Change starts here
Time to take back control?
People are often surprised to learn that the ultimate goal of therapy is not to become hypnotised but rather de-hypnotised.
Why? Because the kind of problems we work with are in themselves, a form of trance (aka hypnosis). Such trances operate subconsciously and deny us our sense of self-control and freedom of choice.
To understand whether the problem you’re facing is the result of a trance state, you can consider the following criteria.
Is your problem a trance state?
-
One of the most striking features of a trance is how it constricts us. You might notice this constriction in your thoughts and behaviors, such as obsessive-compulsive patterns or the anxious anticipation of an event.
Often, it manifests physically—shallow breathing, a closed posture, or reduced sensory awareness when fixated.
It can also limit your actions, keeping you from things you’d like to do, like traveling without panic, stopping smoking, or pursuing a promotion at work.
Regardless of how a problem trance manifests, it reduces your sense of control and denies you the freedom to live life on your terms.
-
Trances operate below the level of conscious awareness, stemming from what we often call the ‘unconscious mind.’
This subconscious functioning is fast, complex, and, to varying degrees, automatic—beyond our conscious control. Often, the first sign of a trance is when we’ve already felt or acted in a certain way.
A positive example of this unconscious process is how your brain is currently matching the pixels your eyes are seeing to memorised words, enabling you to understand this sentence effortlessly. This highlights how crucial unconscious functioning is to our everyday lives.
The challenge arises when this level of operation starts working against us.
-
Many people view their challenges as irrational, saying, “It doesn’t make sense.” For instance, someone facing fear might say, “A part of me knows I’m safe, but I can’t stop feeling afraid in that situation, I feel embarrassed."
Similarly, with habits: “I know this is harmful to my health, but I keep doing it,” or with beliefs: “I know I’m accepted, but I feel like an imposter.”
These issues aren’t driven by our rational, thinking brain but by the older parts of the brain that govern emotions, social instincts, and safety.
It’s not that the problem is irrational—it’s that these ancient brain systems operate on a different kind of logic than we’re accustomed to.
Treatment areas
The way a person experiences their problem will be unique to them and therefore treatment is carefully tailored to their specific needs. However, as detailed above, all issues involve some form of subconscious trance. The most common types of problems are listed here.
If your problem is not listed here but you feel that it matches the above trance criteria in one or more ways, help may still be possible.
Please book a consultation to discuss your specific needs and possibilities for treatment.
-
Therapy can help with a range of anxiety and stress-related conditions, including acute anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic attacks, social anxiety, travel anxiety, and chronic stress. It provides strategies to manage symptoms, reduce overwhelm, and regain a sense of control.
-
Therapy can help individuals overcome a wide range of specific fears and phobias, including fear of public speaking (glossophobia), flying (aerophobia), driving (amaxophobia/vehophobia), vomiting (emetophobia), enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), constriction (merinthophobia), being trapped (agoraphobia), birds (ornithophobia), heights (acrophobia), dental phobia, dogs (cynophobia), spiders (arachnophobia), medical (including iatrophobia, nosophobia, and pharmacophobia) and needles (trypanophobia), providing effective strategies for lasting relief.
-
Therapy provides support for those struggling with trauma-related conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD (CPTSD), and childhood trauma, helping individuals process past experiences and regain emotional well-being.
-
Therapy can help individuals overcome limiting self-beliefs, including low self-confidence, imposter syndrome, low self-esteem, and fear of public performance or speaking, fostering a stronger sense of self and greater personal growth.
-
Therapy offers support for overcoming addiction, including alcohol dependency, cocaine addiction and substance misuse, as well as assistance with smoking cessation for cigarettes, vaping, and cannabis, helping individuals achieve lasting change.
-
Therapy can help individuals break free from unwanted habits such as nail biting (onychophagia), hair pulling (trichotillomania), and skin picking (dermatillomania), as well as provide effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), promoting healthier behaviours and greater control.
-
Therapy can support individuals on their weight loss journey by addressing underlying issues such as eating disorders, comfort eating, binge eating, emotional eating, and overeating, fostering a healthier relationship with food and self.
Tom Carter - Private Therapist & Coach
Integrative Person-Centered Approach
Online or In-Person (Norwich, UK)
Fully Insured & DBS Checked
GHSC Accredited (GQHP)
Frequently asked questions
-
A trance is a patterned process that becomes embedded in the mind-body system and operates, at least in part, outside of conscious awareness.
What we are more aware of are the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that arise from the underlying trance state.
Notably, trances are shaped by our experiences—while we retain the learning, we often forget the lesson itself.
-
An initial consultation takes 30-minutes at a cost of £40
Following this, a standard 60-minute session costs £85
If at any stage in therapy, a longer 90-minute session is required, such as for EMDR Therapy, the cost for this is £120.
For people under 16yrs of age, 45-minute sessions are offered as an option at a cost of £60.
A 10% discount is available on the above session prices (excluding consultation) for:
State Pension recipients
Blue Light Card holders
NUS Card holders
-
Each therapy session is unique, oriented around the client and what they need in that session. My aim always is to provide you with the safety and support to explore your problem in a way that allows for natural and manageable change.
In practical terms, the in-session experience can include a combination of sitting, standing, talking, reflecting, moving, focusing, imagining, body sensing / feeling, visualising, thinking, feeling, meaning-making, observing, relating, remembering, forecasting and more.
The use of a therapeutic trance state (aka hypnosis) can also be part of the process though in most cases is not necessary for the pre-existing ‘problem’ ‘trance to be resolved.
-
This depends on many factors, primarily the nature of the problem and the outcome being sought.
It is worth stating that when working therapeutically with subconscious problems, the old adage of ‘less haste more speed’ applies. The more someone tries to force change, the more resistance they typically encounter - and the slower the process takes overall.
My commitment to all those I work with is the same, that we will work as quickly as possible but as slowly as necessary.
-
Hypnosis is a state of altered consciousness in which the critical, analytical part of your mind can quieten, allowing you to more easily connect with your subconscious experience.
The term "hypnosis" comes from the Greek word hypnos, meaning "sleep," which can be misleading—being in hypnosis is not the same as being asleep.
Although hypnosis is often experienced with closed eyes to enhance relaxation, much like resting, this does not mean the person is asleep. From an outside perspective, they may appear to be sleeping, but internally, they are in a heightened state of awareness.
-
That’s OK, you don’t need to be. If you find yourself doubtful, skeptical or find difficulty with things such as relaxation and meditation, you can view this as a protective resistance, something we welcome and work with as part of the process.
The truth is, some people have a natural ability for entering hypnotic states and others take a little longer to familiarise with the process. My role is to meet you wherever you are and help you achieve change in a way that works for you.
-
Therapy is a process of gaining greater awareness and self-control. Whilst entertainment hypnosis gives the impression of people losing control, this is the direct opposite of how it can be used in therapy.
-
On the basis that you attend a one-hour weekly therapy session, that leaves an extra ~110 waking hours in which you can be making progress towards your goal. And as you would expect, those people that are prepared to do the work, typically progress further and faster.
That said, out of session work is always optional and by no means obligatory. If you feel you want to do out of session work, let me know and I will make it available to you.