Whilst my initial training (way back in 2009) was in hypnotherapy and NLP, over the subsequent years I have added to my toolbox with a variety of different therapy techniques and modalities.

One of the therapies that I studied resonated with me particularly and I still use it regularly with clients.

Solution focused therapy had its beginnings in the 1970s with Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg, two American psychiatrists who observed the work of therapists in an inner city outpatient mental health service. They wanted to be able to identify which questions and techniques brought about the most significant change in clients with a full range of mental health issues.

Using this information, they established brief solution focused therapy. This meant working with the client to find exceptions (situations where the problem was not present) and helping them to use these situations as exemplars of how they could deal with the problem. They also employed the use of the ‘miracle question’. Basically this means encouraging the client to use their imagination and asking them ‘what if a miracle happened in the middle of the night and the problem had then disappeared the next day? How would your day be different?

I use this ‘miracle question’ a lot with clients. Sometimes it takes them a while to really think about how things would be without the problem, as they may have had the issue for so long. Once they respond, however, it is like opening a magic door in their mind, and they begin to see how life could be for them. I then use this information within the hypnosis session, planting those positive seeds inside the subconscious, with often the most amazing results.

Hypnosis is such a wonderful therapy, but even more magical when it is combined with other modalities such as solution focused therapy.

If you are tired of trying other therapies and experiencing little or no improvement, I urge you to try a new way. You will not be disappointed.

best wishes,

Wendy xx