In the bad old days you were thought to be mentally ill if you were going to a psychotherapist and it was best to keep quiet about it. Now therapy is the thing. Celebrities admit to having it – there’s even been a TV programme showing celebrities having therapy. If you are lucky you can get it on the NHS.

Psychotherapy is a general term describing a treatment where a client talks to a therapist and can be used to overcome stress, emotional problems, relationship problems or troublesome habits. There are many different types of talking therapies - there is CBT, EFT, NLP, hypnotherapy, group therapy, counselling, psychoanalysis, Freudians, Jungians, and loads of others in between. In this short article I want to take a look at some of the approaches on offer in Hastings.

James Caspian is a Hypno-psychotherapist - a therapist who uses hypnosis in conjunction with psychotherapy. Hypnosis creates a deeply relaxed state in which the client may find it easier to open up and be more aware of memories and feelings. James believes that a good rapport between the client and therapist is central, enabling the client to feel comfortable and safe. He helps people who may have feelings of discontent, a marriage break-up, anxieties, or what James calls an ‘unlived life, demanding to be lived’

Glenys Jacques practises as a Gestalt therapist. Gestalt means wholeness and this therapy is based on the theory that people want to move towards wholeness or completeness. Many people have unfinished business. Eg they didn’t end a relationship well, they leave without saying goodbye, or dive towards the end of a process before completing the beginning. The human condition is such that it will not allow cheating, but our speeded-up age encourages us to cut corners, producing fragmentation and often giving us as a feeling of disconnection from the world.

Glenys helps people to explore ways in which they can feel a sense of belonging. She says that people don’t need a problem to come to therapy but it can be a relief for them just to explore who they are.

Hypnotherapists can use hypnosis to work with specific problems such as smoking addiction or being overweight, over a specific period of time. The approach, which Rosi Harness uses in her Freedom from Smoking Programme, is to help her clients resolve the conflict between the part that wants to smoke and the part that wants to stop. Once there is understanding and co-operation between these two parts, then stopping can happen effortlessly. The same approach also applies to losing weight. This process can take anything from around three to six sessions.

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is also known as Energy Psychology. It works on the premise that the body/mind is an energy configuration. Practitioner Ranjana Appoo explains that EFT clears the energy pathways of disruption by a routine, which employs tapping with the fingertips on various body locations while focusing on (verbalising or thinking about ) the issue or problem. EFT is capable of treating emotional or mental issues - trauma, stress, phobias, grief, anxiety and addictions, and physical issues: pain, headaches or allergies. Typically the results are lasting.

Most therapists will offer an initial consultation when the client can meet the therapist and discuss what they want to get from the treatment.