I always thought that the majority of hypnotherapists or such practitioners dabble in hocus-pocus. The past had astrologers, alchemists and soothsayers, today we have psycho-this, that or the other. This was my frame of mind when I went to Deborah Marshall-Warren. Armed to my teeth in cynicism and with a smirk of ridicule I made my way to her place in Vittoriosa. I emerged a completely new man with a smile that showed I was not just impressed but also convinced that people like her are not into hocus-pocus at all. They promise to deliver us from our inner torments and do so.  I am not the easiest of clients for Deborah, not only because I am or started off as a cynic but because I am, on the whole, positive, and, although I do have inner torments, they hardly ever surface in my life. In addition, I went as a journalist wanting to find out about her ways and methods, which I had no doubt were ridiculous. My mind was made up, my preconditioning complete. I was hardly being objective.I listened, refreshed with a glass of water, and then was invited to sit on Deborah's reclining chair, a chair that held me in floating suspension. In the name of truth and journalism I accepted. Instead of the interview I had expected, I was given a typical session that Deborah conducts in Malta, London and beyond. Her fame is far and wide, as I would find out, all based on her use of words, and the way she makes you interact with your inner self.What happened in the next hour or so was rather mind-blowing. Deborah has one of those melodious, soft, beautiful voices. She speaks slowly with diction that goes deep into the soul, a place I never even imagined has such depths. And even to me, a wordsmith by profession, she made me think of words differently. Words, and the concepts behind them, become magically more meaningful when they are conveyed by Deborah. She makes you think of the lapping of waves, rustling leaves, chirping birds and all sorts of other noises around us, in a new, calming way. During my session she spoke and I responded to her words easily. Any tension I felt just disappeared and I became one with this voice that was circling around, and into, me. This hypnotherapist, by suggestion, by connecting to your depth gives you new strength, new power over all you do and fail to do. She empowers you to confront and get over your failings.Through hypnotherapy, Deborah uses a form of words that encourages the mind to relax, giving her clients access to their subconscious and allowing them to suggest things to it. And this she succeeded in doing even to the cynic in me. With Deborah's melodious words the cynic left me and in crept a more energised, more fulfilled, me. The key point I would find out later is that it is you who allows your mind to go into this state of acceptance and suggestion: the hypnotherapist can neither induce it or keep you in a state of hypnosis against your will. Hypnotherapists, the ones who are well trained, are not hypnotists dabbling in mind games.Interactive hypnotherapy is a means of overcoming psychological challenges and enhancing your life. People who have any phobia can learn how to combat it - by taking a trip inside themselves and channelling the positive in and the negative out. This is exactly what Deborah does and does so well. She helps us - even reticent me was impressed by what she did and how she did it. She trained, and studied in London and now uses her training and skill to make people feel more fulfilled, less worried and capable of getting on with their life. To her nothing is impossible, even in the word "impossible" she sees, and makes you appreciate, the most positive "I'm possible". All is possible, all is achievable. And the beauty of what Deborah does to your psyche is that even failures and failings do not retain their awfulness but can be seen just as other less successful parts of our journey to self-fulfilment and development. While deeply relaxed I admitted to Deborah that my greatest obstacle is a belief that I am not good at what I do, or rather that I feel I am never good enough to feel fulfilled. The beauty of this failing of mine is that I hardly ever realised I suffered from it, but as I was lying prostate on her couch, words coming to me and thoughts drifting seemingly with no reason I became acutely aware of this inner feeling of mine which, if not debilitating, is very frustrating. Deborah then helped me find the inner me, a little boy who was me back in time, and he held my hand and told me to move on, to forget the feeling of failure, to accept that whatever I do in life can be improved but is always worth praising.I also learnt that these sessions-these hocus pocus sessions are in fact very useful and can make you beat any inner problem or demon. Mine is, or was, a tiny demon I could easily live with. Others' failings could be less easy to live with. People can be tormented by worse afflictions and have all sorts of phobias and fears. Even less frightening ones can be a terrible handicap. Someone can be terrified of flying and stops going abroad. What if they need to go abroad regularly in their job or to move up the ladder of success? Others might need to speak regularly in public to fulfil their work obligations but are scared to do just that. All these and worse afflictions Deborah can help with and get sufferers to live, and breathe, easier.Fighting anything, or anyone, sometimes needs assistance - and Deborah Marshall-Warren definitely knows how to do just that. 
For an appointment with Deborah send her an email on [email protected]
Anton X. Farrugia