Does hypnotherapy help you make decisions?

Are you thinking about changing your job, moving house, losing weight, stopping smoking or some other important work or personal decision? There are many decision-making tools and techniques available depending on the type of person you are and what you feel comfortable using. For example, you could use a matrix, a decision tree or toss a coin, but hypnotherapy is another way that you may not have considered before. Hypnotherapy could be the answer that you have been looking for because it can be tailored to meet your specific needs

It's easy to put off doing something or feel fearful about deciding because facing the decision can feel uncomfortable. Lots of people procrastinate as they try to do other things to divert their attention from the issue. You could even use denial by trying to convince yourself that a problem is not on your mind when it is exactly the opposite. However, over time, this inability to do something can make things feel worse and there could be consequences of not taking action sooner.

Many people have heard of getting help from a hypnotherapist to help them make the right food choices with weight-loss and even more people know that hypnotherapy can help them decide to quit smoking for good. But few people realise that hypnotherapy can help them to make other important decisions in their lives.

Some people find making a small decision difficult. They might feel silly about deciding to buy a new coat or save the money just in case something is a better price in the sales. This might be the tip of the iceberg because they realise that this isn't the only difficult decision because they are aware that they are feeling anxious about several things in their life. Often this is because the person feels under pressure or stress. Hypnotherapy is particularly helpful if someone is under a lot of pressure or stress because it can help the person to relax and understand the problem better. It's a partnership between client and hypnotherapist. This can lead to making better decisions and feeling better about a variety of things.

So what happens when you come to see a hypnotherapist for help with making a decision? Well, the first thing is about you both asking questions and building rapport together because you need to understand how the hypnotherapist works, their fees, and how many sessions might be required. You must be clear about what you want to achieve because hypnotherapists should never make decisions for their clients. Hypnotherapists are not advice centres either. This means that the decision to go ahead with losing weight or changing your job or not is yours alone. Even if you make a decision easily and find that it is not the right decision you will know that you have made the decision with thought and will have learnt a lot from the consequences.

Sharing the problem with the hypnotherapist is the first part of making that decision so this is another reason to find a hypnotherapist who is professional and adheres to a code of conduct. You need someone you can trust and someone non-judgemental. Good hypnotherapists know that sharing personal issues can be difficult at first so they will listen and try to understand how this decision is affecting your life.

You may realise that you also need to gather information to help you make important life decisions. This is particularly important when making a big decision such as selling your house because you may need other experts to advise you on financial matters. With health-related issues, it's always a good idea to get a check-up with your doctor.

Experienced hypnotherapists know that losing weight is an easy decision to make if you are overweight, self-conscious and even easier if you have health-related problems, but it's hard to make that decision to start and then to continue to make decisions about healthy eating and exercise. Often hypnotherapists will combine other evidenced-based support such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Relaxation, visualisation and suggestion are the usual ways hypnosis can help you make your decision.

If you need help with decision-making, these key areas are useful to consider:

1. List the possible solutions to the problem. Take some time and revisit the list as new ideas may come to mind.
2. Consider the risks and consequences. Some consequences are negative and some might be positive.
3. Think about who is responsible for making the decision. Are you responsible for taking action or is someone else?
4. Consider if you need professional support from someone like a hypnotherapist or if you feel you have the ability to decide with a decision-making tool.