WHAT do you think when you hear the word ‘hypnotising’? Lying on a chaise lounge while somebody swings a gold watch in front of your face, gradually putting you under a spell?

Visiting Nicola Griffiths, at Cirencester Hypnotherapy, surpassed all my expectations. With a long waiting list, I was lucky to squeeze myself into her busy diary so she could explain the benefits of her work.

Trained hypnotherapist Nicola has helped people of all ages with all types of issues; from a man who wanted to overcome his fear of strawberries, to an elderly woman who was too afraid to leave her house.

“The hypnotherapists here are trained to the highest standard you can get – we’re lucky in Cirencester as that applies to some of the hypnotherapists outside of this clinic too,” admitted Nicola, who works from her office in Dyer Street.

“We draw a line in the sand and work with how you ‘want’ to be rather than what’s happened in the past. We don’t worry initially about belief process, the client simply has to ‘want’ to change and the belief will kick in as they start to see that change happening.”

I sat down with Nicola to experience some hypnotherapy treatment myself. She first explained to me how the brain worked in simple terms and then asked me if there was anything in my life I wanted to change or work on.

With upcoming exams I asked if she could help me feel more calm when the big day came around. As I lay back on the reclining chair, Nicola tucked a blanket across my legs and instructed me to close my eyes. She then attached a special device to my finger which measured how relaxed I was feeling, before calmly talking to me until I was suitably comfortable and de-stressed.

“As you relax, the subconscious part of your mind, which makes up 90 per cent of the brain, becomes more susceptible to positive suggestion,” explained Nicola.

“We therefore see small to massive changes as a result of people relaxing. It really is possible to reduce anxiety, sleep better or stop overeating just by relaxing, as long as the relaxation is focused in a positive way.”

The hypnotherapy centre also helps people deal with pain control, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions. Nicola added that when people were hypnotised they could have access to areas they were not normally conscious of, which meant she could often help people find things they had lost.

As I left Cirencester Hypnotherapy, I felt awash with a new kind of calmness. I was no longer as panicked about my upcoming exam, just mere days away.

Visit cirencesterhypnotherapycentre.co.uk to find out more.

Footnote: Exams passed!