds today to arrange an initial consultation.

Let’s explore what you’d like to change and how we can work towards a brighter future, together.

Could Hypnotherapy Help You Manage Your IBS?

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Living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) can be incredibly challenging. It’s not just about digestive discomfort—it can affect your confidence, social life, work, and emotional wellbeing. The uncertainty of when symptoms might appear can create a cycle of worry and stress, which, in turn, can make IBS symptoms even more difficult to manage.


At Illuminating Minds, I understand how overwhelming this can feel, and my aim is to help you break that cycle in a calm, supportive, and positive way.


Understanding the Mind-Gut Connection

Your brain and digestive system are constantly communicating through what’s known as the gut-brain axis. When life feels stressful or overwhelming, your gut often responds. This is why many people notice their IBS symptoms worsen during periods of stress or anxiety.


Using Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, I help clients work with this powerful connection. Rather than focusing on the problems of the past, I focus on helping you build the resources and resilience needed to move towards better health and wellbeing.

Hypnotherapy encourages a deeply relaxed state, helping to calm the nervous system and reduce the stress response. As your mind becomes calmer, many people notice their digestive system begins to settle too.


How Solution Focused Hypnotherapy May Help


Research has shown that gut-directed hypnotherapy can be an effective way of managing IBS symptoms for many people. Combined with the positive, forward-looking principles of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, it may help you to:

  • Reduce abdominal pain and discomfort
  • Ease bloating and bowel irregularity
  • Lower stress and anxiety that may contribute to symptoms
  • Feel more confident in social situations and everyday life
  • Improve sleep and overall wellbeing
  • Regain a sense of control over your health

Every person’s experience of IBS is unique, so I tailor every session to your individual needs, goals, and circumstances.


Flexible Support to Suit You


At Illuminating Minds, I offer both online and in-person Solution Focused Hypnotherapy sessions, giving you the flexibility to choose the option that suits you best.

Whether you prefer the convenience of meeting from the comfort of your own home or the reassurance of a face-to-face session, I provide the same personalised, compassionate support in a safe and welcoming environment.


Looking Forward with Confidence


Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is different from many traditional talking therapies. While I acknowledge what’s bringing you to therapy, I don’t ask you to dwell on the past. Instead, I help you understand how your brain responds to stress, teach you practical strategies to feel calmer, and support you in making positive, lasting changes.

My goal is to help you feel empowered—not defined by your IBS.


Take the First Step Towards Feeling Better


If IBS is affecting your quality of life, you don’t have to manage it alone. With the right support, it is possible to reduce the impact of symptoms and regain confidence in your everyday life.

At Illuminating Minds, I provide compassionate, personalised Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, available both online and in person, to help you feel calmer, healthier, and more in control.

If you’re ready to explore how hypnotherapy could support you, I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch to arrange an initial consultation, and together we’ll create a positive path towards improved wellbeing. My role is to support you every step of the way as you work towards feeling happier, healthier, and more confident.

Manage Exam Stress with Hypnotherapy

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Once again it is that time of year. With University final exams and dissertations, not to mention A-levels and GCSES’s, it can soon become an overwhelming experience for many. The pressure to succeed can result in lost sleep, anxiety, anger, depression or sometimes all of these.

Hypnotherapy has emerged as a powerful tool that can help manage the heightened levels of stress. It can give the mind a holiday from the worries of it all, while at the same time helping the mind process all the information that is needed to best perform at your best. It takes us from our protective stressed out primitive mind and guides us towards a place where the mind no longer senses danger, our intellectual mind and we can relax and recover. It is from here where we come up with our best work, our best performances and our happy place. The more we can practise being relaxed, which hypnotherapy provides, the more we reduce worries, reduce stress hormones and allow ourselves to become our best.

Hypnotherapy is however more than just a tool for relaxation. It provides each individual with a tailored program and voyage of self discovery, arming you with information and directions that help unlock issues that are causing the problem in the first place. The visualisation techniques, used in hypnotherapy, can allow students to mentally rehearse the exam environment, giving time to prepare by imagining positive thoughts and positive outcomes. Visualising yourself in the exam room, sitting at your desk and everything goes well.

If this sounds like something you or someone you know would benefit from, please contact Illuminating Minds on 07725878880 or via our website.

