Commonly Asked Questions

Cost of Sessions

Our fees from 1st June 2023 are as follows: for a session of Hypnotherapy for problems such as anxiety, depression, confidence issues etc (except for those issues listed below), £80 per session; payable on a session by session basis. Under 13s are charged at the rate of £60 per session. Sessions usually last around an hour, with the first session being up to 90 minutes – so as to incorporate an initial discussion and assessment of your needs, plus an initial session of hypnosis.

Payment Terms

We accept payment in cash, at the time of your appointment. We may ask you for a deposit at the time of booking, which can be paid by bank transfer or card if calling through to book  - £60 for all clinical work, £80 for smoking cessation work and £100 against weight management programmes; this is purely in order to secure your appointment and is deducted from your session fee. Please refer to our cancellation policy. Payment at your session is then by any of the above methods.

Concessions

We are pleased to be able to offer a concessionary discount of 10% off all our listed prices, to NHS staff, members of the armed forces and to those on qualifying benefits. Please mention this when you make contact.

Cancellation Policy

Please note that we operate a strict 48 hour cancellation policy. Should you need to reschedule an appointment, kindly provide us with a minimum of 48 hours' notice. In the event of a no show without good reason (emergencies being exempt from this), we reserve the right to charge you a fee of £80 which covers a 1 hour session. This is normally via the credit or debit card details supplied to us at the time of booking. By booking with us you are deemed to have accepted these terms. As we are sure you will appreciate, missed appointments cost us time and money, extend our waiting lists (for you too!) and prevent us from seeing other clients. We ask for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

Specific Treatment Plans

Weight Management

We run a 6 week weight management programme which costs £80 per hour and includes all materials and support between sessions if required, payable at each session. Contact us if you would like more information.

Hypno-Band

We are the only licensed practitioners in South Ayrshire of the Hypno-Band weight loss system, please refer to the Hypno-Band section for more details.

Smoking Cessation

Our current fee for smoking cessation is £180. Our one-off ‘Quit Smoking’ session lasts around 90 minutes and includes a full session of hypnosis, plus a CD to listen to at home during the days and weeks that follow. If required, we do also offer a free follow up session but tend to find that this is very rarely needed.

In general, all sessions include follow up CDs to be used between appointments at home, further materials in the case of weight loss programmes, and support during office hours by telephone or email, if it is needed. We routinely teach self hypnosis to our clients as we believe that this is a valuable tool which can be used to move forward in life, and its use encourages development of one’s own coping mechanisms and independence from the therapist.

Emergency appointments are always available – contact us if you need further information.

What to Expect from Us

You will be treated with respect at all times and you will never be judged. We strongly believe that people are not their behaviour, and that unwanted behaviours can be permanently changed as part of a good working partnership between therapist and client. We have rules about confidentiality, and these will be explained to you at your first appointment, where you will be given the opportunity to explore your issue thoroughly and ask any questions, before agreeing on a treatment strategy. We will ensure that you feel safe and comfortable and will put your mind at ease if you are worried about hypnosis in any way, and help to dispel some of the myths surrounding what is in fact a safe, gentle and non invasive mind based solution for so many problems.

Our work is regulated by the National Council for Hypnotherapy, and we recommend that in seeking out a Hypnotherapist, you should satisfy yourself as to the credentials of the practitioner in what is currently, not a compulsorily regulated industry.

Commonly Asked Questions

Will I still be in control? I have seen a TV show where it appeared that participants were not aware or in control. This makes me nervous.

It is important to note that no-one can be hypnotised against their will, and no-one can be forced to do things that they do not want to do. Many people have a perception of hypnosis which comes from what they have seen on TV, or in stage shows. These bear little or no resemblance to what happens in a clinical setting, and often paid actors are used as 'volunteers'. It is a great pity that the way hypnosis is portrayed as purely for entertainment value, causes people to often dismiss the clinical benefits of hypnotherapy, which when used correctly and by a fully qualified practitioner, can be an extremely powerful and effective tool for reaching goals and affecting change.

