Amreeta Chapman Hypnotherapy

issues hypnosis helps with... for your FREE PHONE CONSULTATION CALL 0118 926 9978 NOW!!

Inner Potential Hypnotherapy specialises in these issues:

1. Depression and Anxieties
2. Phobias
3. Panic Attacks
4. Anger/Aggression
5. Low Self-esteem
6. Sexual Abuse/Problems
7. Working with children's Issues e.g. shyness, tics, bedwetting, fears. sleeping problems....


1. Depression/Anxieties

Many people suffer from severe depression and are on medications for the depression but most people are functioning in their routine lives but are still feeling anxious or depressed; these feelings can often affect them by causing fears they can't explain, insomnias, migraines, high stress level at work, irritability or anger at home, alcohol problems, binging problems and many other symptoms. The body and mind are very closely linked and when emotions are repressed or not properly processed the mind uses the body to express this emotional state.

So you may find a friend, partner or even yourself wanting to calm down and sleep but your mind is racing with worry that even you know is not rational; but you are still worrying and thereby by the morning you are all tired, drained and unable to focus, concentrate or feel light.

Usually we seek help when the symptoms whether they are bodily e.g. pains, migraines, panic attacks, heart tremors or emotional/mental e.g. fear of social situation or authority figures.....

Hypnotherapy helps by moving the conscious, logical brain into a state of sleep,a daydreaming, relaxed state where then the Hypnotherapist can help you access that part of your brain that controls your emotions, reflections, and instinctive behaviours and she helps you change those triggers that are causing the trouble.

The uncosncious brain is very powerful and keeps working on old learned habits and tools that it learnt from our past and until changed deep there, we may find that we always come back to square one despite all the self-help books ect....

2. Panic attacks:

A well-dressed executive fidgets at the boardroom table; for some reason he can't seem to understand what the other directors are saying."what's the matter with me? I can't concentrate! my stomach feels like one big knot!"

Panic attacks have earned their name very well.The first time it happens the person is taken by surprise and caught in panic for all the signs and symptoms are just like those felt by a dying person. It is common for the person to feel quite at ease one minute and find that the next minute he/she is struck by utter terror.

The most common symptoms of a panic attack are:

racing heartbeat

difficult breathing/panting

Fear of dying

Chest pains

Blurry vision

ringing in ears

dizziness/nausea

Profuse sweating



Panic attack versus panic disorder: A panic disorder is diagnosed when a person has had four or more panic attacks in one month or one panic attack followed by a month of fear of having another attack. Panic disorder is the next step up from panic attacks and it is usually known that it takes longer for a person to recover once he/she is diagnosed as having panic disorder. Panic disorder is often accompanied by other symptoms along with the above e.g. depression and may lead to phobias developing to situations where panic attacks have occurred.

Panic attacks are a form of fear but after the first attack it becomes more a fear of the fear situation. Compared to a phobia where the feeling of fear occurs every time one goes near the feared object sufferers of panic attacks experience intense fear of the unknown. After the first "out of the blue" attack the person lives with an internal, constant self-generated fear of another attack.

A Hypnotherapist works with the Doctor's diagnosis in cases of panic attacks. The mind is a very powerful thing and it can be tuned, programmed to receive suggestions quite easily, though still maintaining control and understanding. The mind controls all of our thoughts - good and bad - but can sometimes be tricked into believing things that are "not quite right" which then signals other parts of the body to react accordingly which is exactly what happens in panic attacks. Through hypnotherapy the aim is to relax the conscious mind to such an extent that we can feed the unconscious mind with healthier ways of coping with stress situations, their breathing process and the fears. Through visualisation in a trance state the daunting images the client consciously carries of having another attack and dying are replaced with feelings of control;in the relaxed state when the client looks upon the symptoms he/she feels in charge of the body's response and regain his sense of power over his/her body and mind.

3. Phobias:presentations, flying, social situations, injections, spiders, driving phobias

Every one of us is fearful of something or somebody or some situation e.g. an insect or the teacher or some social gathering; our reactions range from slight trembling to sweating and increased heartbeats etc. To have a phobia you must have those reactions with ten times more intensity to the point where you actively avoid the phobic stimulus. You may feel as if you are having a heart attack and no reasoning can reassure you except running away from the situation and trying constantly to avoid it. With a social phobia the person will actively avoid being in social places and will even refuse to do any shopping or go on the bus! In the case of developing a phobia for an object e.g. flying, or heights , the person will stop important functions e.g.…a seminar, business meeting etc or else if forced in the situation will feel as if he is suffocating, having difficulty breathing and may even feel as if he/she is going to pass out.

