Freedom from Food FAQ's
CAN I GET A REBATE THROUGH MEDICARE OR PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE?
There are no rebates available through Medicare, however many private health insurers will offer a rebate for hypnotherapy. Be aware that healthcare providers change their policies regularly, so even if you have checked with them before, it is still worth calling again to check for changes. Limits of cover may vary.
Please note that there are some providers who state that they cover for hypnotherapy, however in the fine print, they only cover for hypnotherapy performed by a registered clinical psychologist (and most clinical hypnotherapists are not registered clinical psychologists). Please also note that some private health insurers will cover for hypnotherapy, but only if it is to address specific issues such as quitting smoking. If you are unsure if your private health fund offers a rebate for hypnotherapy, you are advised to contact them directly.
HOW MANY SESSIONS WILL I NEED?
The number of sessions required varies from person to person. For some types of presenting issues, just a few sessions may be enough to create effective and lasting change. Other issues which have become chronic (long-term) or deeply ingrained may need more sessions. It is worth remembering that your current social, cultural and physical environment may be impacting your ability to effect lasting change. Therefore, some aspects of therapy may be utilised to help you to address or at least acknowledge these aspects of your life, along with individual psychological factors.
The best way to determine how many sessions you may need is to book in for a free 30-minute consultation, where you can discuss your current circumstances and goals for therapy with your practitioner. From there, your practitioner will be able to help you to determine a program of therapy going forward. As with any type of therapy, there can be no guarantees provided with hypnotherapy. Therapy of any kind is a collaborative process and positive outcomes also depend on your ability to engage with the sessions. Having said all of that, we do guarantee to provide you with the highest standards of care and to refer on if we are unable to help, or are beyond our scope of practice.
Please note that in regards to programs of hypnotherapy, payment plans are offered. In addition, concession rates are offered to those with a health care card, student card or senior citizens card.
CAN ANYONE BE HYPNOTISED?
Yes. Hypnosis is a natural state of mind that we can all achieve. In the hypnotic state you are not ‘unconscious’ or asleep; rather it is a feeling of being deeply relaxed and focused. The key to achieving a hypnotic state is simply your willingness to do so. It is true that some people experience a deeper level of trance than others. Nonetheless, for therapeutic purposes, a deep or a light state of trance is effective and, in some cases, a light state of trance can actually be more therapeutic. Understand that a therapist cannot put a person into a state of hypnosis if they are unwilling to experience it.
IS HYPNOSIS SAFE?
Yes. During the hypnotic state, the therapist will use positive suggestion to implement change in the client’s life and help to rewrite negative belief systems. These suggestions will naturally be filtered through the subconscious mind, so if at any point there were to be a negative or harmful suggestion that contradicted the client’s core values, this suggestion would naturally be rejected by the client’s internal belief system. In other words, a therapist cannot make a person do something that they do not want to do.
WHAT DOES HYPNOSIS FEEL LIKE?
Hypnosis feels great! It is a relaxed and natural state to experience. Some people may experience a feeling of weightlessness, whilst other may experience a feel of heaviness or loss of sensation all together; everyone’s experience is different.
You are neither asleep, nor unconscious. This is a relaxed and natural state to be in and one that we enter in and out of many times throughout the day in fact. Just think, how many times have you driven from one place to the next and not recalled much of the trip? Or watching TV, you suddenly realise that you have ‘zoned out’? Hypnotherapy is not dissimilar to these experiences, except that this altered state of consciousness is used to implement positive change.
Many people, who have experienced hypnosis for therapeutic benefit, actually remember all of what was said during their session and report feeling relaxed and rejuvenated afterwards.
HOW DOES HYPNOSIS WORK?
Hypnosis works, first and foremost, by helping the brain and body to relax and focus. If you think about it; a stressed or anxious mind or body is not a mind or body which is ready to learn or to create change. Next, it is worth considering that term ‘hypnosis’ works as an umbrella term for many types of psychotherapeutic techniques. In other words, there are a number of techniques which can be utilised by the therapist whilst using the hypnotic state. The hypnotic state simply makes it easier for the client’s mind to take on board new ideas or beliefs, as well as access parts of themselves which can help provide answers or inner resources. Despite popular misconceptions, hypnosis is not ‘magic’. Although it can sometimes seem like magic when a person truly allows themselves to deeply focus and relax and discover that they do have the internal resources after all, to change their situation.
WILL I REMAIN IN CONTROL?
Yes. At no point in time can a hypnotherapist ask you to do something that you don’t want to do and at no point does the hypnotic state involve being asleep or unconscious.
WILL I REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SESSION?
Most likely. Whilst a small percentage of people report remembering none of the session, most people remember most, if not all of what was said during the session.
HOW EFFECTIVE IS HYPNOSIS?
When used in a therapeutic setting, hypnosis has a very high success rate with many presenting issues; from helping with addictions to anxiety and depression. Hypnotherapy, as in the case with most forms of psychotherapy, is a collaborative effort where the client and therapist work together to understand and achieve the best outcome for the client. So long as the client is open, ready and willing to welcome change, then fantastic results can be achieved.
HOW LONG HAS HYPNOSIS BEEN USED FOR?
Whilst there is evidence that the techniques of hypnosis may have been known to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, hypnosis has really became more widely studied and practiced from the late 18th century onwards. The Oxford English dictionary first recorded the use of the term ‘hypnotism’ in 1842, and there has been growing interest in the field and the associated therapeutic benefits to be gained ever since.
WHAT WILL A SESSION OF HYPNOTHERAPY BE LIKE?
A session of hypnotherapy from one client to the next will be as individual as people are individual. This is because we all have such different needs and motivations for doing the things we do. Between half to two thirds of the session will be spent in counselling. This is where the therapist and the client will discuss the presenting issue and explore the reasons the problem exists, the pay-offs for keeping the problem and the motivations to change.
With this information and a better idea of what makes the client tick, the therapist will tailor the hypnosis and the suggestions used, in order to achieve the best outcome for the client.
To make a booking for a session, please click here