Overcoming Dental Fear with Hypnotherapy

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Does the thought of visiting your dentist fill you with dread, fear or anxiety? This is a highly common problem that many of us suffer without resolution throughout our lives. Some can manage it of course, but for those of us that can’t, then Hypnotherapy can be a very powerful way to manage your thoughts and feelings regarding the whole process and allow you to get the treatment you need with the least amount of stress.

Phobias in general can often be dismissed as a sort of weird thing; people can be phobic of just about anything. For those of us that suffer with a Phobia, can literally be in fear of their lives.

So why does this happen?

Well, the dictionary will define a phobia as something that is an irrational fear of an object or circumstance. However, fear can be perfectly rational. If we are confronted with a charging rhinoceros for example, it would be perfectly acceptable to be afraid. Our fight or flight response kicks in, so that we might save ourselves.

If our distant ancestors experienced a life-or-death situation, they needed a way to ensure their survival. Imagine if one of our ancestors is ambushed by a sabre-toothed tiger. If they escaped, they might associate the rustle of tall grasses with a fear response in future preparing the body for a fight or flight.

Unfortunately, this learned response can be inexact, meaning that as people we can’t afford for the exact circumstances of the first attack to happen, before we trigger the fear response, because that might be too late. So, we can continue to irrationally process the similar circumstances, such as rustling of tall grass.

The same can be true of visiting the dentist. Rationally we know we will be well looked after by a professional, but on an unconscious level our fight or flight response is being triggered.

Hypnotherapy can help here, because it can relax the mind to a state where we can alter the way the mind processes the association with a visit to the dentist. We can reduce the threat response. This is also true for other phobias, we just need to re inform the subconscious mind that it is ok, to reimagine a visit to the dentist without the trauma or stress.

Phobias are never necessary; they cause distress, drain energy and stop people living full lives. Nobody should have to live with them.

If this sounds like something that might help you, please get in touch and we can start the process of making the situation manageable for you.

Overcoming Anxiety: How Solutions Change Your Mindset

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It may seem an obvious notion that by finding solutions to our problems we would immediately start to relieve worry and anxiety that can build up in us over time. However, for many suffering with anxiety often all we can see are the problems, and the idea of finding a solution can sometimes seem insurmountable.

The important thing to be aware of here is that when we look to find a solution, however big or small, we switch to a more positive part of our brain, the pre-frontal cortex. This is the part that is unique to humans, and where we are at our best. It is very difficult to feel both stressed and anxious while be completely present in thinking of ways to make solutions.

Think about that for a moment!

We can be anxious one minute, think of a solution and then go back to feeling anxious, but what we can’t do is feel both at the same time. The more time we spent focusing on thinking of solutions, the more time we spend away from our anxious feelings. Then when we find a solution and apply it, we have achieved something that makes us feel good.

So, with this information we learn that it is sensible to dedicate some time each day to sit down, break down our problems and try and come up with a solution. We may know what we want to achieve ultimately, but what we don’t sometimes apply is the idea that when problems are too large, we may need several steps to break this down, and so part of the solution might be just a very small thing that leads to the ultimate resolution.

If you are having trouble with this process, Solution Focused Therapy or Counselling is a very useful modality in which you can start this process for yourself. Solution Focused Therapy uses a variety of techniques, tools and questions that help refocus the mind to help you step away from your problems. Over time and with practise this then becomes your new normal.

Sounds like you?

Reach out and take the first step on the journey to finding your resolution.

How Hypnotherapy can help you get good quality sleep

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For many of us at some point in our lives we can be confronted with periods of insomnia and poor-quality sleep. Some of us wake bolt upright in a cold sweat in the middle of the night leaving us tired irritable and over time, if the symptoms persist, we are left feeling exhausted.

One of the main reasons for poor sleep is the impact that stress can have on our minds and bodies. If we understand that our bodies respond to the signals we send out from our minds, we can start to see that the way we are thinking can trigger the hormones of stress in bodies. Ironically sleep is a tool where we rest and regenerate and overcome our daily stresses, but if our worries start to overwhelm us then this can cause problems in two ways. Firstly, our bodies become over alert, so when it’s time to go to sleep we can’t, because we are ruminating on all our problems of the day, often unable to know where to start because they seem too many. Then if we do eventually fall asleep our mind has a problem. There is simply too much to process during our sleep, and this takes up huge amounts of energy, in fact more energy sleeping than being awake, so it bolts us upright to save energy.

