Hypnosis has come a long way from the Eighties stage shows where audience members would lose an hour of their lives dancing like a chicken – and then wake up wondering why everyone was laughing at them.
The deep relaxation technique – which involves being put into a controlled trance – is used worldwide, often to help people curb addictions, deal with anxiety and phobias and even tackle pain.
While sessions aren’t available on the NHS, those who practice it firmly believe hypnosis should be ‘socially prescribed’ by GPs to patients.
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Freddy Jacquin, who runs the Jacquin Hypnosis Academy, sees thousands of people every year to help them overcome phobias, addiction and pain via hypnosis
British hypnotist Freddy Jacquin says hypnosis is the most powerful psychological tool available, and that the technique has long since shrugged off the image of the hypnosis as a form of entertainment.
‘There’s been enough evidence showing people overcoming problems with hypnosis that people are now willing to give it a go. It’s not pills, it’s not potions, it’s just words and imagination.
‘My attitude has always been, what’s the worst thing that can happen? The worst thing is nothing. But I always say, what if? What if an hour together means the need for cigarettes has gone?’
Here, FEMAIL tasks Freddy with trying to help three writers conquer fears and a smoking habit – using just one session carried out over Zoom during lockdown.
HAYLEY: SUFFERS WITH IMPOSTER SYNDROME
Despite a disastrous audition at drama school, Femail writer Hayley Richardson still won a place, something that has since left her with a frequent feeling of imposter syndrome
Freddy tapped into Hayley’s unconscious mind, reassuring her and reminding her of all the people in her life who love her
‘I am often plagued by a feeling of ‘imposter syndrome’ – something I suspect dates back to a toe-curling audition for drama school over a decade ago.
Despite believing I’d completely flunked it in the final round, I was accepted onto the course – something I was convinced for years was a clerical error.
A subsequent career in acting, where rejection is part and parcel of the game, did little to help that dwindling self-esteem.
After chatting away to Freddy for 30 minutes or so, I felt completely at ease with him – it felt more like a therapy session as he tried to unpick why I sometimes doubt my abilities and the impact that doing so has on my day-to-day life.
The hypnosis felt like a talking therapy session, says Hayley, and she came away from the hour-long online meeting with Freddy feeling positive
The actual hypnosis part reminded me a bit of the final shavasana pose in yoga, where you completely relax your body and are faced with the battle of not letting your mind wander too much away from the present without actively controlling it.
I did find myself falling into a kind of trance – my body felt incredibly heavy in my chair and the thought of opening my eyes would have required some effort…
I did find myself falling into a kind of trance – my body felt incredibly heavy in my chair and the thought of opening my eyes would have required some effort.
I became quite emotional as he spoke to my ‘unconscious’ mind, which was reassuring and reminding me of the people in my life who love me – and promising I’d never feel like an ‘imposter’ again after today.
While I wouldn’t say I felt completely ‘hypnotised’ during the session, I certainly came away with a feeling of lightness and positivity. More than anything, it’s given me a boost.
My ‘phobia’ wasn’t as tangible as a fear of snakes or spiders, so it’s harder to gauge the degree of impact Freddy’s session had.
Maybe it’s coincidentally been a good week, but in all honesty I haven’t suffered a crisis of confidence since…
HARRIET: FEAR OF MICE
A mouse in Harriet’s London flat had left her with a genuine terror of rodents… but would Freddy be able to help her
Ahead of the hypnotism, I’ll admit I was incredibly skeptical. I’ve never been hypnotised before, and can’t say I felt I’d be wholly convinced by the experience – but after being left terrified by a mouse running riot in my flat, I was willing to give it a go.
Within five minutes of talking to Freddy, I felt less cynical although initially, I think I did feel like I was going along with it to avoid any awkwardness. Freddy used a technique during the session where he told me I could feel my hand getting lighter and – for whatever reason – my hand did lift up.
Harriet said she felt empowered by the Zoom hypnotism session but was still a little afraid of the thought of a rodent loose in her home
As the session wore on, I genuinely felt I was in a kind of trance.
While in the sleep-type state, Freddy attempted to tap into a part of my unconscious mind that manages my fear of mice.
As the session drew to a close, he asked me if I felt my fear of rodents was gone and said I ‘wouldn’t be able to remember how it felt to be scared’.
As the session drew to a close, he asked me if I felt my fear of rodents was gone and said I ‘wouldn’t be able to remember how it felt to be scared…
Harriet
Even at the time, I was unsure of this. He asked me to imagine mice, and I still felt a slight wavering of the same stomach-churning fear I’ve had in the past, albeit a much reduced one.
I would say that the hypnotism was overwhelmingly positive.
Freddy was very reassuring, but primarily he was very empowering and kind, repeating emboldening statements about what I could achieve and who I was.
He invited me to think about five different goals, set them, and then consider how decisions in life led me to those decisions. By the end of the session, I definitely felt lighter and more empowered, which was a really lovely feeling.
Plus points: Harriet said she felt ‘lighter and more empowered, which was a really lovely feeling’ by the end of the chat
Several weeks on, I can whole-heatedly say some elements of the hypnotism were ‘effective’. I’ve felt more in control, more empowered and confident.
But my fear of mice hasn’t been completely eliminated. I’m still very wary in my flat, and can feel that familiar churning feeling whenever I think I catch a glimpse of something from the corner of my eye? Maybe another session would be useful….
CLAIRE: WANTS TO QUIT SMOKING
Desperate to quit smoking, Claire undertook a 90-minute session with Freddy…and while she enjoyed meeting him, she’s still smoking around five cigarettes a day
When I met Freddy over Zoom, I instantly felt very secure. It can always be overwhelming to meet an expert, especially when it is for alternative therapies such as hypnosis. But he made me feel right at ease.
The session lasted for an-hour-and-a-half, but the actual hypnosis bit was much shorter than that.
For an hour, Freddy asked me questions about my smoking habit and why I wanted to quit. He also told me about the terrible consequences cigarettes had on my health – something I already knew, but that are never pleasant to hear.
After an hour-long conversation, Freddy started the actual hypnosis. I did feel very relaxed, listening to the sound of my own breathing and Freddy’s voice. I’m not sure I entered the trance that other people who’ve undergone hypnosis described though.
Did the online element scupper the hypnosis? Claire wasn’t entirely sure that the session, which suffered a little from WIFI slowness worked as it would have done in a face-to-face environment
After a few minutes, Freddy ‘took me out’ of my trance and sent me on my way.
I’m not convinced hypnosis is for me, because, unfortunately, I can – shamefully – reveal I was lighting up only two hours after our time together.
I don’t know whether it was because it all happened over Zoom, perhaps the interrupted WIFI connections are not as hypnosis-friendly as one would like to believe – or perhaps I’m hard to hypnotise!
I’ve reverted to patches in order to curb my cravings and hopefully this will do the trick.
For more info on hypnotism sessions with Freddy, visit www.freddyjacquin.com