About Joseph S. Plowman, M.Sc. (Applied Psy)
Allow me to sum up who I am by telling a kind of story. A kind of quest whose meaning is in the details of a life.
I have been involved with hypnosis and psychology for two decades. I guess you might say I was always seeking answers to questions about life and human nature. I have had to overcome my own personal psychological challenges along the way, so I can relate to the challenges you might face. I draw on those experiences to help my clients more deeply by having a client-centred and compassionate approach. If you choose to work with me, I often teach the power of unconditional self-acceptance. Many clients find it life-changing.
I firmly believe we can all get wiser from our struggles. I believe in the power of therapy to help others, as it has helped me, and believe it is made more effective when combined with experiential approaches like hypnosis. This means it is not just about talking, but rather it is about experiencing yourself and situations in a new way. Hypnosis is the most powerful tool I know of to help people change experience. I’ll be your guide and compassionate ally as you strive to make those changes that are important for you.
Because of my personal quest for answers to some of life’s questions, such as how to live a more fully human life, I decided to study psychology. I have a First Class Honours degree in Psychology from the University of South Wales, Glamorgan (2006) and a Masters in Applied Psychology from Trinity College, Dublin (2008). My research during this time was on Buddhist meditation and emotional intelligence (EI). Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, understand and manage emotion. Hypnotherapy can therefore improve your emotional intelligence by helping you to perceive emotions more accurately, understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy emotions in your life, and manage emotions better by evolving healthier beliefs and attitudes. It will also help you to evolve better behaviours. The testimonials are reflective of this process. It’s not magic; it’s the art and science of hypnotherapy.
Beyond psychology as usual, which often deals with the dark side of human experience, I decided to spend several years researching positive psychology: the science of wellbeing. I believe it is important that we don’t just deal with the negative, we also acknowledge and enhance the positive. I believe we should learn about your unique character strengths and gain a new and empowering vocabulary for your self-talk. As a result, I can help you to assess your character strengths based on positive psychology. I use this approach a lot with people wanting to stop smoking and to give up other self-sabotaging habits as well as to change limiting beliefs that hold them back in life. Taken to heart, it will also change your experience of anxiety and low mood.
Professionally, I am a registered advanced hypnotherapy practitioner with the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR), having trained in 2001 even prior to my psychology studies. I am also registered as a hypnotherapist with the National Guild of Hypnotists in the U.S., perhaps the oldest body of hypnosis practitioners in the world. This means I abide by a code of ethics in how I deal with clients and even in how I advertise. I don’t make false promises of cures; I simply deal with you honestly based on the research and clinical experience. I won’t lie to you. You need to help yourself, too, but I can help you to do that more effectively. I will support you to support yourself. In fact, that is the GOAL! We want you to become your own therapist and even hypnotist (by learning self-hypnosis). Yes, the human mind is powerful. Hypnosis can even reduce physical pain. But change takes motivation and effort too. So I often teach clients self-hypnosis and/or mindfulness skills. I see hypnotherapy as a process of retraining the mind to form new mental, emotional and behavioural skills. You will gain new skills that will be very much aimed at improving immediate life situations. I have used these approaches with all my clients over the years and with a wide variety of issues.
Since it is important to expand one’s therapeutic knowledge so as to help as many people as possible, I also have training (primary and advanced certificate practicums) in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (both in the UK and with the Albert Ellis Institute in New York) and a Diploma in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (with the College of Cognitive Behavioural Therapies in the UK). These approaches are among the most evidenced based approaches toward dealing with psychological issues. I integrate these skills with hypnotherapy and positive psychology, such as via hypnotic regression to moments of strength or deeply positive experiences, so as to make the therapy a form of integrative CBT and hypnotherapy. I am also an accredited practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming, a prominent life coaching methodology that explores human experience in order to evolve better strategies for living.
Related to positive psychology, I am interested in coaching psychology approaches for enhancing human potential. Some clients seek life coaching rather than therapy, such as to clarify their values. I have been interested in the more inclusive world of life coaching for some time, because it recognises that a person may not have a ‘disorder’ and yet still can flourish more or can still be struggling in particular ways. In essence, ‘stuck’. Coaching can even be preventative of other problems arising later on, so there’s a relationship with the world of therapy, a give-and-take. I am a member of the premier science-based organisation for Coaching Psychology in Europe, the International Society for Coaching Psychology. Membership to the ISCP requires a degree in psychology so as to ensure a scientific basis. As a result, I seek to use evidence-based approaches (such as hypnosis, positive psychology and rational emotive behaviour therapy), and recognised expert scholarship, to facilitate change in life coaching too. Perhaps you are stressed and need help to see things differently and unwind? We can do that and increase your resilience. Don’t worry if you are unsure if hypnotic coaching or hypnotherapy is right for you; I can assess that. In fact, some clients move from hypnotherapy after a few sessions to a coaching relationship once the main issue is resolved. They may then seek to clarify values and enhance their life more.
