Mind Blocks Sorted and Hypnosis for Fun

Hypnosis for anaesthesia

2012-01-08T18:36:00.000Z

Recently there was an article in the Guardian about using hypnosis instead of chemical anaesthetic during an operation. This may sound far fetched to a lot of people but it is perfectly possible.

John Butler, the person in the article is one of the experts I have trained with. He is very experienced in using hypnosis for pain management and anaethesia. As well as using it himself he has prepared his clients for surgery and using hypnosis for pain relief.

Using hypnosis for anaesthesia has a long history. It was one of the only options before reliable chemical anaesthetics became widely available. At that time, the shock of the surgery itself could be fatal, even if the actual surgical procedure was successful. Using hypnosis however greatly increased the survival rates of the surgical patients. But hypnotism wasn't really understood and chemical anaesthetics were considered easier to use, so they took over from hypnosis.

For some people, using only hypnosis during an operation is a step too far but even so, learning how to use hypnosis both before and after an operation can help to reduce the amount of medication you need and also improve healing time.

World Hypnotism Day

2012-01-02T21:59:00.000Z

Each year World Hypnotism Day is recognised on January 4th. Unfortunately in the UK it doesn't get much publicity because beforehand everyone is focused on Christmas and New Year and on the day itself people are often caught up in the return to normality.

But if you are interested in finding out more about hypnosis or hypnotherapy then it is worth looking to see if there are any special events in your area.

My gift for World Hypnotism Day is a free download of my short relaxation MP3. Email me between 3-5 January and I will send you a link to the download.

Reduce your technological stress

2011-11-21T21:33:00.001Z

There was a recent article about the increase of technology increasing stress.

For people who are in a working environment with emails and mobile phones it can be difficult to escape the increased pressure to always be available and to respond as quickly as possible.

For others it can be an increase in anxiety because a text message hasn't been replied to or a friend has posted an ambiguous message on a social networking site.

Some of these stresses are possible to reduce simply by not being so reliant on them. Can you make them part of your day, rather than your day revolving around them?

In some cases that isn't possible. So, make a list of the things that stress you so that you can help to reduce the impact they have on you. Be aware of them so that you can attempt to balance your stress with something more relaxing. That might be taking regular breaks, ticking off completed tasks or using hypnotherapy or relaxation CDs.

Review your list regularly. Is there anything you can change? For instance is it absolutely necessary to answer every email the second it arrives or would it be OK to check emails every couple of hours? Is it essential to take your phone with you when you nip out to the shops or would it be OK to leave it behind and respond later if someone has left a message? Do you have to offer to do everything everyone asks you to do?

Are you being too hard on yourself? Do you set yourself higher standards than you would expect from other people? If so, then relax them a little. By being less stressed you will actually be more productive and much happier.

Hypnotherapy after a miscarriage

2011-10-06T17:10:00.000+01:00

It is Baby Loss Awareness Day this Saturday which prompted me to write about using hypnotherapy to help to deal with the emotions around a miscarriage.

Being hypnotised isn't going to make you forget you've had a miscarriage but it can help to reduce emotions such as grief, anger, sadness, hopelessness, guilt or frustration that you may be experiencing. It can help to make emotions more manageable so you can still go through the grieving process but also move forward into the future.

A number of women have come to me for hypnotherapy after a miscarriage, for a variety of reasons. Often there was a fear that they would never be able to have a successful pregnancy, especially if they had had more than one miscarriage. Sometimes they thought they had dealt with it through counselling or the passage of time - and on a rational level they had - but emotionally there was still "unfinished businesss".

Sometimes, as in many other issues, they booked the session to address something else, such as negative thinking or difficulty in becoming pregnant and the miscarriage was one of the things that became important in the session.

Feeling calm and positive can help if you are trying to become pregnant. It isn't guaranteed to make you pregnant but it does cause less stress on your body, your relationship and your emotions. Research has shown that stress reduces fertility so the more you can understand how to reduce that stress the better.

Read more about hypnosis for pregnancy

Photograph courtesy of Sanja Gjenero

Hypnotherapy for eczema and skin irritations

2011-09-12T14:25:00.000+01:00

This week is National Eczema Week so I'm writing about how hypnotherapy can help people who have exczema and other skin conditions.

The causes or triggers for eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions vary but there is a similarity in that stress and scratching can make them all worse.

If you find that your skin flares up more when you are stressed then learning self hypnosis and regularly using it can help to keep your stress levels down. That should then keep your skin irritation down.

Hypnotherapy can also help to reduce scratching. The benefit is that as well as reducing the unpleasant sensations it also reduces the risk of infections and keeps your skin healthier. There are two approaches. One is to reduce the habit of scratching, the scratching that happens without you really thinking about it. The other is to reduce the itching sensation so that you don't feel the need to scratch.

A single session of hypnotherapy would enable you to learn hypnosis techniques to reduce stress, though you might find a few more sessions helpful to address stress in a more in depth way. You would need at least one other session to deal with the issues related to scratching.

Hypnosis to improve sports performance

2011-08-23T21:32:00.000+01:00

I have had a couple of conversations recently about using hypnosis to improve performance in sports so I thought I'd repeat the main information here.

Having a good mental attitude makes a big difference in sport. All top sports people will use some form of mental training to improve their performance.

Mental attitude can't take you beyond your physical limitations but it can take you up to them and that can make a big difference.

It allows you to reach your full potential so that you can perform to your absolute best. By doing that it could allow you to outperform someone who is physically better but isn't mentally focused.

Playing through your winning strategy in your mind allows your body to become used to what you are expecting it to do. The more you do it, the more familiar it becomes and so your body can do it more easily.

Sometimes nervousness prevents people performing to their full potential. Part of their mind that should be focusing on the sport is taken up with dealing with the anxiety and so the person doesn't do as well as they could. Those feelings transmit into their muscles and they aren't as strong.

Hypnosis can help reduce nervousness so that the person's mind can be totally focused on what they are doing and that helps them to reach their true potential.

Photograph courtesy of Michal Zacharzewski, SXC

Using hypnotherapy to avoid burnout through stress

2011-08-01T19:15:00.000+01:00

This article explains how some people became burnout because of their jobs. It also gives some helpful advice on how to avoid burnout or - if it's already too late - to recover from it.

As the article says, burnout is not something that attacks you out of the blue. There are warning signs of stress along the way. Pay attention to these so you have the option to find ways of reducing your stress levels.

If you have been working long hours or in intense conditions for a long time then it is especially important to be aware of how you feel and how much time downtime you give yourself. Because you have become used to that type of pressure it feels normal and, if you are conscientious or feel the need to achieve, it can feel like you are slacking if you reduce your workload to something that is more realistic.

It's a good idea to regularly compare your work/life balance today with what it was like a year ago and five years ago. Gradual changes in how you spend your time often go unnoticed but when you make comparisons over a longer timescale you can pick up changes that could be starting to overload you.

Remind yourself of all the things that are important to you and make sure you get a good balance of them whenever you can. Of course there are likely to be times when you have to put yourself under pressure but make sure you balance that with some rest and enjoymenet time as well.

As well as the practical suggestions above, hypnotherapy can help to reduce stress. It can help to put a different perspective on situations that previously caused stress and it can give you some time feeling calm and relaxed. Even if you are in a high intensity job you don't need to let stress take over your life. You can learn to control it and switch off when appropriate.

Although a hypnotherapy session may seem yet another thing to add into an already overwhelming list of things to do, it can help to reduce your stress so you use your energy in a more productive way, which will in turn reduce your stress. If you are really short of time then you can watch my online stress reduction seminar which has some simple but effective quick ways to reduce stress.

Using hypnotherapy when trying to become pregnant

2011-07-17T21:37:00.000+01:00

A recent article tells the experience of a woman who tried to conceive for four years but was unsuccessful. She had been considering IVF treatment but instead had a few hypnotherapy sessions with Paul McKenna and within a month was pregnant.

Nothing can ever be guaranteed but hypnotherapy is certainly worth considering if you are having difficulty conceiving and there is no medical cause. Hypnosis is far less stressful than the IVF process and also far cheaper.

Each session will vary but what usually happens is a combination of relaxation, addressing any reasons why your mind may be getting in your way and helping you with positive visualisations.

It may sound odd that a part of your mind could be getting in your way when you are so keen to have a baby. But sometimes old ways of thinking and habits can be a barrier. For other people, it seems such an uphill struggle that positive visualisation is hard to do alone because it doesn't feel possible.

Even if you do decide to have IVF at a later date, the techniques you learn will be valuable during the process in keeping stress levels down.

I have had clients in both situations. Some have had sessions with me and then gone on to conceive naturally and others have come to see me at the start of their IVF treatment and during it.

Hypnotherapy recordings to help sleep

2011-06-27T21:43:00.001+01:00

In a recent article Evan Davis from Radio 4's Today programme explained that hypnotherapy recordings are an important part of his sleep routine.

If you have a busy mind and find it difficult to wind down then listening to a hypnosis or relaxation recording can help relax your mind and make it easier to go to sleep. It's a good idea to choose one where you find the person's voice easy to listen to. You could use the same recording each night or listen to different ones for variety.

If you don't have access to a hypnotherapy track then there are alternatives to help you sleep. You could use self hypnosis or visualisation to create a comfortable environment where you feel relaxed, safe and comfortable and where you can gradually drift off to sleep. Or, if you have learned EFT or Chinosis then you can use those to help you relax and go to sleep.

If you are looking for a hypnotherapy track to help you sleep then listen to a taster of my Sleep Well hypnosis download.

If you have difficulty sleeping then my Sleep Well webinar might be of interest. It explains some of the most common causes of poor sleep and also has ways of helping you use your mind to improve your sleep.

If you are under a lot of stress or have built up a long standing habit of being unable to sleep well then an individual session with a hypnotherapist would be worth considering. Then you can address your specific needs.

Photography courtesy of SXC

Hypnotherapy for male bulimia

2011-06-21T20:47:00.000+01:00

Last week was Men's Health Week and one of the issues that was covered in an article in the Sun was male bulimia. Anorexia and bulimia tend to be thought of as an issue affecting girls but it seems to be increasing in boys as well.

Bulimia is often related to dealing with unwanted emotions and a feeling of lack of control. Some people eat when they are unhappy but then vomit or take laxatives in an attempt to avoid weight gain. Others say they have a feeling of release when they are sick.

Although bulimia may seem a good way to have the pleasure of eating without putting on weight it is actually unhealthy and can lead to long term damage. It affects the metabolism so can actually encourage weight gain; can cause digestion problems; stomach acid in the mouth can damage tooth enamel; essential vitamins and minerals aren't absorbed which can lead to kidney damage and weak bones.

Hypnotherapy and cognitive behaviour therapy can help to address the issues that lead to the bulimic behviour. Hypnosis can help to increase confidence and to address unwanted emotions that may be causing the original overeating that is then followed by purging. Learning self hypnosis techniques gives an alternative that should give more effective relief from the feelings and doesn't cause the physical damage that bulimia can cause.

It's never too late to think about using hypnotherapy to address bulimia. If you've just started to become bulimic or you have been bulimic for years, hypnotherapy could still be beneficial.

Find out more about eating disorders and support available.

Photograph courtesy of Ehsan Namavar

Hypnosis to reduce general anaesthetic use

2011-06-13T21:58:00.001+01:00

The benefits of using hypnosis in the NHS was in the headlines last week and this week there is evidence of how it has been used successfully in surgery in Belgium.

Local anaesthetic and hypnosis were used in some surgical procedures where general anaesthetic is usually used. The patients were in surgery for a few more minutes than patients who had general anaesthetic but their recovery time and hospital stay were shorter and use of pain killers was reduced.

These are not isolated cases - though hypnosis is not used nearly as much as it could be.

From my own experience I know people who have used hypnosis before and even during surgery and have had good recoveries. One of my clients who was very nervous about going into hospital for a major operation had a couple of hypnotherapy sessions before going to hospital and listened to CDs and used self hypnosis whilst in hospital. She felt much more comfortable being in hospital, her post-surgery recovery time was faster than normal and she left hospital earlier than expected.

Photograph courtesy of Carlos Paes

Why do people think hypnotherapists are cowboys?

2011-06-06T18:33:00.001+01:00

There have been a lot of discussions today about using hypnosis in the NHS. This is always good to hear and the quicker it becomes mode widely available the better.

But mixed with that has been a lot of "warnings" about lay hypnotherapists and comments that a lot of them are poorly trained and use dangerous practices. I'm not sure where the evidence is for all these claims. Yes, I'd agree that there is some poor quality training out there but there are also a lot of very good courses available.

Also, the first training course is rarely the last. After my diploma course I attended a number of other courses to increase my knowledge of different techniques and approaches. Most hypnotherapy organisations require their members to do continuing professional development each year.

Just as in any profession there are people who aren't good at their job and when you are dealing with people who are emotionally vulnerable then this is deplorable. But don't let the few overshadow the huge benefits that the majority can bring. There has just been a case of misconduct at a care home but no one is saying that every care worker behaves like that.

Currently hypnosis is very rarely available through the NHS - which is a shame as it is beneficial. So, if you are concerned about how to find a good private hypnotherapist here are some recommendations to help you make the best choice and give you peace of mind.

Choose a hypnotherapist who is a member of a hypnotherapy association. There are currently quite a few but they are working together to create common standards. You can see a list of these associations. All thses have a code of ethics snd require certain standards from their members.

Choose a hypnotherapist who has insurance. This means they have a professional outlook and insurance is usually a prerequisite of being a member of an association.

Speak to the hypnotherapist beforehand and make sure you feel comfortable with him/her.

Take someone along to the first session with you if you feel uncomfortable going alone. It is usually best to do the therapy part of the session on your own but if you feel more comfortable with someone else there then in my opinion the hypnotherapist shouldn't object to it.

Ask people you know if they can recommend anyone. You don't have to tell them why you're going - and you could be asking for a friend.

Is hypnotherapy and counselling unpleasant?

2011-05-31T08:12:00.002+01:00

There was a story this week about someone who says he is addicted to sausages. One headline claimed "Accountant forced to have counselling to get him off the bangers" which makes counselling seem to be something to be avoided if at all possible.

Admittedly people will often be having counselling because they are finding life difficult but for the majority counselling is something they freely choose to do to improve their lives.

Often people will put off addressing an emotional issue because they think it will be unpleasant and they will find it difficult. Some people don't find it easy to deal with their emotions and so try and avoid it.

In both cases the emotions are still there and provide a low level niggle that is likely to build up over time. The niggle can cause anxiety, resentment, fear or low self esteem which can all reduce your quality of life.

Counselling and hypnotherapy can help to address the cause of the emotions and help to reduce the effect they have on you. Hypnotherapy in particular is focused on looking forward to the future and getting rid of the emotions that are making life difficult and creating a more enjoyable life. If the issue has been going on for a long time it won't always be an instant change because you may need to address a number of things. But each session should bring more understanding and an improvement in life.

Why sleep is important to your mental health

2011-05-23T09:48:00.002+01:00

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and this year the focus is on sleep.

We should be aware of our mental health every day of the year - not just for one week. Most people spend far more time and energy on their physical health than their mental health. They will stop and give themselves a rest when they are physically tired but don't give their minds the same luxury.

To keep yourself mentally healthy, think about what is going on in your life at the moment and if anything stands out as being stressful or causes you anxiety then read through my website to see if hypnotherapy can help to reduce the stress and anxiety.

Sleep is an important factor that helps you to keep mentally healthy. When you sleep your mind has a chance to refresh both your body and your mind. It renews cells and helps to clear your mind.

If you don't get enough sleep then you will start to find it more difficult to think clearly, your mind may feel cluttered, you find you forget things more frequently, you are more likely to get angry or emotional and everything feels more difficult.

