Welcome to our
private psychotherapy practice

SELF HARM

People who self harm invariably have severe emotional problems. These patients become so desperate that they use sharp instruments, such as knives or razor blades to make cuts into their arms and often on examination many scars can be found from previous cuts. For this reason they frequently cover their arms with long sleeved garments to hide the evidence.

The reason behind self harming is complex: however, they often state the reason they cut themselves is that they consider the pain from the self inflicted injury to be less severe than the internal emotional anguish which they are suffering.

The treatment of choice for these patients is individual psychotherapy. It is important at the outset, to reassure the patient that it is possible to treat this condition successfully. 

In the treatment sessions, the patient is encouraged to express the very unpleasant feelings which he or she is harbouring in side. In this way the anguish is released in the safe and non judgmental environment of the consulting room, so the emotional pain is reduced which in turn decreases the need for self harming. One of the important functions of the therapist when treating patients with this disorder is to offer a strongly supportive environment to counteract traumatic childhood experiences.

SLEEP WALKING

Although many people who have sleep walking problems only walk a few steps in the room in which they sleep, there are others who have been known to open the front door and venture out of the house. This can be dangerous as they may get into their car or try to cross a busy road with out knowing what they are doing.

Sleep walking can be corrected by the use of hypnotherapy. During the treatment sessions the patient is given strong suggestions that as soon as their feet touch the ground out side the bed they will wake up immediately and then return to a peaceful sleep. In this way the patient gradually learns to sleep normally with out walking about.

In addition the patient is taught self hypnosis in the context of the therapy and he or she is encouraged to practice this every night before going to sleep.

The results of this treatment approach are favourable.

SMOKING

In preparation for the new laws on smoking in public places coming in to force in 2007, now is the ideal time to give up smoking.

The fact that you are showing an interest in the treatment of smoking by looking up the subject on this web site is the first step towards giving up smoking.

The great advantage of using hypnosis for giving up smoking is that it removes the craving for cigarettes. An important part of the treatment is learning to carry out self-hypnosis. This is taught to the patient during the treatment session and is used by the patient at home for ten minutes each day to reinforce the treatment.

Most patients find that they have stop smoking after two or three sessions. Highly motivated patients will often stop after a single treatment session.

You do not have to be a good hypnosis subject in order for this form of treatment to be effective in stopping smoking. However it is important that you really do want to give up smoking and that you make the appointment yourself.

In 2005 87.5% of patients treated by Dr Kraft in this way had successfully stopped smoking in up to three sessions.

SNORING
“This treatment approach is based on original work carried out by Dr Kraft. - See publications.”

People who snore at night are often unaware that they have this problem and it is usually their partner who objects. In some instances the snoring is so loud and penetrating that the partner banishes the person who snores to sleep in another room and this can cause marital disharmony.
The problem of snoring is increased by the taking or alcohol or sleeping tablets. The first step in the treatment of snoring is to advise the patient not to take these. Unfortunately while this may reduce the severity of the problem it is unlikely to cure it and provided that there are no physical problems patient would be well advised to seek hypnotherapy which is shown to be a very effective treatment. 

SOCIAL ANXIETY

People who suffer from social anxiety are intimidated by all social interactions to a greater or lesser degree. In particular they find parties and social gatherings difficult to cope with. As a result, they tend to avoid these activities, and this has the effect of intensifying the problem. On the other hand they may take alcohol which reduces the level of anxiety but may lead to alcoholism.
People with social anxiety will often choose employment in areas where they do not have to interact with other people as they are more comfortable working on their own.
Individuals tend to seek treatment for their social anxiety when it becomes imperative that they function in a social setting. This may have come about because of office reorganisation to an open plan system or it may be that they are required to attend a family wedding or for a variety of other reasons.

This condition responds well to hypnotherapy and during the course of treatment patients are introduced to a graded series of social situations until they are anxiety free. During the treatment the hypnotherapist rehearses forthcoming social events with the patient. It is emphasised that the rehearsal and the actual event should follow closely one on the other as this maximises the effectiveness of the treatment. Great attention is paid to the detail of the event during the rehearsal under hypnosis so that it can more easily be translated into the actual situation. In addition the patient is taught self-hypnosis which he or she is encouraged to practice on a daily basis.

SPORTS PERFORMANCE

There is an increasing awareness that hypnosis is extremely valuable in the enhancement of sports activities of various kinds. It has been shown that the performance of accomplished skiers improves if they practice the runs in imagination in hypnosis prior to the event. Certainly hypnosis has been extremely effective for those entering archery completions and it has also proved to be very valuable for footballers, boxers and gymnasts.
It must be emphasised that hypnosis will not teach basic skills of the sport; however it is    useful for those who are already proficient in the sport but wish to improve their performance to a point of excellence. There are many reports in the literature which indicate that top sports people have found hypnosis to be extremely valuable.   

STUTTERING
“This treatment approach is based on original work carried out by
Dr Kraft. - See publications.”

People who suffer from a stuttering problem find that there are certain situations where stuttering does not occur, such as when singing or reciting poetry.  Some people find that there are specific words which they cannot say, and these have a particular emotional significance for them. There are often certain letters which are more difficult than others.
Slowing down the rate at which the person speaks is a helpful way of reducing the stuttering response but does not produce normal speech and does not correct the fundamental problem.
The aim of the treatment which Dr Kraft offers is to produce normal speech; this is achieved by using hypnosis in a special way. During the treatment sessions the patient is encouraged to let his or her mind wander onto what ever comes into their thoughts, and in this way they find that their speech becomes more normal. Having learned to speak more normally under relaxed conditions brought about with the aid of hypnosis this then transfers into the life situation.
During the course of the treatment patients frequently show strong emotions such as anger. The therapist encourages these feelings to be expressed as often these patients have hidden emotions of which they are completely unaware.
Stuttering is a challenging problem and requires regular treatment over an extended period of time but if the patient perseveres with the therapy the results are excellent and the stutter can be completely eliminated.

SWEATING

Excessive sweating can be a troublesome symptom. In mild cases it involves sweating in social situations, and this is extremely embarrassing to the sufferer. In severe cases, the sweating is so profuse that the individual concerned may have to wring out his shirt, or empty his shoes of water. Often such patients are referred for a sympathectomy operation, which may reduce the amount of sweating, but does nothing to remove the original causes of the problem.
Patients who suffer form excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) usually have an enormous amount of social anxiety, and it is this area which needs to be addressed in treatment. It has been Dr Kraft’s experience that hypnotherapy is a most useful tool for dealing with social anxiety and this in turn reduces the sweating response.
In the treatment sessions the patient is asked under hypnosis to imagine the social situations which he or she finds difficult. As they become comfortable with each situation in the hypnosis they find that this transfers into the life situation. During the session the patient is also taught self hypnosis which they are encouraged to practice at home on a daily basis.
Patients find that as the treatment progresses they gradually become more competent in dealing with stressful situations and authority figures so that for example interviews become less of a problem and they are better equipped for promotion.
Once the symptoms are under control some patients wish to explore the reasons why they were sweat excessively, and for these patients a psychotherapeutic approach is adopted and replaces the hypnotherapy.

Dr. Kraft