Sally Garozzo | Clinical Hypnotherapist Brighton & Online

The Paradox of the ‘Strong-Minded’ Personality

When people first contact me for hypnotherapy in Brighton (or online), they often say, “I’m not sure if I can be hypnotised, I’m too strong minded.” It’s a belief that comes up again and again: the idea that hypnotherapy is about ‘losing control’ and that only people who are suggestible, passive, or ‘weak-willed’ can benefit.

But here’s the paradox, and something hypnotherapists like Adam Eason have spoken about extensively: being strong minded is NOT a barrier to hypnotherapy. In fact, it can be one of the greatest assets.

Strong minded individuals often thrive in hypnosis because of what they bring:  focus, imagination, collaboration and commitment.  These are exactly the qualities that make hypnotherapy so powerful.

Misunderstanding Hypnosis

We live in a culture where hypnosis has been presented through films, TV shows, or stage performances as something done to you. The hypnotist swings a pocket watch, you surrender, and your ‘str...

When Your Mind Won’t Switch Off

Have you ever felt like your brain is a hamster wheel you can’t step off? The same thought circling round and round, "what if this happens? did I really lock the door? what if something terrible occurs because I didn’t check again?" For people living with OCD or obsessive thinking, this isn’t just the occasional worry. It can feel like incessant torture.

I know, because so many of my clients in Brighton (and beyond) arrive at my door exhausted by their own minds. They don’t want to think these thoughts, they don’t believe the thoughts, but they feel compelled to obey them, repeat them, or neutralise them in some way.

The truth is, OCD isn’t about being “quirky neat” or “a bit controlling” (despite what the media often portrays). It’s about living in a body that never feels quite safe, a nervous system that’s constantly scanning for danger, and a brain that has latched onto repetitive thoughts and rituals as a form of control (and as an attempt to turn...

You know the feeling.

That relentless hum of urgency. The tight chest, the shallow breath, the way your brain spins even when you’re lying still. Maybe you’ve tried yoga, magnesium, mindfulness, even meds, but the sense of “something isn’t right in my body” just won’t lift.

This is the fight or flight response in motion, and if you’re living in Brighton (or anywhere, really), it might feel like the modern world keeps feeding it. The noise, the pace, the perfectionism, the overthinking. But there is a way to come down. A way to let your nervous system breathe again. And that’s where hypnotherapy in Brighton (and online) can offer something gentle, powerful, and deeply reparative.

Living in a World That Doesn’t Let You Switch Off

Let’s be real: the current of modern life doesn’t often reward slowness. Productivity is worshipped. Overwhelm is normalised. We scroll through disasters and dopamine hits, constantly toggling between “too much” and “not enough.”

And if you’ve experienced e...