There are a number of reasons why you aren't sleeping well. It could be for physical reasons such as your environment, a medical condition or what you're taking into your body such as food, drink or medication. Or it could be for mental reasons such as feeling stressed, anxious, overwhelmed or out of control.

Sometimes you can go through a short period of not sleeping well and then circumstances change and you go back to sleeping well. Sometimes though you get into the habit of not sleeping well and that can seem even more frustrating because there is no apparent reasoon.

In many cases hypnotherapy can help to improve your sleep. It can help you to address anxiety and stress so you feel more relaxed and can sleep better. If pain is keeping you awake you can use self hypnosis techniques to help to manage your pain. If the poor sleep is just a habit then hypnotherapy can address the initial cause if appropriate and often change the habit.

You can find out more about improving your sleep with hypnotherapy in my Sleep Well webinar.

During Mental Health Awareness Week I am offering my Sleep Well hypnosis MP3 either free of charge or in exchange for a £5 donation to Bluebell Nurses. (The usual cost is £10) You can also download some sleep resources from the Mental Health Foundation.

Photograph courtesy of C. Leconte

Hypnosis and epilepsy

2011-05-16T11:37:00.001+01:00

It's National Epilepsy Week so this blog is about hypnosis and epilepsy.

In my hypnotherapy diploma training I was told not to hypnotise people with epilepsy and this advice is quite widespread. Now there is good reasoning behind this but I don't think hypnotherapy should be a complete no go area for people with epilepsy as it could be preventing them getting valuable help through hypnosis.

I suppose the most important question is "will hypnosis cause an epileptic seizure?"

One study used hypnosis deliberately to cause seizures in children whilst their brains were monitored as a way of finding the best treatment for them. Firstly the children were asked to visualise being in a pleasant place, then asked to recall what usually happened immediatley before a seizure, then they were taken back to the pleasant place and the seizure stopped.

In that study none of the seizures experienced were epileptic. I wonder if that was because the chld was recreating a remembered response rather than experiencing a triggered seizure.

In general practice, many hypnotherapists have worked successfully with people diagnosed as epileptic and haven't caused seizures. Some of the sessions have been focused on reducing the severity or occurrence of seizures and other sessions have been related to other areas of life.

There are several reasons why a seizure could happen during hypnosis. Firstly, the technique used to take someone into hypnosis could be repsonsible. I would advise against using spinning discs, flashing lights or eye fixation.

Secondly, there is a possibility that accessing very strong emotions could cause a seizure. There are ways to reduce the emtoions felt in hypnosis and if a lot of relaxation suggestions are used then this should minimise that possibilty.

Stress can be a trigger for seizures and hypnotherapy is a good way to reduce stress. If a hypnotherapist is aware of someone's medical history then s/he can tailor the session appropriately.

If you are concerned about the possibility of having a seizure then you could use a hypnotherapist who has appropriate first aid training or take someone with you to the session who will be able to help you.

You can download a hypnosis MP3 specifically written for people with epilepsy to help with relaxation.

Photograph courtesy of Gonzalo Haro

Hypnotherapy to help stop snoring

2011-05-09T22:05:00.000+01:00

This week is National Stop Snoring Week. I'm often asked if hypnotherapy can stop snoring and (in my experience) there are some cases where it can help but others where it is best to look for other assistance.

There is a snoring test on the The British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association site so if you snore I would recommend finding out more about the cause of your snoring first.

So, where can hypnotherapy help?

If you drink alcohol late at night then you are more likely to snore. Alcohol relaxes your muscles more than usual when you are asleep so you are more likely to get restricted airways and this causes snoring. If you find it difficult to cut back on the amount of alcohol you drink then hypnotherapy could help you to address the reasons for that and to reduce your drinking.

If you are overweight then your throat and airways are likely to be more constricted because of the extra body tissue around your throat. Hypnotherapy can help weight loss by addressing emotional reasons for eating, changing eating habits and increasing motivation to exercise.

If you smoke you are more likely to snore because smoking irritates your nasal passages and so makes it more difficult to breathe through your nose. Hypnotherapy can help to motivate you to stop smoking and also address the habit.

If you only snore when you are sleeping in one position, eg your back, then hypnotherapy can be used to give you suggestions that whenever you lie on your back you will automatically turn over onto your side.

Finally, if you have a partner who snores and there seems to be no way to stop them snoring, then you could consider having hypnotherapy to help to drift back into a relaxing sleep if their snoring wakes you up.

Simple ways to increase happiness | Don't struggle on your own

2011-04-29T15:54:00.001+01:00

Happiness can seem a long way away when you're struggling with things that are going on in your life. Don't try and do it all on your own because you can end up going round and round in circles and not getting any closer to feeling any happier. Then it feels as if things will never change.

Sometimes talking to friends can help. It may put things in perspective; you'll have a chance to say all those things you've been bottling up inside; it may reduce loneliness and your friend may have some suggestions that will make things easier.

Sometimes it may help to talk to someone more impartial. That could be so that you can say anything in the confidence that it won't have an effect on your friendship or put a friend in a difficult position. Or it could help to talk to someone who can teach you helpful techniques and different ways of thinking. Or it might be that you don't have anyone that you feel you can talk to.

Often when someone phones me to find out if I can help them, they tell me that they feel better just because they have spoken to me. It's because they can now see the possibility of positive change.

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy have some good techniques to help you think about situations in a different way. Sometimes that may be feeling more comforatble about things as they are, on other occasions you may need more self confidence or motivation to create change.

There is some additional good advice about bouncing back on the Action for Happiness website.

Photograph courtesy of Melodi T

Simple ways to increase happiness | Be yourself

2011-04-20T11:52:00.001+01:00

Happiness can be difficult to find if you are always trying to be the person other people expect you to be, or the person you think you should be.

One of the underlying causes of lack of confidence or feeling inferior is the expectation that you aren't good enough if you're not the same as other people around you.

It might start in childhood where one child gains all the attention and approval because they are good at something, whilst another is good at something that isn't given the same importance.

Another cause is the expectation that you come from a particular background or you are a particular type of person so therefore you are expected to behave in a particular way.

So think about yourself, your capabilities and who you really are. There is a good technique that I use with clients called life level alignment. It identifies different aspects of what is important to you so that you can learn what is really important to you.

Read other ways to increase happiness.

Simple ways to increase happiness | Bring some balance into your life.

2011-04-15T20:48:00.000+01:00

There has been a lot of talk about happiness this week with the launch of Action for Happiness and the results of a survey on people's happiness in the UK. I would recommend visiting their site as there is some good advice there on how to find happiness in different areas of your life.

If you have become used to living with anxiety, depression, fear or unhappiness then it can be difficult to believe that happiness is possible. But I would urge anyone in that type of situation to start off by taking one simple step - just one - and noticing what difference it makes in your life.

One way you can start is to acknowledge the good things in your life as well as the bad ones. We tend to focus on the things that go wrong because we don't want the same thing to happen again and often there can be strong emotions involved that we find difficult to let go. But it's important to balance up the bad things with good ones, otherwise life becomes too one-sided and you forget that life can be enjoyable.

Every time you remember an event it's as if it's happening again. So, if for instance, you embarrass yourself by saying something wrong you will play it over and over in your mind and it's as if you've embarrassed yourself time after time. The emotion you feel about it gets stronger and the event takes on much more significance. If someone complements you on something you have done well you will probably write it off in your mind, maybe feeling good initially, but then forgetting about it. So, your mind now has one negative experience which has become huge because it's had so much attention and one positive experience which is tiny because you haven't thought about it again and it's become swamped by the bad experience.

I suggest to clients that they write down one good thing that happens every day. It can be more if you like, but it must be at least one. It doesn't have to be earth shattering, it could be something as simple as just catching the bus in time so you didn't have to wait for ages or the sun coming out for 5 minutes on a rainy day. If you write them down in a book then you can always go back and look at it when you need to lift your mood.

Hypnotherapy for Change

2011-04-09T18:38:00.001+01:00

I love this time of year when the world becomes green again, the daylight hours get longer and (hopefully) the weather gets warmer. The fresh growth of leaves on the trees and hedges is a beautiful, vibrant colour.

That's the colour that I chose for my Mind Blocks Sorted business cards and website. I associate that colour with positive change and excitement about life.

That's the feeling that I like my clients to have after a hypnotherapy session. A feeling that their life is now changed for the better, that things are more positive, easier to achive and that they feel good about life.

If you have a lot of anxiety, low confidence or negative feelings about life then hypnotherapy can be a way of changing those thoughts into more positive ones.

Or the change might be about getting rid of a habit or changing behaviour.

Sessions with a hypnotherapist could help you to change those behaviours or to think about life in a different way so that you feel less anxious, more confident and more positive about life.

Hypnotherapy for IBS

2011-04-01T09:00:00.006+01:00

April is IBS Awareness Month and aims to increase the awareness of IBS, how it affects people and how its effects can be reduced.

Hypnotherapy can be an effective way to help reduce IBS symptoms.

Hypnotherapy can't cure IBS but it can help to reduce cramping and discomfort.

I usually recommend one session where I can teach you a number of techniques for reducing the effects so it doesn't have such an impact on your life. You will be able to use these yourself. Then a few more sessions will help to reinforce the suggestions for feeling more relaxed and your digestive system working well.

Stress is often a factor in IBS. When your stress levels increase so do your IBS symptoms. Hypnosis is a very good way to help you relax and deal with stress. Learning self hypnosis or listening to relaxation CDs are both good ways to help to keep your stress down.

Whilst a personal session is always the best solution, I have a hypnosis download for IBS that helps you to visualise your digestive system working effectively and feeling relaxed.

Photograph courtesy of Gerardo Razo Blanco

Hypnotherapy for Cervical Dystonia or Spasmodic Torticollis

2011-03-24T08:08:00.005Z

It's always good to see the benefits of hypnotherapy being shown on TV. One recent example was on Channel 4's Embarrassing Bodies.

Cervical Dystonia causes the neck muscles to contract which in this man's case meant that at times his head would turn to one side and the only way he could stop it turning was to hold it. He found this very embarrassing because he felt people thought he was staring at them.

Stress doesn't cause this condition but it can make it worse so he received some hypnotherapy treatments to help him with stress and he found that the spasms were reduced and he felt much more comfortable with the condition.

Hypnotherapy isn't always the only answer but it can be part of a number of different treatments to help with a condition or illness. Find out the wide range of issues hypnotherapy can help with. If you want to know if hypnotherapy could help you and your particular issue/condition isn't mentioned then please do contact me so I can discuss it with you.

More information about Cervical Dystonia or Spasmodic Torticollis

Photograph courtesy of Matchstick

Hypnotherapy and CBT for self injury

2011-03-01T21:48:00.008Z

Today is Self Injury Awareness Day. Whilst people often think of self injury as being related to teenagers, people of all ages can turn to self injury as a way of trying to deal with emotions.

Some of my clients have found they continually returned to self harm in an attempt to try and deal with various things that happened in their life. However it never really achieved what they wanted.

There are a number of alternatives and some very good advice on websites such as FirstSigns. An alternative that some of my clients have found effective is hypnotherapy. It can help to address how they feel about what is happening currently in their lives, what has happened in the past and what they fear in the future.

Self hypnosis is a great way to deal with issues as they come up and can help to keep on top of emotions that in the past have been overwhelming.

Cognitive behaviour therapy can be useful because it helps people to think about why they react and behave in certain ways. It challenges habitual thinking and helps someone to start to think about things in a different way.

When hypnotherapy is combined with CBT it helps to make behaviour change more comfortable because under hypnosis the mind is more open to changes.

Even if you have self injured for years, it doesn't have to be your way of coping in the future. Find out how hypnotherapy can be an alternative to self injury in my free podcast.

Photography courtesy of Konrad Baranski

Hypnotherapy for Eating Disorders

2011-02-22T20:42:00.002Z

This week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

People tend to think about stick-thin teenage girls when they think of people with eating disorders but the people who have come to me for help have all been at least mid-20s and a lot of them in their 30s or older. Eating disorders tend to start in teenage years - though some are even younger - but they all too often continue into later life. Not everyone is thin. Someone who binges can be within a normal weight range or even overweight.

There are usually one of two reasons for an eating disorder starting. The first is a strong desire to lose weight because the person isn't happy with their body. The second is because life seems out of control and their eating seems to be the only thing they can control.

Those thoughts are reinforced by the eating disorder and often continue past the initial trigger.

If you have an eating disorder then hypnotherapy could help to address the underlying emotions that are the cause of the eating disorder. That might be going back into the past and seeing things in a different way, being able to explain how it felt to be you at that age and feel what it's like to deal with the emotions in a different way. It could be about allowing yourself to change a long held habit and feel comfortable about leaving your eating disorder in the past. Hypnotherapy can also help you to feel what it would be like to live without the eating disorder and still feel good about yourself and in control. During the sessions you would also learn new ways to deal with emotions.

If you'd like to use hypnotherapy to change you eating disorder then you would probably need a number of sessions. There are often a lot of deeply held feelings and beliefs about yourself and life that would need to change before you would be happy to eat in a balanced way. For the best results it's advisable to do the sessions over at least a year so that it really becomes natural to you and you feel you have support rather than being on your own. That doesn't mean you have to do a session every week or even every month. After the first few you could have a session every couple of months to reinforce your new lifestyle and address any issues that might come up.

Read my other blogs about eating disorders.

Photo courtesy of Ivan Josifovic

Hypnotherapy for Childbirth NHS trials

2011-02-16T21:51:00.000Z

The NHS are finally trialling the use of hypnotherapy in childbirth. The trials are only taking place in Blackburn and Burnley so for pregnant women elsewhere they will still need to find a private hypnotherapist to teach them how to use hypnotherapy for childbirth.

Pregnant women who have come to see me have wanted to use hypnosis for different reasons.

Pain management is usually high on the list. Relaxation reduces feelings of pain and because hypnosis is a great way of achieving a deeply relaxed state it is very helpful during childbirth.

Even if medication is used during the birth, the use of hypnosis usually means that less medication is needed which is always preferable.

Some women are anxious because there are so many variables. One woman wanted a home delivery but was told it would be unsuitable so she wanted to feel comfortable whatever environment she was in. Another woman wanted a natural birth but had been told she may have to have a C section because she was carrying twins. Another woman was uncertain about how she would feel about the whole event. Others are nervous because of previous experiences.

Hypnotherapy can help to address all these issues, giving women techniques that they can use themselves before, during and after the birth. I also often teach their partner some hypnosis skills as well so they can keep their partner's focus if necessary. Reduced anxiety helps everyone involved - parents, baby and the medical staff.

Photograph courtesy of Dez Pain

Introduction to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

2011-02-08T08:41:00.000Z

This week is OCD Week which aims to raise awareness of OCD, the effects it has and the support that is available.

OCD is repetitive behaviour that someone feels compelled to do. There is usually anxiety associated with it; a feeling that if the action isn't performed then something terrible will happen.

Below is a list of how it affected some of my clients:

Washing hands continuously after shaking hands with people, being outside or being in contact with new products
Checking window, doors, switches and appliances for 40 minutes each night
Continuously checking that equipment hadn't been left on at work
Phoning close family every time an accident was reported on the news to check they were OK
Asking children to change their clothes the moment they came home from school so they didn't bring germs into the house
Difficulty leaving the house due to repeated checking that the front door was closed properly
Hours spent thinking repetitive thoughts about things that had happened in the past
Continually checking that incorrect information hadn't been given to work colleagues
Continuous thoughts about health and death of self and family

Often the OCD began in childhood where suggestions given by parents or comments that were overheard became distorted. Children can also be influenced by the behaviour of adults around them with OCD or anxiety and so it gets "passed on".

