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What Is Solution Focused Hypnotherapy?
Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) is a modern, evidence-based approach that combines the best of psychotherapy with the natural power of hypnosis.
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SFH is fundamentally built around the fact that our brains are already designed to provide the solutions to the life we want - and that sometimes we just need help to access, identify and implement them
​​How is SFH different from other hypnotherapy?​​
In essence, Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is a more forward-looking and goal-oriented approach to hypnotherapy, while traditional hypnotherapy (and indeed other types of psychotherapy also) may be more focused on exploring the past and underlying causes of issues.​​
How Psychotherapy Is Used
This part of the process blends the very best tools and techniques from a variety of psychotherapeutic disciplines, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) therapy and is heavily influenced by the principles of Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT); a short-term, goal-oriented therapeutic approach that focuses on finding solutions in the present and future, rather than analyzing the root causes of issues. SFBT assumes that clients have the inner resources and strengths to solve their own problems and the therapist helps them to recognise and use these strengths effectively.
If you have tried other traditional therapies that often focus on talking about challenges and trauma but haven't felt like it was moving the needle on your mental state, this could be a better fit.
How ​​Hypnosis Is Used​​
Hypnosis, often called a trance, is a real and useful mental state where a person is deeply relaxed, highly focused, and more open to suggestions. Trance states are a natural aspect of human consciousness. We enter and exit trance states multiple times throughout the day, often without being consciously aware of it: daydreaming, "zoning out", getting engrossed in activities like reading or watching TV, and even emotional reactions like giggling or sweating are all examples of trance states.
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Hypnosis is a specific type of trance, often involving a person's interaction with a hypnotist. Even though it might look like someone is asleep or zoned out, they're actually in a state of heightened awareness, with their attention turned inward toward thoughts, feelings, and vivid mental images. During hypnosis, people experience reduced awareness of their surroundings and become more absorbed in their inner world. This state can be brought on through techniques like calming verbal cues, repetition, or guided imagery.
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While there are plenty of myths about hypnosis, it's a well-established psychological process that can be a powerful tool in therapy. You cannot be put into a trance state against your wishes, or be made to hear suggestions or to do anything that you don't want to. During hypnosis, you stay fully conscious and aware, and you're always free to ignore or reject any suggestions that don’t align with your values or personal wishes.
The History of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy
In the early 2000s, David Newton, founder of the Clifton Practice (CPHT), combined these the principles of Solution Focused Brief Therapy with Ericksonian hypnotherapy to form modern Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH), which focuses on using brain-based, goal-oriented techniques to facilitate change.​
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Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) was developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg in the late 1970s/1980s at the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee. This approach moved away from analysing problems to focusing on solutions and future goals.
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Milton Erickson's pioneering, non-directive, and empowering approach to hypnosis in the 1950s-1970s provided the foundational techniques for modern, respectful, and tailored hypnotherapy.
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