Paradoxically enough phobias are a very common presence in our society given the fact that we talk very little about it and discuss about it openly. They may start in childhood or due to a trauma. It is an excessive fear that the person cognitively knows is irrational and yet cannot control the emotional reactions and the loss of control over his reasoning capacity except having the urge for flight. Over a certain period the situation becomes a vicious circle:the more we avoid the phobic object(spiders) situation(social gatherings) the more we fear them and the more the fear grows the more inhibited we become to face them and the more we are convinced that the situation has more control over us than we have over it.

Over time so much of our energy is spent planning about how to stay away from the phobic situation that the person can become less functional, feels tired and drained and does not have much time for healthy activities. The phobia also has its toll on our self-esteem as we know that we are not being "reasonable" and we feel ashamed in front of our circle of family and friends. We may often judged as being weak or cowardly but we do know that phobias are valid feelings when we realise that around ten percent of the population is undergoing the same problem we may feel more confident in seeking solutions to our problem.

Hypnotherapy works with the unconscious mind as we've already seen before. Phobias seem to be controlled by our feelings more than from our logical brain so what better alternative than hypnotherapy can there be where the conscious mind is made to "sleep" so that the unconscious mind can be accessed. Two areas of the unconscious mind can be accessed here: the part that knows how the phobia came about and retain the memories about it all; and the part of the unconscious where you have stored potentials and skills that you do not even know you possess but that you have used unconsciously.

Hypnotherapy will help you neutralise and desensitise you to the phobic object/situation;give you the control over your mind and emotions so that you can look on the phobic object/situation as any other normal person would; Help you learn to be more relaxed and raise your self-esteem and self-confidence that you have the tools within you to take care of yourself.

4. Low self-esteem/Self-confidence issues:

Every moment of our life we feel ourselves under scrutiny of our own and others' perceptions and judgements.It is important to distinguish the difference between the two: when we feel other people are judging us it is, in fact often our own thoughts that we are projecting on to them. They may not be thinking anything in the glance or smile they gave us but because we are thinking constantly about how inferior or lacking we are we often believe we see a confirmation of that in the other's behaviour.

The moment we accept this reality of life we recognise the value of our own thoughts and the vicious pattern that we are creating by feeding and maintaining negative, unhealthy images, thoughts and feelings about ourselves. Because what happens then is that we see every single other as confirming those images, feeling and thoughts constantly and the more we read them the more we feed and convince our mind of our own uselessness.If you wish to understand more about the power of the mind to control us.

If we were lucky at younger age to have received more positive messages then we grow with a positive self-image and self-worth but not all of us are that lucky! For those of us who got mostly critical or judgmental messages such as 'get out of here', 'you are not good enough', 'you are a waste of my time', 'when will you do something with your life', 'nothing you do is good enough' we learn to believe that we are not supposed to have anything good to give, we are annoying and unpleasant to be around and that we should not bother trying because we are going to fail anyway. With messages like these coming in loud and clear how are we supposed to develop the courage to get to know others andform relationships later on in life? After all, if they get to know us they will find out just how annoying and unpleasant we really are!!

Positive messages encourage growth and a positive self-image while negative messages condition us to feel down about whom we are and doubt our own worth as human beings.

Hypnotherapy gives us a bridge to enter into the UNCONSCIOUS MIND where all these messages and beliefs about our self worth are stored.We might have forgotten them and we are working in well paid jobs and succeeding on the surface of our lives but our inner feelings are still very derogatory; the feeling of success just does not reach and shine inside. We keep moving from challenge to challenge hoping the next one will bring more fulfilment but it just doesn't. Hypnotherapy aims to help you change those old obsolete messages into triggers that affirm and encourages your perceptions of yourself as a worthy confident person. Usually with issues of self-confidence clients take on average only four sessions to achieve a state of aseertiveness as compared to feelings of passivity or aggressivity!

4. Anger/Aggression:

Anger is normal and a very healthy way to say that we are hurt or frustrated;at least it is better that bottling it all up and the becoming aggressive because we are feeling very heavy! When we say some people need treatment for Anger Management we mean that they need help to EXPRESS THEIR ANGER IN CONSTRUCTIVE WAYS. I have had many clients over the years who have expressed a fear of losing all ability to be angry if they come for Hypnotherapy. What Hypnotherapy will help with is simply programming the mind to process the anger in manageable doses and manageable ways both for the client and his/her family members or colleagues.