Hypnotherapy, Chinosis and CBT can all help people with OCD to reduce the compulsion, reduce the fear of not performing the compulsive behaviour and allow more selective thinking. Things usually don't happen overnight because you have to feel comfortable with making the changes. After all, that's why you are doing the OCD behavour - in an attempt to feel comfortable. So I usually recommend at least 4 sessions for OCD so that we can address all the aspects and help you feel more comfortable without the need for the OCD actions.

If you are in the Bristol area there are several events happening. On Wed 9th Feb OCD Action UK have a stand in Cabot Circus where you can find out more about living with OCD and available support.

There will be a presentation on OCD Education at Penpole Community Centre, Shirehampton on Sat 12th Feb 10am-12pm

A new OCD Educational Self Help Group will be starting on Sun 20th Feb at 1pm in Shirehampton. The course consists of a 2 hour session for 4 weeks and the total cost is £80. More information/book.

Hypnotherapy before plastic surgery

2011-01-24T22:36:00.002Z

Plastic surgery for cosmetic enhancement is becoming more popular. For some people it changes a feature they were deeply unhappy with and increases their confidence but for others it doesn't bring that happy ending.

Some studies have shown that women who have plastic surgery are more likely to consider suicide. Now that doesn't mean that the surgery causes those thoughts; they may already have been there and the surgery may have been thought of as a "cure" for what was wrong in that person's life.

But it does highlight the fact that surgery doesn't always create the desired change.

In a recent article one woman who had spent £40,000 on 15 plastic surgery procedures said "I was trying to boost my self-esteem, but plastic surgery never worked. If I had my time again I wouldn’t have surgery. I’d have therapy."

Some surgeons will refer people to counselling before their operation or will discuss it in detail with their patient to make sure they have the right expectations.

If you have been considering plastic surgery because you feel it would give you more confidence then why not spend some money on hypnotherapy first? A few hypnotherapy sessions are much cheaper than surgery and could make a big difference in how you feel about yourself and how you see yourself.

Photo courtesy of Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Hypnotherapy as an alternative to painkillers

2011-01-16T13:36:00.001Z

Taking the occasional painkiller isn't an issue for most people. However, recently researchers have found that painkillers could increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes in older people who have heart problems and who take painkillers regularly.

If you are in this category then you could consider using hypnosis as an alternative painkiller. Hypnosis has a long history of being used to reduce pain. It was used with great success during operations before chemical anaesthesia was available.

Hypnosis is also still used effectively today. Dr Stefan Friedrichsdorf in Minnesota has just received an award for the work he does with terminally ill children, some of which includes hypnosis.

The mind plays a large part in the perception of pain. It processes the pain signals so by helping your mind to reduce the strength of the pain, you feel less pain and so can feel more comfortable.

It is always important to know the cause of the pain before you use hypnosis for pain relief. You do not want to mask a symptom that is warning you of damage to your body. But, if you are already being treated or have been told that there is not treatment for the pain then hypnosis is an option. Unlike medication it does not have side effects or react against other medication you may be taking.

If you would like to use hypnosis for pain relief then I would recommend one or more sessions with a hypnotherapist. If that is not possible or if you are already using hypnosis for pain relief then you may find my pain management hypnosis downloads helpful.

If you do use hypnosis for pain relief always regularly review any new sensations in your body as it could be a worsening of your condition or a new conditions that would benefit from medical attention.

Don't give up on your new year's resolution

2011-01-05T22:26:00.000Z

If you made a new year's resolution and have already given up then all is not lost.

The 1st January is just a date and so you can start again on a new date, learning from experience and doing things in a different way. After all, a lot of people pick a resolution that they think will be tough or don't really want to do but think they ought to.

The resolution is often something that they have failed at before but would like to make part of their life. But, because they go about it the same way they did before then they are likely to get the same results and fail again.

That's where hypnotherapy can help. It can help you understand what is getting in your way and help you to think about things in a different way so that what originally seemed tough or undesirable now feels easier.

For instance, a lot of people think that stopping smoking will be difficult because they think they will be missing out by not being able to smoke. But, if the reasons for smoking can be addressed in another way then there's no need to smoke any more. Then, if smoking becomes an unpleasant activity then it's actually a pleasure not to smoke.

For someone who wants to lose weight, it can be difficult if food is used as comfort or there is an old stubborn habit of eating everything on the plage. But, if emotions can be dealt with in a different way and the old habit can be removed then eating less is easier and so weight loss should happen naturally.

There are many other instances where a change of thought can cause a change of action which means that a new year's resolution is easier to keep and becomes part of your every day life.

As I said, 1st January is just a date, there are other dates in this new year so why not use one of those to start again?

Read more tips about how to keep your new year's resolution.

Photograph courtesy of Dez Pain

Hypnotherapy to get rid of fear and phobias

2010-12-19T16:21:00.000Z

I read a report earlier this week about a woman who doesn't feel any fear because in her brain the part that usually registers fear doesn't exist. So, even when she was faced with things she said she feared she didn't show any emotional response at all.

To people who suffer from extreme phobias and general anxiety this will probably sound extremely desirable. But there is of course a problem in that if you feel no fear in any situation then you can end up not recognising danger when you need to.

There is a way of getting the best of both worlds though and that is by using hypnosis to get rid of fears. Even in extreme cases hypnosis can usually get rid of fear, and I see this time and time again.

In getting rid of a phobia I am always careful to suggest that there will remain a natural concern if it is appropriate. For instance, someone who previously had a fear of heights would want to retain a healthy caution for heights and not stand right on the edge of a steep cliff. Someone with a fear of snakes would want to retain a healthy respect for dangerous snakes but doesn't need to have an overwhelming phobic response when they are mentioned or seen.

With regards to specific fears, the one that I deal with most often is fear of flying. Other common ones are fear of needles, dentists, spiders, driving and speaking in public. And there are many others I have helped people with as well.

Read more of my postings on phobias.

So, if you would like to get rid of your fear then why not join the many other people who have successfully got rid of their phobias by using hypnosis?

Hypnotherapy as an alternative to benzodiazepine and other tranquilisers

2010-12-06T21:55:00.001Z

Concern has been raised over the use of benzodiazepine and similar drugs. A full report is given in this article.

1.5 million people in the UK are said to be addicted to the drug after having it prescribed for a variety of health issues. Tranquilisers help a lot of people but for others they can cause their own problems, especially when used over a long time so it is worth looking at alternatives.

Hypnotherapy is one of those alternatives. It can help reduce anxiety and stress and in a lot of cases it is very beneficial because it gives the person back control over their emotions. Hypnotherapy sessions can be combined with the use self hypnosis to reduce anxiety and allow people to regain calmness and feel stronger about tackling their problems.

Often people feel stressed or anxious or depressed because of specific situations. It could be a life event that has become to much to deal with, it could be a build up of ongoing stress or it could be something which has always been an issue.

Reducing anxiety in just one area can increase someone's feelings of wellbeing which then means they don't feel as anxious about future events. The vicious circle that is caused by anxiety can be reversed into a virtuous circle of feeling much calmer and more in control.

In the UK the recommended treatment for anxiety is CBT with medication coming second. Unfortunately CBT often isn't instantly available through the NHS so medication is the only alternative available to the GP. However, there are a lot of hypnotherapists and CBT practitioners available in private practice that can help you if you can fund it yourself.

In my opinion CBT works best in combination with hypnotherapy because you are dealing with issues on a subconscious and emotional basis - which is where the problem started and so the best way to make changes. Many hypnotherapists use CBT techniques, either as a stand alone session or as part of their hypnotherapy.

So, if you are finding life difficult and are concerned about the risks that are associated with tranquilisers, think about hypnotherapy as an alternative.

Photography courtesy of Dima V

Hypnosis to be yourself

2010-11-24T21:21:00.002Z

One of the phrases that seems to have the biggest impact on a lot of clients is "you can be yourself"

I use that phrase as part of the induction when I ask my client to go to a special place where they can feel comfortable, where they don't have to try to be anyone or anything or pretend to be anyone or anything.

It's often as I say those words that the person will take a deep breath and visibly relax or sometimes tears will start as all the stress and tension starts to clear away.

In fact very early on in my hypnosis career I used that phrase and my client burst into tears. I was concerned as I couldn't understand why she was so upset by such a pleasant idea. Then she told me that she'd forgotten it was possible to be herself. She spent so much of her life trying to conform to other people's ideas and expectations, both those belonging to people she knew well and to society in general. Her tears were relief and realisation that she could have some of herself back.

So, because it seems such a powerful idea, why not take some time to be yourself today? Enjoy being true to yourself and to your values. Spend some time thinking about the things that give you pleasure, not because that's what you're supposed to like or supposed to aspire to, but because you like those things because you are you.

You can just take time out for yourself or you may want to use my Through the Door hypnosis download to help you relax and enjoy that feeling.

Photography courtesy of Holger Dieterich

Hypnosis to deal with the effects of bullying

2010-11-17T21:12:00.000Z

As this is Bullying Awareness Week, let me tell you how hypnosis helped one of my clients who was being bullied at work.

He was very experienced in his profession but had started work in a new company and the role ended up being different to the advertised job description. So he had to adapt his usual methods and expectations and learn a new company culture.

His manager questioned a lot of his work and seemed to be looking out for mistakes he made due to being unfamiliar with the role. She started to become like a monster in his mind, looking for him to get things wrong and then humiliating him by bringing the mistakes up in meetings.

He found this very difficult as he was very proud of his attention to detail and his proficiency but felt that he was being asked to do things outside his remit and then blamed for not doing them well.

He began to hate going into work and was off for several days with stress but was worried that if he took more time off his contract wouldn't be renewed. Part of him felt a relief that the contract might not be renewed but his pride in his performance and concern at not having a job were more important.

I did several sessions with him and each time he found his work situation easier to handle. The sessions were a combination of hypnosis, CBT techniques and Chinosis.

After the first session he found that he could tolerate the situation more so things still bothered him but he had techniques that could reduce the effect. After the second session her comments and actions were affecting him less.

At the end he said that his manager just didn't seem to be picking on him any more. Now that might have been because he now knew enough about the job not to make further mistakes, the manager may have changed her attitude or her comments may just not have affected him any more. It's difficult to say because there wasn't an impartial observer there. What is important though is that he now has the ability to deal with any future issues, doesn't feel he is bullied any more and no longer needs to take time off.

If you have taken time off work due to stress caused by bullying or you are finding it difficult to deal with bullying at work then hypnosis may be able to help you. My Stress Less semianr is half price during November.

Hypnosis to Overcome Stage Fright

2010-11-11T18:35:00.000Z

The news today is that one of the X factor contestants, Katie Waissel, is going to use hypnosis in a bid to overcome her stage fright.

Whatever you may think of her singing, using hypnosis to reduce her nerves will allow her to perform to her true ability without the stage fright getting in the way.

I have worked with a variety of musicians and performers to help them overcome stage fright and actually enjoy their performances. Stage fright is a very big problem for a singer because when you are nervous your throat tightens and your mouth dries out so your voice loses some of its quality. Nerves can also make you feel physically sick which can make it difficult to concentrate on the performance so you forget your words or don't hit some of the notes.

Some people say you have to feel nervous before going on stage or you don't give a good performance. I would disagree with that. I think that if you are relaxed but focused before a performance you will give a much better performance because you can focus totally on what you are doing rather than being distracted by worries and nausea.

I usually do some hypnotherapy to address the causes of the stage fright and also give suggestions for feeling relaxed but pleasantly excited at future performances. I also teach Chinosis or EFT so that my client can use that as a self hypnosis technique to reinforce the work we do in the session(s).

Photograph courtesy of Marcus Österberg

Hypnosis for Stress Reduction

2010-11-02T20:14:00.001Z

3rd November is Stress Awareness Day so this blog explains how hypnosis can help to reduce stress.

Firstly, hypnosis can help reduce stress simply by giving yourself some time away from the everyday hassles and spending time experiencing a very relaxed state.

If you are constantly on the go, simply stopping and doing nothing can be very difficult because your mind isn't used to it. Hypnosis makes it easier to transition into a relaxed state because you are still processing information whilst listening to the hypnotist but you can then relax and recharge.

Secondly, hypnosis can help you to think about things differently. This means that things which may have stressed you in the past won't stress you in the future so you have an ongoing benefit. This might simply mean that you react to people or events in a different way or you might start to change some aspects of your life in a way that reduces stress.

For simple relaxation you can listen to hypnosis CDs and downloads. For more in depth stress reduction you can watch my online stress reduction seminar that gives simple ways to reduce stress. Or, you may prefer to visit a hypnotherapist who can help you address your specific issues in a more personal way.

If you're stressed then watch my Stress Less seminar.

Hypnosis for Bruxism or Teeth Grinding

2010-10-27T22:42:00.000+01:00

As this week is Bruxism Awareness Week I'm going to explain how hypnosis can help to reduce teeth grinding because it can be helpful in a variety of ways.

Bruxism can cause problems with your teeth as well as your jaw, muscles and even headaches. So, if you grind your teeth you could cause a wide range of potential health issues.

People often start grinding their teeth when they are under pressure or feel stressed because they tend to hold their bodies tensely, including the jaw muscles. Using hypnotherapy for relaxation helps people relax their jaw muscles so the teeth are no longer touching.

Whilst it is a good idea to see a hypnotherapist intially, learning self hypnosis techniques or listening regularly to relaxation CDs and downloads can help to keep stress levels down on an ongoing basis which should stop you grinding your teeth.

Sometimes, bruxism is simply a habit. The jaw muscles have become used to being held in a certain position and so there is no other reason for the teeth grinding. Hypnosis is a good way to change habits because it accesses the subconscious mind which is where habits are held. The number of sessions for changing a habit varies and in some cases just one may be enough but often it will take several.

Hypnotherapy to reduce alcohol comsumption

2010-10-18T09:47:00.003+01:00

This week is Alcohol Awareness Week. Most of the clients who come to see me to use hypnosis to reduce their alcohol consumption haven't got to an extreme level of dependancy on alcohol but it has become more important than they want it to be.

Some people automatically have a couple of drinks every night when they get in and it is a habit they want to stop. Other people drink more than they want to as a way of trying to deal with issues in their life.

Some people want to reduce the amount they drink because they feel it's affecting their health, weight, behaviour or performance.

If alcohol is used as a coping mechanism then I first teach my client some alternative ways of coping which can include CBT, Chinosis and also self hypnosis. We also usually address the issues that are causing the problems so that they have less of an impact. Then that person has a much more effective way of dealing with problems in their life and so doesn't need to rely on alcohol.

If it is more of a habit then we use hypnosis to get rid of the old behaviour and set up new behaviour.

When drinking is simply a habit sometimes one sesson can be enough to change the habit, though if it is a longstanding habit then one or two more sessions may be needed. If alcohol has been used to try and deal with emotions then at least two sessions are usually needed and again a few more may be necessary in some cases.

Was that hypnosis? It's not what I expected.

2010-10-04T21:36:00.000+01:00

Hypnosis can be difficult to explain to people because it can be different for different people. I really wish the world turned into technicolour or you heard angels singing when you were hypnotised but unfortunately it's not like that.

Some people say they drift into a relaxed feeling of being really heavy. Others will say they felt relaxed and felt as if they could float away. Others will say they didn't think they felt relaxed and were quite aware of everything that was said. In fact virtually everyone you ask will report something slightly different.

Some people will leave thinking that they weren't hypnotised at all and feel disappointed by the session because often they felt that hypnosis was their last chance to make the change they wanted. It's always really satisfying when they contact me to say that amazingly things are exactly as they had wanted them to be. But they're still not sure exactly why because they didn't feel that different in the session.

So why do people have different experiences? Well, it's because everyone processes information differently and like to interact with the world in a particular way. Some people are very analytical and like to make sense of things so those will tend to be the people who are very aware throughout the session. Other people like the feelings of relaxing and letting their mind drift and so they will tend to have that type of experience. People who are more anxious will initially tend to hold back and may find they go into hypnosis slightly more slowly because they don't like to think they are giving up control - even though I constantly tell people that they are the ones in control, not me.

