Rachel Crawford
Hypnotherapist in Bideford

Rachel Crawford (AHD, HPD, mNCH, mCNHC) is in her 10th year of practicing Solution Focused Hypnotherapy in the pretty fishing village of Appledore, North Devon, as well as offering online sessions to clients further afield.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy works by harnessing our ability to solve our own problems in the right environment. Change - even positive change - has long been recognised as challenging for many, particularly if change is imposed upon us, which often simply creates anxiety and stress
Most of us find that we can make good decisions and choices, say or do the right thing and respond in the most constructive way possible when we are calm and focused. The same is rarely true when we are experiencing stress, anxiety or depression.
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In Solution Focused therapy the focus is on what the client wants to achieve rather than on the problem that encouraged them to seek change. Rachel focuses the sessions in such a way that therapist and client work together to seek solutions to the client's problem/s by using a series of technical questions. The sessions are light-hearted and upbeat, as the conversation is steered away from problem talk toward more productive discussion, which forms part of the therapy.
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Solution Focused (SF) therapy tends to focus on the present and future rather than the past, and Rachel asks the client to try to imagine and then describe detailed imagery of their preferred future, beginning with: "what would be better if the problem had improved? "What would be different?" then eliciting more and more detail from them about what these changes look like in real terms. This generates a mental rehearsal for the client of possible solutions, a sort of practice run, signposting the desired positive outcome to the subconscious mind and usually clearing a pathway to it in real life. There is also a focus on exploring the client's own capabilities and competencies: the things that they are continuing to manage, despite the challenges they face.

Hypnosis itself works by inducing an ultra-relaxed, 'trance-like' state to help us re-shape our perception of reality by dealing directly with the subconscious mind, the root of most of our problems, but also most of our solutions too. Hypnotherapy utilises the extraordinary power of the subconscious to bring about positive change and improvement, whilst the process of regular relaxation retrains an anxious or depressed brain, coaxing it out of its primitive, emotionally aroused state and into calm, controlled, intellectual mode.

Background & Hypnotherapy Qualifications

Rachel studied Solution Focused Hypnotherapy at the Clifton Practice, Bristol, a leading teaching authority providing the Government-recognised Hypnotherapy Training Practitioner Diploma Course in Clinical Hypnotherapy & Psychotherapy. Later she gained an Advanced Hypnotherapy Diploma (AHD) there, which included modules in Neuroscience, Psychoneuroimmunology, NLP, SFBT, Mindfulness and Neuroscience & Obesity. In 2020 she graduated from the Clinical Hypnotherapy School and gained a Diploma in Medical Hypnosis, qualifying her to work with complex and significant health issues such as PTSD, phobias, chronic health issues and care during chemotherapy.

My Specialisms

Working with adults with anxiety and anxiety related disorders.

Approach to Hypnotherapy & How I Work

"I came to Hypnotherapy in 2012 after a lifelong, niggling back problem developed into a prolapsed disc which eventually resulted in surgery. During this period I suffered significant pain and some anxiety wondering what I was going to do with my life when I finally recovered. My surgeon had told me that unless I wished for a repeat of the same experience I must change careers completely and find an occupation that didn''t involve me sitting at a desk all day staring at a screen.So, post-surgery, with plenty of time on my hands, I started to read about the relationship between pain and anxiety, and the direct influence of our thoughts on our feelings and therefore our emotional wellbeing. Even this bit of research I did was enough to prompt me to register on Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist at The Clifton Practice in Bristol, learning the skill of hypnosis and the application of it alongside a Solution Focused psychotherapeutic approach, exploring how our internal dialogue and the narratives we construct create pathways in the brain that vastly influence our lives.
I'm still constantly amazed at the extraordinary benefits we can reap when we harness that power and use it to promote our own emotional well-being.Since setting up my practice I have successfully managed any residual back pain using self-hypnosis and found that it's incredibly rewarding work watching clients rediscover their sense of emotional control and self-esteem, as they kick bad habits, reduce stress levels, overcome phobias and start living their lives as they wish to."
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Therapies & Rates

Please note the rates detailed below are there to give you an idea of the therapists standard rates, we strongly advise you contact the therapist for more detailed rates and any offers they may have.

Therapy	Appointment Type	Rate
Hypnotherapy	In Person	£55 per 60 minutes
Hypnotherapy	Online/Telephone	£45 per 60 minutes