Gary Condon, a hypnotherapist at Walnut Grove in Portishead, talked to editor Tracey Fowler about how he helps people change unwanted habits and overcome fears.

After circumstances forced Gary to make big changes in his own life including overcoming many years of depression and reducing his weight from 30 stone, Gary started a personal and professional journey to becoming a qualified hypnotist and mind therapist.

He now has a dedication and strong passion for helping people, who want to help themselves to change their negative perceptions and rid themselves of negative thought and behaviour patterns that stop them living their life the way they really want to.

Hypnotherapy is a way of accessing the subconscious mind through relaxation and can be helpful for removing unwanted habits and changing negative thought patterns. Hypnotherapists usually emphasise this is nothing like the hypnotherapy you see on the stage, so it surprised me no end when Gary admitted he had worked with some of the best and trained with stage hypnotists. He said: “That doesn’t mean I want patients to run around pretending to be a chicken, that’s for show business, but I have researched hypnotherapy extensively, including stage hypnosis.

By utilising a combination of Hypnosis, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Human Givens Psychotherapy, Hypno - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and some other unique mind therapy techniques that I have developed myself, I help free a patient’s mind from emotional hi jacking and make positive change to negative thought and behaviour patterns, promoting better mental health , emotional balance and a more optimistic, can do attitude. A patient is aware throughout their session and will not be made to do anything they don’t want to do.

They simply enter a state of extreme relaxation. People find hypnotherapy very relaxing and therapeutic, and it can be helpful for lots of issues including stopping smoking, weight loss and increasing confidence. It is great for reducing stress and anxiety, which in turn can help lower blood pressure. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure but managed to get it under control without medication by using mind therapy and hypnosis.” Gary sees a wide range of different patients in an average day.

He explained how he has helped professional sports men and women prepare for an important match or competition, assisted people taking their driving test and helped with exam nerves. He also regularly sees those suffering from post traumatic stress. He added: “It’s not about eradicating memories or bad experiences; it’s about getting your brain to deal with them differently so that it reacts differently and you feel different about things. It’s all about taking control and it can lead to much happier lives.

Gary offers free initial consultations to help patients decide if hypnotism can benefit them.​