People will also experience different states of hypnosis at different times so often hypnosis will be different after the first time because your mind knows what to expect and has lost some of its uncertainty.

So, if you're not sure if you've been hypnotised or not, notice what happens after you've been hypnotised. It's the differences in how you feel and react that tell you if you have.

Can hypnosis help you with SAD?

2010-09-29T18:24:00.003+01:00

This is the time of year when SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder can start to affect people in the northern hemisphere, as the daylight hours reduce. I have written about SAD before but I wanted to highlight it again because it can have such a negative impact.

People affected by SAD can find it dificult to get motivated because they don't feel fully refreshed after sleeping so often lack energy. They may crave high carbohydrate foods, which also makes them feel more sluggish. They may also feel anxious and even depressed.

Whilst light therapy is the main effective treatment for SAD hypnotherapy can play a part in reducing the anxiety and other feelings related to SAD. When you experience something under hypnosis your mind reacts as if it is real. So, if you spend some time listening to hypnosis tracks that take you to warm, sunny places and you react in a positive way to that hypnosis it should help to reduce the effects of SAD.

To help you decide if hypnotherapy helps to reduce your SAD symptoms, you can listen to my entire SAD to Happy hypnosis track for free before you buy it. If you find it lifts your mood then I would recommend listening to it regularly during the autumn and winter months to give yourself your own dose of sunshine.

There are other relaxation CDs that you can listen to that would give a variation but this track gives specific suggestions for sunlight and warmth.

Past life regression

2010-09-20T22:28:00.000+01:00

Paast life regression was the subject of a recent programme on Channel 4. In it you see part of a hypnosis session where someone is taken into a past life and then have a small insight into what both he and the hypnotist think about past lives.

There is a lot of debate over whether or not what someone experiences is their true past life. However, for a lot of people it might not really matter whether it is a true past life or not. If the purpose of the past life regression is to gain insight into your current life and perhaps make changes then as long as you gain that insight it probably doesn't make much difference whether it actually happened or is simply a metaphor or is you making sense of things in your own way.

One thing that wasn't shown in the programme which I would always include as part of my past life sessions is to wrap everything up at the end so that my client can make sense of the experience and feel that it fits comfortably with their life as it is now. For instance, if someone has experienced unpleasant things in a past life I think it is important to leave those things in the past where they belong so that any insights can be retained but the experience is well and truly in the past where it belongs so the person doesn't feel that they are trapped by those experiences.

Whatever your own interpretation is of what a past life regression is, they are fascinating.

Hypnosis can make you a hero

2010-09-14T20:48:00.000+01:00

Last week I watched Derren Brown's "Hero at 30,000 Feet". Some people have said that it seems to big a leap for someone to go from such an unwillingness to engage to being prepared to stand up and get totally involved. But entertainment is all about showmanship and getting people interested so it had to be spectacular.

Whilst this was an extreme change, there is a capacity for change within everyone but too many people don't allow it to flourish. I meet lots of people who are held back by fear, whether it's fear of looking stupid, of making the wrong decision, of moving outside their comfort zone, of not being able to achieve - or even a fear of achieving.

I also meet lots of people who are held back by a lack of self belief. They have been told that they aren't as good as others around them, people haven't been interested in them when they were a child or they compare themselves against other people and find themselves lacking.

Hypnosis is a great way to overcome fear and lack of self belief so that you can enjoy life, so that you can become the real you, rather than hiding in the shadows. Under hypnosis you can experience what it is like to feel positive, to have self belief, to be able to do things confidently, to recognise your abilities and to be proud of yourself. All that happens in a safe environment where there is no one to laugh, to take you down a peg or two and nothing to fear.

Once you have experienced those feelings in hypnosis, you can then start to bring them into your everyday life and they will feel natural. It probably won't happen overnight but every small change can lead to another one that keeps reinforcing your new way of thinking and feeling. And the great thing is that it feels natural and easy, it doesn't feel like your trying to force yourself into behaving in an unnatural way.

So, if you feel you are missing out on life but don't know how to get out of your current thoughts and feelings then give hypnosis a go. You're unlikely to end up saving a plane full of passengers but you really can make astonishing changes and become your own hero.

Photograph courtesy of Deon Staffelbach

Stop smoking for free

2010-09-07T08:29:00.001+01:00

My local hospital has lots of signs up promoting the NHS Stop Smoking Service. The service offers nicotine replacement products and support both from an adviser and other people who are stopping. I know people who have gone through the programme and successfully stopped so if you want to stop smoking it's definitely worth finding out more about the service.

If you don't think the service is right for you though then hypnotherapy to stop smoking is another option. It's not free but it's virtually the only hypnotherapy treatment where you actually gain financially as well as emotionally.

If you work out how much you will save after you have stopped then that will more than pay for the hypnosis sessions.

Some hypnotherapists do just one extended session for stopping smoking and get good results. I have found that for someone who is a longterm smoker just one session can sometimes be too much of a jump into the unknown and additional support gives them more confidence that they really can achieve their goal of stopping smoking. So, I do 2 sessions a week apart. This means that at the second session we can address any situations that you have found difficult during your first week as a non-smoker and also build on the success you have had.

However you stop smoking, motivation and self belief are important factors. Read more about how to get into the right mindset to stop smoking and listen to my free stop smoking podcast.

Photograph courtesy of BoB [the mastor]

Hypnosis for Pain Reduction

2010-08-31T17:16:00.000+01:00

There have been a lot of reports recently about hypnosis being used for pain management. The most recent one is that a children's hospital in the Hague is going to offer hypnosis to their patients to help reduce pain, stress and fear. Research has found hypnosis to be effective in removing stomach pain in children.

In one study 85% of children with stomach pains found that hypnosis cleared their symptoms whilst only 25% of children had the same effect with medicine.

IBS or irritable bowel syndrome is a condition that a lot of people suffer with that causes stomach pain. Because it is a collection of symptoms there is no single treatment and what works for one person might not work for another. Hypnosis can be very effective with IBS because it can work on both the symptoms and any stress which can make the condition worse.

Of course it's not only chidren's stomach pains that hypnosis can help with. It can be effective in treating a wide range of pain and medical conditions. Sometimes it is used in conjunction with other medical treatment and medication and sometimes it is used on its own.

If you are thinking of using hypnosis for your own pain management then please speak to your doctor first to make sure that you know the cause of the pain. It is important that you don't completely mask pain that is telling you something about your condition but in many cases the pain isn't necessary so then hypnosis can be used to reduce it.

Is exercise a better way to lose weight than hypnosis?

2010-08-24T20:25:00.005+01:00

I watched the recent Channel 4 programme Who Knows Best: Fighting the Fat where a personal trainer and hypnotherapist were challenged to prove that their method was the best way to lose weight.

In the programme the person who was helped by the personal trainer lost the most weight but I and many other hypnotherapists would not recommend such a single minded approach.

For me, weight loss has to be a combination of exercise, mindset and diet By diet I don't mean what you can't eat but what is healthy for you to eat. All 3 of those are essential to a achieve a healthy weight that is longterm. If you are overwieght then yes, going on a crash diet will lose weight; yes, spending hours exercising will lose weight. Both of those are physical factors that affect the amount of calories that we use up or store so they affect our weight.

Hypnotherapy alone doesn't create weight loss. What it does create is the mindset that means you eat less, eat more healthily, have the motivation to exercise and feel comfortable about your new way of living. When you feel comfortable with something it is much easier to continue doing it.

All too often people go on diets that lose weight but then they feel deprived so start eating too much or the wrong type of food again and so the weight starts to go up. Or they start a strict exercise regime which is just too hard to maintain and so rather than just do something they do nothing.

My recommendation would be to take things more slowly and to discover a new lifestyle that feels natural rather than go for a quick fix that can quickly break.

Hypnosis for Nervous Model Plane Pilots

2010-08-16T18:08:00.001+01:00

This may seem a very niche article but because flying model aircraft is one of my hobbies I meet a lot of modellers who are nervous about flying. In fact I've been there myself. So that's why I created a hypnosis download to help modellers with their anxiety about flying. As well as my own model flying experience I also collaborated with 2 examiners from the Large Model Association.

It was nice this weekend to meet another person who had used the download to regain his confidence. He said he wasn't sure what had happened but he definitely felt much happier flying his models now and was once again enjoying the hobby.

There can be a number of reasons why people lose their confidence. It could be after a model has crashed, it could be a particular type of model that you find difficult to fly so you start to doubt your ability, it could be a model that is very important so you don't want to damage it, it could be after a long period of not flying and you just need more practice, it could be because you are flying in a different location or in a show.

By giving suggestions for everything running smoothly and some visualisations for being in complete control of the plane, a hypnosis download is often enough to increase a pilot's confidence. Of course there does need to be ability there as well, but confidence usually increases ability because it allows you to use all your mind to focus on flying rather than split that focus between flying and worrying.

I have also hypnotised pilots at shows and I love seeing their flights afterwards as they are so much better. They are usually pilots who are perfectly competent but who get nervous when they fly in a display. It's similar to the nerves people get when they are doing a driving test or giving a presentation. Usually just a short session - even in the middle of a busy airshow - will get that confidence back so they can perform just as well as when they are simply having fun at their home flying site.

Listen to a short extract from my hypnosis download that helps to reduce your model flying nerves.

Hypnosis to reduce anxiety related to students leaving home for university or college

2010-08-09T13:33:00.005+01:00

Every August in the UK there is a group of people who are preparing themselves for their first term away from home at university or college. For many it's an exciting time, for some just another phase of their lives, but for others it can be a time of uncertainty and anxiety.

For people who find it difficult to talk to other people there can be anxiety about not being able to make new friends and so feeling lonely. For people who are close to their family there can be anxiety about leaving them, either because they have relied heavily on parental support in the past or because they are concerned about leaving a parent on their own. For people who are uncomfortable with change there can be anxiety about leaving a familiar and comfortable environment.

If you are getting nervous about going away to university or college then one or two sessions of hypnotherapy could help to make it a much easier and more pleasant experience.

Hypnosis is a good way to deal with anxiety because it can help you feel more relaxed and can also help to deal with any issues that cause anxiety.

There are a number of techniques that you can learn that you will be able to use whenever you need them to make your time at university or college more enjoyable. These help you to feel more confident when you meet new people or go to new places. They can also help you feel more relaxed and less worried about panic attacks.

Hypnosis for a fear of visiting the dentist

2010-08-02T18:01:00.000+01:00

A report in the Independent says that people are relying more on breath fresheners and mints than good dental hygiene and regularly visiting the dentist. Whilst some of this is down to laziness or cost, some people avoid visiting the dentist because they are too anxious.

Dentists I have spoken to are all keen to encourage people to visit them because they have all seen the results of lack of dental care and all wish they didn't have to. People who haven't seen a dentist for a long time can be embarrassed about what their teeth are like, but dentists have seen a lot and they are there to prevent things getting worse.

If you avoid the dentist because you hate the thought of sitting in the dentist's chair then hypnotherapy could help you to reduce your anxiety and make it a much more comfortable experience.

Some of my clients have found one session is enough and some have had 2 sessions. The first one might be to reduce anxiety enough to book the appointment or it could be a few weeks before the appointment and the second is usually a day or so before the dental appointment. I give you a self hypnosis track that you can listen to before the appointment and also teach a self hypnosis technique that you can use before and even during the appointment which means you can feel more relaxed during the whole time you are there.

Dentists learn about hypnotherapy during their training so they appreciate how helpful it can be. If you want them to reinforce your hypnosis during the session then talk to them beforehand and most should be happy to help. Anything which helps you to feel more relaxed and calm helps them to do their job more easily and so gives you a better experience.

One of my clients was very nervous about people being close to her head on one side of her body and when she explained this to her dentist he worked on her teeth from the other side so she felt more comfortable.

So, if you have been putting off going to the dentist because you have been dreading it, use some hypnotherapy and make the whole experience easier.

If you live near Nailsea then contact Michael Gregory who is a very friendly and caring dentist.

Photograph courtesy of Julia Freeman-Woolpert

Hypnotherapy for a fear of motorway driving

2010-07-26T22:18:00.000+01:00

I haven't written for a few weeks as I've been away for the last 4 weekends flying at model airshows around the country. It's been great fun but on a 4 hour drive home last night I thought about people who wouldn't be able to enjoy that type of weekend away because of their fear of driving or being driven on a motorway.

Whilst some people do search for a solution to their fear, others simply put up with it which has an impact on their life and also their family and friends.

One client was self employed but was turning down work which meant he would have to travel on a motorway. As this obviously wasn't good for business he came for a hypnotherapy session and I had an excited phone call from him a few hours later, exclaiming that he had just driven home on the motorway and felt fine.

There are a variety of reasons why people don't like travelling on the motorway. Passengers often judge the driver's abilities and reactions by their own. So, if they are not used to being on a motorway they might not appreciate the driver's faster response time or awareness of the other vehicles.

For people who have been involved in an accident there is an obvious concern so then it is a case of putting the accident in the past and giving positive suggestions for feeling comfortable on future journeys.

Other people don't like the lack of control on a motorway. You can't just pull over and stop or turn round and go back. For people who have IBS, bladder problems or travel sickness there can be the additional fear of not being able to get to a toilet quickly.

If you would like to be able to travel on motorways without fear then hypnotherapy could give you that freedom you've been missing out on.

Photography courtesy of Lars Sundstrom

Do Hypnotherapy CDs Work?

2010-07-05T22:38:00.003+01:00

I'm often asked if hypnotherapy CDs work and the answer I give is "sometimes". As I have hypnotherapy downloads for sale on my site this may seem an unreasonable answer so let me explain further.

Hypnosis CDs and downloads use suggestion and are reinforcing the way that you want to feel. If the suggestions feel possible for you to accept then the hypnosis will work and you will achieve the change that you are looking for.

However, if you can't accept the suggestions because there is something in your subconscious preventing you from doing that then the hypnosis won't work. That doesn't mean you can't be hypnotised, it doesn't mean that the CD doesn't work, it just means that in your present state of mind you can't accept the suggestions.

I'm sure you've been a situation where someone has told you something that you disagree with because you know they are wrong. The more they keep telling you the same information the more you stick with your opinion because you know you are right. Well, that's how the subconscious works. If it thinks it knows best it won't be bullied.

That's why I would always recommend a personalised session wherever possible because anything that is getting in the way of accepting the suggestions will be removed first and then the suggestions are easy to accept. That's the way I structure my sessions. Check to see what's preventing change happening, address that and then suggest what life will be like with the change.

So, if you are simply looking for motivation or reinforcement or suggestions that you know are possible then hypnotherapy CDs and downloads will work for you.

Photography by Maria Kaloudi

Hypnosis for Deaf and Hearing Impaired People

2010-06-27T21:05:00.007+01:00

As this week is Deaf Awareness Week this blog is about how hypnosis can be used with someone who is deaf or has hearing difficulties. The usual image that comes to mind of a hypnotised person is someone with their eyes shut, which of course brings in doubt about how it can be used for someone who relies on lip reading or signing. Other people think that it is the hypnotist's voice that creates the hypnotic state.

Hypnosis is simply a state of focused creativity, using your subconscious mind. The only reason people are usually asked to close their eyes is because it helps most people to get rid of other distractions. But hypnosis can also happen with your eyes open.

What the hypnotist says is important as it helps someone to go into hypnosis, but it is the words that are most important and if those can be understood then again hypnosis is possible.

There are some hypnotherapists who sign, which is probably the best option as communication is much faster, you don't have an additional cost and everything is confidential between you and the hypnotherapist.

But, if that isn't possible then you can work with an interpreter. Whilst I don't sign myself I have taken part in several sessions doing just that.

