Hypnotherapy is helping a neurodiverse 14-year-old from Bradford get back into education.

Aspiring football manager, Jack Firth, was diagnosed with Sensory Processing disorder (SPD) when he was 13, and stopped attending Immanuel College, Bradford, in October 2022 following a sustained period of low attendance. 

Following several Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) sessions, Jack has overcome many challenges and been able to enrol in a skills programme at Leeds City College, which has the framework in place to support his condition and enable him to interact with peers and gain the confidence to commence his GCSEs in September 2023.

SPD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects the way the brain processes sensory information. Most often this means that individuals are more sensitive to the world around them. It can cause significant difficulties with daily life activities, including for many children and teenagers, attending school.

Since beginning the therapy with Natalie Noble at Healing Hypnosis, Jack has made significant progress in managing his SPD symptoms and learned numerous strategies for his wellbeing toolkit to help reframe his limiting beliefs and negative thought-patterns using neural plasticity.

Jack’s mum, Joanne Firth, said: “Jack has really taken to Healing Hypnosis after trying various therapies. This is the one thing that seems to be working well for him. He suffers with anxiety brought on by SPD and I can see his anxiety levels are reducing and his confidence is growing each week.

“Natalie has given him various techniques and is helping him with sleep problems which have also improved. Every session is a positive experience for him, and he comes away feeling much more relaxed. The brain revision also helps him understand why he feels the way he does and helps him make sense of his world.”

Jack said: “Hypnotherapy has helped with my sleeping. I enjoy writing in my diary every day about all the positive things, and then going through this with Natalie during the session. The hypnotherapy is very relaxing, Natalie always makes me feel comfortable and she is just a nice person.”

Natalie from Healing Hypnosis said: “This fantastic progress is a testament to the effectiveness of SFH as a complimentary treatment option for neurodiverse individuals, where hypnotherapy can have a powerful impact on positive mindset change. Using the latest brain research and neuroscience, SFH can bring amazing long-lasting results.

“SFH is incredibly powerful and becoming increasingly more popular It is recognised to help support individuals overcome their problems by combining the power of hypnosis with a cognitive approach. The therapy focuses on the solutions and future goals rather than revisiting past traumas, which is key to achieving a positive mindset for psychological wellness.

“Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reshape and create new neural pathways and this plays a significant role in SFH. It makes it easier for individuals to let go of negative thoughts and habits and adopt new more positive ones. SFH aids this process by reducing negative triggers and helping individuals comprehend the brain and the workings of the mind. To this end, they can begin to appreciate and better understand the complex nature of their mind and why it can seem to go wrong sometimes.

“The brain is hardwired to keep us safe, above all else, and this dates back to our primitive ancestors, for whom life was extremely dangerous. While we no longer need to fear being attacked by wild animals, our subconscious mind is still always looking for danger in areas of life.

“During therapy sessions we emphasise that the brain can’t tell the difference between imagination and reality, so when we spend time ruminating on a problem of the past or negatively forecasting future events the brain sees this as a reality that’s already happened and holds onto it as an emotional trigger.

“This gentle therapy only focuses on solutions, positive actions, thoughts, and interactions, as when focusing on even the tiniest of positive things can have a massive impact on our emotions. When discussing positive experiences in sessions, cortisol levels start to decrease and positive neurotransmitters increase, this can strengthen positive neural pathways and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn creates a feeling of relaxation and safety.

“I hope Jack’s story can inspire those with SPD or other neurodiverse conditions to seek the necessary help and support they need to manage their condition and achieve their future goals.”