Couples therapy and clinical hypnotherapy

Whether you are single, in a relationship, looking for love (or not), recently separated or long-time divorced, straight, LGBTQ+, non-binary, fluid, label-free, monogamous, polyamorous, or otherwise, or none/all of the above, believe it or not, 'couples therapy' is for you. Couples therapy is for everyone.

I have been providing couples and individuals with 'couples therapy' alongside clinical hypnotherapy for many years now. However, there are not always two people in the room with me. Sometimes there is an individual with me. And yes, sometimes there are two people in my office. Even if two people arrive at my practice, as the sessions progress, I will usually also offer each person individual sessions for themselves. 

Each person is an individual, and it is vital that each person can have the support and help they need themselves, alongside working together as a couple.

And sometimes more than two people, or even a family will come to my practice. 
Moreover, an entire family can benefit from couples therapy. When parents work on improving their relationship, it can have a ripple effect on their children and the overall family dynamic.

When parents model healthy communication, children learn to express themselves better and resolve conflicts in a more constructive way.

Children are sensitive to their parents' emotions, and a decrease in conflict can lead to a more stable and secure atmosphere for them. And, when couples work through their own emotional challenges in therapy, they become better equipped to provide emotional support to their children.

Couples therapy can also help parents become better role models for their children. As parents demonstrate compromise, empathy, and problem-solving skills, children learn how to navigate relationships in a healthier way.

What is couples therapy?

Couples therapy is a form of therapy and psychotherapy (also known as talk therapy). A licensed therapist with clinical experience works with couples in relationships. 

Couples therapy can help you and your partner improve your relationship. If you are having relationship difficulties, you can seek couples therapy to help rebuild your relationship. It is helpful at any stage of your relationship. 

“Couples therapy can address a wide range of relationship issues, including recurring conflicts, feelings of disconnection, an affair, issues related to sex, or difficulties due to external stressors,” says Brian Mueller, PhD, a psychologist at Columbia University Medical Center who specialises in couples therapy.

Leading couples therapists

Many people have become increasingly aware of couples therapy in recent years. And more recently the role of the couples therapist has been highlighted on our TV screens with the BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary series Couples Therapy. In the docuseries, we witness Dr Orna Guralnik PsyD, the Israeli-American psychologist and psychoanalyst, working with couples in her New York office, accompanied by her dog, Nico. 

Dr Orna Guralnik is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst practising in New York City. Dr Guralnik is on faculty at NYU PostDoctoral Institute for Psychoanalysis and at NIP (National Institute for the Psychotherapies) in NYC, where she teaches courses on the trans-generational transmission of trauma, socio-politics/ideology and psychoanalysis, and on dissociation. Currently, Dr Guralnik lectures and publishes on the topics of couples treatment and culture, dissociation and depersonalization, as well as culture and psychoanalysis. 

Esther Perel, a Belgian-American psychotherapist, known for her work on human relationships continues her work on couples therapy expanding her use of techniques. 

Perel promoted the concept of 'erotic intelligence' in her book Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence (2006), which has been translated into 24 languages. After publishing the book, she became an international advisor on sex and relationships. 
Perel trained in psychodynamic psychotherapy before finding a professional home in family systems theory. She initially worked as a cross-cultural psychotherapist with couples and families. For 13 years, she was a clinical instructor at the New York University School of Medicine. 

Esther Perel's work now encompasses a range of techniques that couples in therapy can benefit from, moving away from the traditional 'talk therapy'. 

Another lead in the relationship field, Brené Brown, is an American professor, author, and podcast host. Brown is known for her work on shame, vulnerability, and leadership. 
Brown has studied the topics of courage, vulnerability, shame, empathy, and leadership, which she has used to look at human connection and how it works. She has spent her research career as a professor at her alma mater, the University of Houston's Graduate College of Social Work.

How I combine couples therapy and clinical hypnotherapy

My research, work and development have continued to combine the nuggets of gold and ingredients from a vast array of therapists, academics, psychotherapists, and psychiatrists to create some of the best programmes available for couples and families in need. 

In combining such traditional works with clinical hypnotherapy, the scope for couples is fast becoming a niche area of expertise and a fascinating area and body of work for hypnotherapists. I am delighted and excited to be a part of these exciting advancements in clinical hypnotherapy and couples therapy, moving the area forward for the better. 
 
More recently, I have been working closely with Chicago-based Psychotherapist and couples therapist Lisa Pisha (PhD, LMFT). In the USA, Lisa Pisha is working with couples to face “their own shadows and discovering what is getting in the way of living our truth is when we really start to live. What keeps us quiet in our relationships? Why do we allow our self-doubt to show up and take over? What is it that we're afraid or uncertain of? The answer is truth and belonging to the deepest, most vulnerable degree”. She uses the 'couples approach' to redefine your marriage/partnership. “Let's take your marriage and redefine it into a sexy partnership instead”, Lisa Pisha (2022).

With outstanding success, I am working closely to illustrate the benefits and 'magic' of clinical hypnotherapy within couples therapy and the change that it can bring. Instead of simply using the traditional talking therapy and psychotherapy techniques as a stand-alone therapy, it is now evident that the power of clinical hypnotherapy can have a significant impact on the success of all relationships and dynamics. 

Incorporating hypnosis and clinical hypnotherapy expands the effectiveness and increases the power of traditional 'couples therapy' enabling it to be a powerful, fast-acting and swift solution to relationship breakdowns, power struggles, conflict, divorce, and more. 

By using the tools, strategies, and techniques of hypnosis and clinical hypnotherapy, couples, individuals, and families can really make the changes they wish to make on a much deeper, subconscious level, meaning that changes are long-term, quick, easy and effective, and are longer lasting throughout their lives.
 
For more information please contact me, and please look out for my forthcoming articles looking at the theory of couples therapy in more detail.