By Avy Joseph  

I have been working as a Hypnotherapist since 1997 and as a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist since 2002. After working as a Hypnotherapist for many years, I became interested in the Cognitive and Behavioural aspects of Hypnotherapy. I pursued this interest and studied for a Master''s degree at Goldsmith''s College in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, one of the two main schools of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy (my Master''s dissertation was on combining Hypnotherapy with Cognitive behavioural therapy and research supported the effectiveness of combining the two). My knowledge and confidence as a Hypnotherapist grew and I started integrating the two with great results. After running many workshops on specific topics, combining these two disciplines and after listening to feedback from participants, I then felt it was time to develop courses in Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy.

There are two main schools of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The first is called rational-emotive behaviour therapy developed by Albert Ellis and the second is called Cognitive Behaviour Therapy developed by Aaron Beck. There are many similarities between these two evidence-based therapies and also some theoretical differences. Both schools are cognitive and behavioural.

The initial courses I developed in Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy were grounded in the REBT model but our current courses utilise not only these two great approaches but also incorporate some recent development in CBT such as acceptance and commitment therapy.

CCBH teaches Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy as an action-oriented humanistic approach to emotional growth that stresses the individuals" capacity for creating, altering, and controlling their emotional states. It places much emphasis on the present - on currently-held attitudes, painful emotions, and unhelpful or dysfunctional behaviours that can sabotage a happier experience of life. That is, it teaches people how to overcome past, present and future problems by focusing and changing their currently held beliefs about the past, present or future. The quality of our training was acknowledged by Professor Windy Dryden and hence his Patronage of the CCBH.

Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy offers individuals proven techniques for solving problems. So practitioners work closely with their clients, seeking to help uncover their individual sets of beliefs (attitudes, expectations and personal rules) that frequently lead to emotional distress. It then provides a variety of methods to help people reformulate their unhealthy beliefs into more sensible, realistic and helpful ones by employing powerful techniques. Ultimately, it helps people to develop a philosophy and approach to living that can increase their effectiveness and happiness in many areas of life.

Most practitioners are hungry to work effectively and with confidence that is grounded in a powerful psychological model. Our courses provide not only this but a therapeutic structure that is evidence-based, clinically sound, enabling the practitioner to help their clients move on with real and firm progress. They also help practitioners deal with obstacles that we all face in our practice. All our courses are both theoretical and practical. Practitioners will develop a good understanding in the theory and process of Hypnotherapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and their combination. These will involve lectures, demonstrations and experiential work. Part of the course involves therapeutic work outside the trance state. Later on, practitioners will learn how to integrate their Hypnotherapeutic techniques and apply them specifically in a cognitive and behavioural framework but in trance.