The mind is like a parachute – it only works when it’s open.

Those words are on a poster on the wall of Celia Hogan’s office, where I’m lying on a reclining chair with a set of headphones on, closing my eyes and drifting off under hypnosis.

‘What if I go into past-life regression and discover I used to be Florence Nightingale or Henry VIII?’ I find myself thinking, as Celia’s soft voice seeps into my subconscious.

Celia is a hypnotherapist and neuro-linguistic programming practitioner who helps people tackle issues such as phobias, stress, weight-loss, fear of flying, lack of confidence, smoking and drink problems.

“Anxiety and stress are two of the biggest problems,” said Celia. “We live busy lives and take on too much. Taking a pill is a short-term solution; it’s important to take time out and tackle problems.

“With fear of flying, I get to the bottom of it, find out where it came from. With weight-loss, I encourage a positive self-image and realistic lifestyle changes.”

A few years ago, Celia was a busy sales rep, constantly on the road and frantically meeting targets. “I did it for 15 years and became very stressed,” she said. “Then I read some Paul McKenna books and decided to do an NLP course. I loved it – it gave me so much confidence and motivation. I thought ‘I want to do this’, so I did! It’s the best thing I’ve done.”

Celia’s training involved going under hypnosis and dealing with childhood issues. “I had a nasty, bullying teacher who’d undermined my confidence. It stayed with me,” she said.

She started practising three years ago. Walking into her cosy Brighouse premises, with subtle lighting and soothing floral aroma, I felt instantly relaxed.

“People take time out here from busy lives,” said Celia. “Some people just come for relaxation.”

On a shelf stood a cluster of thank-you cards from people Celia has helped. “I was petrified of flying. It was having a big impact on my family,” read one card. “After a couple of sessions with you, I managed the nine-hour flight without shedding one tear. I had a sense of calm. What you do is amazing.”

Hypnosis sessions last an hour or longer, depending on clients’ needs. “Problems like smoking can sometimes be overcome in one session, others may take longer,” said Celia.

“Hypnosis is a natural state of mind, enhanced by relaxation, enabling our subconscious to communicate with our conscious mind. Think of the conscious mind as being just above an iceberg, with the unconscious mind way below.

“NLP is reprogramming the way we see things, finding an alternative to negative thoughts through positive visualisation. We experience life through our senses, translating sensory information into thought processes, conscious and unconscious. Through NLP linguistics, we put positive messages into the unconscious mind. Top athletes, politicians and business people use these techniques.”

When Celia invited me to try hypnotherapy, I was curious. Browsing her website, I’d noticed she treats stress and anxiety. I’m a born worrier and am so used to it that if I stopped worrying, I’d worry about that! But more recently, I’ve become increasingly anxious about my mum’s illness and it’s having a detrimental effect on my sleep, so I asked Celia if she could help. “Anxiety is something many people come to me with,” she said. “It’s increasing, and many of us don’t notice it building up inside. It manifests in various ways; I used to get a pain across my neck whenever I was stressed. I met a man who was so anxious his muscles had tightened and he walked with a limp.” I felt nervous about trying hypnosis, but Celia put me at ease, reassuring me that although she’d be ‘talking to my subconscious’, I’d be aware of what was happening, albeit in a relaxed state, and would be in control.

“Everyone has their own level of relaxation,” she said.

I put on a set of headphones linked to Celia’s headset, sank into a comfortable reclining chair and closed my eyes. The combination of soothing music and Celia’s soft voice was relaxing; she told me to breathe deeply, saying the word ‘calm’ to myself, with each outgoing breath. I felt as though I was covered by a heaviness, a physical and mental relaxation.

Using NLP, Celia told me to visualise myself in a garden. For some reason, I thought of an overgrown country garden. She told me to gather up dead leaves on the ground, labelling them with what was causing my anxieties. I visualised a label saying ‘Mum’s illness’ and suddenly felt tears welling.

I felt briefly self-conscious, then sank into a deeper relaxation. My breathing slowed down. I was aware of Celia’s soft, slow voice telling me to gather the leaves and set fire to them, visualising ashes blowing into the air. It was a simple enough symbol; burning things that made me anxious.

Then Celia guided me to an area of garden with a patch for me to plant seeds. She told me to watch them grow into plants labelled with words like ‘optimism’ and ‘confidence’.

I was relaxed and able to follow Celia’s guidance, but I couldn’t completely let go. I suddenly started fretting that I hadn’t put enough money in the car park meter to cover our session. I started to visualise my car being clamped.

I still felt the pleasant heaviness, though, and when Celia started counting – “when I count to five, open your eyes” – I could have happily stayed under hypnosis for longer. For some reason, I hadn’t relaxed completely – something Celia picked up on – but I put it down to nerves. And, as she said, people have different relaxation levels.

Visualising setting fire to anxious thoughts is something I’ll try and use on sleepless nights.

“If you use negative language, that’s what your body hears,” said Celia. “If you wake up, take the pressure off by accepting that you can’t sleep, but tell yourself you’ll probably sleep the following night.”

Hypnosis doesn’t make problems disappear, but it helps you cope in a more positive way.

Thankfully, I returned to the car park just in time. How would I have coped if my car had been clamped? I like to think I’d have taken a deep breath and focused on positive thoughts… l For more information contact Celia Hogan on (01484) 711574 or 0798 3204180 or visit her website, celiacanchangeyou.com