Old Town Hypnotherapy

03/01/2026

Willpower is massively overrated.

It’s a short-term resource, not a personality trait — and by January, most people are already depleted.

Cold, dark days.
Post-Christmas finances.
Work restarting.
Emotional hangovers from family time.

Then we pile on unrealistic expectations and wonder why motivation disappears.

From a psychological point of view, it makes perfect sense.

Change that relies on effort alone rarely sticks because effort lives in the conscious mind — while habits, anxiety and emotional responses live somewhere much deeper.

This is why insight alone doesn’t always help, and why people can know what they should do but still feel stuck.

Hypnotherapy focuses on those deeper processes, helping change feel more natural and less forced.

👉 If you’re tired of pushing yourself and getting nowhere, you can explore how I work here:
https://oldtownhypnotherapy.co.uk/

01/01/2026

January has a strange psychological weight.

We tell ourselves this is the moment everything should change — habits, mindset, motivation, energy levels — as if the calendar itself has magical properties.

But pressure doesn’t create change.
It usually creates resistance.

Most people don’t fail at New Year’s resolutions because they’re lazy or undisciplined. They fail because they’re trying to force change at a conscious level, while the subconscious mind quietly carries on doing what it’s always done.

Real change tends to happen when the nervous system feels safe enough to let go — not when it’s being shouted at.

If January already feels heavy, that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.
It means you’re human.

Hypnotherapy works with the subconscious patterns that drive behaviour — without relying on willpower, pressure, or self-criticism.

👉 If you’re curious about a gentler way to change, you can find out more here:
https://oldtownhypnotherapy.co.uk/

28/12/2025

Grief at Christmas: Finding Moments of Joy with Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy 12/28/2025 -

Grief at Christmas: Finding Moments of Joy with Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy Maddy Boardman HPD, DHP, CBT (Hyp), AfSFH. Clinical Hypnotherapist.

08/12/2025

Bonnie in clinic today offering extra therapy cuddles.

05/12/2025

When you’re grieving, the basics become difficult.
Sleep. Eating. Getting through the day.
Your brain is working overtime processing emotion, memory, and meaning — it’s exhausting, even when you’re sitting still.

So what actually helps?

🔹 Routine — small, predictable habits calm the nervous system
🔹 Movement — not to “get fit”, but to regulate emotion
🔹 Rest — real rest, not collapsing
🔹 Connection — even one safe person makes a difference
🔹 Hopeful thinking patterns — tiny steps forward, not forced positivity

In solution-focused therapy we don’t ask you to relive the pain — we help you find what gives you moments of steadiness so you can slowly rebuild your life around your loss.

If you’d like to talk, book a free consultation:
👉 https://oldtownhypnotherapy.co.uk/

Even small steps count.

05/12/2025

What Helps When You’re Grieving?

05/12/2025

Today is International Volunteer Day — but let’s be honest, volunteering isn’t about being saintly or endlessly giving. It’s about connection, purpose, and feeling part of something bigger than the four walls of your own worries.

A lot of people assume volunteering means long hours or being a “do-gooder”. It doesn’t.
It can be incredibly small, incredibly simple, and incredibly grounding.

And here’s the psychological truth:
helping someone else can stabilise your own mental health.
Not because you’re avoiding your problems, but because:

🔹 It shifts your focus out of your own head
🔹 It boosts dopamine and connection
🔹 It creates a sense of meaning
🔹 It breaks the cycle of loneliness
🔹 It gives you a reason to get up and out

Even micro-volunteering — tiny, low-commitment tasks — can make a meaningful difference.
You don’t need to sign up to anything huge. You don’t need to be “on form”. You don’t need to be the world’s most extroverted human being.

Sometimes volunteering is simply:
✔ Answering a community call-out
✔ Checking in on someone vulnerable
✔ Offering a lift
✔ Helping an elderly neighbour with a small task
✔ Supporting a charity online
✔ Sharing lived experience
✔ Donating an hour of your time

If you’re struggling with low mood, loneliness, or a loss of direction, volunteering can be one of the gentlest ways to reconnect with life again.

If you’d like support with your mental wellbeing — or you’re not sure where to start — you can book a free initial consultation here:
👉 https://oldtownhypnotherapy.co.uk/

You don’t have to be in perfect shape to help someone else.
Sometimes that tiny act is what helps you too.

04/12/2025

One of the most hurtful things people in grief hear is:
“You should be over it by now.”

Grief doesn’t disappear.
It evolves.
It changes shape.
But it remains part of you — because love remains part of you.

The idea of “moving on” is outdated and frankly cruel.
Instead, we help people move forward, carrying their memories with them while slowly rebuilding their lives.

At Old Town Hypnotherapy, our solution-focused approach supports you to:
✔️ Find strength in what still helps
✔️ Reduce overwhelming emotional spikes
✔️ Reconnect with your future in a gentle, realistic way

If you need support, book a free consultation:
👉 https://oldtownhypnotherapy.co.uk/

No deadlines. No pressure. Just human understanding.

04/12/2025

Please Don’t Tell Someone to ‘Move On

03/12/2025

The Empty Chair Feeling

03/12/2025

For many people, the hardest part of grief isn’t the “big days” — it’s the quiet, intimate reminders.
The empty chair.
The routine you no longer share.
The conversations that will never happen.

Those moments can feel raw, especially in December when the world expects you to be cheerful or “normal”. But grief doesn’t care about the calendar.

At Old Town Hypnotherapy, we use a solution-focused approach to help you anchor yourself, find small moments of calm, and begin reconnecting with life at a pace that feels right for you.

If you’re struggling with the empty spaces someone left behind, you can talk to us:
👉 https://oldtownhypnotherapy.co.uk/

You’re not alone in feeling this way.

02/12/2025

When Grief Hits Out of Nowhere