I am sure we all know somebody who cannot control their anger and just blows off out of proportion at simple things:

They feel under attack if they are told they have done something wrong.

they scream, shout, swear without any consideration for people around

they start shaking, stammering even choking with their raging feelings.

Afterwards they have either not much recollection of all they said or they feel ashamed of it.

they will be the first one to tell you: IT FEELS AS IF SOMEONE ELSE TAKES CONTROL OF THEIR MIND AND THEY CANNOT STOP THE ANGER!!


The same happens with aggression:the individual feels under attack and retaliates too strongly verbally and physically.

The fact is that the individual knows very well he/she should not behave that way and is even quite helpless with his/her own aggressiveness/anger.

Hypnotherapy works marvellously well in these cases for two major reasons: In Hypnotherapy we are working with unconscious mind( read paradox of the unconscious mind) where all our instinctive reactions have taken roots and angry/aggressive people often feel helpless once those triggers get touched upon. they have forgotten when they learnt unconsciously to blow up if someone say “you are being silly” or if they just imply it. the trigger has been programmed in the inner mind and gets set up automatically.

What a Hypnotherapist will do is access the inner mind and deprogram those triggers and set more constructive reactions to anger, like talking it out, shouting within limits, staying within boundaries of self-respect etc.The added bonus here is that we train the mind to relax and become calm so that we can access the unconscious mind and this results in the clients also learning to relax their mind and body. Over three to five sessions the client is helped to develop a more constructive unconscious mindset which he then practices over a few more weeks as he is taught self-hypnosis.

Although at this stage it seems impossible to you that anything can help you develop control over that temper of yours because you have tried and tried helplessly over the years without much success, don’t worry. In Hypnotherapy you are the one doing the work under expert guidance but the effect is more powerful as you will be under such a deep state of relaxation that your brain becomes more receptive than it is at the moment.

5. Sexual abuse/problems:

In hypnotherapy I have met and worked with men and women individually or as couples, to sort out sexual problems that they have been having for years/months. Most people become aware of their sexual issues only when they are in a couple and wish to enjoy a healthy sexual relationship. The problem can be focused on the woman or man but the issue is for both of them and if not looked at carefully sooner or later, the sexual problem starts creating shadows of doubts or pain for either or both e.g. low self-esteem, shameful feelings, overworking to stay away from home, tensions in emotional relationship, etc….

Hypnosis has been very effective in relieving the stress created by the sexual problem as well as that caused afterwards, after constant failures/attempts to have good sex with your other half. Because in hypnotherapy we work with the unconscious mind where all the triggers for our physical and sexual behaviours are located anyway, within three to five sessions people find their perceptions and reactions to their sexual health changing into constructive beliefs.Usually after a check up with the doctor, where physical reasons are ruled out, clients will come for hypnotherapy, hoping to ignite the passion back in their couple relationship. There is no need to believe that without sex a couple is necessarily unhappy; there are many out there who are perfectly happy. But for couples whose lack of sex is becoming an issue the pressure can increase and affect the dynamics of the relationship and the self-esteem/self-image of both parties.

With practice of self-hypnosis the client often achieve an assertiveness over his mind and body that he starts enjoying in his sexual life more and more. Sexual performance often has more to do with the psyche and mental belief than with the actual sexual organ, which is why human beings can create arousal just by imagining or creating different scenarios in their head. As Hypnotherapy works with the psyche directly, is there any doubt imagining how effective it can be in calming the conscious mind, accessing the unconscious and changing the old, obsolete triggers once for all?

My work is centered on the client’s goals, which may be to just enjoy light sex or regular sex. I have occasionally needed to work with the other partner as well because it seems obvious that the problem is with the one not wanting the sex, often the problem is more with the other partner!! that partner is not fulfilling his/her role in other capacities which is causing the friction in the sex lives and the focus is being put on that person. There are many ways and symptoms in which sexual problems are expressed and the causes are often more psychological than physical. But in all cases, as a Hypnotherapist, I will ask clients to see a Doctor first and foremost. Thereafter, we will work during three to five sessions over two/three months to make the client achieve his/her goal. But in cases where there are deeper issues, like child abuse, sexual abuse by loved ones etc, a few more sessions may be focused on these issues.

