Interview with Lyn
Read an interview with me, conducted by DannyUK.com, the Bearded Blogger.
Chelmsford Counsellor and Hypnotherapist
Everyone knows that Chelmsford is being transformed thanks to the John Lewis development, but for all of the big names moving to our High Street we also have small independent businesses starting. This is an interview with Chelmsford Counsellor and Hypnotherapist Lyn Wharam.
I came to know Lyn Wharam through Facebook where she reached out for volunteers. She was close to qualifying as a hypnotherapist and needed people to act as case studies.
Since then Lyn has passed with flying colours and has set up in self-employment and I got the opportunity to catch up with her.
Tell me again how you got into this new line of work because you’re newly qualified and it’s not something that you were doing before – How did it all come about?
I had been a PA/secretary for most of my working life, latterly for large international law firms in London but always felt my people skills were not used to their full potential.
I’d always been someone who cared about others and would often havecolleagues come to me for advice.
I was becoming increasingly frustrated with my job, then one Saturday morning I had the radio on and heard about a course for hypnotherapy. It was like a bolt out of the blue and I knew I should do it.
The course was designed for people who worked full-time and was over a year long. There was homework to complete after each lesson as well as 50 hours of practice.
To complete the course you needed to provide 3 in-depth case studies. I gained so much by helping hypnotherapy volunteers that I managed to acquire 209 hours of practice.
This also gave me a greater insight into the fears and phobias commonly associated with hypnosis such as fear of spiders, flying, driving, heights and dying, as well as help with stopping smoking, weight loss, exercise motivation, anxiety and lack of confidence.
You’re definitely a people person from what I’ve seen! What do you think has been your biggest success story so far?
I’ve had lots of success with clients but one that stands out is the client who was having 8 to 10 panic attacks a day and after 4 hypnotherapy sessions she managed to control and stop her attacks completely. We then went onto work on stopping her smoking.
Lyn, Chelmsford’s newest hypnotherapist.
Have you had any unusual phobias?
I also had a client who had a balloon phobia which I had not heard of before.
At our first session, she was in tears when I showed her a man on a YouTube video blowing up a balloon. She couldn’t even touch deflated balloons.
After two sessions, she held a balloon and blew it up.
I have found that hypnosis gives people the control back in their lives.
I love that balloon story. How long do hypnotherapy sessions last?
Most sessions last an hour or so, although regression sessions may last longer (this is where you take the client safely back to a time in their life where they experienced anxiety. This is very helpful to find out where their fears and phobia may stem from).
Smoking cessation hypnotherapy sessions last about 2 hours as there is a lot of information I need to give to the client before we can start hypnosis. This is a one-off session although if they need a top up session this can be arranged.
I recently saw a client who had stopped smoking with me but attended a family gathering where there was a lot of anxiety. She felt the need for a cigarette but didn’t have one at the time.
After our top up session, she no longer wanted to smoke again. Whilst in hypnosis I also gave her some coping strategies for dealing with anxious family gatherings.
Depending on the client and what their problems are, I normally recommend 3 or 4 sessions. However, some clients may need more sessions if the problem is deep seated.
As you know, I’m a very approachable person and am more than happy to speak or communicate via text/email with prospective clients who are unsure if hypnosis will work for them. An initial consultation is always free of charge.
I’ve seen a lot of clients on a voluntary basis, some of whom are nervous and unsure of hypnotherapy, 99.9% of those I have communicated with have come along for sessions and have got a lot out of hypnosis.
Are you a member of any professional body? Does such a thing exist for hypnotherapy?
Yes, I’m a member of the Society of Hypnotherapists and the National Hypnotherapy Society. I am also a member of the National Counselling Society.
And finally, what would you say to someone who was unsure whether a hypnotherapist could help with their specific problem. Is it worth having a chat with you first? What would that cost?
I did once have a client who made appointments to see me but changed his mind about hypnosis. He was a man who said his young daughter wanted him to stop smoking. He didn’t show up for his first appointment.
When I contacted him to find out why he’d missed the appointment, he eventually said he had been called away on business.
After he didn’t show up for our rescheduled session, he gave a lot of reasons why he didn’t think hypnosis would be beneficial for him.
I came to the conclusion that he really didn’t want to stop smoking and was coming up with excuses that he could give to his daughter and himself as to why he couldn’t give up cigarettes.
Unfortunately, hypnosis will not work if the client doesn’t want to make a change in their life. It’s tragic but you can’t help people if they don’t want to help themselves.
Thanks, Lyn!
Lyn is offering a special introductory rate of £35 per session (normal price £50 per session) that covers all phobias, fears, weight loss, anxieties, and confidence boosting hypnotherapy, but this will exclude the stop smoking sessions as they take longer (2 hours) and are more intense.
The stop smoking hypnotherapy sessions will be at an introductory discounted rate of £50 for a one-off 2-hour session instead of the normal price £85.
You can see more about Lyn and contact her about hypnotherapy in Chelmsford on her website: Chelmsfordhypnotherapist.com