Hypnotherapy Durham
Helping you overcome life's challenges with solution focused hypnotherapy, tailored for lasting results.
Stephen Hardy
DSFH, HPD, AfSFH, MNCH (Reg.), CNHC (Reg.)
I’m a clinical solution-focused hypnotherapist and coach.
My mission is to help good people have more fulfilling, fun lives and careers.
As a clinical hypnotherapist, I work with both the conscious and subconscious minds, using a combination of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, CBT, and Neuroscience, mixed in with my experience of working in senior corporate positions.
The goal is to enable rapid positive change, through helping clients reframe their thinking, and creating new patterns of behaviour. It’s a positive, fun approach.
What Issues Can I Help You With
The Power of Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy
We can often get in our own way. Our minds, wired for survival, may overreact to today’s stressors, triggering anxiety, anger, and depression. Unlike our ancestors, we don’t get to ‘release’ these stress hormones by escaping real danger.
Solution-focused hypnotherapy helps calm the primitive mind, disrupting negative thought patterns to foster new, positive ones. I work with your subconscious, focusing on underlying causes like anxiety rather than past trauma or just symptoms. Clients often find lasting change, with unexpected improvements in related physical symptoms.
Blending CBT, brief therapy, neuroscience, and hypnotherapy, this approach is positive, forward-looking, and enjoyable!
A Calm and Confident Mindset
My work with clients focuses on addressing the underlying cause of their symptoms, rather than the symptoms themselves.
Many emotional and often physical issues are caused by an overly anxious mind. Our chaotic modern lifestyles can often be detrimental to our mental health, and sometimes anxiety can be a natural response to being constantly triggered by stress.
Once we’re in a downward spiral, suffering with anxiety and stress, it can feel difficult to get out of it.
Most Common Hypnotherapy Treatments
Anxiety & Stress Relief
Hypnotherapy helps individuals recognize and manage triggers, reduce stress patterns, and respond to challenges with greater calm.
Depression
Hypnosis can support depression treatment by reducing negative thoughts and encouraging mental clarity and positivity.
Insomnia
Hypnotherapy aids sleep issues by promoting relaxation and addressing subconscious causes like stress and anxiety.
Procrastination & Motivation
Hypnotherapy addresses procrastination and boosts motivation by overcoming mental blocks and fostering a proactive mindset.
Addictions & Habit Control
Beyond smoking, hypnotherapy helps manage addictions like alcohol or phone use by targeting triggers and underlying patterns.
Focus & Performance
Hypnotherapy helps enhance personal and professional performance by building confidence and reducing distractions.
Pain Management
Hypnosis is often used to manage chronic pain, such as arthritis and migraines, by reducing pain perception and promoting relaxation.
Social Anxiety
Hypnotherapy helps manage social anxiety by reducing fear of judgment and building confidence in social interactions.
Confidence
Hypnotherapy can boost self-esteem and confidence by shifting self-beliefs and promoting a positive self-image.
Imposter Syndrome
Hypnosis can help with imposter syndrome by building self-belief, reducing self-doubt, and fostering confidence.
Phobia & Fear Reduction
Hypnosis treats phobias, like fear of flying or spiders, by reducing fear responses through desensitization and relaxation.
Weight Loss & Eating Habits
Hypnosis manages cravings and emotional eating by altering thought patterns, often using cognitive-behavioral strategies.
How Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy Works
Solution-focused hypnotherapy blends relaxation techniques with a positive, goal-focused approach, helping you:
Identify your desired outcomes
Break negative thought patterns
Increase resilience and mental clarity
Sessions focus on the future you want, rather than past problems, creating a tailored plan to help you move forward without anxiety.
Locations
Face-to-Face Sessions at The Old Pit Practice Durham
I welcome you to relax in the tranquil surroundings of my private Durham hypnotherapy clinic, located in The Old Pit Practice. Just minutes from Durham Center and nestled in a quiet area near Arnison Center, you'll find a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle.
Online Sessions via Zoom
For a faster and more convenient way of getting results, you can access my private hypnotherapy sessions wherever you are in the world from the comfort of your own home. You will receive exactly the same level of service as my face-to-face clients and enjoy the same long-lasting results.
The Old Pit Practice Ltd
61 Front St, Pity Me, Durham DH1 5DE
Book an appointment via phone or email:
07494 272235
Testimonials
Free Discovery Call
We'll spend 30 minutes exploring your current challenges and establishing whether Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy is a good fit for you.
The relationship between a therapist and a client is fundamental to the success of any engagement. This is an opportunity to get to know me and find out if my style of engagement would work for you.
You will gain a fresh perspective on what's been holding you back, and confidence in your ability to move forward in life.
An opportunity for you to ask me any questions or address any concerns you may have.
FAQs
What is Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy? How does it differ from more traditional therapy?
Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy is a proven, fast and effective agent for long term change, and has been successfully deployed in several organisations including Northumbria Police.
I take a holistic approach to supporting clients, addressing the cause of their problems, not just the symptoms. Unlike some other therapies, I don’t focus on a client’s issues beyond gaining an initial understanding. I also don’t perform any regression work or focus on past trauma. Sessions are conducted in a solution-focused manner, helping clients move forward with their lives. I use a combination of NLP, CBT, neuroscience, and hypnotherapy to facilitate rapid change in our clients. The goal of solution-focused hypnotherapy is to enable rapid, sustainable change.
Is Hypnotherapy safe? Will I lose control?
I use an element of trance in sessions to accelerate the therapeutic process, with solution-focused hypnotherapy being a core element of sessions. Trance is a very familiar state. All of us go into trance many times every day, for example, when we’re focusing on something we love doing, driving a regular route, or jogging. Trance is when the conscious and subconscious minds come together in focus, allowing you to access the vast resource library in your subconscious and helping you to get the very best out of yourself. It’s a myth that anyone can make you do something against your will in trance. You’re always in control, and your mind will “wake” you if it doesn’t feel safe or if there’s something you need to address. Typically, clients find this part of the process very relaxing and enjoyable.
Do you provide online sessions, and if so, are they as effective as in-person sessions?
Yes and yes!
Since Covid, many people have developed a preference for online interactions. The bulk of my sessions are now conducted over Zoom, giving clients the opportunity to relax within the comfort of their own homes.
The only request is that you ensure you have access to decent WiFi and are in a place where you can comfortably relax with minimal distractions.
Are there any conditions you can’t treat?
I specialise in working with clients who have mild to moderate anxiety or depression and related disorders. As a solution-focused hypnotherapist, I also work with individuals with high levels of anxiety or depression; however, clients need to be aware that this can be a longer process, and they may need to do this in conjunction with taking medication as diagnosed by their medical professional.
Suffering from a psychotic episode can mean that hypnosis is contraindicated, therefore hypnotherapy should not be received in that scenario. Those with a history of psychosis but who aren’t currently suffering from a psychotic episode can benefit from hypnotherapy to help address anxiety-related disorders.
Some physical ailments can be psychosomatic, but it’s important that they are properly assessed by a medical professional.
How many sessions does it take to overcome anxiety?
Everyone is different and I take a client led approach. You know how you feel and how many sessions you need to get to where you want to.
From experience, roughly 10-12 sessions is probably a good rule of thumb, however some people have significantly less, some a few more.