Maggie Bell

Hello, my name is Maggie Bell, a highly qualified and experienced advanced multi-modalities... over 20 years working in the NHS (community, inpatient, outpatient, GP surgeries) as well as 15 years plus in private practice.  Now working only in full time private practice.

WHERE I PRACTICE:

Hypnotherapy is just part of what I offer within a full therapeutic approach with different modalities that are researched and proved to be successful working at the light end and the deeper end.. Although this page is more about Hypnotherapy you can learn more about me if you click at the top of the page onto my website or call me.  But if you are happy to just keep reading see below:

WHAT IS HYPNOTHERAPY?
Hypnotherapy is a natural therapy.  We go into self hypnosis several times a day.  For example, when we are in the day dreaming state, or even driving a car, or when we listen to music.  Have you ever gone to the fridge to look for the ketchup and you simply cannot see it - and then; there it is right in front of you.  So it could be explained as a special kind of intense focus on what it is you want...and to see more clearly.

Hypnotherapy works with your subconscious and unconscious mind.  Your subconscious mind does not know what is real and what is not real.  It is empty when you are conceived.  And then all of your experiences are recorded in the subconscious mind which is why you cannot remember them with your conscious mind (like the hard drive of a computer I could say).  You may delete a document on the surface but the hard drive still stores the memory.

Your unconscious mind regulates all of your body rhythms like pulse, heartbeat and breathing. Your conscious mind is researched to show that you can remember 5-9 things at anyone time and is the critical part of your mind that feeds the subconscious. 
The conscious mind is thought to be about 10 percent of you mind, so that leaves the other 90% to be subconscious/unconscious.

Although your subconscious mind is said to not know what is real or not; it works extremely hard to protect you and keep you safe based on its subconscious memory.  It can misunderstand what is helping you and what is not and thus encourage you to choose unhealthy, unhelpful habits to develop which can include negative thoughts, negative feelings and negative behaviours, and even more so negative outcomes, that can repeat negatively in a negative cycle.  All parts of your mind;  conscious, subconscious and unconscious interact, cross over and impact and can impact on the physical where in turn the physical impacts on the psychological.

WHAT WOULD I EXPERIENCE IN HYPNOTHERAPY:
Hypnosis is generally believed to be an 'altered state of awareness', an 'altered state of consciousness', a dream like state; a state during which the conscious, critical, analytical mind, is slipped to one side allowing easier access to the subconscious/unconscious mind.  It is a state that is different - both from the normal waking state and from any stages of sleep.

It has been noted in research that there is evidence of the hypnosis state on EEG's (brain wave tracings which show the brain to be more active during hypnosis than at any other time).

HYPNOTHERAPY WITH ME?
In a hypnotherapy session with me, you would have an opportunity to receive some counselling; usually CBT & NLP, and thereafter I would induce a very deep relaxed state (a hypnotic state) so that you are able to look more inwards, rather than outwards where your subconscious/unconscious mind comes to the fore easily and naturally.
As this happens your 'Ego State' or 'Natural Self' becomes more receptive to ideas and positive suggestions, resulting in the temporary suspension of critical judgement triggers.

Hypnosis and especially Hypnotherapy depend greatly on Ego Receptivity, the psychological manifestation of which is that one, allows things to happen rather than make them happen.  Like planting a positive seed that then germinates and grows bigger in the subconscious/unconscious mind.  Marketing adverts happen like this all the time.  You may be watching a nice relaxing film and then bang! the adverts are on with a higher volume and targeting your subconscious/unconscious mind to encourage you to buy their products.  So hypnotherapy is all around you as is psychology; it is everywhere and a natural part of your everyday.

During hypnosis, whilst the Ego is in Receptive Mode your subconscious/unconscious mind is able to connect more easily to your natural resources, strengths, insights, a more realistic and clearer picture of the issues and the steps you need to take in order to resolve naturally, with your therapeutic benefits being the focus.  Therefore, effectively the guidance of the Hypnotherapist is allowing you to gain valuable and powerful new insights into historical causes and dynamics underlying negative behaviour patterns, illness and other problems like relationship issues, and mostly the relationship with yourself.

All depth of hypnosis leads to Ego Activity and facilitate a natural transformation in line with the therapist's positive suggestions as desired by you the subject where the subject's own desire is for those changes to happen.  A hypnotherapist can not make you desire anything you do not want; you need to be onboard to allow your senses to rise and be receptive.

During induction and throughout the period of a hypnotherapy session, and within the whole process, deep relaxation is induced and maintained...positive suggestions are more readily accepted, and acted upon more powerfully than when in any other dream state like waking up, providing of course, that the suggestions given are true to your own moral code and desires.

TWO IMPORTANT INGREDIENT IN THE HYPNOTHERAPY MODEL:
i) A Positive Rapport and Trust in a qualified, professional Therapist where you feel connected and understood.
ii) A strong motivation for change on behalf of the person receiving hypnotherapy.