What do I do now? Currently, I write and lecture in psychology, child psychology, and mental health awareness with The Open College (www.theopencollege.com), a post I have held for about nine years. I have also taught human growth and development. I have had the good fortune to tutor hundreds of students (I’ve lost count - it could be a few thousand!) from all over Ireland, in various professions, and from all walks of life, helping them to gain the qualification they need to work in childcare, change careers or to simply enrich their own understanding of human beings. I’ve taught everyone from archaeologists to economists to Gardaí to childcare workers to teachers and to home-makers. And they’ve also taught me. By reading their essays and reflections from their life I’ve had the privilege to gain more understanding of the highs and lows of many jobs and many backgrounds. Everyone has been united by a common desire to discover what makes people tick. It’s especially rewarding to see how students change as people and as parents based on their studies in psychology. I draw upon the knowledge gained from writing and teaching these courses, and gained from my students, in order to further help my clients (who have been equally as diverse in walk of life) to make the changes they want.
As you may have guessed, I love to teach. I also trained as an English teacher and taught English in language schools (from beginners to advanced), to many nationalities, which is something I enjoy. You can learn a lot from different nationalities; sharing experiences and views is a daily event in the classroom. I’ve taught meditation to foreign language students as well as wellbeing classes to Irish teens in a secondary school, based on cognitive behaviour therapy. It was great to see teens learn that they can accept themselves regardless of their academic performance or their relationship and life troubles. Often they overly define themselves by those things. Therapy, too, often is about teaching clients new ways of seeing and new ways of thinking about their own mind and capabilities. And the best teaching is often the kind that lets you discover these new truths for yourself.
Speaking of learning, I love to learn. This is probably why I love to continue to learn about therapy. But life is full of learning. My very first job upon leaving school was to work in Atlantic Homecare; I was in charge of the paint and timber department. I enjoyed learning about all the various suppliers and bits and bobs. In fact, I have a fond memory of being trained by Dulux in all things paint. As a result, I was once responsible for the particular shade of red that a nightclub enjoyed on Valentine’s Day. I guess I did my bit for fostering love! I supported myself through university years later, while in Wales, by working in Peacock's, a clothing factory. I met lifelong friends there. In particular I admired how so many students were there, too, from many countries. They were also seeking, just like I was.
Hobby-wise, I like to listen to jazz and enjoy reading and films. Many years ago, in my twenties, I even dabbled in close-up magic for a Burlesque show! I considered becoming a professional magician. (I was once a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.) I love magic, as cheesy as it may sound. The thrill of magic is in the reaction you get; you see the wonder and astonishment on a human face. One magician calls it 'the art of astonishment'. I've seen this look in hypnotherapy, too. I've heard people say 'wow'. Many times I feel so lucky to do what I do.
I suppose even in hobbies I was always exploring and trying new things. Yet I discovered that my main talent, it seems, is curiosity. (And not music or art or magic!) But I believe I AM good at helping other people discover their hidden talent for moving forward in life. So I’m curious to discover how to help YOU.
In the end, like you, I’m a human being. Imperfect (and that is okay!), like all human beings, while seeking, striving and hoping. Like the motto ‘you live, you learn’, I have lived and learned and along the way gained some skills that I will share with you. That’s who I am in a nutshell. That’s the meaning of the quest in all the details. I’ve done and tried various things and through it all discovered that I fundamentally like supporting people to reach their life goals. I enjoy it. It’s been the constant thread through the labyrinth of my life. I can look back and see what matters to me. You see, values can clarify over time until they present themselves to you and you realise your purpose. It was there even when I was mixing red paint to help an event be successful; it was there when I was teaching English language students so that they could succeed in their chosen life goals and careers; it is there when I’m helping people with hypnotherapy. I believe people are often astonished in therapy by how much more resourceful they discover themselves to be.
