Meet Rachel Farnsworth, who gets men to go into the subconscious to help with erectile dysfunction

It’s a problem that affects more than half of men between the ages of 40 and 70.

But hypnotherapist Rachel Farnsworth claims she has the solution to erectile dysfunction — and it’s about finding the “root cause” of her condition.

While high blood pressure and cholesterol are among the most common physical causes of penile problem, mother-of-one treats clients who are living with erectile dysfunction and believe it may be due to past trauma.

In this group, the condition stems from trauma and a feeling of ‘powerlessness’, according to Ms Farnsworth, of Spalding in Lincolnshire.

She claims she can help patients overcome this by using hypnotherapy to guide patients through their subconscious – the part of the mind that people are not fully aware of but which influences actions and feelings – to find out where the problem is coming from.

Researchers from King’s College London estimate that erectile dysfunction will affect 322 million men worldwide by 2025 – more than double the estimated 152 million in 1995.

This includes around 4.3 million men in the UK and 20 million in the US.

Experts believe the rise is partly due to increases in obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol – all risk factors for developing the condition.

People are either unable to get an erection or cannot maintain it long enough to have sex.

Psychological factors are believed to be behind up to one in five cases.

Ms Farnsworth believes the condition can stem from an experience in a man’s life, such as childhood trauma.

She claims it typically stems from a relationship — not necessarily her current or previous one — in which a man has experienced trauma and abuse and felt “powerless.”

Those memories stick in the subconscious – what Ms Farnsworth explains is just like “daydreaming”.

The Reiki Master, a title given to those who complete training that can take up to three years, added that erectile dysfunction is the body’s way of telling you something is wrong.

She said: “For example [clients tell her] “When I was five on the playground, that bully made me feel a certain way, and being in this marriage made me feel exactly the same way.”

Ms Farnsworth argues that the subconscious “holds these scenes together” and when a person is “triggered” by a similar experience, feelings of powerlessness return and they are unable to get an erection.

She said: “It’s like a string of lights lighting up your brain and going ding ding ding oh yeah it’s the same again and I need to move away from that.

“Maybe you’ve moved from that old relationship to a kinder and more loving relationship, but it’s still a relationship and it still hasn’t updated because the subconscious doesn’t understand past, present and future.

‘It only understands the now moment.’

Ms Farnsworth explained that hypnotherapy “is a natural state of relaxation” that allows people to focus on their “subconscious instead of their conscious mind” to “return to how, when and where the problem started”.

She added: “I don’t expect anyone to know [their root cause] and if they think they know, they probably don’t.

“So by being relaxed, just using your subconscious and feeding it back so you’re like, ‘Oh, that can’t be what it’s about.’ It’s a beautiful story of self-discovery.”

Treatment for erectile dysfunction includes medications that increase blood flow to the penis, such as Viagra, vacuum pumps that increase blood flow to the penis, or counseling and therapy if emotional or mental health issues are present.

But Ms. Farnsworth uses personalized tape measures to give her clients complete relaxation before their sessions.

She creates these tapes by recording herself and explaining to her clients what to expect during the session and what they will experience in future sessions.

During the sessions, her clients are taken on a “journey” into their subconscious to try to find the “root cause” of their erectile dysfunction.

This involves talk therapy where Ms Farnsworth, who works online, takes people into a state of deep relaxation in hopes of tapping into the subconscious.

People can either lie down or sit up with their eyes closed and their necks supported while she recites her memories to them.

Ms Farnsworth then says she will guide her through the rest of her treatment, using hypnotherapy to free her of the emotions behind her erectile dysfunction.

A block of four sessions, which includes a two-hour initial appointment followed by three sessions, each lasting an hour, costs £1,597.

The transition coach said: “Erectile dysfunction is usually about some kind of powerlessness and feeling powerless, so it’s about how, when and where and subconsciously it’s just like daydreaming.

“You’re like, ‘Oh, I don’t know why I’m thinking about that, maybe, but I’m seven.’ And while erectile dysfunction didn’t start at that point, it might be the first time they felt powerless.”

“It’s about emotions because our subconscious is hardwired with emotions and they don’t make sense.

“It’s about looking at scenes that feel the same but don’t necessarily look the same – it’s about the emotion. The subconscious is not logical.”

Ms Farnsworth claims to have changed the lives of her clients. She said: “They say they got their life back and they got freedom.

“We’ve all been through trauma. And erectile dysfunction is just one symptom of a trauma reaction.

“Trauma doesn’t have to be kept on a razor’s edge, it can be anything that made you feel bad and we’ve all been through thousands of those.”