The Manchester teaching centre has now relocated to the Manchester Metropolitan University’s Didsbury Campus, Wilmslow Rd, East Didsbury. The new premises are much more convenient for the motorway and rail network. Although the Manchester Royal Infirmary will be missed, a move was inevitable. With changing course structures and the amount of courses that will be running at any one time it was felt the Post Grad centre would not have met our needs. There is also a new LCCH contact number for the NorthWest: 
01457 878422. Don’t be shy about using it!

I have noticed a significant increase in the amount of patients enquiring about treatment of late, most of whom are coming via the Internet. I was not sure if others were finding the same so I have contacted some former students throughout the North West to find out first hand what is happening around the region, here are some of their replies.
 

Mary Holt

My name is Mary Holt, and I’m from from Leigh, Lancashire. For the past 26 years I have worked as an administrator in the NHS. After gaining my Diploma in Clinical Hypnosis with the LCCH in May 2000 I found that my hypnotherapy practice was taking more and more of my time but I never dreamt that at 57-years-old my career would take such a profound turn. I had reached a point where I had to make a major decision and resigned my position with the health service to concentrate on what was becoming an ever-increasing part of my life.

Although I had always intended to take up hypnotherapy full time, I had not planned this move so soon. However, my success in the areas of Relationship Problems, Phobias, Panic Attacks and Smoking continued to increase and this was a major factor in my decision.

Being home-based I have found that I am receiving calls I was previously missing whilst at work. Another source of my increased activity has come from satisfied patients who have recommended me to friends and colleagues.

I am thankful that I made the decision to pursue my profession through recognised channels and I appreciate the professional training received from the LCCH as well as help and guidance from Maurice Sterndale who gave advice and encouragement whenever asked.

I have derived a great deal of benefit from the Masterclasses I have attended and found the lecture content wholly relevant to my personal development and look forward to the Practitioner Diploma Course in September.

It is within everyone’s capabilities to grasp a new opportunity even as late in life as I did. I find myself a much more contented person doing what I do and seeing the benefits of my work in the results I achieve.
 
 

Michael works in Cheshire and Merseyside, including the Wirral. As well as running his own practice, he works two days per week for a local N.H.S.Trust in the field of smoking cessation. Together with his colleagues, he assesses the motivation of would-be quitters, explaining the various forms of medication available; liaises with the patients’ G.P.s and provides psychological and behavioural support while monitoring the patient. Direct hypnosis is frowned upon in these circumstances but he feels that the skills he has picked up from the LCCH and other training courses are easily adapted.

Recently he attended a course at Holistic Resources in Rossendale to learn more about the treatment of IBS with hypnosis. Holistic Resources was started by Elizabeth Taylor, who, along with Dr.P. Whorewell, is recognised as a leading figure in the treatment of IBS using psychotherapeutic/hypnotherapeutic intervention.
 

David Deegan

I am currently practising in the South of Manchester but am attracting referrals from as far away as Leicester. As I work during the day I only take evening appointments and the occasional weekend work. Whilst this makes for a full calendar, it is more than made up for by the sense of satisfaction when someone turns up on my doorstep stating that they have come to see me because their friend now feels so much more confident/slim/healthy.

I have worked with several unusual OCD's including a woman who cried every time she heard music. I particularly enjoy working with children, as their sense of imagination never fails to astound me with its inventiveness. I recently worked with a child who bit his nails and I employed a metaphor utilising Star Wars, as it was his favourite film at that time. I asked him to tell me what he could see as he sat in the cockpit of the spaceship, and, without any hesitation, was treated to the most incredibly detailed explanation of the controls and a description of nebular constellations outside. This was made even more dramatic by the fact that having seen the films myself, I know that all of the detail came entirely from his own creativity - in seconds! I only wish I had such rapid inventiveness when a patient in front of me says: "I know I said on the phone that I wanted to stop smoking, but actually...

I have a very large aquarium full of active fish that invariably attracts attention when patients arrive. Not only does this allow for some issue-free icebreaking, the movement of the fish and the sound of the bubbling water always seems to relax them. I never have to manipulate away the sounds from the tank, instead I frequently utilise it. Many patients comment afterwards that the sound instantly calmed them the minute they paid attention to it. However, this may be detrimental the next time I get a patent suffering from nocturnal enuresis, but will certainly be a boon when I receive my next pee-phobic patient.