Community Updates
Meet Christopher Willingham
31 October 2026 · 1 min read
Christopher Willingham has spent his career inside one of the most complicated subjects there is: the human brain. He is a neurocognitive psychotherapist with around 15 years in practice, and he joined our host for a 1-to-1 episode of The Legacy Bench.
Science and care
Christopher holds a postgraduate qualification in neuroscience and is a member of FENS, the Federation of European Neuroscientists. His work brings together cognitive behavioural therapy, counselling, coaching and hypnotherapy, and he helps people with everything from anxiety and bereavement to confidence, procrastination and performance.
He has worked in the NHS, in private practice and in sport, including with people in professional boxing and the UFC, where his focus is on helping clients find what he calls "an extra 20%".
Thousands of sessions
Christopher has delivered more than 10,000 sessions; by his own estimate, around 13,000. He says he has never worked with anyone who couldn't be hypnotised, and in the episode he explains what actually happens in the brain during hypnosis, why memories change each time we recall them, and whether you can train your brain to be more confident.
For all the science, he believes the most important quality in his profession is simple: to care.
Speaking up for new dads
One subject Christopher is especially passionate about is paternal postnatal depression, an area he describes as misunderstood. New fathers can experience it too, and it often goes unnoticed, even by the dads themselves. He encourages families to look out for behavioural changes in new fathers, such as aggression, frustration or withdrawing, and to take them seriously.
Away from work, Christopher makes time for his own family a priority.
Christopher Willingham joined us on The Legacy Bench for a 1-to-1 episode, "New Dads Get Postnatal Depression Too" — read the episode story or watch the full conversation.
If anything in this conversation touches on something you or someone close to you is going through, please talk to someone. In the UK you can call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time.
