Integrative Hypnotherapy

Neurodiverse adults have an in-built advantage

When a client and I agree that this would be a useful approach, hypnotherapy can be integrated into coaching sessions.

In my 20 years of working with adults with dyslexia, I recognize clear patterns of abilities and strengths within people. Dyslexic people are natural problem solvers, because every day is a new challenge, with a range of problems to be overcome. This ability to problem-solve means that they hold within them the resources to solve their problems. My dyslexic clients often have a history of daydreaming (usually out of the classroom window!) and an ability to imagine themselves into other places and times. This capacity to daydream or be absorbed in imaginative flights of fancy is also another in-built advantage which neurodiverse adults hold.

Dyslexic people often describe a thinking style which is image based and, sometimes, three-dimensional. People often present with an in-built capacity to dissociate, a key feature of the hypnotic experience, therefore hypnotherapy can be viewed as a natural way to support you to tap into your own skills and superpowers to help yourself.

It is also possible to recognize patterns in the kinds of difficulties which people commonly live with. Patterns of anxiety, depression and isolation are common experiences in navigating the world with a hidden disability. Levels of daily stress and fatigue are often high, and I’ve also observed a pattern of bowel conditions, including IBS and Ulcerative Colitis. Those with dyslexia and literacy difficulties will inevitably have problems developing positive self-concepts because literacy is perceived as a highly desirable skill within our society. Clients sometimes live under an ‘umbrella of shame’, which brings with it a range of unconscious default behaviours which have become automatic responses to their uncomfortable feelings of shame.

It can be helpful to think of hypnotherapy as ‘daydreaming on purpose’. Everyday trances are a common experience – in the lift, watching TV, reading and drifting off …. Hypnotherapy harnesses the power of the imagination – which we most regularly use to worry ourselves sick!

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