The Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (AfSFH) has conducted research into the reasons why people seek the services of hypnotherapists, and found that anxiety was by far the most common reason people sought help from members of the Association, with over 34% of cases related to anxiety or stress.
The research was carried out in the form of a survey sent to the Association’s 168 registered members. The Hypnotherapists were asked to provide statistics relating to clients they saw during a period of one week at the beginning of June 2011. The survey was intended to provide a snapshot of what prompts people to seek Hypnotherapy.
Association Trustee, Nicola Griffiths, explains: “Whilst many people are familiar with the use of Hypnotherapy in helping clients to quit smoking or to help overcome their fear of spiders or flying, the fact that the therapy can help with a wider range of issues is less well known. We wanted to conduct the survey to demonstrate the scope of our work.”
“‘We had an excellent response and were able to analyse statistics relating to some 227 anonymous clients. As Solution Focused Clinical Hypnotherapists we specialise in helping clients to cope better with a range of conditions, many of which are either caused or exacerbated by anxiety, so it was interesting to see such a high percentage of clients presenting with anxiety or stress. It’s encouraging to feel our message is getting out there.”
The most common reasons for people seeking the therapists’ services were:
Anxiety or Stress (including Panic Attacks): 34%
Eating disorders or Weight Loss: 11%
Confidence: 8%
Depression: 8%
Phobias: 7%
Addictions: 4%
Sleep Disorders: 3%
Smoking Cessation was less than 3%.