Hypno-yoga
A group programme at the Psychological Help Centre's DHA clinic — mindful yoga, relaxation, breathwork, guided imagery and clinical hypnotherapy-based therapeutic interventions, four days a week.
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What this is
This is PHC's newest service, and the practice's own description of it is the right place to start. In Prof. Dr Tahira Yousaf's words the programme "integrates mindful yoga, relaxation techniques, breathwork, guided imagery, and clinical hypnotherapy-based therapeutic interventions", and PHC's stated purpose for it is to promote emotional well-being and mind-body balance.
Five things happen in the room, and none of them is a conversation about your week.
- Mindful yoga. Movement done slowly and with attention rather than for fitness. You do not need to be flexible and you do not need to have done yoga before.
- Relaxation techniques. Structured ways of letting the body come down — the part most people have never actually been taught.
- Breathwork. Working directly with the breath, which is the one part of the stress response you can reach on purpose.
- Guided imagery. Directed attention, led by the facilitator, using imagined scenes rather than discussion.
- Clinical hypnotherapy-based therapeutic interventions. A focused, guided state of attention, used inside a plan by a trained clinician.
What it is not. It is not stage hypnosis — you are not unconscious, you are not asleep, and nobody can make you do anything. It is not a yoga class. It is not an assessment. And it is not a replacement for therapy, for psychiatric care, or for any medicine you have been prescribed. It sits alongside those, and it is delivered in a group, which is a different experience from a room with one psychologist in it.
What the sessions work on
PHC designed this programme for people who want to work on the following. These are the areas the sessions address, not results the programme undertakes to deliver — no programme, therapy or clinician can promise you an outcome, and PHC does not.
- Self-confidence and self-esteem
- Stress, anxiety and emotional exhaustion
- Emotional regulation and resilience
- Body awareness and the mind–body connection
- Living with the after-effects of emotional trauma and chronic stress
- Sleep and relaxation
- Energy, focus and motivation
- Overall wellness and daily habits
- Inner peace, gratitude and psychological well-being
How it works at PHC
The programme runs four days a week, in a group, at PHC DHA.
Beyond that, PHC is an assessment-first practice and this programme does not change that. If something is going on that has never been looked at properly, the right first step is an initial session and, where it is indicated, emotional assessment and symptom screening — not a wellness programme. Tell us what is going on when you contact us and we will say honestly which of the two you should start with, or whether it is both.
Who it is for, and who it is not for
It is for people who want to work on the areas above, and particularly for people who find it easier to start with the body than with a conversation — which is a great many more people than the therapy-shaped version of this suggests.
It is not the right starting point if you are in crisis; there are faster routes than us and they are worth using first. It is not a substitute for assessment or therapy where those are what is indicated. And it runs in a group, so if the idea of a group is the obstacle rather than the appeal, one-to-one therapy is the same practice, the same standards and a different room.
Not sure whether this is us? Contact us anyway. We will tell you directly whether we can help, and refer you elsewhere if we cannot.
What it sits alongside
Clinical hypnotherapy has a page of its own explaining what it is and what it is not. So does group psychotherapy, which is a different thing from this programme — therapy delivered in a group, rather than a structured wellness programme — and the difference is worth five minutes before you choose between them.
Some people use this programme alongside individual sessions. That is a decision to make with a clinician rather than from a website.
Who delivers it
We would rather be straight with you than fill this space with a name.
No clinician on our team has been stated to us as the facilitator of this programme, so there is no card on this page. What we can tell you is the standard everyone at PHC is held to: a minimum postgraduate qualification in clinical psychology and over 800 supervised clinical hours before joining. Contact us and we will tell you exactly who runs the group before you commit to anything.
Questions people ask first
Do I have to be in therapy already to join?
No, and you do not have to be in therapy afterwards either. What we will do is ask what is going on before you start — partly to be sure the programme is the right thing for you, and partly because if something needs assessing we would rather say so at the beginning than halfway through.
Is clinical hypnotherapy the same thing I have seen on television?
No. Nobody is put to sleep, nobody loses control, and nobody is made to do anything. It is a focused, guided state of attention delivered by a trained clinician as part of a plan. If the word itself is what is putting you off, ask us and we will describe exactly what happens in the room.
I have never done yoga and I am not flexible. Is that a problem?
No. This is mindful movement done slowly and with attention, not a fitness class, and nobody in the room is measured against anybody else.
Can I join if I am already seeing a psychologist somewhere else?
Yes, and please tell us if you are. It changes nothing about whether you can join and everything about how carefully the two fit together.
Where it runs
PHC DHA. 2 Al Murtaza Commercial Lane 2, Zulfiqar & Al Murtaza Commercial Area, Phase 8, Zone A, DHA Karachi 75500. This programme runs at DHA only — it is not available at PECHS and it is not available online. More about the branch → PHC's DHA clinic.
Speaking to someone starts here
PHC is appointment-only. Message or call and a real person answers — Monday to Saturday, 10am to 8pm PKT.
Not sure whether this is us? Contact us anyway. We will tell you directly whether we can help, and refer you elsewhere if we cannot.
Six details, and we can match you
- Name of the person who will attend
- Their age
- What is going on, in your own words
- Whether you would prefer a male or female psychologist
- Online, or in clinic in Karachi
- Whether the person attending is a minor or elderly
If someone else is paying, we will also ask for guardian or payer details. A slot is held once the booking payment is received — half the fee, at least 24 hours ahead.