It sounds so simple and yet past and present issues get in the way of being confident of what is in our own best interests – sometimes to the point where we're no longer confident of what it is we really want.

Whatever that may be, a skilled hypnotherapy consultant, applying counselling skills, will help you get to the truth of it. And once you know, you can start expressing it. And when you and others know what you want, you'll stand a better chance of getting it!

"I'm seeing Susannah because I have been trying to get pregnant for some time now, with disastrous consequences for my sex life.

Many of Susannah's clients who have psycho-sexual problems try hypnotherapy after becoming frustrated with the scant help offered by conventional medicine. 'With hypnotherapy,' she says, 'you are appealing to the imagery in the brain. it's a gentle form of treatment but you can get things moving from day one.'

The session begins with some straightforward questions about my medical history, diet and lifestyle, before moving on to my relationship, our reasons for wanting a baby and the methods we've tried so far.

She starts to speak in measured tones. The first stage is called Progressive Physical Relaxation; then she begins the process called Internal Relaxation. This much I can remember. The rest I only discover later.

Hypnosis works by programming a feeling into the mind with the use of a cue word. Susannah will give me no clues about mine, other than that I use it a lot and possibly in bed. Every time I hear it from now on, my mind will recall the relaxed feeling hypnosis brought about.

As Susannah counts back from one to ten, I come to, and only then do I realise how far under I've been.

Since hypnotherapy I've been much less stressed about making love; in the two days after the session we had sex more than in the past three weeks. Until that pink line appears on the Predictor I won't know if it's worked but, until then, at least we'll enjoy trying."