For those of you who know us of old, you will recall that, whilst I did 'body', if you like, Philip did 'mind.' His main therapy was clinical hypnotherapy and I have greatly missed being able to refer people to him! Well, as some of you know, I had hypnotherapy/brain retraining treatment myself and really rate the therapist I eventually found (after trying several not very good ones and then having her recommended to me, thank goodness!).

Who's the therapist?

Julie Poole is very skilled and experienced. She's based near Plymouth, but works mostly virtually now via Skype, Facetime etc and has been in practice since 2002, helping over 2000 clients so far. She is a senior consultant hypnotherapist.

Qualifications?

SQHP (Senior Qualification in Hypnotherapy Practice). Certified and registered Hypnotherapy Practitioner, registered with the GHR (General Hypnotherapy Register), GHSC (General Hypnotherapy Standards Council) and the CNCH (Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council.) Fully insured for practice.

How does she work?

Where hypnotherapy is very powerful on its own, as we found in-clinic, Julie's particular mix of 'talking therapies', consultation and hypnotherapy works beautifully well to get to the real hub of the issue and start changing it. You can read more about her approach here where she explained on a guest post how she approaches chronic illness including chronic fatigue, food sensitivity and migraine, for example.

"I work with my clients by using a combination of different therapeutic techniques to alter negative thoughts and belief systems. A session includes an element of counselling and therapeutic tools, including Behavioural therapy, CBT or Psychodynamic therapy.

Behavioural therapy includes the use of changing conditioned or ‘learned’ behaviour.

CBT or ‘cognitive behavioural therapy’ works to change negative thinking patterns which restrict you.

Psychodynamic therapy works by tackling underlying subconscious and unconscious issues.

Many clients need a combination of these techniques depending on the issue they are seeking help with.

Some techniques are used under hypnosis, others are used in one to one counselling sessions before, and again after, the hypnosis session.

I also use various emotional releasing techniques. For every negative thought that is held, there is a negative emotion to accompany it. It is therefore essential that the emotions are also acknowledged and safely released in order to bring full peace."

What kind of things would I ask Julie to help with?

Pretty much anything where there might be a subconscious or brain thought pattern driving the problem. That might be phobias, weight issues, habits like smoking, drinking too much, constant worry about a situation, not sleeping, feeling insecure or unconfident for some reason.

However, she specalises in more complex situations, especially those related to anxiety, fear, trauma, ACE disorders and PTSD.

"Most of my work's focus is predominantly around anxiety-based issues, including those related to past or current trauma and that could be of many kinds: people think of those as sexual, physical and emotional abuse, death or loss, but we now know that neglect, feeling unloved, unsafe, bullied, humiliated or even simply ignored is enough.

These kind of traumas are classed as ACEs – adverse childhood experiences - and often result in adulthood problems such as eating disorders, food intolerance, migraines, chronic fatigue, phobias, OCD, PTSD and depression.

I work with and use a variety of methods including behaviourism, conditioning, CBT, emotion code, emotion release, mindfulness and stress reduction."

I'm a bit worried about hypnosis - will she make me dance like a chicken?

I'd actually like to see that! You're mixing up stage hypnotism there with clinical hypnotherapy, which is a well-researched and well-accepted medical field of helping to change ways of thinking, conditioned and learned behaviours and emotional responses nowadays, thank goodness.

"Whilst you are in a state of hypnosis, you are resting somewhere, quite peacefully, between wake and sleep. You are fully aware of your surroundings and outside noises. Whilst in this dreamy state between wake and sleep your mind is at rest and is very susceptible to suggestion.

At any time, you can reject a suggestion if it doesn’t feel right to you. These accepted suggestions are then placed into your subconscious mind, which upon waking, you begin to act upon. You are not under the control or command of the hypnotherapist; you are however under their influence, but only with your agreement. At no point are you unconscious and you will remember everything.

20 minutes' hypnosis is equivalent to 4 hours sleep – you will awaken feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and very relaxed.

Does it work?

Julie treated me for PTSD which had gradually translated into chronic illness and multiple food and non-food sensitivity. I credit her with helping me to turn it around :) So, yes it does! It was her mix of before and after sessions to set the hypnosis changes that really worked I think, which is why she is now part of our evolving team!

"Every problem has a solution and a good Hypnotherapist will work with you to find it! The general success rate for Hypnotherapy is generally between 75% – 98%. My success rate is over 99%. I have worked with over 2000 clients since 2002 and have failed to help just 4 people out of those 2000 plus.

"After years of illness due to undiagnosed Coeliac disease I have struggled with food sensitivities and tried without success to introduce supplements and foods to heal myself . Since working with you things have changed , in the last 10 DAYS I have introduced SEVEN supplements without problems and continuing to get other things back in !! If anyone is in doubt give it a go and believe that you can do it ." JD. Nov 2016

BTW you recommended Julie to me last year when I was really low. She has been a real lifesaver - a major puzzle piece for me in dealing with some ACE stuff and heading down a new level of healing. Thank the time you took to talk to me about it and her when I really needed it! M Aug 17

You can see more testimonials for Julie here.

I listened once to an awful CD and the person's voice completely put me off! What is Julie's voice like?

Good question. This is actually really important as you need to be able to relax to someone's style and voice. I find Julie's tone very soft and soothing.

You can listen to Julie's free samples here and you will find a link to her self-hypnosis and meditation downloads there, too.

How much does Julie charge and how many sessions might I need?

Julie will do a free initial chat with you lasting up to 30 minutes to make sure she can help before she takes you on. After that, her sessions are charged out at £60 per hour, paid upfront to confirm your booking. Sessions usually take 1-2 hours so any time taken after the first hour is charged pro-rata.

I have told her what other hypnos I know charge but she wants to keep it as low as she can so people who need help can get it. Effectively, her sessions are really three therapies rolled into that time so she gets a lot done per session. It's excellent value in my view. She may be able to offer some discount if you book a course of sessions.

The number of sessions varies, of course, depending on the condition. Some people need just one. Julie says most people need 3-6; her average is 3. Some more complex cases with a lot to unpick and change (including me) might need quite a few more. It actually amazed me how much we got done in each session. You can space the sessions out as you need, but Julie will advise you.

Does she have any downloads I can do from home?

Yes, I have put a link to her meditation and self-hypnosis recordings on the shop here for you. I relied on a couple of them myself during my healing and still do them regularly now.

How do I book?

Just add a free chat or session to your basket and Julie will be in touch via your chosen method.

Trust me: shes a lifesaver - and that's a direct quote from someone on a Support Call with me recently who had had 3 sessions with her for acute anxiety!