London Hypnotherapy UK now offers tutorials at 10 Harley Street. The price of each tutorial is £91.50. Sessions are 1 hour.

If you would like to book a hypnotherapy tutorial with Dr David Kraft, hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, please phone 0207 467 8564.

Dr David Kraft is a hypnotherapist and psychotherapist in private practice. He trained at the BST Foundation in London and has been a member of the Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine Section of the Royal Society of Medicine for many years. He was made fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine in early 2010. He has published in Contemporary Hypnosis, the official journal of BSCAH and ESH, and in the Australian Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. David is a member of BSCAH, and of the GHR.

Dear Hypnotherapist

I have been looking for a hypnotherapist in London for some time now and I have not had much luck. I looked on the Internet and have found some really dodgy looking people. Some say that they are hypnotherapists and others say that they are hypnotists, others combine hypnotherapy with psychotherapy and others used NLP and CBT. What a mess. What do you do. I am completely confused; I think that I need to speak to someone and have a session just to plan what I need to do in the treatment. What can you offer me. You look like you are at the top of the field. Are you a specialist hypnotherapist? I see that you work in Harley Street. Please help. S

Dear S

I am a hypnotherapist and psychotherapist. The approach that I use combined psychodynamic psychotherapy with hypnotherapy–I also use some behavioural approaches to treatment. In the first session–the consultation–both therapist and client will discuss the form of treatment and ask and respond to questions. I can offer you an hour’s consultation in order to do this. If you would like to book an appointment, please ring 0207 467 8564.

David Kraft: Psychotherapist and Hypnotherapist

Dr David Kraft is the managing director of London Hypnotherapy UK and London Psychotherapy. He is a highly skilled hypnotherapist and psychotherapist and is top in his field. Based in Harley Street, he offers one-to-one sessions to adults and teenagers. David trained at the BST Foundation and obtained two diplomas in clinical hypnotherapy. He also has a diploma in clinical psychology. He is a member of the British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis and a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.

Dear London Hypnotherapy

I need to talk to someone about my problems. I am ill. I went to a hypnotherapist last year and she made me worse. She gave me lots of things to do between sessions. She called it homework. Homework? I am not at school. She said that my depression was a direct result of my thinking and that I should use positive thinking to help me with my problems. She said that she would use NLP to help me and that I should trust the whole procedure. But I felt stupid. I felt stupid talking to myself and the more I talked to myself the more silly and out of control I felt. I feel out of control. I am sure that hypnotherapy is helpful but I want to go to a proper psychotherapist so that he or she can help me. I really need for you to listen. I have been doing some reading and I chose you because you use psychotherapy in your approach. I had psychotherapy, well, counselling, when I was in my twenties and I found that this was useful and gave me a huge amount of control of my life. I would be most grateful for a session later this month, please.

Thanks Anthony.

Dear Anthony

Thanks for the e-mail. It sounds like you had a bad experience with this hypnotherapist. I am a psychotherapist and I do a tremendous amount of listening in the session. I occasionally make suggestions (homework) but this is a very rare occurrence indeed. My approach is to listen and to provide support; I also try to be unbiased and completely non-judgemental. If you would like to book a session with me please ring my office on 027 467 8564.

Best wishes

Dr David Kraft. Psychotherapist and Hypnotherapist

Dr David Kraft (PhD) is a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a member of the British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis (BSCAH). He is also on the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR Reg.), holding the General Qualification in Hypnotherapy Practice (GQHP). He is also a member of the Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine Section of the RSM. David has a diploma in clinical Psychology, a diploma in clinical hypnosis and advanced certificate in clinical and strategic hypnosis. He has written articles on driving phobia, covert sensitization (in the treatment of the addictions), hyperhidrosis, eating disorders (including anorexia and bulimia), sexual disorders, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and sleeping disturbances. He has published an obituary in the British Medical Journal and in Contemporary Hypnosis and the Australian Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. Dr Kraft has a successful practice in Harley Street, London, UK.

Dear hypnotherapist

Just a quick question. If I go under in hypnosis, will I do anything stupid during the process. Derek

Dear Derek

During the hypnotherapy, you are in control of how your feel, think and behave. Contrary to stage hypnosis, in which the hypnotist gives the illusion that he is in control, you will be in the driving seat, controlling what goes on during the process. Hypnotherapy is a very safe and powerful technique and the client controls what happens. A good hypnotherapist will help the client to facilitate this control and help him or her to realize his or her potential during the process.

Dr David Kraft: Psychotherapist and Hypnotherapist

Dr David Kraft is a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine in central London. He is also a member of the Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine Section of the RSM. He has a diploma in clinical psychology and two diplomas in clinical hypnotherapy. He is a member of BSCAH and on the General Hypnotherapy Register. David has been researching hypnosis and psychotherapy since 2002 and has published many articles in Britain and in Australia. Dr David Kraft is in private practice and is based in Harley Street, London.

For courses run by the General Hypnotherapy Register, please go to the following link:

http://www.general-hypnotherapy-register.com/CPD%20EVENTS%20(Workshops,%20Seminars%20etc).htm

The General Hypnotherapy Register runs courses in all areas of Britain. These courses are very useful for practising hypnotherapist to keep up-to-date with what is going on in the world of hypnotherapy. It is important for continued professional development (CPD).

London Hypnotherapy UK is committed to treating individuals who have eating disorders.

According to DSM IV, eating disturbances are divided into two categories: Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN).

