By Lesley Ford, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Phoenix Hypnotherapy, Cheltenham
Published: June 2026

I visited the Roman Baths in Bath recently.

It wasn't my first time.

But I went with a friend, and this time I took a little more knowledge in with me.

And it's funny how that changes everything.

The same place. The same ancient spring. The same history.

But when you know a little more about what you're looking at, you see it completely differently.

And it got me thinking about how often that happens in life.

Because there's something really interesting about revisiting something you've encountered before.

The first time we experience something new, a place, an idea, a piece of information, we can only take in so much. Our minds are still making sense of the unfamiliar.

But when we come back to it with a little more understanding, something shifts.

Suddenly we can absorb more. Connections form that weren't there before. Things that we didn't quite understand the first time begin to make sense.

It's not that the information changed.

We did.

Why do we see things differently the second time around?

This is something I see regularly in my work with clients.

Someone will hear an idea in an early session and it won't quite be understood. Then three or four sessions later, something clicks. The same idea suddenly makes complete sense, not because it changed, but because they were ready to receive it differently.

The mind absorbs what it's ready to absorb.

And that's not a failure. That's just how we work.

Which is why revisiting things, places, ideas, practices, ways of thinking, is so valuable. 

We are never quite the same person who showed up the first time. And that means we can always take something new from the same experience.

The story of Sulis Minerva

Standing beside that ancient spring, I found myself thinking about one particular story I hadn't fully appreciated before.

The story of Sulis Minerva.

The goddess of the sacred spring.

When the Romans arrived in Bath, they found the Celtic people already there. Already worshipping. Already honouring a goddess called Sulis at this remarkable natural hot spring.

And do you know what the Romans did?

They didn't dismiss her.

They didn't tear down what was already there and replace it with something entirely their own.

They looked at what existed.

And they built around it.

They merged their own goddess Minerva with the Celtic goddess, Sulis, and created Sulis Minerva. 

A blend of what was already there and what they brought with them.

Something new, that honoured what came before.

Why do we try to fight the parts of ourselves that aren't working?

And it made me think about how often we do the opposite.

With ourselves.

How often we decide that the part of us that's struggling needs to be destroyed.

That the bit that isn't working needs to be silenced.

The thought that the old pattern, the habit, the feeling, the fear, needs to be ripped out completely before we can start again.

Whether that's the way we eat.

The way we think.

The way we feel in certain situations.

The way we've always done something, even when we know it isn't quite serving us anymore.

We declare war on that part of ourselves.

And then wonder why nothing seems to change.

Because the unconscious mind isn't fighting you.

It's simply running the default system of you.

And you can't override the default system of you by fighting it.

You have to work with it.

Just like the Romans worked with what they found.

If this resonates, you might also find it useful to read Is Anxiety Part of My Personality or Is It Learned? because so much of what we assume is fixed about ourselves is actually something that built up over time.

Why do rituals and practice matter more than one big breakthrough?

Because here's the other thing I noticed at the Baths.

The Romans didn't just turn up once and consider the job done.

They had rituals.

Intentional. Structured. Repeated.

They came with purpose. With offerings. With prayers written on small tablets and cast into the sacred spring, intentions committed to and released.

It wasn't a one-off visit.

It was a practice.

And that word keeps coming back to me.

Practice.

Because the people I see make the most lasting change aren't the ones who had one big breakthrough moment.

They're the ones who kept showing up.

Who treated their mindset like the Romans treated that spring, with intention, with ritual, with respect for what was already there.

Not fighting themselves.

Working with themselves.

This is something I explore further in The Hidden Reason Habits Feel So Hard to Let Go Of because understanding why we go back to old patterns is often the first step to changing them.

Why does change take time and why is that okay?

And then there was the spring itself.

It wasn't created overnight.

It took thousands of years, water filtering slowly through rock, gathering heat, building pressure, before it ever emerged into the light.

Nobody rushed it.

Nobody forced it.

It just needed the right conditions and enough time.

The spring didn't become what it is in a day.

And neither do we.

Because we were not born with the patterns we carry. The habits, the fears, the ways of responding, they built up over time, layer by layer, experience by experience.

Which means they can change over time too.

We just need the right conditions.

And a little patience with ourselves.

If you have ever felt frustrated that change isn't happening fast enough, or wondered why you can understand something completely and still not be able to shift it, Why Anxiety Doesn't Go Away Just Because You Understand It is worth a read.

How hypnotherapy helps you work with your mind rather than against it

This is at the heart of everything I do at Phoenix Hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy doesn't work by forcing change. It doesn't override the mind or drag out the past unnecessarily.

It works by creating a state of focussed attention in which the unconscious mind becomes more open to new suggestions, new perspectives, and new ways of responding.

In that state, it becomes possible to gently loosen the grip of old defaults and create space for new patterns to take root.

Not by tearing down what's already there.

But by working with it. Understanding it. And building something new around it, that honours what was always there underneath.

Just like the Romans built around the spring.

And just like that spring, your own sense of calm, of clarity, of wellbeing hasn't gone anywhere.

It's still there beneath the surface.

Sometimes we just need to stop fighting the ground above it.

And let it rise.

Like a water phoenix.

You can read more about what actually happens in a session in What Really Happens in a Hypnotherapy Session and if you'd like to explore whether hypnotherapy could help you, I offer a free consultation at Phoenix Hypnotherapy in Cheltenham, in person or online across the UK.

Book your free consultation here

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does change feel so hard even when I really want it?

Because most of our patterns and habits don't live in the conscious mind, they live in the unconscious mind, which runs on autopilot. Wanting something consciously and shifting it at an unconscious level are two very different things. That's why understanding alone often isn't enough, and why working at a deeper level tends to produce more lasting results.

Why do I keep going back to old patterns even when I know better?

Because the unconscious mind defaults to what's familiar, not what's logcal. It learned those patterns for a reason — usually as a form of protection or comfort — and it holds onto them until something changes at that deeper level. You can read more about this in The Hidden Reason Habits Feel So Hard to Let Go Of.

Does change have to take a long time?
Not always, some people notice a significant shift quite quickly. But sustainable change often takes time because the patterns we're working with built up over time. The key is consistency and patience rather than expecting an overnight transformation.

Why do I understand my patterns but still can't change them?
Because understanding and shifting are handled by different parts of the mind. The conscious mind understands. The unconscious mind runs the pattern. Hypnotherapy bridges that gap by working directly with the unconscious mind rather than just the thinking brain.

Can hypnotherapy help me change patterns I've had for years?
Yes. The unconscious mind is not fixed. It learned those patterns, which means it can learn new ones. The key is working with it rather than trying to force change through willpower alone.

How many hypnotherapy sessions will I need?
This varies depending on what you want to work on and how long the pattern has been in place. I always offer a free initial consultation so we can talk through what's realistic for your situation before you commit to anything.

Is hypnotherapy safe?
Yes. Clinical hypnotherapy is safe, gentle and non-invasive. You remain fully aware and in control throughout every session. There are no drugs and no side effects.

Can hypnotherapy work online?

Yes, and just as effectively as in person for most people. I work with clients across the UK via Zoom as well as in person at The Isbourne Centre in Cheltenham.

Lesley Ford is an award-winning Clinical Hypnotherapist based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, working with clients in person and online across the UK. She specialises in anxiety, habits, trauma and unconscious patterns of thinking.