The key part of our sleep where we process our anxious thoughts and issues of the day is during a time known as REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement). Here we have a fantastic natural system that processes the events of our day, and moves any emotionally charged content from our primitive fight or flight parts of our brain, to the intellectual and reasoned parts of the our brain, so we still have this memory but we have stripped out emotional part of it. Therefore, we are often told by our parents from young to sleep on something, because more often than not when we wake up the next day, we don’t feel so bothered by situations that previously seemed overwhelming.

So, REM sleep is great when we have manageable number of things to worry about, but if you were to imagine each of us carries within us a stress bucket, in which we put all our troubles. This is then emptied during our sleep during periods of REM, but if we have too much in our stress bucket, the mind has too much work to do each night, and this is where our sleep problems begin.

So how can we overcome this? Well as a hypnotherapist one of the greatest tools we have is trance. Trance is very natural and ordinary to the body; in fact, we go into a trance many times a day. Any one with children will notice times when they are learning, when naturally they will glance away and for a short period they go into a trance. This is because the mind is processing the information in the brain, and trance is how we naturally do it. Hypnotherapy comes in here because it uses the power of trance. A good hypnotherapist creates a guided trance, where the mind can focus on positive thoughts and ideas and the body goes into the deep and rest and digest state just like during REM sleep. This can improve our sleep in two ways, firstly during the hypnotherapy sessions the mind is able to start to process and empty the stress bucket and resolve many issues you are carrying around. It also offers a positive voice, so instead of the worrying primitive brain, that worries about the past, or frets about the future, you have messages of reassurance and support. If we aren’t worrying about something, we aren’t putting more anxious thoughts into our stress bucket!!!

So the more we go into trance, the more relaxed and refreshed we start to feel, and the more we empty our stress buckets, so that when we do go to sleep the mind has less to worry about, uses less energy and allows you to remain in a deeper more refreshing sleep.

New year resolutions and the power of positivity

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Now that we have entered a new year in the light of the difficulties, we have all experienced over the course of the last year, so much hope is being placed on the importance of our health, personal relationships and mental health. This of course is the time we often re-evaluate our lives and challenge ourselves to be different and take a different course in the new year to the one that went before. It is an opportunity to wipe the slate lean and start again.

We draft our list, sometimes it’s a long list of hopes, and sometimes we come up with just one wish, be it giving up alcohol, start a fitness regime, making time to see more friends. At the core of all these new resolutions that we draft up, is the inner wish to want to make things different and better for ourselves. But for so many these resolutions last a few days, weeks if we are lucky. The trouble is we intellectually want the change, but often we don’t have the true desire to see it through.  This is the point where thinking in a positive way can make a world of difference to our success or failure in our pursuit of change.

If we look at why positive thinking is so important to everything we do, first we must understand the mind body connection.  If I were to describe to you a vivid description, while your eyes are closed, of holding a lemon, and getting you to imagine I that you were cutting up the lemon and putting a fresh slice into your mouth, and squeeze some lemon juice onto your tongue. I would be surprised if you didn’t find that your mouth would start to water even though the reality is that there is no lemon in sight. This because the primitive mind doesn’t know the difference between imagination and reality. What you tell your mind it starts to believe, and it has the ability and to trigger the chemical reactions it needs to ensure it is prepared to taste the sour lemon. The same is true for stress, or negative thinking. If we tell ourselves constantly things will go wrong or if we give our mind a reason for something to go wrong, the mind will look for ways to ensure that it will.

So, how does this relate to our resolutions? It’s quite simple, we need to not only tell our minds what we want, but we need to be positive that we will succeed.  if we tell our mind we are committed to the change we want to see, and really imagine this deeply with as much detail as possible, we can build and grow the desire to see out this change. The more we re-enforce what we want and infuse it with positivity we tell the part of our mind that runs the old negative patterns that hold us back that our new path is our what we truly desire. We literally grow new cells in our brain that wire a new pattern. The more we stick with the pattern with desire determination and positivity, the more likely the change will stick for the long term.

