The Mindful Therapist

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a form of talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave. It is based on the idea that your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are all interconnected and that negative thoughts and feelings can leave you trapped in a vicious cycle. CBT deals with your current problems, rather than focusing on issues from the past.

In addition to the very strong research supporting the use of CBT for a wide range of conditions, such as anxiety, there is now good evidence to suggest that when hypnotherapy is combined with CBT the resulting treatment is significantly more effective than CBT alone.

Cognitive and behavioural approaches are at the forefront of modern hypnotherapy. Behavioural hypnotherapy helps clients change their habits and behaviours by conceptualising their problems using CBT methods and then using hypnosis to embed these positive changes. Cognitive hypnotherapy works in a very similar way but focuses on the thoughts and beliefs associated with behaviour, challenging unhelpful thoughts and then using hypnotherapy to help clients change their beliefs and think differently about things on a more subconscious level. Both are highly evidence-based, backed by empirical research and focus on an open and collaborative relationship between therapist and client.

My role is to provide support, advice and techniques to help you achieve your goals in a safe, non-judgemental environment where you feel comfortable to share your problems. The more actively involved you are and willing to participate during treatment the more successful therapy will be. Being committed to the treatment plan will help you build self-confidence and you will benefit quicker and more powerfully from cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy.

"I highly recommend The Mindful Therapist. I went to see Alex for 5 sessions to help me overcome the stress and anxiety of speaking in front of large numbers of people. I have been doing my job for many years and over time have been promoted to senior roles. This took me from presenting to a small group, around the table, to standing up in front of 2000 people and the Board of Directors. I work for a start-up company owned by a large UK company with a very well known UK brand. Public speaking was not my strongest quality, in fact it scared me to the point I would stutter, shake and overall feel embarrassed forgetting that my knowledge and experience was what put me there in the first place. The sessions and exercises helped me overcome these feelings and put into perspective why I was feeling the way I was and how I could manage these feelings in the given situations. With practise I managed to overcome my anxiety and continue to manage how I react to these feeling and grow more confident each time. I can’t thank him enough for his help and continue to enjoy my meditation practise not only for professional purposes but also for “time out” in my day-to-day life."
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Ma. De Los Angeles Varela-Oreiro

Mindfulness is the process of bringing one's attention to our thoughts, feelings and emotions occurring in the present moment through the practice of meditation. Since the 1970’s clinical psychology and psychiatry have developed a number of therapeutic applications based on mindfulness for helping people experiencing a variety of psychological conditions.

I use both Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy as part of my strategy to treat individual clients with a range of conditions including but not limited to:

Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Recurrent Depression
Eating Disturbances
Grief
Pain
Stress Reduction
Substance Misuse
Work, Family and Financial Stress

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an 8-week evidence-based programme that offers secular, intensive mindfulness training including techniques such as meditation, gentle yoga and mind-body exercises to assist people with stress, anxiety and pain. After engaging in an MBSR course participants have reported feeling more energised and engaged in their work, less anxious, as well as sleeping better and displaying fewer physical symptoms of stress.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) was designed specifically to help people who are prone to recurring depression. MBCT is an adaptation of MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) that uses the same basic format and structure combining mindfulness techniques like meditation, breathing exercises and stretching, with elements from cognitive therapy to help break the negative thought patterns that are characteristic of recurrent depression.

MBCT is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as an effective treatment for people who suffer from recurrent episodes of depression. Evidence shows that MBCT can, on average, reduce the risk of relapse of recurrent depression by 43% (Mark et al, 2014).

Aside from its clinical application Mindfulness practice has been found to be beneficial in increasing sports performance and proven to enhance creativity, problem solving and decision making.

"I completed the 8 weeks mindfulness based cognitive behaviour therapy course with Alexander James after my initial assessment with him. I have suffered from a couple of periods of depression in the past, gone through cognitive behaviour therapy, and counselling which helped. I also took anti-depressants on the advice of my GP when I was last diagnosed with depression and gradually stopped taking them after 1 year. A few months ago, the black cloud over my head was back, possibly triggered and aggravated by work and the perimenopause. I didn’t want to go back on anti-depressants or go through more cognitive behaviour therapy – Even though it really helped me get back on my feet previously, I felt it was more like a plaster on a sore rather than a longer-term help for me. Alexander James takes a bespoke approach and puts you at ease very quickly. His treatment through the mindfulness based cognitive behaviour therapy has given me an invaluable toolkit to manage every day life. I feel calmer, stronger, and better equipped to face the black cloud should it come back. I am very grateful to be able to put this into practice for a healthier and more peaceful life. Thank you Alexander James."

G. Dior - Hammersmith FreeIndex