If you lip read or have difficulty hearing voices at a low level then tell your hypnotherapist so that s/he can make sure you can see and hear him/her clearly before you start the session. Some hypnotherapists will sit alongside you during the session, some may have dimly lit rooms and nearly all have a tendency to lower their voice if they are giving suggestions of relaxation. You could even suggest that they write themselves a reminder to speak clearly and loudly because from my own experience I tend to get into my normal groove without thinking and find a reminder is useful.

So, if you are deaf, hearing impaired or hard of hearing and hadn't thought hypnosis was an option for you then think again. Not all hypnotherapists may feel comfortable adapting the way that they work but there are plenty out there who will be able to help. There is information around that says it's not possible to hypnotise deaf people so if you know anyone who believes that then please put them right.

Nervous about Hypnosis?

2010-06-14T21:36:00.000+01:00

This week someone who first came to see me about 4 years ago came to see me again. She said that the first time she came to see me she was very nervous but this time she wasn't nervous at all.

I often say that I wish I could hypnotise people before I hypnotise them because then they would know what to expect.

One way of doing this to a certain extent is to give group demonstrations so that at least people get the opportunity to see someone else hypnotised and have the opportunity to ask questions. Another way to find out more about hypnosis is to have a fun hypnosis event at a party. That way you will be in familiar surroundings with people you know - having an enjoyable evening to remember.

Describing hypnosis to someone who hasn't been hypnotised can be difficult, mostly because the actual experience will be different for different people. Some people say they experience a very relaxed state whilst others feel very alert. Some people find they are questioning everything that comes into their mind whilst others find that they simply accept thoughts that in the past they may not have been able to.

There is often an expectation that hypnosis is like an out of body experience or there will be a blinding flash of insight or a sudden urge to do things differently. In some cases with hypnosis for fun you may experience this type of feeling if it's suggested as part of the "performance".

In a hypnotherapy setting hypnosis can be disappointingly normal. You don't hear angels singing, the world doesn't become technicolour and you don't start acting as if you are being robotically controlled.

But, that doesn't mean nothing has happened, it simply means that you are the same person, reacting in the same way to a lot of what happens in your life, but with a different reaction and different feelings to what you wanted to change.

If you think about something that you do naturally then you don't often feel magically compelled to do it. You are more likely to either look forward to it or not feel any fear or concern about doing it.

So, if you are nervous about being hypnotised then talk to your local hypnotist to find out more about it, see if there are any local demonstrations or why not arrange your own hypnosis for fun event?

Self Hypnosis for Pain Relief

2010-06-06T22:13:00.002+01:00

There was a recent article about someone using hypnosis instead of anaesthetic during an operation. This is just one of many occasions when hypnosis has been used in the operating theatre. Whilst this is a very dramatic use of hypnosis to reduce or even eliminate pain there are many other equally valuable situations where hypnosis can be used for pain relief.

For some people pain can be occasional (though it can still happen regularly) such as migraines, eczema, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, pain related to injury or medical procedures.

For others, pain can be ongoing and anyone who has chronic pain will know how tiring and draining it is and how it can impact every part of their life.

Some people might be put off using hypnosis for pain relief because they see stories about hypno anaesthesia and think "I could never do that." But to reduce pain to a more comfortable level you don't have to achieve total anaesthesia. All you need to do is to be able to reduce it to give yourself some relief.

Learning self hypnosis techniques can be a good way to achieve pain reduction. Relaxation is usually the first part of the process and then there are a number of visualisation techniques you can use to change your perception of the pain. Whilst it is possible to get instant relief, in some cases regular practice may be needed to get the best results.

If you suffer with chronic pain sign up for my 2 free pain relief webinars on 22nd and 29th June at 7pm. Places are limited so please contact me to book your place.

Hypnosis for Childbirth

2010-05-31T23:06:00.003+01:00

Southmead Hospital in Bristol is offering women aromatherapy during childbirth. Using essential oils helps women relax which in turn usually results in a smoother birth process and less pain relief. It is hoped that aromatherapy will encourage more women to have a natural birth as this is the current Department of Health policy.

It would be great if this policy could extend to funding hypnosis sessions for pregnant women as well because hypnosis is an excellent way to increase relaxation both before and during childbirth. In some studies it has also been shown to help reduce post natal depression.

When someone is relaxed they usually do not need as much pain relief which is better for the mother and baby and is also likely to reduce any need for medical intervention.

One of the things that women have told me is that they want to feel in control of the birth experience. If they are in hospital it is an unfamiliar environment and not always one that feels personal. In some situations there may be a concern about whether the birth can be natural or if a Caesarian is necessary. If a home birth is planned and the situation changes at the last minute then the woman can feel anxious because things aren't happening the way she wanted.

Hypnosis for childbirth can address all these issues and help the mother to create her own space wherever she is. Increased relaxation and the ability to create that relaxation herself gives her so much more control and so a much better experience.

Photograph courtesy of Trudy Loosman

Hypnosis and CBT as an alternative to anti depressants

2010-05-23T22:57:00.000+01:00

Last week mental health charity Mind reported that 7% of workers have started taking antidepressants for stress and mental health problemsas a direct result of the recession.

Whilst anti depressants can be a solution there are other options which can also work effectively for some people. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and hypnosis can help people to think differently about themselves and situations, which can often then result in different behaviour which is less stressful. They can both help to reduce stress in the workplace both for employees and employers.

In a recession a lot of anxiety is down to job insecurity or reduced income. This anxiety is increased when someone has low self esteem or doesn't have the confidence to show their abilities. They may automatically think they will be the first to go if redundancies are likely or they end up working longer hours because they don't want to leave work unfinished even though they are being asked to fit in a ridiculous amount. If they do lose their job then they find it difficult to keep looking for jobs or only apply for ones that are below their skill level.

If you have low self esteem then start to recognise your skills. If you find something easy it's because you're good at it and you will probably find that not everyone will find it easy. There are various CBT techniques that help you recognise your skills and also help you to increase your confidence.

Whilst it is impossible to take away uncertainty it is possible to live with it more easily and reduce the stress it causes. Taking a few minutes during each day to relax with hypnosis will help to reduce stress hormones and keep your mind clearer which means that you will be able to work more effectively and efficiently. Taking time at home to share good things that have happened during the day will help with family relationships.

If you have problems relaxing then take a few minutes out to listen to my Hypno Holiday taster.

Hypnosis for Pain Management

2010-05-17T18:27:00.002+01:00

I've just spent a week on a medical hypnotherapy course so discussing how hypnosis can be used in healing and reducing pain seems to be an obvious subject for this blog.

The thing that was really brought home to me during the course is the wide range of conditions that can be helped by hypnosis. Many people focus purely on the benefit of hypnosis for just pyschosomatic illnesses but it can also benefit conditions with a physical cause. As well as improving the conditions themselves there is also the benefit of faster healing, less time spent in hospital and the patient feeling much more positive about their future.

One of the things that is probably most impressive is hypnosis used in surgery instead of a general anaesthetic. Whilst it does show the power of hypnosis I realised that it could also put people off of using hypnosis because they don't believe it's possible for them. Attaining anaesthesia through hypnosis isn't something that a lot of people would be able to do instantly but that doesn't mean it can't be done at all.

Throughout life we gradually adapt to different ways of doing things and learning how to reduce feelings of pain is simply something new to learn. When we learn to walk we fall over a lot before working out how to do it. When we learn to talk we build up a vocabulary that we can then put together to make ourselves understood. With hypnosis for pain management you learn how to achieve that type of hypnosis and you get more effective each time.

On the course we were testing our pain response by using medical clamps - which look pretty daunting. However, we didn't jump straight into that. We started off by pinching with fingers to build up our confidence in being able to reduce the sensation.

As we went on through the course we increased our tolerance of pain so that something which would have seemed impossible at the beginning was now possible. That doesn't mean that everyone could put the clamps on their hands and feel no pain. But it did mean that people had learned to change their tolerance and interpretation of the feelings so that pain didn't have such a negative effect.

So, when using hypnosis for pain control in most cases it doesn't mean that you will instantly go from being in complete agony to feeling nothing at all. It simply means that you will be able to lower the unpleasant sensations to something that is more acceptable. With practice you may be able to reduce it to virtually nothing at all. But don't jump in the deep end and expect a complete miracle from the start. It could happen but is unlikely to with most people. However, that doesn't take away the benefit of feeling less pain through practicing hypnosis for pain management because any reduction of pain that makes life easier is worthwhile.

Photography by Sasha Dunaevski

Hypnotherapy to clarify misunderstandings in your life

2010-05-11T22:26:00.000+01:00

Last week there were two occasions when I got involved in simple misunderstandings that made me think about how easy it is to miscommunicate. In those situations the miscommunication didn't have any impact other than a bit of confusion but for some people those misunderstandings can have a much bigger impact on the way people think about themselves and how they live their lives.

My first misunderstandings was down to the restrictions of Twitter. For people who don't use Twitter it's like text messaging on a bigger scale but has a restriction of 140 characters in each post. Because of that abbreviaton is often necessary. I saw the following posting: Can u recommend any LDN therapists who specialise in bespoke sessions for city pros? LDN is an abbreviation for low dose naltrexone which is one of the treatments for Multiple Scleroiss and I had been reading about it a day or so earlier. I responded and in the ensuing conversation it became apparent that the conversation just wasn't making sense. It turned out that in this case LDN was short for London.

The second misunderstanding was a phone call I made in response to someone who had phoned to book a CBT session. We had a short conversation, booked a time and then I heard the question "so what happens in CBT then?" I asked what he would like to address in the session and he told me that he had been out of the country for a while and now wanted to take his bike test. Fortunately I know that CBT stands for compulsory basic training and is part of the motor bike test as well as standing for cognitive behaviour therapy so the conversation finished. However, if I hadn't realised that then I could well have spent a while talking to him with the assumption he was anxious about his test!

Now both of those were harmless and gave me a smile but in many situations people make assumptions or only hear half a story and that can cause ongoing problems. I have lost count of the clients who have assumed it was their fault or that they weren't loved because parents argued or split up when they were children, of clients who have spent their whole life with low self esteem because a sibling was always praised and they weren't, of clients who have always behaved or thought in a particular way because they thought that was what was expected of them.

If it's time to clear up the misunderstanding in your life then hypnotherapy can be a good way to do it. I would usually take you back to the original misunderstandings and help you understand what was really happening or what was really meant and make sure this time you get the whole picture. You may not always know what those times were but your subconscious should access the appropriate events under hypnosis. You don't need to be concerned about being upset by those events as you don't have to access the emotions.

By changing your feelings about those events your mind can then think about your cuurent life in a completely different way which should make a positive difference in your life.

Photography by Michal Zacharzewski and Clipart.com

Can hypnosis help with a phobia of rabbits?

2010-05-03T09:20:00.001+01:00

In Germany a teacher with a phobia of rabbits is asking for compensation after one of her pupils drew a rabbit on the blackboard.

Initially this may seem ridiculous to you - if you don't have a fear of rabbits. However, most people will probably know of someone who has a fear of spiders, dogs, snakes, bees, flying insects, birds or cats and a fear of rabbits is just another phobia of a particular animal.

Of that list I have seen clients with a phobia of all those animals apart from rabbits.

If you have a phobia of that type then you can probably start to sympathise with the teacher. Of course if you don't have such a phobia then you may still not be able to understand why a picture of a rabbbit drawn by a child should cause such a problem.

For many people a fear of an animal is strongest when they are in the same place. So, you may walk across the road to avoid a dog, turn down invitations to go to a friend's house because they have a cat or refuse to sleep in your bedroom because there is a spider there. You are unlikely to watch wildlife programmes about the animal and will probably react if you see a photo of them. (The reason I have illustrated this blog with a picture of a deer rather than a rabbit is to help anyone with a rabbit phobia keep reading!)

I once had a client who had turned down work on a wildlife programme about spiders because of his phobia of them. He did a session with me and later that week was happily clearing out his cobweb covered garage which he hadn't been into for ages because of his previous fear.

If you realise that the person with the phobia had an unpleasant experience with the animal they are phobic of then you may be able to understand why they have a phobia but may still find it difficult to understand why someone should have such a severe reaction to a drawing.

As the teacher had just started a new job she would have been under stress which is always a time when phobias become stronger. Seeing a representation of a phobia triggers memories of previous events related to the phobia so it is not actually the picture itself the person is responding to but actual past events.

Hypnotherapy works really well with phobias. Even with a phobia that seems this strong it could still help to reduce the fear. The result could vary from being able to feel calm when she sees a rabbit to even being able to touch one. In many cases though the thought of touching the animal they have such a fear of would actually put them off getting help so it is much better to focus on the ability to feel calm in thee same room as the animal.

Often one session is enough for some phobias but with a reaction as strong as the teacher's I would expect to do at least 3 sessions because we would be dealing with the phobia and also the person's perception of themselves. Imagine what it is like if you are terrified of something and everyone around you finds that fear funny.

The Telegraph article doesn't have much detail so there is probably a lot more background which would explain more about the teacher's reaction, possibly relating to events at her previous school. If I find out more I'll update this blog.

Photograph by Dave Dyet

Hypnotherapy for Depression

2010-04-25T21:11:00.002+01:00

Depression Awareness Week has finished but depression itself doesn't come and go that quickly. A hypnotist friend posted a very insightful comment today "Depression is not a sign of weakness. It's a sign you've been trying to be strong for too long".

The onset of depression for a lot of people is due to a situation that triggers feelings of helplessness. Again, helplessness doesn't mean weakness it's simply a lack of knowledge of how to change a situation. To keep going when everything around feels out of control and you can't see any way out of it does require a lot of strength and eventually you become both physically and mentally exhausted.

Hypnotherapy doesn't magically change the situation to make everything wonderful. However it can change the way you think about things so that the situation doesn't seem as bad and you feel more able to deal with it.

Hypnosis helps to get back in touch with some of the positive aspects of life so that life becomes a little easier. It helps to access deeply relaxed states where all the troubles and cares of the present can disappear for a while which helps you feel more refreshed. It can also help you to get back in touch with your real self, not the one that has been weighed down by the depression.

Hypnotherapy isn't a quick one session fix to depression but even just one session can give some improvement as long as you back it up with self hypnosis. However, I would really recommend at least 3 other sessions either weekly or fortnightly so you have someone to help you lighten the load for a while.

Photograph by Sanja Gjenero

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Depression

2010-04-18T12:27:00.002+01:00

This week is Depression Awareness Week.

Whilst 1 in 5 people are aware of the symptoms of depression in their own lives they aren't always aware of why they are feeling those symptoms and how they can reduce their impact. They often don't share their feelings with other people because they are concerned about what they will think.

So, it's important that people understand more about depression so life is easier for those with depression and people who are family, friends, colleagues or even casual contacts.

Sometimes it can be difficult to undersatnd someone's behaviour. Why does Gail always refuse invitations to go out? Why is Tim always so negative? Why does Rita suddenly get so moody? Understanding that they have depression can help other people to be more supportive and reduce feelings of alienation or helplessness.

If you go to your doctor because of depression then NICE guidelines for depression treatment say that you should be offered psychological therapies such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) as a treatment option.

CBT is a good way to help you to think differently about how things affect you and how you react to situations. Often it is those reactions and the emotions that go with them that are the underlying cause of depression.

For instance, you may feel depressed because you have low self esteem so you feel that you are missing out on life because you don't take advantage of opportunities. You may feel depressed because you are stuck in a relationship or a work situation that frustrates you. You may feel depressed because you are unhappy with your life and it seems as though you will be stuck in that situation forever.

A CBT session will focus on the type of situations and thoughts that currently cause your problems and teach you a number of different thinking processes which enbale you to feel more positive, to be less emotionally affected and so to feel more in control of your life.