In my opinion, some counselling is a healthy pre-requisite to a good positive outcome, however, in situations like stopping smoking this can be achieved in a combined extended hypnotherapy/counselling session.

SOME ISSUES I WORK WITH:

• ANGER
  Anger is a natural emotion.  It is an energy.  Its how we channel anger or manage anger that either brings a healthy outcome or an unhealthy outcome.  All that energy when carefully managed can be like liquid gold.  Remember the subconscious mind does not know what is real and what is not.  So it reacts based on its memory.  That memory can be tweaked and modified.  For example, if that memory comes from the child within, then maybe that experience has long gone for an adult and is not threatening for the adult as it was for the child.
• ADDICTIONS:
  In my opinion too much of something that is effecting us negatively can stem from an experience where you are self-medicating or over compensating for something that is lacking.  Addictions or too much of a negative behaviour can be a reaction or a habit.  The difference between a habit and addiction depends upon cravings.  I know people that have been successful in managing those cravings and after a period of time the cravings go away.  Learning new habits are helpful.  Getting beneath the surface is helpful.
• ALLERGIES:
  We may be born with allergies or they can just come at any time in our life.  They can even leave for an unknown reason.  We can be pre-disposed knowing that this is what is in our family.  Maybe you just accept this is it or maybe you feel this is something you want to work on and do something positive towards your own healing.  In my experience allergies can effect both body and mind and even dampen the spirit.  If you have a diagnosed allergy then maybe you are aware of what to do.  However, my knowledge from years of working with people with allergies have informed me that allergies are not always diagnosed but can make a person's life miserable.  As well as the allergy there is the individual...are you ready to explore what is attacking your body, mind and spirit?  Medical issues should always be ruled out first and if the allergy is thought to have a psychological component that impacts physically then hypnotherapy can be a therapeutic pathway to explore.
• ANXIETY
  Hypnotherapy is so good for anxiety just by the natural process of things.  It is like the natural order of things.  Although anxiety can be part of physical conditions, however, if those physical conditions have been ruled out by a medic and is felt to have a psychological components then hypnotherapy is certainly something to consider.  In my experience, people who have experience anxiety, with no physical reason, usually think quite negatively in an irrational way.  Those thoughts, beliefs, behaviours...negative... can be explored and resolved with hypnotherapy.
• ARTHRITIS & PAIN:
  Good days and bad days.  So what is the difference for pain being better one day than another.  Hypnotherapy can help you to determine what those things are and incorporate more of those good positive things that make you feel better into your life where you feel more in control. There is also the placebo and nocebo effect - I can talk to you about this if you want to call me to discuss further, as I would need more specific information to reflect back to you your therapeutic pathway forward.
• CONFIDENCE BUILDING & EGO STRENGTHENING:
  Hypnotherapy is brilliant for Ego Strengthening just by definition.  Hypnotherapy connects to the ego in any session (see above how hypnotherapy works).  Sigmund Freud explained his Ego Theory under Id, Super Ego, and Ego.  It is how the ego develops in childhood, or not.  I can explain better if you call me, but for now I can tell you that hypnotherapy in my experience is excellent for strengthening your ego and building your confidence.
• FEARS & PHOBIAS:
  So what is the difference between a fear and a phobia?  Well I could say that a phobia is something irrational; a fear of something that cannot hurt you.  Or I could say that a fear is something that is rational; something that most people would be afraid of.  The thing is your perception is your reality.  If you want to let go of something...anything...then hypnotherapy can help you to do just that.  Remember the subconscious mind does not know whats is real and what is not.  Hypnotherapy can heal phobias and fears within the process as well as NLP anchors and other techniques to help you on your way.
• FERTILITY (UNEXPLAINED)
  I am a certified Fertile Body Method Practitioner.  You can go to the website and learn more about the structured stages of the FBM.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.  I have had successes with this method - its been very rewarding.  If you have unexplained fertility then I can tell you that in just one session after a lady trying for 5 years - she conceived.  Maybe it was coincidence; but I think that maybe a far stretch!

