Preface to 'Methods'

Perhaps you're on this page only because you feel you should read about the methods. But you're not really interested in them. You know talking therapy is being offered. You're just interested in having help and in finding somebody you like the sound of who could provide it.

Feeling anything like this is perfectly alright. Reading this page isn't essential. A skim through, though, will give - in hopefully easy terms - further appreciation of Hypnotherapy Psychologist's work style.

Self-Centred Therapy®

Hypnotherapy Psychologist's own overall approach is long-evolved and called 'Self-Centred Therapy'. Two pillars of Self-Centred Therapy are self-service and self-sovereignity. The aims of Self-Centred Therapy are for clients to be as self-serving as possible, and to recognise their own sovereignty. Integral to these personal developments are mental health gains.

Self-Centred Therapy makes use of established, effective psychological methods, and places an emphasis on you fulfilling what you want. Approaches will be drawn on to suit from general psychotherapy, counselling and hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy - psychotherapy via hypnosis - is a specialism, but needn't be a primary approach or used at all.

Self-service and self-sovereignity

These are straightforward concepts. They aren't like the commonly-heard, and perhaps unrealistic, 'self-actualisation'. Self-service is just that: the serving of yourself (and not others or something else). Self-sovereignity is just that: you being your authority (and not others or something else).

The concepts aren't respectively about being selfish (in the usual - negative - sense of the word), or about being an ego-maniac. By better serving yourself and living-out your sovereignity you will, in fact, be better in your treatment of others. For the conscious recognition of your importance and your needs can entail understanding that others too have sovereign status and a need to self-serve; they are accordingly respected, and what you do do for them comes 'from the heart', and not from pressure, acquiescence, weakness, or reward.

Identity fulfilling

Another aspect of Self-Centred Therapy is to be identity fulfilling. This concerns being the truest discernible you at any point in your life. Involved is the private/inner (thinking and feeling as the truest discernible you) and the public/outer (expressing the truest discernible you). I won't attempt to specify/direct what your truest discernible self is. (Doing so would be unethical and likely invalid.) The space and means of exploration are furnished to help with your discovery or reification of your best discernible identity. And/or the help may relate to living with and expressing your truest discernible identity (or identities), to degrees that are practical or desirable and faithful to yourself. Some perfect ‘identity fulfilment’ isn’t sought, nor some perfect congruence between inner and outer identity facets. Identity fulfilling is an ongoing process, not an end. And because elements of one’s identity/identities will change with time the endeavour is fluid. Hoped is that you’ll continue to be identity fulfilling long after our work together. Being identity fulfilling furnishes an ease that’s a wellspring for further confidence, self esteem, and well-being.

Individuality

You are a unique individual. You won't think, act, desire quite like – or anything like – other people; let alone me. I don't give mere handwave to your individuality. I regard it as sacrosanct. Self-Centred Therapy will reinforce your appreciation, respect, and nurturing of your individuality. Some clients have rarely had this form of address from somebody else (others being interested in themselves, of course). The attention alone can be highly therapeutic – liberating (as what you are comes into focus and as a positive), and, clients have reported, nothing short of exhilarating.

Progression's priority

The theory behind Self-Centred Therapy was first developed in the mid 1990s by Hypnotherapy Psychologist. It holds that humans possess a 'self-fulfilling expectational mechanism'. This is a psychological homeostatic system, one that makes expectations and behaviours self-regulating. Its evolutionary basis has been expounded, as have the dynamics of its applicability to individuals and groups, and its correspondence - indeed, subsumption - of other major psychological theories. Relevance for therapy was highlighted at the outset.

Clients do not need to know all this (it's given less curious about history of Self-Centred Therapy). Worthwhile knowing though, is that psychological vicious circles and virtuous circles feature in the model. An important concern of Self-Centred Therapy is therefore the maintenance of momentum, in therapeutic progression.

Psychosexual Therapy

Contemporary Psychosexual Therapy will be used for sexual matters. This has been described, more or less rightly, as cognitive-behavioural therapy for sexual problems. Core psychotherapy/counselling principles defining good therapeutic interaction will be at play (as for all my clients, whatever their problems). On top of these will be the specific psychosexual work - which, perhaps more than with other therapies - often has sequential steps, set-out methods, and plenty and 'homework'.

Again, other approaches may be blended into this by me. I don't stray far, though from that which is contemporary, for Contemporary Psychosexual Therapy is based on a wealth of supportive research and literature, and is effective.

Help plan

After our early discussion a help plan (treatment plan) will be made. Sprawling or never-ending help isn't the goal.

Clients' agency

The empowerment of clients is crucial. Empowerment means helping you to help yourself - and so serve yourself. Hypnotherapy Psychologist aims to help, and never claims be the sole help or the cure. You will be the co-worker, because you will be an active participant. Your therapeutic work will span beyond that done in our sessions.

Confiding with confidence

Parameters of you and the problem(s) will be explored.

This will variously involve factors like your history, beliefs, others' influence/voices in your life, real or perceived weaknesses, strengths, successes, failures, past and present and predicted adversities, idiosyncrasies, interests, desires.

You needn't not have any worries over sharing what your idiosyncrasies or interests are, or over sharing any personal information. Our space is truly ALL about you.

Depth and breadth of exploration will vary. Our compass will be your gain. Areas will not be deliberately explored when to do so would likely be counterproductive.

The past

The extremes of psychotherapies are to ignore your past or to look deeply into it.

Almost certainly, Hypnotherapy Psychologist won't not be ignoring it (even if the expression has merit: ‘the best thing about the past is that it is behind you’). Your learning experiences will have shaped you, and addressing them can be helpful. We won't, though, be lingering on your past. What most matters to us is your future - complete with your challenges as far behind you as they can be.

A safe place

All of our appointments will be a safe place for you. You'll be made to feel as welcome and comfortable as possible. You can be yourself. You’ll receive from me authentic engagement, empathic understanding, and non-judgemental acceptance - the core tenets of 'Client Centred Therapy'. You'll be respected, and afforded kindness and care.

Hypnotherapy Psychologist is a secure space for whatever needs space

My pledge

You'll get 100% commitment from me. Your case will become an important part of my life. The efficacy of ‘talking therapies’ emanates to significant degree from the very relationship between us; I'll therefore give you my sincerest and maximum within it. I'll be driven to attain the very best outcome for you.

Benefit size

With psychological help in general, results vary across the possible spectrum - from the incredible to the (at least not yet) not discernible.

The amount of benefit an individual will get from any psychological help can't be reliably predicted (despite professional bandying of the term 'evidence based treatment'). Psychological help is unlike a physical medicine - whose effects are more predictable within parameters of certainty (which, of course, can still be overturned). However, with some individuals, receiving some styles of psychological help, from some helpers, for some problems, estimations of success can be more accurate than in other situations.

Hypnotherapy Psychologist will be forthcoming with estimation(s) of the nature and size of the benefits for a particular client from what's offered.

Big gains can be made, even with deep rooted problems. And most clients will obtain some benefit. Were the benefit to be small for one client, it is still worthwhile. Humans' mental health is mosaical; factors of many natures and sources are contributory. Our job together will be succesful if Hypnotherapy Psychologist has helped with one piece of somebody's mental make-up. Further contributions can be sought, as wanted, from anywhere and everywhere. Self-Centred Therapy emphasies your role as mental-health manager of - and help procurer for - yourself.