As a hypnotherapist, my role is to support the conscious will of the intellectual mind to convince the subconscious mind that any change is worth making. Trance simply stops opens up the barrier that prevents an alliance between the two and facilitates a strengthening of will to take the direction that the intellectual mind wants, reprogramming negative beliefs that are held at a subconscious level and creating new positive beliefs that represents the solutions you want to see.

Whether you have stuck with your resolutions, or you are needing help, I hope positivity can be the key to your overall success.

Best Wishes.

Craig

How Hypnotherapy can help beat the Brexit Blues

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For many people in the UK ‘Brexit’ is proving to be an extremely stressful process. It has caused many households to be at odds with each other, forcing families to sit on opposing sides of the Brexit argument. For some this added stress can prove too much and can start to affect the health of those struggling with the concerns surrounding the uncertainty that Brexit is causing.

Why do issues like Brexit affect our overall health?

First let’s explore why an issue like Brexit can go on to cause mental health issues. As a Solution Focused Hypnotherapist, we look at the causes of anxiety. Anxiety is triggered by thinking about issues surrounding our lives in a negative way, so we create anxiety by negatively forecasting the future. The problem with issues such as Brexit, is no-one really knows what will happen if the UK finally leaves the EU. The media provides the negative forecasting for us, and many of us get caught up in the worrying implications presented to us, such as impact on Jobs, income, medical supplies etc. The reason this is important is that these worries or anxieties build up, on top of our everyday issues.

In my practice I say that the stresses of the day go into our own personal stress bucket. The analogy of the stress bucket is important, because as human beings we do have a method for emptying our stress bucket daily, and this is known as REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement). On average we need around 1.6 to 2 hours of good REM sleep a night. REM is the part of our sleep pattern that processes and discharges emotional stressors, that we experience during the day, but haven’t let go, such as an argument or things we have seen, or tasks we haven’t completed. It can take an enormous amount of energy to process these anxieties that have built up in our stress bucket, sometimes over a long period of time. The more we worry about something, the more we pile this worry into our stress bucket, and therefore the more energy we need to use to process what’s in our bucket during our REM sleep. If the amount of energy we are using during our sleep pattern is too much, we are naturally brought out of sleep, to conserve energy, and therefore this is why we find ourselves awake at 2-3am, heavy with worry, during difficult times in our lives. This means we haven’t emptied our stress bucket from the previous night and we have more to process the following night, and so we become trapped in a vicious circle which drains our precious resources.

How can Hypnotherapy help?

Hypnotherapy can be a very useful tool to help those who are suffering with anxiety or depression, because it can break the cycle of sleep deficiency. It does this because during the trance process, it mimics REM sleep. So, during a typical hypnotherapy session we allow our bodies to go into a deep state of relaxation, and during the process it allows our minds to continue to empty our stress bucket. This means we have rested but also allowed the mind to process worry and find solutions to them. The more we do this the better able we are to get a full nights sleep, feeling rested and reinvigorated, which has a profoundly positive impact on our overall health.

As a Solution focused hypnotherapist, I also use the first half of every session to assist those seeking help to focus on solutions to issues that are bothering them. We try to encourage people to re-think issues in a more positive way using the inner resources we all possess. This has the impact of diffusing and naturally emptying many of the stresses that have been, often un-knowingly, piling into their stress bucket. The more positively you think, the less worries that end up accumulating. This consequently means you use less energy while you sleep, and you can go on to achieve the good night’s sleep your body needs. I call trance a mini break for the mind. It provides time away from the troubles and negativity that can affect our busy lives.

How to cope with Exam and Work Stress

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The exam season is about to hit, and for many school children this can be a time of great anxiety and stress. A little bit of stress can be a good thing, and can help motivate us to achieve our goals, however for some this can become over-whelming, derailing our best efforts and stopping us from performing at our highest levels.

Exams themselves, don’t cause the anxiety. When we break it down, we realise that an exam is just simply a task that needs to be completed.  However, it’s the tricks that our mind can play on us, that can then cause the fear of the exam itself. This is an important realisation, because once we are aware of this, we understand that it is within ourselves that we can find the answer to the problem that we have created. This may sound harsh but its important that we realise that we are the captain of our own ship and can control the way we think about situations and events in our lives.