So that’s who I am. So far. And yet it doesn’t define me entirely. No human being is defined wholly by what they do. We are always more. And we are all a work in progress. My chosen goal right now is to help you live your best life. A more phenomenal life. And often the best way to improve is, ironically, to first fully accept yourself as you are now, despite whatever mistakes you have made or will make as a fallible human being. The wisdom of your own life pattern may be waiting to be revealed, just like mine. When we learn from the past, good or bad, we gain. And we do not even need to pick over the past if you want to change the present. Change always happens in the present. The point is to help you get your particular goal in the way that is best for you. If this sounds like what you are hoping for, then you might like to contact me via my email (see: Connect Now page above) for a free consultation. I can then ring you to chat about your aims and if hypnotherapy with me might be a good fit for you. Perhaps you might also be astonished by your own capabilities, by the magic of human beings going inside their imagination and discovering new possibilities. I see it time and time again.
It’s helpful to know your therapist’s training and associations, those details which go towards making up a life, so for convenience here some of my specific qualifications and memberships include:
B.Sc. (Hons) in Psychology (University of South Wales)
M.Sc. in Applied Psychology (Trinity College, Dublin)
Diploma in Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy
General Qualification in Hypnotherapy Practice
Certified Hypnotherapist with the National Guild of Hypnotists (US)
Primary Certificate in Rational-Emotive & Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Albert Ellis Institute)
Advanced Certificate in Rational-Emotive & Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Albert Ellis Institute)
Certificate in Solution Focused Approaches
Diplomas in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy & Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy
Practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming
Advanced Practitioner and Accredited Member of the General Hypnotherapy Register, UK (GHR).
Member of the International Society for Coaching Psychology (ISfCP)
Founding Member of the Centre for Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP)
Member of the European Network for Positive Psychology (ENPP)
Associate Member of the Association for Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (AREBT)
Summary: I aim to utilise all of the above combining positive psychology coaching, cognitive behavioural therapy, and cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy (CBH) in dealing with your issues, challenges, and life problems, while enhancing the quality of your life toward your valued goals. This is the aim of Phenomenal Psychology: to achieve excellent experience and behavioural outcomes.
To arrange a consultation, please see the contact information. You can also find out about fees on the Testimonials and Fees page above.
Allow me to sum up who I am by telling a kind of story. A kind of quest whose meaning is in the details of a life.
I have been involved with hypnosis and psychology for two decades. I guess you might say I was always seeking answers to questions about life and human nature. I have had to overcome my own personal psychological challenges along the way, so I can relate to the challenges you might face. I draw on those experiences to help my clients more deeply by having a client-centred and compassionate approach. If you choose to work with me, I often teach the power of unconditional self-acceptance. Many clients find it life-changing.
I firmly believe we can all get wiser from our struggles. I believe in the power of therapy to help others, as it has helped me, and believe it is made more effective when combined with experiential approaches like hypnosis. This means it is not just about talking, but rather it is about experiencing yourself and situations in a new way. Hypnosis is the most powerful tool I know of to help people change experience. I’ll be your guide and compassionate ally as you strive to make those changes that are important for you.
Because of my personal quest for answers to some of life’s questions, such as how to live a more fully human life, I decided to study psychology. I have a First Class Honours degree in Psychology from the University of South Wales, Glamorgan (2006) and a Masters in Applied Psychology from Trinity College, Dublin (2008). My research during this time was on Buddhist meditation and emotional intelligence (EI). Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, understand and manage emotion. Hypnotherapy can therefore improve your emotional intelligence by helping you to perceive emotions more accurately, understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy emotions in your life, and manage emotions better by evolving healthier beliefs and attitudes. It will also help you to evolve better behaviours. The testimonials are reflective of this process. It’s not magic; it’s the art and science of hypnotherapy.
Beyond psychology as usual, which often deals with the dark side of human experience, I decided to spend several years researching positive psychology: the science of wellbeing. I believe it is important that we don’t just deal with the negative, we also acknowledge and enhance the positive. I believe we should learn about your unique character strengths and gain a new and empowering vocabulary for your self-talk. As a result, I can help you to assess your character strengths based on positive psychology. I use this approach a lot with people wanting to stop smoking and to give up other self-sabotaging habits as well as to change limiting beliefs that hold them back in life. Taken to heart, it will also change your experience of anxiety and low mood.
