About me
I work with people who are struggling not because they are weak, broken, or resistant to change, but because somewhere along the way their nervous system learned how to survive.
My name is Paul Gibson. I am a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist, and my work is focused on helping people understand and change the emotional, psychological, and physical patterns that keep them feeling stuck. Many of the people who come to see me have already tried talking therapy, medication, self-help, or simply pushing through. They may appear capable on the outside, but inside they feel anxious, overwhelmed, disconnected, exhausted, ashamed, or unable to move forward.
I specialise in working with difficulties that often have deeper roots: developmental trauma, attachment wounds, abuse, chronic stress, anxiety, panic, low self-worth, emotional shutdown, somatic symptoms, and patterns that do not seem to shift through ordinary talking therapy alone. My approach is not about labelling you or reducing you to a diagnosis. It is about understanding how your mind and body adapted, why those patterns once made sense, and how they can begin to change.
Therapy with me is highly individual. Some people need practical, present-focused work to reduce symptoms, calm the nervous system, and regain control of daily life. Others need careful, deeper work with earlier experiences, attachment patterns, trauma memories, or parts of themselves that have been pushed away for a long time. We do not force this. We work at a pace your system can tolerate, with safety, clarity, and respect.
I bring together clinical hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, EMDR, bilateral stimulation, trauma-informed therapy, attachment theory, developmental psychology, and somatic approaches. This means we can work not only with thoughts and behaviour, but also with unconscious patterns, emotional memory, body-based responses, and the threat system that often sits underneath anxiety, trauma, and chronic stress.
Hypnotherapy, as I use it, is not about control or stage-style suggestion. It is a way of helping the mind and body access deeper levels of processing, where old emotional learning can begin to update. EMDR and bilateral stimulation can also help the brain reprocess experiences that have remained unresolved, so they no longer carry the same emotional charge. Somatic work is particularly important when symptoms are felt physically, such as tension, IBS-type symptoms, fatigue, shutdown, panic sensations, or unexplained pain.
I work extensively with anxiety and anxiety-based conditions, including panic attacks, phobias, social anxiety, OCD patterns, PTSD, complex trauma, and stress-related physical symptoms. I do not see anxiety as something “wrong” with you. I see it as a learned protective response, usually based on experience. Once that response is understood, worked with properly, and updated at the right level, real change becomes possible.
Many clients find it deeply relieving to realise that their symptoms make sense. They are not failing. They are not defective. Their system has been trying to protect them, often for a very long time. The work is about helping that system learn that life can now be different.
Alongside my private therapy work, I am also part of a medically governed Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy clinic for people with treatment-resistant depression, chronic anxiety, PTSD, and complex trauma. This work is carefully screened, medically supervised, and supported by preparation and integration therapy. It is not suitable for everyone, but for some people it can open a therapeutic doorway where other approaches have not been enough.
I work best with people who want meaningful change rather than surface-level coping strategies. You do not need to arrive with everything figured out. You may not even know exactly what is wrong. You may simply know that you cannot keep living in the same pattern. That is enough of a starting point.
My role is not to “fix” you, because I do not see you as broken. My role is to help you understand yourself more clearly, calm what has been stuck in survival mode, and begin reclaiming agency, stability, confidence, and a stronger sense of self.
If something in this profile speaks to you, you are very welcome to get in touch. We can have an honest conversation about what has been happening, what you have already tried, and whether my way of working feels like the right fit. If I think I can help, I will tell you. If I think someone else would be better placed, I will tell you that too.
You do not have to know exactly where to begin. You only need to take the first step and say hello.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Dermatology Nursing - 10 years
- Certificate in Somatic and Advanced Somatic Healing from Alchemical Hypnotherapy USA
- Diploma in Hypnotherapy and Counselling Skills from Chrysalis Training
- Registered Hypnotist with Hypnoarts
- CPPD with London College of Clinical Hypnosis
- Practitioner of Sheila Grangers Virtual Gastric Band Weight Loss Programme
- Diploma in Psychology
- Certificate in BrainWorking Recursive Therapy
- Certified Specialist in Hypnosis and Sports Performance
- Certified in Hypnosis and Pain Management
- Certificate in Psy-Tap - Psychosensory Techniques and Principles
- EMDR Technique
- Advanced Analytical Hypnotherapy
- Medical Hypnotherapy
- Ketamine-assisted Psychotherapy with Polaris Training Centre
- Member of Association of Professional Hypnotherapists and Psychotherapists
Member organisations
Each member of APHP has received thorough training in hypnosis and hypnotherapy, is competent and conscientious, and abides strictly by a code of ethics. There are four grades of membership: Licentiate (LAPHP), Registered Member (MAPHP), Accredited Member (MAPHP(acc.)) and Fellow (FAPHP), with the different categories standing for different levels of training and experience. The Association for Professional Hypnosis and Psychotherapy is a member organisation of UKCHO (an umbrella body for the hypnotherapy profession in the United Kingdom).
The National Hypnotherapy Society is a Learned Society whose primary purpose is the advancement of the knowledge of hypnotherapy and the fostering of professional hypnotherapy expertise through training, accreditation and continued professional development of their members. The Society seeks to contribute to public wellbeing both through the use of hypnotherapy and by ensuring that hypnotherapists are safe, competent and ethical in practice.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of hypnotherapy I deal with
info Information about health conditions (*)
Hypnotherapy can enhance the well-being of individuals diagnosed with serious medical conditions, but should not take the place of medical treatment and advice. If you have been diagnosed with - or suspect you may have - any of these conditions, please speak to your doctor before starting hypnotherapy.
Other areas of hypnotherapy I deal with
Specialist in:
- PTSD
- Anxiety
- Childhood Abuse
- C-PTSD
- Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
Additional information
Allow up to 2hrs for the first session and up to 90mins for subsequent sessions.
Cash and debit/credit cards are accepted.
When I work
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I work Monday to Friday from Norwich and online via Zoom. Currently not seeing face to face clients in London, Zoom is being used in this instance to great effect.
