Pioneering Hypnosis Project

Hypnotherapist Robert Porteous is working to help ex-armed forces personnel with their war zone and battlefield memories and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a new pioneering project in Northumberland, being run by a forces-dedicated charity.

Porteous, 39, received special training in London from the Soldiers Sailors Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) on wartime memories and has worked with them as a volunteer for around three years now. As far as he’s aware, this is the only project of its kind within the UK. The project will help with family and social issues, such as alcoholism, drug addition, flashbacks and relationship issues as they learn to settle back into civilian life, something which can be difficult when you’ve seen the things some of these gentleman have seen such as hundreds of dead bodies piling up and unmentionable crimes committed on both women and children.

Porteous has worked as a hypnotherapist for over seven years and runs the Freedom Therapy practice in Oldgate, Morpeth in Northumberland and incorporates both hypnotherapy and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) into his practice. His background is in the services so this project holds a special interest for him.

Robert says:

“I felt there was little being offered to them and they were facing a wait of six months for help via the NHS. Forces’ charities like Combat Stress do very good work but are under-resourced.”

So far, he’s treated three ex-soldiers and expects to get at least two more cases each month.