Brighton Hypnotherapy

Chris People MSc BSc(hons) SQHP SMACCPH Dip.CBH Dip.SMRB CEnv MRSB MIEMA

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Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist and resilience coach

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• Registered Senior Practitioner Hypnotherapist with the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR)

• Senior Member – Accredited Counsellors, Coaches, Psychotherapists and Hypnotherapists (ACCPH)

• Higher Diploma in Cognitive-behavioural Hypnotherapy (or 'CBH'), Level 5 award, from the UK College of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy (UKCHH) - accredited by NCFE

• Diploma in Stress Management and Resilience Building - accredited by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA)

• Completed Dr Donald Meichenbaum's Essence of Psychotherapy training programme

• GHR Acknowledged One to One Supervisor

 

You can read more about my methods and approach here.

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Ok...here's my secret:  I never set out to become a therapist.  In some ways it was a bit of an accident...

 

I already had a pretty decent career, but I was really interested in learning how to become a better coach and athlete.  I had myself experienced hypnosis a few times and thought it would be fun to learn.  Even when I had completed my initial training with the amazing UKCHH, I still thought I would just use my new knowledge in helping athletes with performance.  Maybe, I thought I might also apply it occasionally in my work place too...

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And then I started to notice something - I was much more aware and sympathetic of the struggles other people were going through, and I  was also aware that there was a huge tool box of science-based tools that might just help some of them.  I had underestimated the extent of the mental health challenges in the world around us.  I also realised that whilst many of us might say we are doing 'ok' - we're not really thriving either.  Not depressed necessarily, just a bit flat, lost, or without purpose.  Like the light or colour had gone out in our lives. 

 

And then the realisation hit me - my 'decent' career wasn't actually what I wanted to do - It didn't light a fire inside me, it didn't actually fulfil my values (we talk a lot about values here!). What I wanted to do now was to try and share some of this knowledge, reduce some of the burdens and challenges we all face, and help reignite the fire and the 'why' in other people's lives.     

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I provide therapy and coaching on a wide range of issues, but my passion is helping people who feel lost, stuck or without meaning in their lives to rediscover their joy, passion, and purpose. I believe this is the foundation of what we refer to as resilience.

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I know just how common these 'lost and don't know where to turn next' issues are is as its something I have experienced myself and also seen in many of my friends and colleagues.  This often effects people in their 30s and 40s, and frequently when, on the surface, everything might otherwise seem to be going just fine, but inside you still feel something is missing. You are not alone in this, there is a way out, and we can get you through this together.

 

I also work with the UKCHH training team as a coach and trainer, helping to train new therapists and coaches.  I am one of the course facilitators of the Essence of Psychotherapy training programme, and had the honour of working with Dr Meichenbaum, one of the fathers and pioneers of CBT, as his assistant and editor on this programme.

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My previous training and education in sciences and biology has influenced me to only seek out training and methods that fit with a modern and evidence-based approach.  In our sessions together we therefore focus on changing the issues that are affecting you in the here and now, and as such we can avoid any unnecessary emotional digging into your past, or any unscientific or unsupported practices (that I sometimes jokingly refer to as "the woo-woo"!).  As a colleague of mine often says, this is change therapy.

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Outside of my therapy and coaching practice, I am an instructor of classical and modern martial arts and wellness in Brighton, and I am registered with the British Martial Arts and Boxing Association (BMABA).  My passion is in the use of martial arts and combat sports practice as metaphor for life-performance and in their direct use in practical and realistic self-protection. 

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I am also qualified as a biologist (MRSB) and Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv and MIEMA) and I spent more than 15 years working as a scientific and environmental consultant and project manager in the UK, Europe and the Middle East.  I've worked across various sectors in private consultancy, local government and for European authorities, and so I also hope that my broad professional experience may help us in our journey together with any job-related stress, anxiety or performance issues.