• GRIEF (UNRESOLVED):
  Grieving is a process that cannot be avoided.  However, we can get caught up in the grieving process.  If you feel stuck then some counselling with some hypnotherapy to take you through letting go of something can be helpful.  I cannot make you let go... if has to come from you... and you need to be ready.  However, I offer a free consultation on the telephone to discuss your situation in more depth and get to know you, where you get to know me.  This is without obligation.  Give me a call - I will be delighted to hear from you!
• HEALING THE HURTING CHILD WITHIN THE ADULT:
  Anybody who is an adult has been a child.  The child that lives within can sometimes still be hurting within the adult.  Counselling and hypnotherapy creates a safe forum to heal the internal hurting child so that the adult can lead the life he or she was meant to live.  In my experience in working in this area it can be very liberating to get in touch with your inner child.  It is part of a healing process that can be so liberating.
• HEALING THE HURTING ADULT:
  The hurting adult can be hurting because something happened as they were about to enter into adulthood.  So due to an experience which may be conscious, or unconscious.  Counselling and hypnotherapy creates a safe space to explore, heal, resolve and move forward.
• IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME:
  IBS can be so debilitating and in my experience can be part of something else that is also impacting.  It can be hard to separate and make sense of as IBS is so changeable.  Hypnotherapy can help you to become of all your body parts as well as your psychological and spiritual parts.  It can help you to visualise your internal organs and build a relationship where when they speak to you in whatever way; you understand better.  Hypnotherapy creates a forum to raise your awareness.
• FIBRE MYALGIA:
• I do know that fibre myalgia can effect different people to a lesser and larger extent in my experience.  I know it has a physical and a psychological effect on people.  My research tells me that it can come from a traumatic experience.  My reading tells me that the body keeps the score and records experiences just like the mind.  I do know that all hypnosis is self hypnosis and that negative self hypnosis can worsen the effects of fibre myalgia as can some other triggers like food and situations.  I would be happy to discuss your personal situation further with you to help you plan your therapeutic pathway forward at this time
• STRESS:
  Internal stress or external stress.  The fact is we can learn to manage internal stress knowing that there is little we can do about the external.  Learning to be more self-locused can really help you to take an external view of yourself caught up in the emotions.  You can learn to strengthen and feel more in control.  You can learn to let go of your external stressors.  Hypnotherapy can help you to do this in just a few sessions.
• SMOKING THE SMOKING HABIT FOR GOOD:
  What would it feel like to have one counselling and hypnotherapy session to say goodbye to the smoking habit for good.  Maybe you have stopped before or maybe not.  All you need to know is that you can stop for good with the right tools and information within the right process for you.  What would it feel like if I was to tell you that you can channel your natural strengths to help you combat the smoking habit for good.  I have experienced so many people stopping smoking for good with the use of good counselling and hypnotherapy with the structured programme of EasyQuit.  And yes its easy!!!
• HEALTHY WEIGHT CONTROL VERSUS HYPNO-BAND:
  Since the pandemic I hear some people saying that with regular exercise they lost weight, however, I hear a lot of people saying that they have gained weight.  As a Licensed Hypno-Band Practitioner, in the early day,s of working with people with weight issues, I would firstly explore what the reasons were for the person making the wrong choices for them.  Explore their food relationship.  I got to the stage where I did not have to use the Hypno-band as the work was done by the time the person explored the food relationship and was able to nourish and nurture that relationship and in turn nurture and nourish themselves.  Yes, it is as easy as that.  Call me to discuss your personal situation - I will be delighted to hear from you with no obligation.

If you would like to contact me and have a free telephone consultation to see if I feel like the right therapist for you; ie good positive rapport where you feel understood where trust can build.  And if you have a strong motivation for change - then thats all you need. I look forward to hearing on 07950 906421.

THANK YOU FOR READING MY PROFILE - Kindest Regards - Maggie Bell

Anxiety & Panic:

Hypnotherapy in my experience works very well with anxiety. Your body has a memory.  Hypnotherapy requires a state of trance (deep relaxation). You are in control at all times.  When going into a state of trance in your own time, at your own pace, as deep as you want to, you are placed so well to become very aware of relaxing your physical body down. When you physically relax you mentally relax. When you mentally relax you drift as free as a bird to fly up in your own mind's eye and achieve a bird's eye view of yourself of you in your outside world, so that you can have a greater insight into the issues and in what way naturally you can resolve them. The metaphor above is only a metaphor, for you to have an insight into how hypnotherapy can alleviate anxiety just by experiencing the process. 

Phobia:

A phobia is usually a result of something learned. Anything learned can be unlearned.  There are thousands of phobias so please do not feel what you are experiencing is silly as some client say to me. I can explain more in connection to what you maybe personally experiencing if you give me a call, email or text me.

Additional:

- Agoraphobia
- Confidence
- Building Assertion
- Building Self esteem
- Smoking cessation

FREE COMPLIMENTARY 15 MINUTE TELEPHONE CONSULTATION TO DISCUSS YOUR PATH WAY FORWARD.  On 07950- 906421.

FOR MORE ABOUT FEES JUST CLICK ON THE DIRECT LINK TO MY WEBSITE ON THIS FORUM OR SIMPLY GOOGLE MAGGIE BELL COUNSELLING & HYPNOTHERAPY (BROMLEY & LEWISHAM).

You can view my articles currently displayed on Counselling Directory here:

• Anxiety
• Anxiety, body and mind - the conscious and subconscious
• Repressed negative emotions and emotional avoidance