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A to Z of treatments/symptoms
Please click a symptom
below for more information...
• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Blushing
• Childbirth
• Depression
• Exam success
• IBS
• Insomnia
• Migraine
• Panic Attacks
• Phobias & Fears
• Quit Smoking
• Self Confidence
• Self Healing
• Sporting Excellence
• Tinnitus
• Weight Control
Anger Management
Anyone who has problems controlling their temper is quite
simply overloaded with stress.
Stress is a direct result of our body's responses to life's
challenges both real and imagined. The problem comes when
we are continually preparing for emergencies that never happen.
This puts a major strain on our immune systems, spreading
toxins through our body and eventually burning out our adrenal
glands.
Modern day stress tends to be caused by much more mundane
situations like traffic jams, arguments and unexpected bills.
These are clearly not life threatening but if you allow yourself
to get angry, depressed or anxious about them, your subconscious
will deem them to be dangerous and will release adrenalin
into your blood stream.
The key to minimising stress in our lives is to guard against
negative thinking and to find a positive way to react to situations,
forecast the future and think about the past.
Here's a great 5 minute exercise, which you can do at home,
at work or even on the bus!
Close your eyes and picture in your minds eye, something in
the past that still makes you feel angry… make the picture
clear in your mind…make sure the picture is really vivid
and in full colour…and when you are ready…start
to drain the picture of its colour…so it gradually turns
to a black and white image…then make the picture go grainy…like
a faded newspaper print…next start shrinking the picture…so
it gets smaller and smaller and smaller…and when it is
the size of a postage stamp…fling it away from you…just
let go of that worry….
Every time you practice this exercise you will reduce, very
subtly, the anger and the emotion that you attach to the event.
Eventually, and sooner than you think, you will find yourself
feeling less and less concerned about it. You will quite literally
find yourself letting go of that thing that made you angry
in the past, because you know that there is no benefit to
you in feeling angry.
Just doing this visualisation once will have little effect
but doing it again and again will produce life changing results!
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
< Back to top
Anxiety and Worry
Symptoms of excessive anxiety and worry are caused by an
overload of stress.
Stress is a direct result of our body's responses to life's
challenges both real and imagined. The problem comes when
we are continually preparing for emergencies that never happen.
This puts a major strain on our immune systems, spreading
toxins through our body and eventually burning out our adrenal
glands.
Modern day stress tends to be caused by much more mundane
situations like traffic jams, arguments and unexpected bills.
These are clearly not life threatening but if you allow yourself
to get angry, depressed or anxious about them, your subconscious
will deem them to be dangerous and will release adrenalin
into your blood stream.
The key to minimising stress in our lives is to guard against
negative thinking and to find a positive way to react to situations,
forecast the future and think about the past.
Here's a great 5 minute exercise, which you can do at home,
at work or even on the bus!
Close your eyes and picture in your minds eye, something in
the past that still causes you anxiety… an event in the
past that you still find your self worrying about…make
the picture clear in your mind…make sure the picture
is really vivid and in full colour…and when you are ready…drain
the picture of its colour…so it turns to a black and
white image…now make the picture go grainy…like
a faded newspaper print…next start shrinking the picture…so
it gets smaller and smaller and smaller…and when it is
the size of a postage stamp…fling it away from you…just
let go of that worry….
Every time you practice this exercise you will reduce, very
subtly, the anxiety and the emotion that you attach to your
worry. Eventually, and sooner than you think, you will find
yourself thinking about your worry less often. You will quite
literally find yourself forgetting to worry about your problem.
And because you think about your worry less often it automatically
becomes less and less of a problem.
Just doing the exercise once will have little effect but doing
it again and again will produce life changing results!
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
< Back to top
Blushing
The first thing to understand is that blushing is a perfectly
natural thing. It seems to be nature's way of disclosing our
true feelings about a situation.
The function of blushing, in evolutionary terms, could once
have been to signal that someone had made an accidental mistake,
admitting to an error and so avoiding a confrontation.
Instead of feeling awkward about being easily embarrassed
think of it as a sign of greater emotional intelligence.
In order to experience embarrassment you need to be able to
feel how others feel - you have to be empathetic, intelligent
to the social situation.
People who never get embarrassed are likely to be poor at
reading social situations. So while everyone else cringes,
they plough on, unable to pick up on the sensitivities of
the situation.
Part of the embarrassment about blushing is caused by the
thought that others will see you as weak or silly. However,
everyone has had the experience of being embarrassed, and
it's not nice for anyone. Any decent person will be sympathetic
about it. Anyone who thinks less of you for it is most probably
not worth knowing anyway!
Blushing can for some people dramatically effect their lives
leading them to avoid any situations where they believe they
may blush. This fear of blushing can result in them experiencing
hot flushers for absolutely no reason in the most unthreatening
environments like in a queue in a supermarket.
For some people the problem is so bad that they consider surgery
to make it physically impossible for them to blush. This,
however, is expensive and is not without side effects.
Dealing with blushing is not about getting to a point where
you know that you will never blush again, it's about acceptance
and understanding. Once you achieve this, you are more than
half way to overcoming the problem. If you say to yourself
I am going to do this thing and I may blush, but so what,
and you really mean it - you are far less likely to blush.
