Anxiety can feel like worry gone wild. Everyone feels some anxiety. Anxious feelings might be connected to a stressful situation or event, such as a job interview, an exam, moving house, an illness or operation, or a new experience.

But when anxious feelings don’t go away after a short period of time, when they become more frequent or don’t go away at all, or when they are connected to situations or events that are not obvious challenges, they tip over into an anxiety condition.

To learn more, a good resource is Beyond Blue

Yes. There are many types of anxiety. They have a range of signs and symptoms. People can experience more than one type of anxiety and other mental conditions, such as depression, PTSD and OCD.

Anxiety can be generalised or specific (such as social or performance anxiety, specific phobias and panic attacks).

To learn more, a good resource is Beyond Blue

Anxiety tends to lead to you avoiding situations, events and things, including people, that make you feel anxious. Anxiety can feel both emotional, mental and physical.

You can experience overwhelming emotions, feel excessive fear, restlessness, and tension.

You can feel like you can’t stop thoughts rolling around your head, thinking the worst, worrying about what others think, obsessing over things.

And you can feel physical symptoms including sweating, rapid breathing, heart palpitations, hot and cold flushes, tension in your chest or abdomen, headaches, insomnia and even panic attacks.

The effect of anxiety can impact on study, work, relationships and everyday activities.

To learn more, a good resource is Beyond Blue

Clinical Hypnosis, used in therapeutic application, is popularly called Hypnotherapy.

Hypnosis has in fact, been used as a therapeutic tool in treating traumatic experiences, pain and anxiety for more than 200 years.  

In a hypnotic state (trance), you are guided to focus more on ‘what’ than ‘why’.  This is done in a state of physical and sensory relaxation.

The effect is that you are able to interrupt and consciously contemplate the maladaptive patterns you have been running.  This opportunity soothes the sensory cortices that are triggered in an anxiety or trauma response, as well as the regions of the brain that are involved in context monitoring.  The effect is not only a space of conscious contemplation, but allows for alternative neural pathway development (neuroplasticity), meaning you start developing more productive, useful and effective patterns to deal with problems and situations.  (Spiegel, D., M.D. 2013)

See our other FAQs to discover more about what is Clinical Hypnosis, Strategic Psychotherapy and NLP.

Spiegel, D., M.D.  2013.  Tranceformations: Hypnosis in Brain and Body.  Depression and Anxiety 30:342-352. Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.

Hypnosis refers to a state of ‘trance’.  It is a state of heightened focus that literally alters your brain wave frequency. 

The technical bit in plain language:  The experience of trance guides you from waking consciousness (Beta), to between a deep physical and mental relaxation like being in a daydream or light meditative state (Alpha) and a deep hypnotic state that is like a deeper meditative state  (Theta).  

You are likely to experience a deep sense of relaxation and comfort and be open to ‘aha’ moments and clear thought and realisations that can leave you feeling calm and peaceful and more confident in yourself and your experiences.

Clinical Hypnosis is the use of advanced hypnotic techniques for therapeutic purposes.  It is used to treat a great variety of conditions and there is a vast body of evidence as to its efficacy.  

Anywhere your emotions and thoughts play a part in suffering, there is a place for Clinical Hypnosis to help, including mental, emotional and physical conditions.

It is a powerful therapeutic tool.  When coupled with Strategic Psychotherapy and NLP, it is particularly effective.

Modern Strategic Psychotherapy reflects the beneficial principles of a number of specific therapeutic models, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Interpersonal Therapy (ITP), Person-Centred and other Psychodynamic models.

It is future and goal oriented.  It is a form of brief therapeutic intervention which seeks to disrupt patterns that are holding you in suffering or stasis.  It is an empowering approach which teaches you to identify the patterns for yourself, and provides you with the skills to create positive patterns in order to achieve your goals.

NLP stands for Neuro Linguistic Programming.  As the name suggests, it encompasses our neurology, language and programming.  That is, how we perceive the world (neurology), how communicate with others and ourselves (language) and our habitual patterns and behaviours and how we operate in the world (programming). 

The interplay of our mind and language influences our physical state and our behaviours.  NLP is based on the study of how the most effective people operate in the world.  It is the blueprint of success.

From an NLP perspective, each of us are far more resourceful than we give ourselves credit for.  And we are capable of more.  NLP taps you into those resources and helps you take control of your own success.

The Gordian Pillars were developed by Gordon Young.  

Gordon is the founder, director and lead trainer of the Institute of Applied Psychology, president of the Hypnotherapy Council of Australia and Vice President of the International Strategic Psychotherapists Association.  

The Gordian Pillars is a Strategic Psychotherapy framework for treating everything from anxiety, depression, addiction, and trauma to perfectionism, lack of self-esteem, procrastination and weight loss.  

Accredited Gordian Pillars Strategic Psychotherapists are trained to identify, disrupt and provide skills training that address the underlying cognitive patterns, themes, perceptions, values and beliefs that maintain psychological conditions.

The use of Clinical Hypnosis is popularly called Hypnotherapy.

Anywhere your emotions and thoughts play a part in suffering, there is a place for Hypnotherapy to help, including mental, emotional and physical conditions.

Besides the many forms of anxiety, Hypnotherapy can be effective in treating conditions including stress, low self-esteem, procrastination, addictions/dependencies, pain management, fears and phobias, insomnia, depression, eating disorders and much more.

On average, a treatment plan involving 6 sessions is recommended.  Depending on the individual, more or less may be needed.  We discuss this in your initial session.   

You will likely feel like a lot has changed even after one session, but my aim goes beyond helping you FEEL better.  I want you to DO better.  And this is a process and takes time.  Although, as mentioned above, much less time comparatively than other therapeutic models.

I offer packages of 6 sessions (1 to 1.5 hours), which includes your initial session (1.5 to 2 hours).  

I also offer a package of 4 sessions (excluding initial session) for when you want to work on another issue or area of your, you have time or financial limitations or you want to dive deeper into personal development.  

I also offer Top-Up packages of 2 sessions (excluding initial session) for when you’re faced with a challenging situation in your life and you need some support.

Yes, of course.  If it’s not right for you, and you wish to only do one session, or you aren’t sure, you’re welcome to book a one-off session.  If you go on to book a package of 6 or 10 sessions, your single session will be discounted off the package price.  Don’t forget, the first 30 minutes of your initial session is free, my gift to you.

Initial session $300 (1.5 to 2 hours)

Single session $200 (60 minutes)

Pack of 6 (including initial session)  $1,200

Pack of 4 (excluding initial session)  $700

Top-Up 2 (excluding initial session) $350

Several private health insurers cover hypnotherapy.  You will need to check with your health fund to ask them directly.