David Bird, Cognitive Hypnotherapist, DipCHyp HPD NLP

About me

What if you could happier, calmer, and more in control of your life?

Things can be different.

Perhaps you can't remember the last time you didn't feel stressed. Like some days are just so much harder than they need to be. Having 'low' days and not always sure why.

Maybe feeling frustrated because you're stuck or unhappy, like something's holding you back in life. And wishing you could find the clarity and focus to help you move forward. Rather than turning to the distractions you find yourself in, time and time again.

How might your life be different if you were able to focus easier on what's most important? To feel more in control of your mind.

And what if you were able to feel motivated when you needed? Or even just more normal more often. More content. And at peace.

What if you were able to let go, or lift the weight on the things that keep you down? And enjoy more of what you do each day, feeling more capable because you are.

This isn't about just 'managing' the problem

Cognitive Hypnotherapy is a revolutionary, science-based and research-backed approach to one-to-one therapy.

Paradoxically, we work conversationally to help you actually 'de-hypnotise' yourself out of your current patterns, behaviours, and beliefs. We then move to creating more of the life you really want.

And because you're unique, sessions are tailored specifically to you. No scripts. No tick-boxes. We use whatever fits you best, to help you in becoming the best you that you can be.

I've battled my own demons

From depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, to the coping mechanisms that often accompany them: addiction, perfectionism, procrastination, and self-sabotage. As well as the high standards and controlling behaviours that end in frustration and explosive anger when the world doesn't bend to your 'rules'.

I used to feel like I was going around in circles. Confused because I knew why I was doing some of things I did, yet I felt powerless to prevent them. Like being a victim of my own mind. "If other people can be different, why can't I?", I used to think.

Now those things don't have a hold over me. And it was Cognitive Hypnotherapy which helped me get from that place to where I am today. To a life of purpose and meaning. Feeling more in control of my life choices. And comfortable in being me.

I would love to help you achieve the same

Wouldn't it be great to have your brain working for you, not against you?

Maybe you're not sure where to start. Or worrying it's 'just the way you are'. That things can't change. Maybe you're even scared of what 'change' might mean for you.

I want to assure you of something:

This is perfectly normal.

It's not always an easy decision to open up to someone. To share our thoughts and feelings. Especially about the kinds of things we usually only trust with those we feel closest to. (If at all).

I want us both to be completely sure and comfortable when we decide on working together. So if we choose not to continue after the first session, then that session is free. No catch.

A large part of my approach is giving you the tools and understandings to make your own changes. And so the majority of those I see for a first session find the experience incredibly useful and illuminating. Even if that's the only time we ever spend together.

Looking like we might be a good fit?

If you're reading this, it means you've begun your search to make change. You've already started on the path to where things are getting better.

Let's continue that journey by getting in touch using the contact form below. We can then talk about the best way to get you where you want to be.

You have nothing to lose except what's been holding you back

I offer face-to-face sessions for those who prefer to meet me at my home practice. And online sessions via Skype for those who prefer to meet me within the comfort of their own home.

Feel free to drop me a message or give me a call once you're ready. Even if you’d just like to have a brief chat about what might be possible.

A little more about me

I'm David Bird. A Quest-trained Cognitive Hypnotherapist and NLP Practitioner based in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, UK.

I trained with the founder of Cognitive Hypnotherapy, Trevor Silvester, at The Quest Institute at Regent's University London.

Before qualifying as therapist, I spent a number of years as both a listening volunteer and trainer for the Samaritans, providing anonymous support for people from all walks of life in emotional distress and despair.

I now have the opportunity to help people really transform their lives. To let go of their past, to gain peace of mind and motivation in the present, and to move towards a brighter future.

There is nothing more rewarding for me than having the people I work with tell me how they've changed their lives in ways they never even imagined possible.

What brought me here

I was in my early-twenties before it finally occurred to me I might be able to change the way I was feeling. I'd spend the week at work wishing for the weekend, only to wake up on Saturday mornings and stare blankly at the wall. Sometimes for hours.

On one particular day, I felt a shift. The empty, hopelessness switched to frustration. Some degree of motivation. And that's when I started my journey trying to understand. To change things.

I first went to self-help books. Things started to make more sense. And in some ways, everything helped a little. But nothing seemed to change a lot. I began to understand more about myself, but I still felt stuck.

I was always searching for the 'thing' that would finally fix everything. Make me better. Good enough. That would fix me. And I had no idea at the time how that very behaviour - that need - was part of the problem.

I would eventually find myself in perpetual cycle of self-medication and self-sabotage. Followed by an all-or-nothing U-turn of becoming teetotal, trying to stick to impossible diets and exercise regimes. And then, unsurprisingly, on to a self-sabotaging blow-out once it'd failed to make me happy.

A fork in the road

At that point, I hadn't realised my addictive tendencies were just a symptom. It took me a long time to realise I was suffering from anxiety. That I was scared to do things or go places that some people wouldn't think twice about.

In fact, it wasn't until I changed to a job role outside of my comfort-zone that I began to consider the 'dips' I'd experienced a lot of my life might be depression.

I had CBT, private therapy, and even trained as a Clinical Hypnotherapist. But I still wasn't getting where I wanted. And I still didn't have the answers I needed. My life had changed, but in many ways I was still feeling the same.

My path with Cognitive Hypnotherapy

Almost by accident, I picked up a book about Cognitive Hypnotherapy. Light-bulbs went off. Things started to make a lot more sense.

Eventually I managed to curb the self-medication. Though it was motivated more by fear of deepening the wounds I'd caused than it was anything else.

I signed up to train with Quest and started seeing a Cognitive Hypnotherapist. Within just two sessions I was noticing real differences in my life.

I began to realise I wasn't stuck being the person I thought I was. I could change. The world actually started to look like a different place. Full of possibilities. Ones that weren't even there before.

During my training I took every opportunity I could to use what I learned on myself. Not only did this take me even further along the path of personal development, it gave me invaluable experience to build on once I started working with others.

I now run a busy and successful business out of my home practice in Leighton Buzzard. Both my face-to-face appointment and over Skype. And there isn't a session that goes by where I don't learn something from the people I work with.