Richard Hughes

Helping busy minds switch off when stress starts affecting your body, sleep and confidence.

I am Richard Hughes, a qualified Clinical Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist offering calm, practical Solution Focused Hypnotherapy in Chippenham and online.

I work with teens and adults who feel anxious, overwhelmed, tense, unable to switch off, low in confidence, or not quite themselves.

You may look like you are coping on the outside, while underneath you feel exhausted, reactive, tense, stuck in your thoughts, or unable to properly rest.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help you understand how stress affects your brain and body, and support you in building calmer, more helpful patterns.

If you are not sure whether hypnotherapy is right for you, I offer a free 15-minute intro call.

This is a relaxed, no-pressure call where you can ask questions, briefly explain what you would like support with, and get a feel for whether working together feels right.

You do not need to know exactly what to say. A simple first conversation is enough.

How I can help

Many people come to hypnotherapy because stress has started to affect everyday life.

You might notice:

• overthinking that will not stop
• poor sleep or waking in the night
• feeling tense, on edge or reactive
• anxiety or panic
• low confidence or self-doubt
• feeling exhausted or emotionally drained
• struggling to switch off
• feeling unlike yourself

Stress is not just something that happens in your thoughts. It can affect your body, sleep, confidence, reactions, relationships and ability to think clearly.

When your brain and body have been in stress mode for too long, they can start repeating familiar protective patterns. This is not because you are weak or broken. It is your brain trying to protect you.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy helps you understand these patterns and begin practising calmer, more helpful responses.

What Solution Focused Hypnotherapy involves

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy combines practical, solution-focused conversation with guided relaxation.

The conversation part helps you focus on what is already working, what you would like more of, and the small steps that can help everyday life feel more manageable.

The guided relaxation part gives your mind time to slow down and rehearse calmer, more helpful responses.

Sessions are calm, structured and forward-focused.

We do not need to spend sessions unpicking everything that has gone wrong in the past. We can talk about anything you need or want to mention, but the focus is on where you are now, what you would like to be different, and how you can begin moving towards that.

You remain awake, aware and in control throughout hypnosis. Most people describe it as a relaxed, focused state, similar to daydreaming or becoming absorbed in a book, film or journey.

About me

I first discovered Solution Focused Hypnotherapy as a client.

At the time, I was sceptical. I was dealing with a worrying family situation and felt stuck in the fight-flight-freeze part of my brain. I could not see a clear way forward, and I did not really understand how hypnotherapy was going to help.

What changed things for me was the first session.

For the first time, I began to understand how and why my brain was responding the way it was. That explanation helped me see that I was not broken. My brain was trying to protect me, but it had become stuck in an unhelpful pattern.

That experience shapes the way I work today.

My approach is calm, down-to-earth and practical. I focus on helping you make sense of what is happening in your brain and body, so change starts to feel possible.

You do not need to have everything figured out before you start. We begin with where you are now and work from there.

Areas I support

My main areas of work are:

• stress and overwhelm
• anxiety and panic
• sleep and overthinking
• confidence and self-esteem
• feeling tense, reactive or unable to switch off
• feeling more like yourself again

I can also support related areas such as:

• presentation or interview nerves
• exam nerves
• fears and phobias
• habit change
• performance mindset
• weight management, where stress, habits, confidence or emotional patterns may be part of the picture

If you are not sure whether hypnotherapy is suitable for what you are experiencing, please get in touch.

Working with teens

I work with teens as well as adults.

For younger clients, sessions are handled carefully, ethically and appropriately, with clear communication around consent, privacy and safeguarding.

If you are a parent or carer wondering whether hypnotherapy may be suitable for a teenager, you are welcome to get in touch and ask.

Client experiences

Progress does not always arrive as one dramatic moment.

Often, it begins with small, incremental changes: feeling calmer after a session, noticing more positives, sleeping better, responding differently, or realising you have more choice than you thought.

Over time, these small changes can build and become meaningful shifts in everyday life.

Clients often describe feeling calmer, clearer and more able to move forward:

• “Richard made me feel very relaxed almost immediately. After every session, I felt uplifted and able to look at the world with a more balanced perspective.”
• “I felt so much calmer following sessions with Richard. He is very empathetic and skilled, and I always felt very comfortable working with him.”
• “The difference I felt even after our first session was remarkable. I feel lighter, more confident and so much happier.”
• “Richard helped me to slow down, to reflect, and to interpret some of my own thought processes, fears, and instincts.”
• “I have felt a huge impact across my life, from my improved mental health and relationships to increased enjoyment for work and progression in my work life.”

These are individual experiences, and everyone’s situation is different. But what many clients share is the experience of feeling calmer, more supported and more able to move forward.

Your next step

You do not need to know exactly what to say before getting in touch.

If you feel anxious, overwhelmed, tense, exhausted, unable to switch off, or not quite yourself, a free intro call is a calm, no-pressure place to start.

You can ask questions, briefly explain what you would like help with, and see whether Solution Focused Hypnotherapy feels like the right support for you.

A simple message is enough to begin.