Hypnotherapy and Emotions

2010-04-14T21:03:00.001+01:00

Some people's impression of hypnotherapy is that it's a very serious affair, dealing with serious issues that are causing serious problems.

Well, some of that is true some of the time. The types of issues I deal with are all causing problems in someone's life - that's the reason why they come to see me. The problem may seem trivial to others but it's always a serious problem to the person who has to deal with it.

But that doesn't mean the sessions themselves have to be serious throughout.

Being able to overcome a problem by finding a new way of reacting and thinking about something is liberating and results in smiles and often laughter.

One of the reasons that people don't address their problems with hypnosis is because they are scared of what they will stir up. They may be concerned about bringing back memories and feelings they have buried for a long time, they may worry about what they will find or be afraid they will feel emotional.

Yes, strong emotions do come up in some sessions but they do rapidly get dissipated because of the techniques I use. A good way to describe them would be like the rush of liquid when a cork is popped. The bubbles that have been held back for a long time suddenly come pouring out but they are very quickly gone, even though they may have been bublling away for a long time.

Just because strong emotions come up in some sessions doesn't mean they come up in all sessions. I often joke to my clients that I do have a box of tissues that they can use but it's only a small box and I don't have to refill it very often.

I use techniques that allow my clients the ability to feel disconnected, distant or safe if it is appropriate. On a few occasions when those "safeguards" haven't been strong enough for them some people have brought themselves instantly out of hypnosis because they didn't feel the safeguard was strong enough for them. I will stress though that this has only happened on a few occasions and after reinforcing their feelings of safety they were then happy to revisit the issue feeling comfortable and were happy with the result.

I always make sure that at the end of the hypnosis I give clients suggestions of feeling alert, refreshed, happy, positive, confident and relaxed and with a smile. I love seeing people smile and this is probably my favourite part of the session when I see a genuine smile on the face of someone who an hour or so before may have looked anxious, tired or concerned.

Photograph by Benjamin Pop

Chinosis to relieve symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

2010-04-07T10:06:00.000+01:00

A few years ago I was at an event where the organiser suffered from IBS. Part of the way through the day she told me how uncomfortable the stomach cramps were which was taking away from her enjoyment of the event.

I quickly did a few rounds of Chinosis with her and the cramps, to her amazement and joy, disappeared. The whole process literally took no more than 10 minutes.

If you haven't come across Chinosis (or another similar technique called EFT) and you suffer with IBS then I would recommend learning more about it. It is simple to learn and can be used anywhere very discretely.

The simplest way to describe it is as a self hypnosis technique combined with acupressure. The advantage it has over conventional self hypnosis is that you can use it anywhere - even in the noisiest environments.

If you would like to learn Chinosis to reduce your IBS symptoms then please get in touch. My first session is usually 90 minutes but if you just want to learn Chinosis then I can teach you in a 60 minute session which can be at my office, by webcam or over the phone.

Read how hypnosis can help reduce IBS symptoms by reducing stress.

(Photograph from Stockxchng)

Hypnotherapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

2010-04-05T11:21:00.004+01:00

April is IBS Awareness Month which is good because Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of those conditions that a lot of people are affected by but they don't tend to talk about. This might be because they haven't identified their symptoms as IBS or because they are too embarrassed to talk about it.

IBS can be difficult to define as no one really knows what the cause is and the symptoms can vary so much. Bloating and cramping occur in most sufferers but some people have constipation, some have diarrhoea, some find their symptoms are worse after eating specific types of foods,

One thing that does seem to relate to all IBS sufferers is that, whilst stress doesn't cause IBS, it can certainly make the symptoms worse. When you are stressed your body goes into fight or flight mode which means that blood is redirected from the gut to the muscles. This means that the body stops digesting food. If you remain in that stressed state for a long time this can make your IBS symptoms worse.

Having IBS can cause stress in itself. There can be concern about whether you will have access to a toilet when you go out, being unable to get things done because of cramping and embarrassment about flatulence or what others think if you seem to be continually disappearing to the toilet. These streses can then make the symptoms worse.

Hypnotherapy is a good way to reduce your stress which helps to reduce the severity of the symptoms and the impact they have on your life.

Here's what one client said after just one session. "When I left your office I felt euphoric ... and for a few weeks afterwards I definitely experienced significant relief from my symptoms."

I have a hypnotherapy MP3 download specifically for people with IBS which gives suggestions for stress and symptom reduction.

Visit The Gut Trust, the UK's charity for people with IBS, to find out more about managing your IBS.

(Photograph by Sanja Gjenero)

Hypnotherapy for confident business presentations

2010-03-28T20:02:00.002+01:00

Giving presentations at work can be a nerve racking experience for some people. Nerves can affect anyone, even if they are generally confident in other areas of their lives. Some people find it difficult to participate in department meetings where they know everyone whilst others may find it more difficult to give a formal presentation to people they have never met before.

If you get nervous when you have to give a presentation then the usual concern is that you will make a fool of yourself by saying something wrong or not knowing the answer to someone's question. You may be worried about blushing and then becoming embarrassed by the fact that everyone can see you have gone red.

On a practical level, it is important to make sure you are well prepared. Knowing what you will say, having handouts or other materials to back up your presentation and knowing that you can say everything that you need to in the time allowed will boost your confidence.

Spend some time rehearsing your presentation so you know you feel comfortable with the format of it and that you have ironed out any possible pitfalls. If there is someone you can practise in front of and get their opinion that can also help as you will already have one experience under your belt.

Despite all your preparation you may still be nervous. This is where hypnotherapy can help. It can help to put previous experiences into context so their impact is reduced and they no longer seem relevant.

I often find that people have had unpleasant experiences in their past that they either consciously or subconsciously associate with presentations. Common experiences are being picked on unexpectedly by a teacher and people laughing - or even worse, the teacher ridiculing them - when they got the wrong answer; being put on the spot in a situation they had no knowledge of and not knowing what to do; feeling their peers or siblings were always better than them and so never expecting to do well. There are many other variations as well.

Hypnotherapy can also help you to visualise future presentations going well. Someone who is hypnotised will feel that these situations are very real and so this helps to balance out the previous negative experiences so giving a presentation feels much more comfortable.

Hypnotherapy for sleep problems

2010-03-21T23:02:00.002Z

March is National Bed Month so a good time to talk about sleep problems.

In the UK over 25% of people have problems sleeping. This can range from one night's lack of sleep to chronic insomnia that can last for years. Some people have difficulty getting to sleep and may then have difficulty waking on time, others will wake early or even regularly and then find it difficult to get back to sleep.

There are a number of reasons for sleep problems. These include stress, depression, disturbance by others, pain, illness, shift work and the effect of food or substances such as nictoine, alcohol and drugs.

Sleep is very complex and can be a combination of factors so if you are having problems sleeping then think about when those problems started and what was happening at that time. Make a note of what happens on the days when you don't sleep well and see if there is a pattern. A few simple changes in lifestyle can often give you back the sleep you wanted.

Hypnotherapy can help improve sleep in several ways.

When you are stressed or anxious your body creates hormones that keep you alert as a way of avoiding danger. This is obviously not what you want if you are trying to go to sleep. Hypnosis can be used to help you relax. Self hypnosis and relaxation CDs are both helpful as you then have something to use when you are having difficulty sleeping.

Hypnotherapy can be a pain reliever and again you can learn some self hypnosis techniques to address the pain which will make it easier to sleep.

In some cases of chronic insomnia it is as if your mind has either forgotten how to sleep or it is afraid to go to sleep. This can be down to long term sleep problems due to anxiety or illness or bad experiences related to the bedroom or to sleep. A hypnotherapist can help you to address any issues if appropriate and then give you suitable suggestions for relaxing sleep every time you go to bed.

If you are currently having problems sleeping then I have a web seminar that gives you both practical and hypnosis techniques to help you improve your sleep. Watch part 1 free.

Hypnotherapy to Stop Smoking

2010-03-08T18:17:00.002Z

It's No Smoking Day this Wednesday which is an ideal time to either stop or to think about ways to stop smoking.

Stopping smoking is probably the subject that most people relate to hypnotherapy and many people have successfully used hypnotherapy to stop smoking.

It is still not recognised though by mainstream stop smoking clinics which is a shame as there are studies to show that it is effective. Because hypnotherapy is so individual then there is likely to be a much higher success rate outside of studies which usually follow a set method, whereas most hypnotherapists will tailor their sessions to each client.

There are several reasons why people carry on smoking even though part of them wants to stop. I have listed them below and if you have been thinking about stopping smoking then they may help you to find the motivation and self belief you need. There is a lot more information and a podcast about stopping smoking on my website.

Many people carry on smoking because they think they enjoy it. My question is: what do you actually enjoy about smoking? Is it the taste, the smell, the feel of the smoke, the first drag?

Lots of people actually find it difficult to answer this question in detail and often decide they don't really like anything about the cigarette part of it, it's more to do with feeling relaxed, getting away for 5 minutes, having time for themselves. If that's you then you should find it easy to stop smoking when you find an alternative way of getting those feelings. EFT and Chinosis are great alternatives. Even giving yourself permission to have a 5 minute break can sometimes be all you need.

Other people can't imagine life as a non-smoker. It may be part of their image, something they do as part of socialising or something they do to relax.

Well, if you use smoking as a crutch to get you through the day then you're not going to want to stop smoking if you think you're going to have no way to deal with your stress levels. But as I said earlier, if you can find other ways to deal with your stress then becomeing a non smoker becomes more of a possibility.

If you think you're going to miss out on fun with your friends because you don't smoke, then becoming a non-smoker doesn't seem that attractive. But think about the times you socialise with non smokers. Do you enjoy those times as much? Are there other non smokers among your friends who seem to have a perfectly good time when they are with you and don't suffer because they don't smoke? If the answer to those questions is yes then again it is possible for you to become a non smoker and not miss out.

Finally, a lot of people think it's going to be really difficult to stop, that they will have cravings and be grumpy. Well, that doesn't have to be the case. There are several practical things I teach my clients that help reduce cravings and grumpiness and they can actually feel even better about life because they have achieved something they want and feel healthier.

Find out more about stopping smoking using hypnotherapy. If you have successfully stopped smoking and used hypnosis then please leave a comment on Hypnosis Helped Me Stop Smoking. It's not just for my clients. It's for any non smoker who achieved that status through hypnotherapy.

Photograph by Vivek Chugh

Hypnotherapy and EFT for Self Harm

2010-02-28T15:05:00.002Z

March 1st is Self Injury Awareness Day.

Self harm or self injury is when someone deliberately injures themselves in some way but is not an attempt at suicide.

It can be difficult to understand why someone would want to hurt themselves when most people try to avoid injuring themselves. Self harm has often been branded as a way of seeking attention but this is not usually the case when you consider the lengths a lot of self harmers will go to to hide their injuries. The reasons for self harm will vary for each person but it is usually a way of dealing with emotions that s/he has no other way of dealing with.

The experience I have had of self harm has been through clients who have wanted to change their behaviour but haven't known how to do that.

EFT or Chinosis are the techniques I have initially found most powerful for helping with self harm. That is because they address the situations that the person is currently in and the emotions s/he feels in that situation. Using the EFT or Chinosis routine helps to reduce the unwanted emotions to a level where they are no longer a trigger to self harm. Used on an ongoing basis, the person begins to feel more in control and so self harm becomes less necessary. Because it is something that anyone can do on their own it is something that is always available. Because there are no side effects such as scars or guilt over self harm it is actually a much more effective alternative.

In a session with someone who self harms I will also include CBT techniques to give alternative ways to deal with emotions and use hypnosis to address any long standing issues that could relate to the self harm and also to enhance self esteem. I usually find that people love the experience of hypnosis because they realise how much control they have over their mind and how they feel. It is often as if before they were trying to work it out for themselves and now have been given an instruction manual which makes it easier.

If you know someone who self harms or you are worried that someone may be self harming and you're not sure what to do then please visit my page on self harm. There is a podcast you can listen to and also some links to sites which give a lot of useful information about self injury.

If you currently self harm, have considered it or have self harmed in the past and are worried you may do in the future then please do think about using EFT, Chinosis and hypnotherapy to give you an alternative.

There is more information on my website about self harm support groups and a podcast for people who self harm. This page can also be a useful way to explain self harm to friends and family.

Photograph by Marinka van Holten

Hypnosis and Binge Eating and Bulimia

2010-02-24T09:31:00.003Z

This is the third in my series of blogs about hypnosis and eating disorders to coincide with Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Today the focus is on binge eating and bulimia.

As with anorexia, which I discussed in the last blog, bingeing and bulimia are also often the result of emotional distress or habits that started because of a particular pattern of thinking.

A binge is defined as "a period of excessive or uncontrolled indulgence in food or drink". People often binge when they are feeling unhappy, alone or depressed. So, a lot of my clients will tell me that they if they open a packet of biscuits they can't just have one, it tends to be the whole packet. Rather than having a bowl of ice cream it will be the whole pot. There is usually some satisfaction whilst eating but that is quickly replaced by a feeling of disappointment, self loathing or guilt because they feel they have failed again.

So, the eating doesn't really satisfy the emotional need and doesn't improve the person's mood at all.

Because bingeing can lead to weight gain people often put themselves on strict diets to try and compensate, which means that they feel deprived and so are even more likely to binge on the foods they feel deprived of when they next feel low and have run out of will power. The resulting weight gain also adds to their feelings of unhappiness which means there is even more incentive to binge.

Bulimia can be the follow on from bingeing or anorexia. After eating, a bulimic person will then attempt to get rid of the extra calories by purging - making him/herself sick or taking laxatives.

Purging by vomiting or laxative use isn't actually an effective weight loss method because the calories have already started being absorbed by the body, so most bulimics will gain weight. It can be very harmful, causing damage to the oesophagus, stomach, intenstines, kidneys and teeth. Find out more about the effects of bulimia.

So, how can hypnosis help control binge eating and bulimia?

Because bingeing is usually triggered by emotions the first thing to do is to replace food with other, more helpful, ways of dealing with emotions. Techniques such as Chinosis and EFT are good ways of reducing the negative impact of emotions and helping you feel positive and confident. CBT techniques help you to think about things in a different way and discover new ways of dealing with thoughts that previously triggered bingeing. Hypnosis helps to address underlying issues and also encourages new ways of thinking and instals new behaviour.

By removing the bingeing episodes then you no longer need to purge to keep your weight down.

The same techniques work with bulimia, but in a slightly different way. Firstly, we address the reasons why you want to keep your body size down, whether it is for health or self image. Hypnosis enables you to feel differently about yourself and your and other people's expectations. You won't be forced into thinking in ways that you don't think are right for you, but when people come for hypnosis they tend to feel that they want to change, they just don't know how to make the change. Once you are happy to do things differently CBT will give you techniques to be able to do those things and Chinosis and EFT will help you to keep a positive mindset.

If you would like to find out more about hypnosis and binge eating or bulimia and decide if it really can help you then please do contact me.

Photography by Celine Gros

Hypnosis and Anorexia

2010-02-22T13:31:00.001Z

This is the second in my series of blogs about eating disorders to coincide with Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Today the focus is on anorexia.

As with any eating disorder, the reasons why some people become anorexic are complex and can vary from person to person. But there are several pyschological factors that often seem to crop up.

These include a need for control, perfectionism and low self esteem which then lead to unhappiness. As anorexia often begins in teenage years it may be the only control that person has in a life which is controlled by adults. The perfectionism may be motivated by other people's expectations or it could be a self motivated need to excel. Low self esteem could come from failing to achieve that perfectionism. It could also come from a feeling of not belonging or being accepted in a family or peer group.

A desire for weight loss can also be a cause of anorexia. Dieting may start out as a way of achieving a healthy weight which then starts to become obesessive. Often though the person may already be a healthy weight but thinks that they would be more attractive, more popular or more loved by becoming thinner.