Professionally, I am a registered advanced hypnotherapy practitioner with the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR), having trained in 2001 even prior to my psychology studies. I am also registered as a hypnotherapist with the National Guild of Hypnotists in the U.S., perhaps the oldest body of hypnosis practitioners in the world. This means I abide by a code of ethics in how I deal with clients and even in how I advertise. I don’t make false promises of cures; I simply deal with you honestly based on the research and clinical experience. I won’t lie to you. You need to help yourself, too, but I can help you to do that more effectively. I will support you to support yourself. In fact, that is the GOAL! We want you to become your own therapist and even hypnotist (by learning self-hypnosis). Yes, the human mind is powerful. Hypnosis can even reduce physical pain. But change takes motivation and effort too. So I often teach clients self-hypnosis and/or mindfulness skills. I see hypnotherapy as a process of retraining the mind to form new mental, emotional and behavioural skills. You will gain new skills that will be very much aimed at improving immediate life situations. I have used these approaches with all my clients over the years and with a wide variety of issues.
Since it is important to expand one’s therapeutic knowledge so as to help as many people as possible, I also have training (primary and advanced certificate practicums) in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (both in the UK and with the Albert Ellis Institute in New York) and a Diploma in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (with the College of Cognitive Behavioural Therapies in the UK). These approaches are among the most evidenced based approaches toward dealing with psychological issues. I integrate these skills with hypnotherapy and positive psychology, such as via hypnotic regression to moments of strength or deeply positive experiences, so as to make the therapy a form of integrative CBT and hypnotherapy. I am also an accredited practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming, a prominent life coaching methodology that explores human experience in order to evolve better strategies for living.
Related to positive psychology, I am interested in coaching psychology approaches for enhancing human potential. Some clients seek life coaching rather than therapy, such as to clarify their values. I have been interested in the more inclusive world of life coaching for some time, because it recognises that a person may not have a ‘disorder’ and yet still can flourish more or can still be struggling in particular ways. In essence, ‘stuck’. Coaching can even be preventative of other problems arising later on, so there’s a relationship with the world of therapy, a give-and-take. I am a member of the premier science-based organisation for Coaching Psychology in Europe, the International Society for Coaching Psychology. Membership to the ISCP requires a degree in psychology so as to ensure a scientific basis. As a result, I seek to use evidence-based approaches (such as hypnosis, positive psychology and rational emotive behaviour therapy), and recognised expert scholarship, to facilitate change in life coaching too. Perhaps you are stressed and need help to see things differently and unwind? We can do that and increase your resilience. Don’t worry if you are unsure if hypnotic coaching or hypnotherapy is right for you; I can assess that. In fact, some clients move from hypnotherapy after a few sessions to a coaching relationship once the main issue is resolved. They may then seek to clarify values and enhance their life more.
What do I do now? Currently, I write and lecture in psychology, child psychology, and mental health awareness with The Open College (www.theopencollege.com), a post I have held for about nine years. I have also taught human growth and development. I have had the good fortune to tutor hundreds of students (I’ve lost count - it could be a few thousand!) from all over Ireland, in various professions, and from all walks of life, helping them to gain the qualification they need to work in childcare, change careers or to simply enrich their own understanding of human beings. I’ve taught everyone from archaeologists to economists to Gardaí to childcare workers to teachers and to home-makers. And they’ve also taught me. By reading their essays and reflections from their life I’ve had the privilege to gain more understanding of the highs and lows of many jobs and many backgrounds. Everyone has been united by a common desire to discover what makes people tick. It’s especially rewarding to see how students change as people and as parents based on their studies in psychology. I draw upon the knowledge gained from writing and teaching these courses, and gained from my students, in order to further help my clients (who have been equally as diverse in walk of life) to make the changes they want.
As you may have guessed, I love to teach. I also trained as an English teacher and taught English in language schools (from beginners to advanced), to many nationalities, which is something I enjoy. You can learn a lot from different nationalities; sharing experiences and views is a daily event in the classroom. I’ve taught meditation to foreign language students as well as wellbeing classes to Irish teens in a secondary school, based on cognitive behaviour therapy. It was great to see teens learn that they can accept themselves regardless of their academic performance or their relationship and life troubles. Often they overly define themselves by those things. Therapy, too, often is about teaching clients new ways of seeing and new ways of thinking about their own mind and capabilities. And the best teaching is often the kind that lets you discover these new truths for yourself.
