ADHD Hypnotherapy for adults

 

Hypnotherapy for ADHD -

Is that even a thing I hear you ask?

The idea that people with ADHD cannot be hypnotised arises from two myths: one that all people with ADHD are hyperactive and unable to concentrate; and two, that hypnosis is a mystical, zoned out state induced by commands to “Sleeeep!”.

Neither of which are true, of course. 

It was Scottish surgeon James Braid who, after conducting the first major scientific study of the state in the 1840s, named it after Hypnos, the Greek God of Sleep. Later realising his mistake, he tried to rename it but by then, the name had caught on and the association with sleep continues to this day.

The name he wanted to use instead was Monoideism - the total focusing of the attention on a single idea.

If you have, or someone close to you has, a diagnoses of ADHD, you will recognise this "hyperfocusing" as a familiar feature of the condition and it is this, along with other ADHD traits such as heightened sensitivity and better than average response to hypnotic suggestions, that make the person with ADHD ideal for hypnosis. 

Interestingly, it has been observed that ADHD medication can also enhance the hypnotic experience (i)

ABOUT ADHD HYPNOTHERAPY

A hypnotherapist cannot diagnose ADHD (only a doctor, usually a psychiatrist, can do that) nor, it should be emphasised, can hypnotherapy be offered as a cure for it.

So what can it do?

As a holistic therapy, hypnotherapy treats the person rather than the specific condition.

People with ADHD are often short of vitamins and minerals such as magnesium and iron (ii) whilst exercise and time spent in nature has been shown to be as beneficial as medication (iii).

Diet and lifestyle factors are then, just as important as the hypnosis itself, with the goal of hypnotherapy being the creation of the best life possible for the individual person with their own particular problems.

Sleep is often a major one, along with anxiety, stress or depression and hypnosis can help with these and more, often in conjunction with allied therapies such as Emotional Freedom Techniques (iv), Self Compassion (v), Mindfulness and elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

CBT is often the recommended therapy for ADHD but research shows that it's efficacy is greatly enhanced when combined with hypnosis (vi). Another research study shows that traditional hypnotherapy is more effective for ADHD than CBT alone (vii).

Hypnotherapy, then, can offer the person with ADHD a holistic, wide ranging therapy that can not only deal with symptoms of the condition, regulating emotions and improving attention for instance, but also it's accompanying problems, bringing about meaningful and sustainable improvement in the person's quality of life.

Hypnotherapy for ADHD is offered as a course of approximately ten, forty five minute sessions at £45 per session.

If you are interested in finding out more, please do contact me by text or phone on +447761198504 or email paul.taylor2014@outlook.com

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Research citations can be found here