Anorexics refuse to eat and are unable to maintain a minimal body weight: often clients with this disorder have a distorted body image. Female patients with anorexia often also suffer from amenorrhoea; they present with a childlike appearance and often have suncken eyes and a drawn-in face. Anorexia Nervosa is subdivided into two main groups:

Restricting Type: weight loss due to constant dieting and/or excessive exercise    

Binge Eating/Purging Type: weight loss due to a bingeing and purging cycle (self-induced vomiting); inappropriate use of laxatives.

Bulimics suffer from binge eating and purging. Again, individuals suffer from an obsessive preoccupation with body weight and body size.  Bulimia is also divided into two groups:

Purging SubType: bingeing followed by self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics and/or enemas

Non-Purging SubType: binge eating and fasting and/or excessive exercise

Anorexia Nervosa

The main feature in the aetiology of anorexia is that the client is caught up in a complex and highly disturbed family infrastructure; (s)he displays both obsessional and highly perfectionist features and this is a product of the family’s psychopathology. Anorexics have internal hostilities and this manifests itself in the restriction of food; essentially, in many cases, anorexics are punishing both themselves and their parents for hostilities of the past. Often, anorexics are perfectionists. This striving for perfectionism pervades the whole of their lives including the home and work environments; individuals often have an encyclopaedic knowledge of calorie values and the precise constitution of food stuffs. In order to prevent any weight gain, individuals will go to any length to hide food or lie about the quantity of food they have consumed. Some individuals also exercise religiously.

Patients with anorexia can suffer from a number of physical complications.

Some patients suffer from some of many of the following:

bradycardia, hypophosphataemia and delirium, amenorrhoea, permanent osteoporosis, stunted growth, hypothermia, zinc deficiency, dry skin, chapped lips, skin pallor and sunken eyes

Hypnotherapy is an extremely powerful tool in the treatment of anorexia. 

Bulimia Nervosa

The essential component of bulimia nervosa involves binge eating accompanied by some form of purging behaviour-intentional vomiting, use of laxatives, diuretics and enemas.

Patients suffering for bulimia nervosa frequently experience medical complications to a greater or lesser degree depending on the severity of the condition. Individuals suffering from bulimia can experience some or many of the following:

electrolyte disturbance (esp. hypokalaemia), cardiac arrhythmias, dental carries, lacerations in the mouth, gastric reflux and oesophagitis, swelling of the salivary glands, schlera haemorrhaging, chronic dehydration, calcium deficiency causing loss of bone density

Many researchers have established a high correlation between bulimia nervosa and hypnotisability. Hypnotherapy is an extremely valuable tool in the treatment of eating disorders, a treatment approach which does not require any form of medication. The combination of a behavioural and a psychodynamic approach now comes under the heading of integrative psychotherapy which is a fast evolving treatment approach (Kraft & Kraft, 2007). Hypnotherapy offers a rapid and cost effective form of treatment for eating disorders, and it is recommended that these procedures are used on their own or in combination.

London Hypnotherapy UK and London Psychotherapy is committed to helping people who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Dr David Kraft has worked with individuals who suffer from this condition and has treated them successfully.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common GI disorder. Up to 20% of the population in London suffer from this condition. Clients who come for hypnotherapy often complain that they have a number of symptoms–diarrhoea, constipation, feelings of being bloated, stomach pain and frequency. IBS can be classified as follows:

                        IBS-C=Constipation-predominant

                        IBS-D=Diarrhoea-predominant

                        IBS-A=Alternating constipation and diarrhoea

                        IBS-O=Other abdominal symptoms

Dr Kraft uses gut-directed hypnotherapy–that is to say the Manchester approach (Whorwell, Prior and Faragher, 1984). After induction and deepening, Dr Kraft uses guided imagery and the river metaphor to help the client to take control of his or her feelings; the process is combined with the direct application of hand warmth on the stomach. Dr Kraft also uses the tree metaphor–this is a particularly powerful technique because the tree represents strength and solidity–and content free therapy. Again, this help clients to gain control. They are also taught self hypnosis.

Most patients have shown a remarkable improvement and this has had a knock on effect on their lives. Hypnotherapy reduces tension and anxiety; it also reduces depression, and thus has a good effect on IBS symptoms.

Dr Kraft has spent a great deal of time researching post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a condition in which the individual experiences intrusive re-enactments of traumatic event(s) of the past. Patients are consumed with this fear of the past: some and will often ruminate about these past events throughout the day, others will be sensitive to noise and interactions with other people in their every day lives. Many of these sounds and actions in some way represent traumatic episodes of a past traumtic event or events. Patients are often traumatized by these stimuli at night: they experience nightmares and night terrors or other sleep distrbances which centre symbolically or latently around the event. Any stimuli related to the trauma are often avoided. Often, patients suffering from this condition wil avoid previously enjoyed activities and will dissociate themselves from the event. PTSD is associated with a defence mechanism–namely, detachment.

PTSD occurs after one specific traumatic event or after prolonged and relentless stress over a long period of time. In most cases patients with this condition have experienced the following:

threatened death, abuse, attack, disorganized or agitated behaviour, helplessness and/or intense fear.

PTSD should be treated with extreme care. The method of choice is psychotherapy combined with hypnotherapy.

Dr Kraft is registered with PruHealth.

London Hypnotherapy UK is now the official specialist partner of London Psychotherapy. If you would like to see a hypnotherapist or a psychotherapist, please ring 0207 467 8564 or e-mail a contact number to:

Dr David Kraft (info@londonhypnotherapyuk.com)