Sexual Violence/Abuse:

People who have experienced sexual abuse or emotional incest often carry strong feelings of shame, rage, fear, pain as well as guilt. Because it is very instinctive in victims to blame themselves for the abuse so these victims often treat themselves with anger and guilt.

The sexual assault may have occurred a few years ago or as far back as early childhood.We may have survived and become successful adults in our present lives but the feelings seem to stay; we may often find ourselves feeling incredible rage with authority figures, we may feel we need to be always in utter control, we may find ourselves unable to derive any pleasure having sex with our loved ones. Sometimes the victim feels he/she has lost the person they were before the abuse took place. They become dependent on sleeping pills and anti-depressants to cope with life because they feel so helpless and worthless. They undergo some or most of the following symptoms:

• disgust with their physical body
  
• guilt/anger with themselves
  
• self-mutilations
  
• suicidal thoughts
  
• feeling powerless/worthless
  
• negative self-image
  
• relationship difficulties (old or new ones)
  
• nightmares/insomnias
  

Hypnotherapy with survivors of domestic and sexual violence: Hypnosis works with the subconscious mind, that part of the mind where messages have become triggers and we just react to them automatically. Messages received in a state of deep fear or trauma often sinks very deeply and settles in the subconscious mind. Victims are often in a dazed state, a trance state of fear when the messages are being stormed their way and they defencelessly receive them.

Hypnotherapy benefits domestic violence survivors in two major ways: It allows their body and mind to relearn to relax; over the years the body has learnt to be in such a state of alertness, acute watchfulness/tension for the next blow that even now they find it very difficult to relax and let their guards down, which would explain the insomnias/migraines. Thus Hypnotherapy retrains the body to regain a balanced state of composure and calmness. secpondly it retrains, reprograms the subconscious mind to let go of all those triggers that make the person reacts with fear and tension. For example, even years later, victims find it difficult to assert themselves with their boss or an aggressive person; once their subconscious mind picks the authority in that person’s voice it triggers in them the same reaction of fear and an inner command to run and hide away. Hypnotherapy builds in the subconscious mind constructive triggers so that the person reacts with healthier responses to tension (physical, emotional/mental or even sexual tension) as well as reprogram their mind to be more focused on their future goals and aims.

Hypnotherapy allows the tired, mutilated mind-state of survivors of domestic/sexual abuse to lapse into a luxurious state of relaxation. The conscious mind with its constant flashbacks, criticisms, judgements sleeps off and allows access to the subconscious mind. Once the person is there, with the hypnotherapist’s guidance he/she can recover lost resources of control, self-nurturing capacity, motivation, determination and assertion. Because the client is in such a state of relaxation, he/she can look and work with the deep wounds which he/she would shun in a conscious state. Destructive triggers are eliminated and replaced with past existing or new triggers for the client to react with calmness, positivism and hope towards oneself and the future.

6. Hypnotherapy for children's & adolescents' issues:

issues such as shyness, effects of bullying, anger, aggression, blushing, stammering, tics and nail biting, worrying and exams fears as well as sleep problems with children or adolescents have been very common in my Hypnotherapy practice for the past four years.

Children are the BEST HYPNOTHERAPISTS in the world: think about how entranced you become when you watch your child acting a world war with his cars or how mesmerized you feel when she starts telling you about the magical world of her teddy bear or doll!! Children can paint such vivid inner worlds and they can pull us into those with them very readily because at that stage of their lives they are not yet inhibited by the critical, logical, rational part of their brain yet. They have no doubt at all that what they are saying is true thereby their brain also never question the reality of what they paint. Imagine how difficult you find it to pull them out of the world of imagination to do some homework!!

So long as they are painting constructive imagery, imagery of self-mastery where they are the Pilot of the aircraft or the Nurse, imagery of a world that is making them feel secure about their development that is all very well. The problem occurs when children are undergoing some mental/emotional stress which gets expressed in different ways some of which are listed at the top. The list can be very long but the basis is often the same( please note that we can only say this after the child has been medically examined and no physical cause of the above behaviours has been found): children have difficulty expression emotions/fears in words, they prefer acting it out.

While they are undergoing these issues they are painting a very scary inner world of images of self-defeatism, weaknesses, failures, incompetence which makes the symptoms grow worse.

HYPNOTHERAPY can help in these cases by helping the child to replace those defeating inner stories that they are constantly replaying with more constructive and long lasting beliefs in their own competence, abilities. This especially occurs within six to ten years when children are under psychological and social pressures to prove that they are competent at something!!



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