What Happens During a Session?

Clinical Hypnotherapy is used purely for the benefit of the client, not for the benefit of an audience. It is a completely natural and safe practice, and there are no harmful side-effects. When administered by a professionally trained and skilled hypnotherapist, the benefits are long lasting and often permanent. During a session of hypnosis, you will be in a seated or reclined position, and will be guided by the therapist into a deep state of relaxation, during which you will be in a heightened state of awareness. This is similar to the state of consciousness we naturally move into, before drifting off to sleep at night. You will be fully aware of what is happening at all times; most people do not “feel hypnotised.” You may be aware of feeling deeply relaxed, and there may be altered bodily sensations, for example of feeling heavier or lighter, or of the sensation of ‘drifting away’ like in a daydream. You are always in control and are able to bring the session to an end, at any time you wish.

I Don't Think Hypnosis Will Work for Me

It may come as a surprise to learn that we all enter a natural trance state at several points during a normal waking day. For example, have you ever driven your car from point A to point B, along a familiar, well travelled route, and on arrival being suddenly aware that you don't remember portions of the journey? We may also experience this 'mini trance state' whilst reading, watching TV or being absorbed in a work task of some kind. Perhaps you have been doing DIY and afterwards, you realise that you have cut your finger, yet were unaware of how this happened and felt no pain at the time? In a trance state, time is distorted (it can appear that only a few moments have passed when in fact it has been much longer), and you may experience an altered state of bodily awareness or sensations, and all other thoughts simply drift away as you absorb yourself in the task at hand. Yet you are always in control - you are still able to recall details of the TV show afterwards and you are still able to drive your car to point B. It is this natural state of altered awareness that hypnosis brings about, and it is where we can communicate with the subconscious mind directly - the warehouse of stored behaviours, fears and habits which we all possess - and then make use of targeted suggestions which will help to bring about the changes you desire.

How Many Sessions Will I Need?

Because everyone is different, it's not always possible to be precise about how many sessions you will need but your therapist may be able to give you some guidance on this. Please be aware that Hypnotherapy does not always achieve instant results and sometimes several sessions are required before changes will happen.

Success Rates

In line with The National Council for Hypnotherapy's policy, we feel that any therapist who guarantees 100% success rates is not only being unethical, but is unrealistic. Every person responds differently to hypnosis and therefore it is impossible and unfair to make promises that any form of therapy will work. We don't believe in making rash claims or promises. We can promise however, to treat you with respect and empathy, to spend the required time in understanding how your problem is affecting you, and then to bring to bear our experience, knowledge and empathy in a calm and confidential setting to give you the best and up to date practice from the therapy world to assist you in achieving your aims, and to recover from what ails you.

Why Don't You Have a Testimonials Page?

This is a question we are asked often, and the answer is twofold. Firstly, it is extremely easy for any company to write and publish their own testimonials and whilst some websites may be genuine, we feel skeptical of those sites with long lists of 'satisfied customers' (but you are welcome to connect with us through Facebook, where you will see a number of reviews left by past clients of their own free will). Equally, it is possible to exclude from publication details of dissatisfied customers and showcase only those who were happy with the services they received. We strongly believe that it is far more ethical to gain clients via word of mouth referrals, where recommendations are coming from those whom you know and can believe - and our expertise in dealing with a wide range of issues is known and trusted. Secondly, there are many, many people in the UK who require help of one sort or another (for example, one in seven of us suffers from anxiety and its effects at any one time), and for suitably qualified and experienced therapists, no-one need be without work. It will always be the aim of certain companies (in any industry) to desire to have the largest business and to purport to have something that others do not. We encourage you to do plenty of research and as far as is possible, satisfy yourself as to the credentials of the practitioner before choosing the person best suited to your needs. It is our opinion that in the field of hypnotherapy and where ethical practice is essential, the patient's needs and wellbeing are paramount.

I'm still not sure.

If you still have questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. As leaders in this field we want you to feel completely at ease and comfortable with every aspect of what we do, and will spend time making sure everything is covered at the outset.