NLP Coaching and Hypnosis Explained

Coaching is a process of getting people from where they are to where they want to be as quickly and effectively as possible. It does this through:

• focussing on now and the future (“Where am I?” and “Where do I want to be?”).
• assuming that they are able to sort out their own lives, but that they may need assistance to find the resources that they need (“How will I get there?”).
• setting agreed, realistic goals with them for which they have responsibility.
• giving them opportunities to put attention to areas of their live (beliefs, values, behaviour, rules etc.) that may be blocking the changes they want.
• giving them the tools to make the changes that they want.
• offering coaching to either small groups or to individuals.

There are many complex and intricate theories surrounding hypnosis, however it’s fair to say that hypnosis is nothing more than an increased focus and/or narrowing of attention. This could be internal or external.

Stephen Brooks defines hypnosis as a glue that helps to make therapy “stick”, this is a particularly good analogy, particularly when looking at the therapeutic role of hypnosis in psychotherapy.

Hypnosis is a naturally occurring state (trance) that happens to us all dozens of times a day while reading, watching TV and daydreaming. If you’ve ever been lost in a film or transported to a faraway place while reading a book, day-dreamed while gazing out of a moving train or been so focussed on a sport or hobby that everything else ceased to exist… then you’ve been in a trance.

Hypnosis is not sleep, although many hypnotists use the word “sleep” when talking about hypnosis. Therefore, some people can believe that they were not in a trance. Because they were aware of everything that happened, they believe that it didn’t work. In fact, most people experience hypnosis and remember everything that happened.

Hypnosis can complement coaching when a belief, attitude, condition or habit is held in the subconscious mind, it is very difficult to change when working on a conscious level (as most other techniques do) and therefore the problem can often persist.

Hypnotherapy works on both a conscious and subconscious level and so changes can often be surprisingly quick, positive and long lasting.