The great news is that you can take back control of the situation

Here in Dorset, I help people overcome the anxieties that surround exams and performance. The fact is that exam stress is the same as the stress suffered by those performing on the stage, or in Sport. It is grouped and labelled ‘performance anxiety’ and individuals can suffer to such an extent they are unable to think clearly. When we are stressed, we use the primitive parts of our brain. This area is designed to protect us from danger. This is a great thing when we encounter potential threats to our safety such as when a wasp buzzes around our head. We pump out hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline that help us to react quickly. Unfortunately, it can stop us from using the parts of our brain that allow us to perform well in exams.

Having been a teacher, I appreciate how difficult it can be for children to deal with exams. All you want for our developing children is to be able to express what they can do, when they want or need to be able to do it!

The following is a list of ways to reduce stress

  • One of the biggest ways you can reduce stress is to try and avoid those around you who are showing signs of stress. The reason for this is that stress can be contagious, and we mirror this when we are around people, in the same way that a smile can be contagious or even a yawn.
  • Another way you can help your stress levels is by keeping a calm environment to work or study in, perhaps having a plant in your study space.
  • Also make sure you have plenty of fresh food in the house, and ensure you sip plenty of water or drinks during the day to stay hydrated and keep your brain alert and functioning to its maximum.
  • Try to keep your study or work area decluttered, and use calming essential oils such lavender. You can also use Rosemary or Peppermint as these have been used for thousands of years as an aid to improve memory.
  • Try to limit time on social media, this not only stops you from wasting valuable time when you could be studying or working, it also can help reduce anxiety. Social media can be known to increase anxiety, especially if someone you know is spreading the panic online.
  • Also be aware that going analogue can be detrimental to learning. When you write information down, it lights up different pathways in the brain that aid learning and memory recall. For those of a creative personality you can use mind mapping techniques to build patterns of information that help you recall information and can be more fun to do.
  • Don’t forget to take regular breaks. Get outside and get some fresh air, its important to allow the brain time to consolidate what you have learnt.
  • Get some exercise, this way you can release feel good endorphins and help to relieve the symptoms of anxiety.
  • Get plenty of sleep, this is where most of your learning is processed into your long-term memory. Make the most of this, and let your brain recover for the next day.
  • Be positive and visualise yourself doing well. Your mind doesn’t know the difference between imagination and reality, so instead of telling yourself you feel nervous, tell yourself ‘I feel excited’ or ‘I am well prepared for these exams’. The more you practise and imagine yourself in a relaxed state in the exam, the mind can then prepare the body for this.

One of the most important things to remember is that many of the most successful people in the world weren’t particularly academic. Leonardo Da Vinci for example didn’t have what we would call a formal education, and he didn’t do too badly!

Exams are a good way to test our ability to memorise information, and our ability to cope under pressure, but what they can’t do is test somebody’s entrepreneurial spirit, musical or sporting skills or capacity to be kind or indeed their common sense!

Illuminating Minds Hypnotherapy

If despite the above advice you are still feeling anxious about your up-coming exams, here at Illuminating Minds we use proven Hypnotherapy techniques to help an individual to regain the calm and balance required to perform at their best. So often we are taught how to observe and learn and be active, but what we aren’t always shown is how to be calm and rest the mind. There is a strong learning benefit in being calm. In my sessions I explain how anxiety is a process that can build up over time.  I use a stress bucket as a metaphor to show how anxiety and worries accumulate over time. This is where we store all our anxious thoughts in a queue waiting to be processed. During REM sleep we process our anxieties, removing the emotional negative parts.  But if we have too much to process, the quality of our sleep can suffer, and we get caught in a vicious circle of sleep deprivation and heightened anxiety. Hypnosis or trance breaks this circle by simulating REM sleep and can help us process our worries and empty our stress bucket. It can also help us to focus and visualise how we want things to go during our exams or at work in a calm and methodical way.

If you feel Hypnotherapy could be of benefit and you would like to learn more,  contact Illuminating Minds now and we can start getting you back in control and on a path to your own success.