QUESTIONS

How long can I expect to be in Therapy?

The length of treatment varies and is dependent upon which approach is suggested by your therapist. However, we work very closely with you in establishing a programme to suit your goals, needs and availability. The decision on the length of therapy will be made after your initial consultation and once the assessment of your problems has been made.

Here follows a list which serves as a guide only:

For more severe problems, especially chronic or long-term difficulties, the length of treatment will vary. BACK TO TOP

How do I know if I need Therapy?
Therapy may be for you if you are feeling anxious, depressed, or unfulfilled in any way and nothing seems to help. You may have tried to cope with your problems on your own but you are finding it difficult to cope. Therapy can help you develop the necessary coping skills and can provide you with a set of new strategies you can apply to make your problem manageable.
If you can afford it, good competent professional help is worthwhile. When problems or feelings interfere with life, either individually, in relationships or at work, it is advisable to seek help. BACK TO TOP

Is Therapy Confidential?

All personal information is treated in the strictest confidence and remains confidential to the Centre. It is crucial for you to feel able to trust the service, knowing that it is safe to talk openly about what is happening to you during the time in your life when you choose to seek help. This strict confidentiality rule would only be broken, in most cases with the client's consent, should exceptional circumstances arise which give the therapist good grounds for believing that serious harm may be caused to the client or to others. BACK TO TOP

How do I get started?

Firstly, contact The London Therapy Centre by e-mail (info@thelondontherapycentre.com) or by telephone (020 7307 8719 answering service). A psychotherapist will phone you back to discuss your needs and to give you an explanation about of service we offer. Providing the therapist believes the Centre can be of assistance to you and also you feel you would like to go ahead with therapy, an appointment will be made at this stage for your initial consultation. Appointments can be scheduled for mornings, afternoons or some evenings.
In your initial consultation, the therapist will explore your present situation, needs and concerns about therapy and will come to understand whether it would be appropriate for you to enter therapy at this time and if so, what kind of therapy and approach we can use for your specific concerns and whether or not we would like to work together. BACK TO TOP

What would my commitment be in Therapy?

Therapy is a major commitment, both in terms of time and money. Aside from the initial consultation which is 90 minutes, the sessions last for 50 minutes once a week, although some clients prefer more than one session a week. Where a client is receiving Hypnotherapy we normally recommend that self-hypnosis is practised outside of the sessions to aid and assist the treatment. The therapist will give the client full instructions and guidance on how to achieve self-hypnosis on their own. BACK TO TOP

I believe my problem is due to a chemical imbalace - can Therapy help?

Professional and popular literature is replete with references to chemical imbalances. Empirical research does not support the popular idea that chemical imbalances precede and cause psychological disturbance or disorders. The facts are that psychological problems and imbalances generally cause chemical imbalances and problems. BACK TO TOP

What if I need medication?

If you are on medication, you may wish to continue to be supervised on your medication with your GP/Consultant. If you would like to be referred to a psychiatrist for medication, we will be happy to do so. BACK TO TOP

Can long-term habits and compulsions be broken?

Habits become compulsions which one feels compelled to do and repeat. Actually these habits are unconsciously chosen to distract us from solving serious problems we have. Compulsions are often metaphors of unsolved problems which develop from difficulties we avoid confronting. BACK TO TOP

What is the cost of Therapy?

The cost will be discussed during your initial consultation as it is dependent on the treatment plan and varies with each client. However, some indication of cost can be given when discussing your requirements by phone with the therapist prior to your initial consultation. Clients should make every effort to keep all of their appointments, or to cancel with at least 48 hours notice. Otherwise, barring emergency, patients will be invoiced for missed sessions. The London Therapy Centre will endeavour to make every effort to make therapy affordable, and time-effective. Fees could also be reviewed if your financial circumstances change during the course of treatment. We have a limited number of low-cost sessions available from time to time. BACK TO TOP

Will I be in control during Hypnotherapy?

During a hypnotherapy session you are aware that you may be open to suggestion. Rather than losing control, a comprehensive series of sessions can help a person to gain control. If during the initial consultation the therapist is not convinced of a new client's firm commitment toward a proclaimed goal, they will not continue with the person. In spite of the increased suggestibility inherent with hypnosis, genuine motivation is necessary for a person to achieve meaningful results in therapy. Clients become more motivated toward achieving their goals if any significant underlying resistance issues get properly addressed and there is some degree of rapport with the therapist.
Many people who have not previously experienced a formal hypnotic induction expect the experience of the state of hypnosis to be far different, and often more extreme, than what it is. Even after attempts prior to the induction to alleviate such misconceptions, a classic response after a first hypnosis is, "I know I wasn't hypnotized. I heard every word you said." Ironically, the same person, when asked what this "non-hypnosis" experience was like, may give a dramatic response, such as, "Well, I haven't relaxed so much in years." Some will doubt in early sessions whether they went into hypnosis at all. Others who achieve significant depth may believe only light hypnosis was achieved. With continuing experience, people tend to go deeper and also begin to recognise the signs that for them are associated with hypnosis. BACK TO TOP

How will I 'feel' during hypnosis?

The experience of hypnosis is a natural state of mind, similar to a mental state we sometimes enter spontaneously every day. Examples include states of narrow focus, such as you might experience when watching television or absorbed in a good book. A form of hypnosis, the 'hypnogogic' state, is entered just prior to falling asleep, and the heightened suggestibility of the 'hypnopompic' state occurs when first waking up. Even daydreaming is considered by many experts to be a form of light hypnosis, or a borderline (hypnoidal) state. The conscious mind begins to recede and the unconscious mind comes to the foreground, giving you greater access to the imagination, memories and feelings. BACK TO TOP

Little known facts about hypnosis:

People who enter hypnosis deliberately in session or during self-hypnosis know they are suggestible. The most common danger with hypnosis lies primarily outside of the therapeutic context, in situations in which people are not aware that they are in suggestible states. For example, we can be influenced by an authority figure, such as a doctor or other professional, or a political or parental figure. When a person is unduly influenced by an authority, a spontaneous hypnosis can develop and the person may become extremely suggestible.
To give another example, double-blind suggestibility studies have documented that most persons will respond well to placebos, even when used in place of morphine for severe pain. That gives us a glimpse at the enormous power of the unconscious mind. A person who deliberately uses hypnotic states to control his or her unconscious mind can create extreme physiological changes and other exceptional achievements without needing to project power onto a pill or an authority figure.
Additionally, our consumer culture bombards us with various forms of advertising that can have a hypnotic affect. Advertisers may even pay a premium for broadcasting late at night or early in the morning when people are more likely to be highly suggestible. Learning about hypnosis and suggestibility helps us recognise times when we may be more open or vulnerable so that we can retain awareness and have more control.
The therapeutic value of hypnosis is gradually becoming much more widely recognised. As the myths and misconceptions are exposed and word continues to spread about the values of hypnosis, growing acceptance and interest has increased in academic and scientific communities as well. Many doctors and other professionals are being trained themselves or referring patients to hypnotherapists for work in conjunction with conventional treatments. While there is still residual misunderstanding in some people's minds, the misconceptions of many have lessened over the years. BACK TO TOP