FAQs

Will Hypnosis have me clucking like a chicken?
I don't know where the example of "clucking like a chicken" came from (maybe I missed something that everyone else saw on television) but I've heard it lots of times.
The answer is, "Not unless you want me to".  If you've always wanted to cluck like a chicken, but  been too shy to do so,  then I could use hypnosis to get you clucking with the best of them.  But nobody can make anyone do anything that they don't want to under hypnosis. 
Strictly speaking nobody can hypnotise anyone either.  All hypnosis is really self hypnosis and the therapist can only help the client into trance.  There's more detail on the "About NLP etc". page.

What happens if I get stuck in a hypnotic trance?
You'll fall asleep.  Then you'll wake up none the worse. Actually it's incredibly rare for anyone to get stuck in trance (it's much more common for them to drop off to sleep and have to start again)  but, since trance is only really an enhanced level of relaxation anyway, it's totally harmless.

Can I drive after hypnosis?
Yes, as long as you could beforehand of course!  Usually people come out of hypnosis wide awake, raring to go and fully alert.  If you've done a long session you might feel a bit "laid back" for a few minutes, but your therapist will always make sure that you're fine before you go.

Isn't NLP Manipulative?
Yes, but not in a sinister or scary way. 
If you go to a chiropractor with a bad back and he doesn't  manipulate your joints, you'll probably be really annoyed with him and demand your money back.  His job is to manipulate your musculoskeletal system in order to fix things.  Similarly, if a doctor prescribes you drugs he's manipulating your body chemistry.
It follows therefore, that if you go to an NLP practitioner with a behavioural problem, he is going to manipulate your neurology to help you solve it.  It's his job.
But just as with hypnosis, NLP cannot be used to make you change anything that you don't want to.
Incidentally that works both ways, if you don't really want to make the changes that will solve your problem, it won't get solved,  so often the first job is to find out why a client doesn't want to change and sort that out.

Why are your qualifications all American? Is it some sort of dodgy distance learning thing?
No it isn't.   I was trained in England, hands on, and had to fully demonstrate my skills to qualify.  
The reason I've gone for American qualifications is purity of knowledge.   NLP was developed (in America) by John Grinder and Richard Bandler.  Tad James and Wyatt Woodsmall worked directly with Grinder and Bandler and then developed Time Line Therapy TM on the basis of NLP.  James and Woodsmall were also the first people licensed by Grinder and Bandler to train NLP.
The man who trained me was trained personally by Tad James (who only works in USA and Australia) is still in frequent contact with him and goes back to USA regularly to work with him.  To my mind that's as close to the source of the techniques as I can get without going to America or Australia.
The American Board of NLP, American Board of Hypnotherapy and Time Line Therapy Association are all accepted world wide and have very strict entry requirements (including minimum direct training times) and stringent codes of practice.