The complete opposite to a need for control is the desire to remain looked after. In the transition between adulthood and childhood there can be a lot of increased pressure and the memories of the simplicity of childhood seem attractive. Aggressively restricting diet is a way to return to a childlike body and its associations with being looked after.

Listening to people who have suffered with anorexia there seems to be a consistent message that restricting their food intake and sometimes exercising excessively was their way to try and find happiness. But, their anorexic behaviour never seemed to achieve that happiness. However thin they became it was still not thin enough. Their lives became obsessed with food, beating themselves up because of how much they had eaten, working out how to make sure friends and family didn't find out, feeling even more unhappy because they ate more than they thought they should have done, never reaching that perfect life.

So how can hypnosis help with anorexia?

Anorexia can be a killer, either in the short term if the starvation becomes too extreme or in the longer term because of the damage it can do to the body. So, it's important to get help as soon as possible. There are lots of clinics and programmes that help with eating disorders.

Hypnosis can only help someone who wants to be helped. If you have anorexic habits and aren't sure if you want to change then read other people's experiences of anorexia. You may find that some of them ring true with you and that they give you confidence that there is a different way to take control over your life and feel good about life.

Hypnosis can help by addressing the things that started your anorexia in the first place. It can help to change the way you feel about things that have happened in the past and increase your confidence and self esteem. It can also help to change the way you feel about food.

Because of the way you have controlled your eating you have already proved to yourself that when you are motivated to do something you have the ability to do it. That ability for you to control your thoughts and actions means that hypnosis will work very well for you. Hypnosis is not about a hypnotist controlling you. It's about the hypnotist helping you to think about things in a different way so that you can then do things in a different way.

With eating disorders hypnotherapy isn't going to be a one session wonder. I would recommend at least 4 sessions over 2 months and some 30 minute booster sessions for another few months would also maintain that confidence in your new eating behaviour.

If you would like to find out more about hypnosis and anorexia and if it really can help you then please do contact me.

To illustrate this blog I could have used one of those shocking photos of someone who is severely emaciated through anorexia but wanted to show how it is not always obvious. This photograph is courtesy of tragicending who suffers with anorexia.

Hypnosis and Eating Disorders

2010-02-21T12:00:00.001Z

This week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week and I have a series of blogs planned that will cover the most common causes of eating disorders, anorexia, bingeing and bulimia. I have already covered overeating in previous blogs last year during National Obesity Week.

An eating disorder is any type of behaviour that involves abnormal eating. This could be restricting what you eat, overeating excessively or binging and then throwing up. They are usually triggered by an emotional event or habitual behaviour at an early age.

For someone who has never experienced an eating disorder, it can be difficult to understand how anyone can ignore nutritional advice, common sense and the evidence in their own mirror and continue on what can be a very destructive path. But unfortunately millions of people are affected of both sexes, though more female than male.

Some of my clients have become obsessed by their weight because they had a parent who was also obsessed, both by their own weight and that of their child's. One client came from a family where the mother was petite and the father big boned. She took after her father whilst her siblings took after her mother, so she was always considered to be "a big child". This made her very conscious about her size and was made to feel that she should be smaller because her mother was. So she started restricting her diet in an attempt to be the same as everyone else.

Often peer pressure is the original cause and teenagers start dieting as a way of becoming more like their friends. One client always felt her friend was more attractive because she was slimmer and she seemed to have a great time being invited out to parties. She started dieting but found she was always hungry which made her miserable. So she would binge on biscuits, bread and anything else that fulfilled her craving. Then, feeling guilty because she had failed herself and knowing that she would put on weight she would make herself sick as a way of getting rid of the extra calories.

Whilst extreme anorexia is obvious by an emaciated body, extreme bulimia is not always obvious because it does not always cause weight loss due to the high intake of calories. Arguments and rational discussions rarely bring about lasting change with eating disorders and they just leave the person more determined to do things their way so other approaches need to be found that enable the person to change in a way that enables them to maintain control.

Hypnotherapy and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) can help with eating disorders by helping people think and feel differently about themselves so that their self image changes into a more positive one. By addressing the reasons for the start of the eating disorder people can start to change their behaviour into something that is more physically and emotionally beneficial.

Lasting change won't necessarily happen overnight and there may be lapses initially but once old triggers are satisfied in new ways and new habits are created then more healthy eating becomes natural - and is usually a real relief.

Use positive thinking not wishful thinking

2010-02-14T21:42:00.006Z

Jenni Murray wrote a recent article explaining her attitude to positive thinking and in it she describes a friend's insistence on positive thinking as rubbish. The article goes into much more depth than just that one comment and is well worth reading.

A lot of my clients find positive thinking difficult because they have no experience that tells them positive thinking helps. They think positive thinkers see the world through rose tinted spectacles.

To me there is a difference between positive thinking and wishful thinking. Wishful thinking has no grounding in reality and may be possible but is difficult to imagine. Wishful thinking is what a lot of people use when they are told to be positive and because it seems so unreal they have no confidence in it and so it actually makes people feel worse.

True positive thinking has some basis in reality, some belief that the thoughts are possible, even though they may seem very unlikely. That basis and belief is what allows those positive thoughts to become reality.

So, if you are going through a rough time and you find it difficult to think positively, think about your reality, how you feel about the situation. Think about how bad things are and what would improve them. Focusing completely on the problem isn't helpful. Thinking about something that will help you feel even slightly better about the situation will help because it will give you the starting point for some real positive thoughts.

Positive thinking has a good effect on your mental and physical state. It increases your resilience which will improve your chance of recovery from disease. That doesn't mean that positive thinking alone will definitley completley cure you from any disease or condition - in some cases your body may not have the ability to do that. It does, however, improve your quality of life.

If you have difficulty with positive thinking then EFT and Chinosis are very good ways to make that transition from a reality that is focused purely on the negative aspects to a reality that has a more positive outlook.

Photograph by Sachin Ghodke

Hypnosis to reduce the symptoms of tinnitus

2010-02-08T09:00:00.002Z

This week is Tinnitus Awareness Week. In the UK about 1% of adults (470,000 people) have tinnitus that has a severe effect on their quality of life and 7% of adults (3.3 million people) have been to see their doctor about tinnitus.

Many people don't have any concept of what tinnitus is until they start to experience it for themselves. It can occur at any age and is a ringing, whistling, buzzing or humming noise in the ear. What causes it is uncertain but one thing that can affect it is stress. Stress can cause tinnitus and living with tinnitus can cause stress. So, if you suffer with tinnitus then learning to control your stress will improve your quality of life.

Read my blogs from last week to find out more about the causes of stress, getting rid of stress and managing stress.

One very good way to help to reduce the stress of tinnitus is to use hypnosis to help you to relax and to learn techniques for reducing the volume. Silence is often a problem when you have tinnitus so listening to a hypnotherapy CD can help you relax more easily.

Some hypnotherapists have found that dealing with emotional issues either from the present or the past can help to reduce the symptoms or the impact of tinnitus.

EFT has also been successful in reducing the impact of tinnitus and has the advantage that you can do it yourself so it is your own ongoing treatment whenever you need it.

Find out more about tinnitus from The British Tinnitus Association, RNID, and 2 books - Tinnitus: Turning the Volume Down which is written by former tinnitus sufferer Kevin Hogan and Tinnitus Retraining Therapy: Implementing the Neurophysiological Model.

Photograph by Frédéric Dupont

Reduce your Stress - Part 3: Keep Control of Stress

2010-02-05T08:06:00.002Z

As this is Stress Down Day here are some tips to keep your stress levels down on an ongoing basis and improve your quality of life.

Give yourself regular relaxation time. That could be something physically relaxing like a soak in the bath, a massage or a stroll in the country or it could be mentally relaxing like reading a novel, listening to a relaxation CD or watching a film.

Keep control of your time. One of the biggest stressors is trying to fit 28 hours into a 24 hour day. Be realistic with your time and take off some of the pressure.

Control the things that you can control and let go of the things you can't control. Being able to recognise that there are some things that you cannot control, even though you would like to, can get rid of a lot of frustration.

If you have low self esteem then use hypnosis to increase your confidence in yourself and your abilities. That takes a lot of the pressure off of you and reduces your stress.

Keep your life in perspective. A lot of people have a very difficult outlook on their life after they have had a heart attack because their priorities change. Identify the things that are important to you and the things that have less importance.

Assess your life regularly. Are you happy? If not why not? What would you change if you could? Can you change that in any way? If so then go ahead and change it. If not, use some of the techniques in my Stress Less seminar to learn how to reduce the impact that stressors have on you. Take advantage of my February half price offer on my Stress Less seminar. All the proceeds from Stress Less downloads that are sold on or before February 5th will be donated to the Samaritans.

Read my previous blogs on the causes of stress and getting rid of stress.

Photograph by Benjamin Earwicker

Reduce your Stress - Part 2: Get rid of Stress

2010-02-03T10:00:00.000Z

It is Stress Down Day on Friday.

If you are suffering with stress then it's time to take action.

You could start simply by talking to someone else who has some time to listen. The old saying "a problem shared is a problem halved" can have a lot of truth. Another person can see things from a different point of view, has different experiences and may be able to give you some ideas of how to change your situation.

The mere act of talking can sometimes be enough because it takes away the loneliness of the situation. It can make a big difference to the way you think about yourself if you know that your sister who always seems to have such control over her life is having the same problem as you in controlling her children or your friend is also worried about redundancy.

At other times though you may need someone who can give you solutions to the problems that are stressing you. If you have money concerns then you are far better off talking to someone who can advise you and help you on a practical level than someone who just nods and tells you they are in the same situation. If your workload is too much then it is better to try and find ways to reduce that workload than to grumble with colleagues in the corner.

If your stress is caused by how you feel about yourself and your life then addressing those thoughts will help you enormously.

A lot of people suffer from ongoing low level stress because they are anxious people. They worry about their own abilities and effectiveness and about their and their family's safety. That type of anxiety can be very tiring and means that any other stressors will have a bigger impact than on someone who doesn't have that ongoing stress.

One of the causes of stress is feeling out of control. There are some things in life though that you have no control over so it is important to identify what you have control over and what you don't. Then you can spend your energy productively on what you can control and learn to accept the things that you can't control.

Learning how to reduce anxiety means you can feel much more confident and able to deal with life much more easily. Action is the first step to reducing your stress because then you are taking back control.

If you would like to learn how to reduce your stress take advantage of my February half price offer on my Stress Less seminar. All the proceeds from Stress Less downloads that are sold on or before February 5th will be donated to the Samaritans.

Read my previous blog to find out more about the causes of stress.

Photograph by Zweettooth

Reduce your Stress - Part 1: Causes of Stress

2010-01-31T14:50:00.000Z

The Samaritans are promoting Stress Down Day on Friday 5th February.

A lot of people don't understand the impact of stress until they suffer it themselves. I used to scoff at stress. I thought people should be able to pull themselves together and just get on with life. I didn't realise how much it can sap people's energy, reduce their confidence and confuse their thinking. But stress can affect anyone from someone with little experience in life to people who are highly educated and effective.

A lot of the time stress is a normal part of life. You have a test at school, you want to get into the football team, your best friend doesn't want to be friends with you any more, you have a deadline to meet, an interview for a job you really want, you aren't earning enough money, you're having arguments with your partner, your children are misbehaving, you have too much to do.

People are resilient and so usually you will find a way to deal with the problem and the stress goes away.

It is when the problem doesn't go away that stress takes over. You might have a situation in your life that is ongoing, such as a relationship problems, unpleasant conditions at work or money worries. You might be a natural worrier and so you spend most of your time thinking about all the things that could go wrong. You might have lots of things that happen at once that overload you.

It is on these occasions that you should look at the cause of the stress so that you can start to do something about it.

Some people know they are stressed but for people who have an intense and busy lifestyle they can often ignore or be unaware of the warning signs. It is the people who struggle on regardless that are most likely to be affected most by stress. Find out more about the causes and symptoms of stress.

In the next blog I will talk about ways to deal with stress.

Photograph courtesy of Carl Dwyer

Hypnosis as an alternative to alcohol and getting drunk

2010-01-26T22:22:00.001Z

Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones has apparently given up drinking because of health concerns. In the past alcohol doesn't seem to have affected him but finally his own health and the effect that drinking has had on fellow band members seems to have had an impact.

If you have grown up with alcohol as part of your life, something that you associate with having a good time, something in fact that you need to have a good time, then leaving it out of your life can be a big step. After all, if alcohol is what makes you feel good and you have relied on it in the past then what replaces it? Or are you doomed to a life of sober boredom?

Fortunately, there is an alternative.

Alcohol stimulates certain parts of the brain that cause pleasure and also help the body to feel more relaxed. So, people often have a drink before they go out because it helps them feel more confident. They are less concerned about looking stupid and so that increased confidence means they will enjoy themselves more. The brain doesn't react as quickly so they are less aware of what is happening around them and so there is less to bother them. The danger of course comes when too much is consumed and the alcohol starts to act on other parts of the brain as well, affecting both the body and thought processes.

Most of the clients I see wouldn't say they had an alcohol problem. They don't get drunk regularly, they can remember the night before and they don't have health problems. But they do feel that alcohol as become too much a part of their life and can't imagine life without a couple of glasses of wine every evening when they get home or 3 or 4 pints in the pub with friends every night. They can't imagine going to a party without having a drink first and don't think they could enjoy a party without alcohol.

In all those cases the alcohol is purely being used as a way of relaxing, often the first drink being the signal that work is over and it's now time for fun. So, if that person has other ways of relaxing that don't rely on alcohol then they can still have just as much fun but don't need to rely on the alcohol to provide it. As long as the brain is being stimulated in the right way then the same feelings of enjoyment and relaxation will still be there.

I don't know if you have ever seen someone who is hypnotised reacting as if they are drunk. It's worth watching the first part of this Derren Brown programme to see that it is possible to attain that drunk feeling and then come straight back to sobriety.

If you are interested in using hypnosis to reduce the amount of alcohol you drink but still enjoy life to the full or using hypnosis to feel drunk then please get in touch.

Photograph by Rita Juliana

Hypnosis and CBT as an alternative treatment for people waiting for weight loss surgery

2010-01-21T08:53:00.001Z

Surgeons in the UK today claim that some patients are being denied weight loss surgery.

If the delay in surgery is down to lack of resources and lack of money then why not offer an alternative treatment whilst people are waiting that could also help with weight loss?

Comfort eating or emotional eating and bad eating habits are often factors in obesity. Those aren't the only reasons but they can be very influential reasons. Hypnotherapy and cognitive behaviour therapy are both very good ways to help people address comfort eating and change eating habits. I have had many clients who have found that hypnotherapy has helped them to lose weight because they have changed the way they feel about food and have been able to create new, healthier habits.

If people on the weight loss surgery list were referred to hypnotherapy and CBT treatment then this could, in a lot of cases, be a way of at least keeping the patient's weight at a steady level and at best helping the patient to lose weight naturally without the need for surgery. Surgery always carries a risk and so anything that could reduce that risk should be considered.

The Most Depressing Day of the Year - or not

2010-01-17T16:26:00.002Z

Monday January 18th 2010 is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year in the UK. The idea first came about as part of a publicity campaign for a travel firm to find the time when people were most likely to book a holiday. It has now become a focus for promoting mental health.

The day is calculated using a variety of factors and, whether or not the actual formula is accurate, those factors can all have a significant effect on how people feel at any time of year.

The main factors are lack of daylight, lack of money, lack of exctitement and lack of satisfaction. So I've got some hints for you to make sure that today - and any day - is a happy day for you.

One of the reasons for feeling low, especially in the winter, is a lack of vitamin D and serotonin - both important in positive mood. So, get outside every day to get your daily dose of sunshine. Exercise also helps to increase serotonin so if you go for a walk in the daylight you should get even more benefit.