Speaking of learning, I love to learn. This is probably why I love to continue to learn about therapy. But life is full of learning. My very first job upon leaving school was to work in Atlantic Homecare; I was in charge of the paint and timber department. I enjoyed learning about all the various suppliers and bits and bobs. In fact, I have a fond memory of being trained by Dulux in all things paint. As a result, I was once responsible for the particular shade of red that a nightclub enjoyed on Valentine’s Day. I guess I did my bit for fostering love! I supported myself through university years later, while in Wales, by working in Peacock's, a clothing factory. I met lifelong friends there. In particular I admired how so many students were there, too, from many countries. They were also seeking, just like I was.
Hobby-wise, I like to listen to jazz and enjoy reading and films. Many years ago, in my twenties, I even dabbled in close-up magic for a Burlesque show! I considered becoming a professional magician. (I was once a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.) I love magic, as cheesy as it may sound. The thrill of magic is in the reaction you get; you see the wonder and astonishment on a human face. One magician calls it 'the art of astonishment'. I've seen this look in hypnotherapy, too. I've heard people say 'wow'. Many times I feel so lucky to do what I do.
I suppose even in hobbies I was always exploring and trying new things. Yet I discovered that my main talent, it seems, is curiosity. (And not music or art or magic!) But I believe I AM good at helping other people discover their hidden talent for moving forward in life. So I’m curious to discover how to help YOU.
In the end, like you, I’m a human being. Imperfect (and that is okay!), like all human beings, while seeking, striving and hoping. Like the motto ‘you live, you learn’, I have lived and learned and along the way gained some skills that I will share with you. That’s who I am in a nutshell. That’s the meaning of the quest in all the details. I’ve done and tried various things and through it all discovered that I fundamentally like supporting people to reach their life goals. I enjoy it. It’s been the constant thread through the labyrinth of my life. I can look back and see what matters to me. You see, values can clarify over time until they present themselves to you and you realise your purpose. It was there even when I was mixing red paint to help an event be successful; it was there when I was teaching English language students so that they could succeed in their chosen life goals and careers; it is there when I’m helping people with hypnotherapy. I believe people are often astonished in therapy by how much more resourceful they discover themselves to be.
So that’s who I am. So far. And yet it doesn’t define me entirely. No human being is defined wholly by what they do. We are always more. And we are all a work in progress. My chosen goal right now is to help you live your best life. A more phenomenal life. And often the best way to improve is, ironically, to first fully accept yourself as you are now, despite whatever mistakes you have made or will make as a fallible human being. The wisdom of your own life pattern may be waiting to be revealed, just like mine. When we learn from the past, good or bad, we gain. And we do not even need to pick over the past if you want to change the present. Change always happens in the present. The point is to help you get your particular goal in the way that is best for you. If this sounds like what you are hoping for, then you might like to contact me via my email (see: Connect Now page above) for a free consultation. I can then ring you to chat about your aims and if hypnotherapy with me might be a good fit for you. Perhaps you might also be astonished by your own capabilities, by the magic of human beings going inside their imagination and discovering new possibilities. I see it time and time again.
It’s helpful to know your therapist’s training and associations, those details which go towards making up a life, so for convenience here some of my specific qualifications and memberships include:
B.Sc. (Hons) in Psychology (University of South Wales)
M.Sc. in Applied Psychology (Trinity College, Dublin)
Diploma in Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy
General Qualification in Hypnotherapy Practice
Certified Hypnotherapist with the National Guild of Hypnotists (US)
Primary Certificate in Rational-Emotive & Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Albert Ellis Institute)
Advanced Certificate in Rational-Emotive & Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Albert Ellis Institute)
Certificate in Solution Focused Approaches
Diplomas in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy & Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy
Practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming
Advanced Practitioner and Accredited Member of the General Hypnotherapy Register, UK (GHR).
Member of the International Society for Coaching Psychology (ISfCP)
Founding Member of the Centre for Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP)
Member of the European Network for Positive Psychology (ENPP)
Associate Member of the Association for Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (AREBT)
Summary: I aim to utilise all of the above combining positive psychology coaching, cognitive behavioural therapy, and cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy (CBH) in dealing with your issues, challenges, and life problems, while enhancing the quality of your life toward your valued goals. This is the aim of Phenomenal Psychology: to achieve excellent experience and behavioural outcomes.
To arrange a consultation, please see the contact information. You can also find out about fees on the Testimonials and Fees page above.