Mindstream - Why the name?

I chose the name mindstream for two reasons: firstly because the concept of the mindstream is something that helps us to notice how our minds work, and also because one way to think about how solution focused hypnotherapy creates positive change in clients’ lives is to think about streams, or rivers. These two reasons are what this post is about.

What’s a mindstream?

The word mindstream refers to the continuous flow of sensations, thoughts and emotions that make up a person’s mental experience. Sights, sounds, memories, tastes, smells, plans, hopes, fears and countless other types of mental events arise in our minds in a constant flow that - unless we’re in dreamless sleep - is always with us. Seeing the full stop at the end of this sentence is a part of your mindstream. Hearing the sound of your cat meowing for food is another. The thought ‘ok I get the point, you don’t need to give any more examples’ is one too.

During a course of therapy I influence the mindstream of clients, both in the short and the long term. In the short term, I use hypnosis to create deeply relaxing scenes in client’s imaginations. By helping the client to access this relaxed and focused state, I facilitate the process of creating new, empowering patterns within their mindstream, with long term effects. Patterns of negative thinking, self criticism and low mood can be replaced with confidence, feelings of control, calm, and self-belief.

Redirecting the River: How Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Uses Neuroplasticity to Change the Flow of the Mind

Imagine standing by a river, wide, deep, and strong. Over many years, this river has carved a predictable path through the landscape. Its currents follow the same bends, hit the same rocks, and pass through the same valleys day after day. Now imagine that with skilled planning and some effort, this river is being diverted. A new channel is carved, not by a dramatic explosion, but by skilful guidance. At first, only a trickle flows through the new riverbed. But over time, the trickle becomes a stream, and eventually, the stream becomes a river. The old path of the river, once powerful, is now a thing of the past.

This image is more than just some facts about geography. It’s also a metaphor for the process of neuroplasticity in the human brain. And it helps us understand how Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can offer profound relief for people struggling with anxiety, stress, and depression.

The Brain: A Landscape Shaped by Thought

Just like rivers can shape the physical landscape, our thoughts, actions and experiences can shape the landscape of the brain. Neuroplasticity is the scientific term for the brain's ability to change and adapt throughout life. This change isn’t limited to childhood; it happens every day, in every adult brain. Neurons-the brain's communication cells-form new connections, strengthen existing ones, and let go of those that are no longer used. The brain, we might say, is a creature of habits.

When we feel anxious, stressed, or depressed, it often means our thoughts have become stuck in a particular pattern. These patterns-like the habitual flow of a river-might have formed in response to past experiences, trauma, or chronic worry. Over time, they become the brain’s default thought-habits. We self-criticise. We lie awake worrying about the future. We dwell on what we think is wrong.

But here’s the good news: just as rivers can be skilfully redirected, so can our mental habits.

Diverting the Flow: How Hypnotherapy Helps

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is a gentle, collaborative, and evidence-informed approach that helps people create these new channels of thought. Rather than focusing on the causes of distress or revisiting painful memories, solution focused hypnotherapy emphasizes solutions; what’s working, what’s possible, and what a better future looks like. It's like making the plans for a new river path, rather than analyzing the problems of the old one.

In practice, solution focused hypnotherapy blends talking therapy with hypnosis, using both to engage neuroplasticity, the brain’s innate capacity for change.

Talking to Change Thinking

The first part of a typical SFH session includes solution-focused conversation. Clients are guided to think about what’s going well, even in small ways, and to envision their desired future. A key question might be: “what’s one thing that might be different in your life if you were one step closer to being how you want to be?”

These questions aren’t used for small talk; they activate parts of the brain associated with positive emotion, problem-solving, and goal-directed behavior. This starts to build new neural pathways that support these positive mental habits, bit by bit. Like digging the first small channels of a new watercourse, this sets the stage for change.

Hypnosis: Deepening the Groove

The second part of the session involves hypnosis, which is essentially a state of focused relaxation. Contrary to the myths, hypnosis doesn’t involve giving up control. In fact, the client is always in charge. But in this relaxed state, the brain becomes more receptive to positive suggestion. During hypnosis I use simple but effective metaphors, stories, and imagery that align with the client’s goals. This supports the brain in strengthening those new, more helpful neural pathways. It’s like turning on a gentle stream of water to deepen and reinforce the new channel.

The process is cumulative. Each time a client imagines a better future, each time they respond to a positive suggestion, each time they experience a moment of calm or confidence, the brain changes. Over time, the brain begins to favour this new direction of flow. The old course of the river, the anxious, stressed, or depressive thinking, loses its strength. It’s not forced to stop; it just becomes less travelled, less relevant and less active. Eventually it can dry up completely, becoming just a way that the river used to flow, just a way that we used to think and feel.

Final Thoughts: You Can Change the Course

If you’re someone who struggles with anxiety, stress, or depression, it might feel like your thoughts are out of your control—as if the river of your mind has carved its course, and there’s no changing it.

But the truth is, you can change the course. Your brain is not broken. It is built for change. Through the gentle, empowering methods of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, you can start to carve a new path. One that flows towards calm, confidence, and hope.

Why not take the first step? Wouldn’t you like your river to flow in a new direction, and to carry you somewhere better?