Evidence that Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is as effective at preventing mental health problems as it is resolving them.

You might have noticed that over the last few months Inspired to Change has been talking about the research study we undertook with Northumbria Police to evidence the effectiveness of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) to support police officers and staff. In this study, 20 Solution Focused hypnotherapists provided online therapy to police officers and staff who volunteered to receive therapy in order to help them with a wide variety of issues to include anxiety, depression, lack of confidence and fertility issues. As sessions progressed the process also enabled issues around sleep or trauma to be resolved.

Feedback from sharing the research findings

Since we have started sharing the impressive findings of the project one thing that has become clear is that many people assume therapy was only to help those suffering from trauma-related issues, including PTSD or those who are measured to have severe symptoms of anxiety or depression i.e. that therapy is to help those who Mental Health has been significantly compromised. This is not a surprise given the fact that Police officers are said to experience 400-600 traumatic events in their life as opposed to the general population experiencing approximately 4-5. Whilst the research project demonstrated that SFH is very effective in helping people with trauma-related issues, and it does so in a way that is itself safe and trauma-free, the majority of the therapy in this study and in our private practice is for those people struggling with anxiety, low mood or a lack of confidence and who just want to feel better – be more in control, happier, more productive in their work life and really living in their home life.

Challenges in the Police…things we can all relate to

Through delivering training to Police Officers, Crime Scene Investigators and Staff at Devon and Cornwall Police, the same picture has emerged. Whilst there are times when the traumatic event is so significant that it leads to PTSD, for the majority of personnel, stress and compromised Mental Health are more likely to be the result of general work-related issues such as a lack of resources, under-staffing, long term covid effect and logistical difficulties as well as challenging shift patterns or issues in their home life to include divorce, loss of a loved one, health problems or challenging caring responsibilities.

Hypnotherapy and Training the Solution-Focused Way

The training that we at Inspired to Change deliver is based on the same sound neuroscience knowledge of how our brain works and how we can manage our stress to be more resilient and to get more out of life that we explain in our hypnotherapy sessions. Feedback from research project participants commented on the fact that hypnotherapy sessions were enjoyable and informative an that improvements in how they felt not only improved their performance at work but also their relationships at home. This is because hypnotherapy sessions aren’t just about time spent on the couch in trance. Sessions are highly structured to include knowledge of how our brain works and how we can re-wire our brain to cope better with the challenges we face at work and at home.

Knowing why we feel as we do makes a big difference because the symptomology of stress can be upsetting or even pretty frightening at times. This knowledge is the first step to getting back on track. Feedback from the training sessions reflect this sentiment with participants saying that this knowledge meant a weight was lifted, that they could be more positive and know what actions to take to manage their stress better in the future.

In Summary

Quite simply SFH enables those feeling stuck to get back on track whilst also increasing resilience so we are more able to deal with trauma too. SFH is as effective in prevention as it is in the resolution of trauma. Moreover, in SFH the focus is not just the reduction and removal of symptoms of anxiety and depression but rather it is on the improvement of wellness, which the scientific academic literature tells us is the key to preventing relapses in Mental Health problems through its focus on boosting resilience so that we can cope better with the inevitable stresses that come our way.

If you’d like to find out how hypnotherapy can help you to GET Better, COPE Better and BE Better, get in touch with one of our Inspired to Change hypnotherapists and book your FREE initial consultation.

Inspired to Change Hypnotherapists are all recognised by the National Council for Hypnotherapy, the UK’s leading not-for-profit hypnotherapy professional association.

Find out more about how your workplace can benefit from solution-focused Resilience and Wellbeing Training or neuroscience-based Mental Health in the Workplace training.

Find out how you can train as a solution-focused hypnotherapist at your local CPHT hypnotherapy training school.