My name is David Wilkinson and I am the proprietor of Optimum Hypnotherapy. My mission is to help clients overcome obstacles to their wellbeing and happiness, returning them to effective functioning as quickly as possible. I studied at the long established Wakefield School of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy which the NCH approved at the time I qualified, along with thirteen other establishments nationwide as accredited training establishments. Following the NCFE awarding body’s assessment of my work, I received my Hypnotherapy Practitioners Diploma. I believe the HPD to be the first open to all, nationally accredited Diploma in Hypnotherapy. Both the NCFE and the NCH bring forth this jointly accredited credential in the interests of consolidating hypnotherapy training into an externally verified qualification. The Learning Outcomes for the HPD are in line with the National Occupational Standards for Hypnotherapy. In addition to my training course (which included certification in Neuro Linguistic Programming), I completed some further training with Steve Norton (an NCH [Reg] member from Stockton-on-Tees). When I contacted Steve after reading his web-site, he kindly offered to be my mentor and helped me to learn and develop my skills (see links). Optimum Hypnotherapy is based in the North East of England with quiet consulting rooms in Darlington, Durham, Bishop Auckland, Chester Le Street and Gateshead. All consulting rooms have convenient and safe parking nearby and clients can usually be accommodated within a week to ten days. In addition, I have days where I make home visits if requested. As a school leaver I trained as an engineer but I have been involved in the driver training industry since 1983 attaining a DSA grade that has placed me within the top 10% of instructors since 1998. I originally trained as a hypnotherapist to help drivers overcome driving phobias. Many drivers lose their confidence to drive after accidents and I felt certain I could help them re-gain their former abilities. However, I got so much from my training that I decided on a mid-life career change to hypnotherapy, and I'm enjoying it immensely. There is a large range of techniques available for a therapist to use which are listed in the techniques section. I tailor the techniques I use to the requirements of clients and vary them when required to create optimum results. Some of the more recent techniques like NLP used in conjunction with Suggestion Therapy frequently create successful results with a minimum number of sessions. I am actively involved with a continued professional development programme to keep up to date with innovations in the industry and develop my skills. Valerie Hird is now my mentor in pursuit of this goal. Val is an Accredited member, a qualified supervisor and educator with the NCH. I believe it is essential to keep up to date with developments in a rapidly expanding industry that gains increased recognition and validity every year. Unsuitable Clients Examples of instances where I may choose not to accept a client include - clients who are suicidal - people on severe medication (including hard drug users) - people who are in crisis or who were threatening in any way. If a client who requested treatment was psychotic (suicidal or possibly in crisis), I would decline because their treatment is out of my scope and the client would probably benefit more from medical intervention including prescribed drugs. If a client who presented was on severe medication, I would decline treatment because the effects of the medical drugs they were taking could exaggerate the emotional turbulence that may briefly result from therapy. In addition fighting against the effects chemicals may be futile and there is every chance that nothing may happen which leaves the client disillusioned and out of pocket. If a client requested treatment and was addicted to hard drugs, I would decline because I believe that the physiological addiction to certain drugs would need treatment by medical intervention. The treatment needed to overcome the physiological addiction would often require prescribed substitute drugs, which I am not qualified to prescribe or recommend. If a client were threatening in any way, I would decline treatment because my aim as a hypnotherapy practitioner is to help people and not risk injury in the course of my work.

Sigmund Freud’s self-proclaimed mission was to turn a client’s hysterical misery into ordinary human unhappiness. Today’s hypnotherapy practitioner seeks to further the mission of Freud and turn ordinary human unhappiness into fulfilment and unique self-actualisation. Marcus Aurelius ‘Nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear.’ Aristotle ’Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way….you become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions.’ Alfred Lord Tennyson ‘The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions.’ Albert Einstein ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge.’ Marcus Aurelius ‘Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt look there.’ John D Rockefeller ‘The road to happiness lies in two simple principles; find what interests you and that you can do well and put your whole soul into it….every bit of energy, ambition and natural ability you have.’ Norman Vincent Peal ‘Change your thoughts and you change the world.’ Benjamin Disraeli ‘Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go higher than you think.’ Lennon & McCartney 'And in the end the love you take, is equal to the love you make.'