Lack of money is often high in people's thoughts at this time of year because they have spent a lot over Christmas and haven't been paid yet or, if they are self employed, may have a lower income at this time of year. The lack of money also means that going out or going shoping to cheer themselves up isn't an option. This could be a good time to think about what you bought at Christmas this year that didn't make that much impact on your enjoyment so you can avoid buying them next Christmas. Then you should be in a better financial situation next January.

Tied in with the lack of money is lack of excitement. Everything seems duller when you take the Christmas decorations down, the socialising is over, the excitement of new presents has faded and you're back into the everyday routine of life. To brighten life up, keep up some fairy lights until the evenings start to get lighter, have a warm sunny picture on your computer desktop and mobile phone. That's why I used a picture of people smiling to illustrate this article rather than a picture of someone looking depressed. Treat yourself a little, perhaps popping round to see friends for a cup of tea, go out exploring where you live or if you're bored with the Christmas presents already then arrange a swap.

If you feel you've just got caught up in the daily grind again then put aside some time to think about what is important in your life. Take control over your life by understanding what makes you feel good and then making sure you get enough of it in your life. For instance, if you feel you don't get enough time for yourself then work out ways you can get more time. If you dislike your job look at alternatives or think about what your job gives you in terms of opportunities and money that you wouldn't have without it. Start to make your life what you want it to be rather than just letting life happen to you.

If you are disappointed because you haven't kept up your resolution then read my advice on how to keep new year's resolutions.

If you are affected by depression then find out how hypnosis can help with depression.

The most depressing day doesn't have to be the most depressing day - make it what you want it to be.

(Photo courtesy of Stock Exchange)

Hypnosis for fussy eaters

2010-01-09T20:18:00.001Z

I watched Channel 4's My Big Fat Diet Show which featured a woman who had a very restricted diet which mostly revolved around unhealthy foods such as chips and 9 packets of crisps a day. She only ate foods she felt safe with because she had choked when she was a child and so was worried she would choke again. She was helped to change her eating habits in the programme and was able to eat a wider range of foods.

It is hardly surprising that someone who has a fear of choking is only going to eat foods they feel safe with. I have known a similar response in people who have avoided foods because they were frightened of being sick.

With most people I see who won't eat a lot of foods it is often the texture that is the problem. A common dislike is having hard and soft food together. For instance, strained fruit juice is alright but freshly squeezed juice with lumps of fruit in it would be avoided. The same would be true for soups and one of my clients strained his soup to take out the lumps.

Another problem for some people is food that takes a lot of chewing. It almost feels as if it has invaded their mouth and won't go away so they tend to stick to food that is easily swallowed.

In some cases people weren't given a varied diet as a child and so they don't like trying new foods. The first time you taste any food it is unusual and you don't have an instant reaction to it like you would with a food you are familiar with. For someone who dislikes unfamiliarity they are likely to decide they dislike the food and then it becomes a habit so they decide they don't like it before they even try it.

I have helped clients overcome their fear or dislike of foods using hypnosis. The most difficult step for most people is actually tasting a food that they have a fear of eating. Once they have actually tried it and haven't had any bad effects from eating it then they are much more likely to feel comfortable trying something else. It usually takes a couple of sessions and using self hypnosis at home to reduce anxiety when trying out the new foods is important.

Find out more about using hypnosis for eating disorders.

Photographer

Hypnosis for a Fear of Death

2010-01-06T09:05:00.004Z

This may not be the jolliest of topics but it was prompted by a programme on Radio 4 about fear of flying. The programme actually ended up being more about fear of death than fear of flying. The fear of death is one of the aspects of a fear of flying but not the only one or even a large fear for a lot of people.

Having a fear of dying is actually a very natural thing for most people - after all it's what keeps us alive! It's an instinct that is enhanced through most cultures, though for some death is honoured as a way into a better existence.

But that instinct can become a problem when too much emphasis is placed on it.

Some of my clients have had a fear of death and so I helped them reduce that fear so it was no longer their overriding thought.

There are various reasons why you might have a fear of death. You have been made aware of death at a very early age when you didn't have the knowledege or understanding to make sense of it. You may have had a close friend or member of your family die at an early age. Some people have overheard comments that didn't make sense to them or have seen people very upset because of someone's death. One of my clients used to play in a graveyard where there were lots of gravestones for young children and that affected her strongly. Another client had been very close to death herself as a chld. Many people, especially parents, are worried about the people they will leave behind because they will no longer be there to look after them.

Hypnotherapy can help to reduce a fear of death by helping you to reduce the fears from the past and feel more positive about the future.

Why people don't keep their new year's resolution: Part 2 - Creating Desirable Change

2009-12-31T08:44:00.002Z

If you would like to be one of the people who keeps their new year's resolution this series of blogs should help you understand where the problems are and how you can make it easier to keep your resolution.

In the previous blog I covered habits. In this one I'm going to explain the other reason why using willpower alone doesn't always create long lasting change.

Your new year's resolution usually involves getting rid of or reducing something you get pleasure from and replacing it with something that initially appears unpleasant or uncomfortable. Exercise doesn’t seem that appealing when you’ve had a long day and would feel more comfortable curled up in front of the TV.

Resisting the chocolate bar or extra beer is not easy when you know how lovely it will taste. Socialising with friends is more enjoyable than spending time looking for a new job or studying.

As with habits, your subconscious mind is getting in the way. The reasons for making the resolution have probably been made at a conscious level. "I need to stop eating cakes if I want to lose weight." "Stopping smoking will make me healthier." "Getting that qualification will improve my career." Yes, those all make sense, but they don't bring you instant gratification and so you're trying to replace a distant future benefit with a very real present benefit.

To get over this problem and make sure that you stick to your resolution there must be some benefit to you that you can visualise and feel good about. You need to help your mind understand why you want to change and make it appealing, otherwise you just easily drift back into the old, familiar ways. Think about the benefits and make them more real to you so they become part of you now rather than a distant dream. Spend time every day reinforcing the benefits of your resolution by reminding yourself of what you will achieve and what you have already achieved. Using self hypnosis can help you to make these visualisations very compelling and desirable.

Download my free article for more advice on keeping your new year's resolution.

Why people don't keep their new year's resolution: Part 1 - Habits

2009-12-29T12:00:00.003Z

Now Christmas is over, thoughts turn to the new year and new year's resolutions. In the next few blogs I am going to give you some insight into why they can be difficult to keep and how you can improve the chances of keeping your own resolution this year.

Each year millions of people promise themselves they will get rid of an unwanted habit or introduce a new behaviour into their lives. The most popular resolutions are improving finances, losing weight, healthier eating, stopping smoking, increasing exercise, improving career or education and cutting down on drinking.

Depending on which survey you read, it seems that between 15-40% of British adults make a resolution but by the end of January 25-40% of those good intentions will have faded and people will be back to their old habits.

So why is it so difficult to keep a new year’s resolution?

Most people only use willpower and sheer determination. That works for some, but many people find it too difficult to keep going so they lose the incentive and drift back to their old ways.

The reason the willpower fails is because it is split two ways. Part of you wants things to be different because you think life will be so much better, whilst another part of you is happy with things as they are.

It's difficult to make changes, it takes effort and thought, whilst maintaining the status quo is much easier, especially if it's something that you enjoy. Once you’ve formed a habit your mind tries to make life easier for you by doing it without you even thinking about it. That's why it is so difficult to break a habit, because you've already started doing it before you have even realised what you are doing.

Lots of smokers automatically light up when they pick up the phone or when they have a drink in their hand because their subconscious mind associates those situations with smoking. Children who have been brought up to eat everything on their plate often still do the same as adults – even though they have been given too large a portion or they’re not really hungry and so the weight keeps increasing.

So how do you get around that problem? Well, the subconscious part of your mind is the part that looks after habits and hypnosis is a good way to access thr subconscious. Hypnosis can be used to create new habits so that you then use those habits without thinking - and so keeping your new year's resolution is a lot easier.

Download my free article for more advice on keeping your new year's resolution.

Hypnotherapy and Father Christmas

2009-12-23T09:00:00.000Z

Whilst every hypnotherapy session is special, there are some that stand out more in my memory.

One of those started with "My son wants to know if you can hypnotise him into believing in Father Christmas again". This was the first such request I had had so I culdn't say I had previous experience, but I like a challenge.

The boy was aged 11 and his parents had thought it was time to tell him "the truth" about Father Christmas, not realising how devastated he would be. When I met him he was probably one of the most informed clients I had ever met. He had done his research, knew all about hypnosis and questioned me quite intensely.

One of the thoughts in the back of my mind was "Is it a good idea to tell an 11 year old to ignore what his mother tells him - especially when she's paying!?"

Hypnotherapy nearly always works well with children because they are so much more receptive to new ideas and happier to accept different ideas. This was no exception.

This year I had an update on the situation. The boy doesn't mind that other people don't believe in Father Christmas - he's real to him and that's all that matters.

If there is something in your life that you would like to think and feel differently about then give yourself a Christmas presnt and do get in touch and find out if hypnotherapy can help you.

Hypnotherapy for a needle phobia

2009-12-21T09:00:00.007Z

I see a lot of clients for various phobias and for many of them 1 session is enough to overcome the phobia. In my experience this isn't usually the case with a phobia of needles though and most people need 2-4 sessions before they feel comfortable with needles.

I'm not entirely sure why this is but it could be because there are a variety of factors that contribute to the phobia whereas in other phobias there is just one issue to deal with.

Many people's first experience of a needle will be at quite a young age when they have vaccinations. A child in Britain is likely to have its first vaccination around 2 months and several others up to the age of around 3 years old.

If it's a painful experience then the child will remember it and have an instant dislike to needles in future as s/he associates it with pain.

Older children may understand what is going to happen but find that the experience wasn't what they were expecting and so they build up an anxiety around needles. For instance, one client was told by a doctor that "this won't hurt" and then it did so he stopped believing anything doctors told him in future. However, another person may be told "this will hurt" and so s/he builds up an expectation that it will hurt - and so it does.

These initial responses are then built on by other experiences with needles, which are usually unpleasant ones as there is already a fear there. In some cases the reason for having an injection will be because of an accident or medical procedure so there will be discomfort and distress added from another source as well. Without any positive experiences of needles the mere thought of having an injection becomes something to dread, whether it is with a nurse, doctor or dentist.

Another aspect of the phobia is that there is a natural response to a perceived physical danger. People don't like the thought of an object being stuck into them as it is likely to cause damage so it is a natural reaction to feel fear and try and avoid the situation.

When I help people with needle phobias the first thing I do is teach them Chinosis or EFT which helps them to reduce anxiety when they think about needles and also gives them confidence they can reduce anxiety when they are in a situation with needles in the future.

Then I use hypnosis to address any causes for the needle phobia and help to remove the anxiety from the past. I think this is really important because if you simply give someone suggestions for feeling comfortable around needles, his/her mind hasn't had any new information as to why s/he should feel more comfortable so is likely to reject those suggestions. If you have had hypnotherapy for a needle phobia in the past and it hasn't worked then this could be the reason.

Once the fear has gone, then it's time to give the suggestions for feeling comfortable around needles. This will be a feeling s/he has never had before so it's important to spend some time on that so s/he has a role model to follow in any future situations. There will also be suggestions for relaxing when around needles because relaxed muscles reduce the likelihood of feeling pain when given an injection.

If you have a needle phobia but don't want to use hypnotherapy to address it then before you have any injections in future talk to the person who will be giving the injection and explain how you feel. S/he is then much more likely to take some extra care to explain what s/he is doing or to keep the needle out of your sight as much as possible.

I would recommend learning something like Chinosis or EFT as both those techniques are ones you can use yourself and should help to reduce your anxiety. Also, spend some time learning how to relax because if you can relax your msucles during an injection it will be more comfortable.

Reduce overload, stress and anxiety - part 2

2009-12-20T16:55:00.001Z

If you have followed the instructions in my last blog you will have some idea of how you are currently spending your time and what you either don't have time to do or what you are cramming in and feeling resentful about.

Now you have that information it's time to get rid of the things that are causing the stress, overwhelm and anxiety so you can enjoy more relaxation.

Start off by making a list of everything that you’re doing – or don't currently have to do but want to do.

Now decide what you really do have to keep, what you can remove and what you can will do for the moment because you’ve agreed to it but won’t do in future. Mark each item on your list with Keep, Remove or Phase Out. I've given you an example below of how one person used this technique.

Print out the items you marked as Remove and make a list called "No I won't" and keep it somewhere where you will see it regularly to remind yourself of what you have decided.

Reduce overload, stress and anxiety - part 1

2009-12-17T21:40:00.004Z

I haven't written anything for a while because I was taking some of my own advice and slowing down a bit.

The last 2 weeks have been very busy with a lot of long days and a weekend away. I could have written a blog, but it would have been one more thing to add to the long list of things to do, it would have made me more tired and have eaten into some precious down time.

So, I moved it down my to do list until I had a more suitable time to do it - and here I am again.

One of the things that causes people stress and anxiety is taking on too much. You do a better job, it's easier if you do it, you don't want to put someone else to any trouble, you volunteered because you felt guilty, or someone else volunteered you because you can always be relied on to help out.

If that last paragraph rings true for you then here's a technique you may find helpful. I've split it into 2 parts because each part is useful on its own and both together give the best benefit.

Get a diary and during the next week break down what you have to do in each day. Yes, I know this sounds like even more work but stick with it for a few moments.

Be accurate about how long it actually takes you to do everything each day. For instance

7am-7.20am: breakfast
7.20am-7.50am: shower & get dressed
7.50am-7.55am: collect everything for the day, lock up house
7.55am-8.30am: drive to work
8.30am-9.20am: answer emails, questions from colleagues

etc.

You'll see I've been quite precise about the times. Don't just put 8.30am-6pm: work as it doesn't give you enough information.

Obviously each day won't be exactly the same and some may be unusual but this should give you an idea of the gap between your intended activities for the day and what you actually achieved or your intended time for achieving things and how long it really took you to do them.

People often try to fit at least 28 hours into a 24 hour day (I can be as guilty as anyone) and so the stress and anxiety builds up because you either end up losing out on rest and sleep time or you have a long list of things you haven't achieved that carries on getting longer every day.

The final entry to make in the diary each day is the things you would have liked to have done but couldn't fit in and give an approximate length of time each one would have taken.

Part 2 of the exercise is in the next blog.

Hypnotherapy for nervous drivers

2009-12-03T20:56:00.003Z

A recent poll for breakdown firm Britannia Rescue has identified the scariest roads in Britain. Spaghetti Junction was voted the worst, followed by the M8 junctions through Glasgow and London's Marble Arch.

However, for some people even pulling away into a quiet road can be scary. I have hypnosis downloads for sale through my website and the regular best seller is the hypnosis download for nervous drivers.

Anxious drivers are also regular visitors for 1:1 sessions for driving confidence. Some people have problems only on motorways, others in driving tests and others, as I said, at any time.

Hypnotherapy can help in several ways. Firstly, I address any reasons for the anxiety. People can play bad experiences over and over in their heads and make them even worse so a minor incident can increase out of all proportion. Someone can remember the one time they made a mistake at a junction and got beeped at and forget the hundreds of other times when they did everything perfectly.

Clients have come to see me because their fear of driving on motorways was causing them problems in their work life. In one case a self employed person was turning down work if he had to travel on a motorway so it was restricting his income and in another case someone was starting a new job which meant that she had to travel long distances and avoiding motorways was no longer an option.

Sometimes there are practical reasons for driving nerves and I cover those in more detail on my driving anxiety page. Sometimes it is simply a habit and expectation of nervousness. Often it is a combination of addressing the practical problems and then reinforcing the fact that there is no longer any need to be nervous.

If you are a nervous driver why not use hypnotherapy to increase your confidence in your driving and make driving so much more enjoyable?