Many people believe that, if an ailment is described as psychosomatic, it means that it’s all in their head but nothing could be further from the truth. Psychosomatic actually means an effect of the mind on the body.

What this means is that, while an issue might stem from faulty thinking, its effect is quite real. Examples include panic causing rapid heart rate and sweating, and anxiety causing Irritable Bowel Syndrome. These effects are real physical symptoms which stem from our own thoughts and beliefs.

However, there are many other less obvious issues which can respond well to hypnotherapy such as pain management (where the source of the pain has been diagnosed). Pain may start in, for example, an arthritic knee but it is the brain that interprets that pain signal and the brain can be convinced by the subconscious to experience the pain in a less unpleasant or reduced way.

Also, hypnotherapy can be an effective way of dealing with unwanted behaviours such as smoking.