With a plethora of qualifications and experience in counselling and psychotherapy, Mary shares techniques to relieve anxiety and fears and talks about stepping back from the world to regenerate spiritually. Anxiety and fear can be crippling, but it doesn’t need to rule your life.
The following is a pre-event Q&A session with Mary and explores who, how and why she has become a highly regarded and much respected professional in the world of Counselling and Hypnotherapy not only in the UK but also internationally.
If you would like to attend the event and listen to Mary’s talk at 2-30pm book your tickets here.
Q1 – You cover many different types of therapies – what are the benefits of hypnotherapy compared to psychotherapy or meditation?
Hypnotherapy is similar to the meditative state in as much as one is transported into the hypnogogic state of semi consciousness which is hovering between wakefulness and sleep. This is a medium to treat many issues that trouble individuals and spoil their daily lives, mainly through anxiety, stress and fear that can manifest in many other disorders, from weight problems and phobias that may deteriorate into depression and addiction. Realising that these feelings are communicated via negative thought processes that dominate in the psyche, there is a need to have understanding through talking about them (counselling) then it is possible with the aid of the hypnogogic state to change those negative thoughts and feelings into positive behaviours. It has an immediate effect for those who desire the change and I use hypnotherapy also to help individuals find the peace, tranquillity and contentment that enables them to be more able to cope with the issues of daily life in a more relaxed way so that the anxieties are deflated. Psychotherapy is the area of analysis that enables me to decipher and bring to awareness any issues that are evident in the past or present that need to be treated in order for the transformation to occur. I encourage my clients to develop the art of meditation to practice at home as the benefits are manifold for maintaining peace and remaining grounded and this gives individuals the capacity to keep that calm demeanour through all kinds of challenges.
Q2 – How do you know which therapy is right for you? Does it depend on the person or the trauma or something else?
Individuals come to see me with a kaleidoscope of issues that are troubling them and I am able to decide, through discussion and analysis, which therapy treatment is correct dependent on the presenting issue. Once a particular issue is identified and overcome through the hypnotherapy treatment, then I use the hypnotherapy as a meditative and supportive tool to continue the work until the client feels sufficiently able to cope alone. I do have regular clients who continue to come to see me after we have resolved issues, such as addiction from drugs and alcohol, or acute anxiety that is present in their everyday lives, so that we can work together on the path of recovery of the energy fields, establishing and maintaining the equilibrium of inner peace.
Q3 – How did you become a therapist/what made you become a therapist?
My “raison d’etre” was a strong desire many years ago to develop my passion for psychology and to help individuals to enjoy a better way of life through becoming more aware of the channel and connection of mind and spirit that has an impact on bodily dis-ease, in order to give individuals a better quality of life. Hypnotherapy was not necessarily my aim when I set out on this path, but as a result of my research, I realised that this was such a powerfully beneficial medium to help open the channels for spiritual and mental transformation for inner contentment. Having lost my partner many years ago to addiction, I felt I had to try and help others who suffered with emotional difficulties and I am hugely gratified that I am able to do so. As a lecturer at university, delivering the psychology of consumer behaviour, this was a catalyst for change that ignited my interest and decision to research psychology, psychotherapy and counselling.
The hypnogogic state is a platform for developing inner peace and connection to the soul, our centre of wisdom that guides and directs us for a fulfilling life in the external environment. It is a meditative state that is easily learned by individuals through regular practise, to be able to find inner contentment. Constant exposure to the challenges of the external environment is like working 24/7 without a rest. It is important to take time out to recharge our inner energy fields (chakras) to create balance and re-energise and refresh our approach to daily living. To maintain a peaceful and tranquil approach to life means taking time out for nourishing the soul and spirit in simple ways such as a walk in the woods, by the sea or any water, which has an emotionally relaxing effect, or spending some quality time connecting with our inner wisdom, through meditation and yoga practice.
Q4 – Your talk at Health and Wellbeing Live is about relieving anxiety and fears through spiritual regeneration – tell us a bit more about the thought / science behind this.
The most exciting and uplifting experience you will every have is to find your “self”. Taking this path will transform your understanding of life purpose and help you to embrace the divine path of learning on a journey of discovery from darkness into the light.
Many individuals fear their thoughts – the future, loneliness, difficult relationships, loss of loved ones and this can spiral into depression and in some cases sink further into addiction, and other means of “shutting out” overwhelming anxieties. I refer to it as “the eclipse of the soul” where the dark thoughts start to shadow the light i.e. losing the connection and no longer attuned to inner wisdom; negative thought feeds the black shadow which eclipses and slides into disease and illness. It is about regaining or finding anew one’s inner self – the heart is the soul’s messenger, so we must listen to our hearts. Illness, in fact, is an opportunity for self-reflection and provides a signal to take time out to contemplate troubling issues and find a way to resolve them. Hypnotherapy helps with the connection to self – going inwards and leaving the outside, external world behind for a brief period of total clarity of thought, to connect with one’s inner world for healing to take place. It is a beautiful and uplifting experience.
For more information contact:
MARY WHITE
Cornelius Counselling & Hypnotherapy
marywhite@corneliuscounselling.co.uk
01732 822 172 or 07990 981 004