Hypnosis can help you enormously with acceptance by reducing
the anxiety and emotion that you feel about the process of
blushing.
Here's a powerful exercise that will reduce the anxiety you
feel when you think about blushing.
You can do this 5 minute visualisation at home, at work or
even on the bus!
Close your eyes and picture in your minds eye, a time in the
past when you had a major blushing episode. Ideally use the
memory of the 'worst' or 'first' you can remember. See a picture
of yourself as this moment of anxiety. Your face is bright
red, you are feeling very awkward. You want the ground to
swallow you up. Make sure your picture is in full colour and
then start to drain the picture of all its colour, so it turns
to black and white. When it is black and white make it go
grainy, like faded newspaper print. Now start to make the
faded picture smaller and smaller in your mind. When it is
the size of a postage stamp FLING it away from you to the
edge of the universe.
Every time you practice this exercise you will reduce, very
subtly, the anxiety and the emotion that you attach to blushing.
Eventually, and sooner than you think, you will find yourself
thinking about blushing less often. You will quite literally
find yourself forgetting to worry about blushing. And because
you think about blushing less often it automatically becomes
less and less of a problem.
Just doing the exercise once will have little effect but doing
it again and again will produce life changing results!
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
< Back to top
Childbirth
Childbirth has long been an area where hypnosis has been
known to be effective in removing the pain associated with
the procedure. This is essentially because the more relaxed
we are the less pain we will experience.
Some of the benefits of using hypnosis and self-hypnosis
are:
a) A safer more comfortable birth
b) A shorter labour due to the increased production of Oxytocin.
This hormone controls the strength of the contractions and
is present in higher quantities when the mother is relaxed.
c) Less need for analgesic drugs, this is better for both
the mother and the baby.
d) A less exhausted mother after the birth which has been
both shorter and more peaceful.
e) The bond between mother and baby is immediate and strong
- again due to the increased level of Oxytocin.
f) Lactation is good - the flow stimulated by suggestions
before the birth.
g) A more relaxed and energetic mother after returning home
with the new baby.
Here's a great 5 minute Positive Visualisation exercise,
which you can do just about anywhere.
Close your eyes and let your mind drift to a very special
time in the future. You are about to give birth. Picture yourself
looking calm, radiant and relaxed. You are breathing easily
and you are feeling joyous. Your contractions are strong and
you welcome them because you know they are helping you to
deliver your beautiful new baby into the world. You can feel
your baby working with you and you talk to your baby who can
hear you. Picture your baby being born surprisingly easily
and picture yourself smiling and holding your beautiful baby
in your arms.
Every time you practice this exercise you will reduce, very
subtly, the anxiety that you have about giving birth. Your
expectations to how the birth will go will also change subtly
day by day. Eventually any worries you may have had will be
replaced by excitement and anticipation. You will expect the
birth to go smoothly and this expectation and lack of anxiety
will help it do just that.
Just doing this exercise once will have little effect, but
doing it again and again will help you to prepare yourself
for, and actually enjoy the process of, giving birth to a
new little soul.
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
< Back to top
Depression
Symptoms of severe depression are caused by an overload of
stress.
Depression is perhaps the most common psychological disorder
today. It is a significant factor in the break up of relationships,
career problems and lack of motivation. Often when it occurs
the individual will turn in on themselves and refuse to engage
with others. Severity can range from being almost totally
dysfunctional to having some of the symptoms associated with
the illness.
Symptoms - Depressed mood, sleep disturbance, loss of energy
and or appetite, loss of pleasure or interest in usual activities,
difficulties in concentrating, etc.
Stress is a direct result of our body's responses to life's
challenges both real and imagined. The problem comes when
we are continually preparing for emergencies that never happen.
This puts a major strain on our immune systems, spreading
toxins through our body and eventually burning out our adrenal
glands.
Modern day stress tends to be caused by much more mundane
situations like traffic jams, arguments and unexpected bills.
These are clearly not life threatening but if you allow yourself
to get angry, depressed or anxious about them, your subconscious
will deem them to be dangerous and will release adrenalin
into your blood stream.
The key to minimising stress in our lives is to guard against
negative thinking and to find a positive way to react to situations,
forecast the future and think about the past.
Here's a great 5 minute Positive Visualisation exercise, which
you can do at home, at work or even on the bus!
Think about something in the future…that you are anxious
or worried about….and notice how it feels as you think
about it…And then think about what you actually would
like to happen. Make a picture in your mind of what you would
like to happen and make it as vivid as you can. Don't worry
if it's hazy at first the more you practice this technique,
the better you will become at it and the more powerful will
be the results. In thinking about what you want to happen
you will automatically start thinking about solutions. Thinking
positively automatically puts your brain in solution mode.
The more times you imagine the outcome you want, the more
likely it is to happen. So do this simple but very powerful
exercise again and again until it becomes fixed in your subconscious
mind. Every time you do this exercise you will change, very
subtly, what you believe about yourself and your expectations
as to what you believe will happen to you in the future. Initially
the change may be small but day by day, you will find yourself
instinctively thinking a little more positively and as a result
coming up with the solutions that you need to achieve the
life you want.
If your depression is severe and you can see nothing but
doom and gloom if you think about the future try asking yourself
the Miracle question…
"Imagine a miracle has happened and tomorrow morning
you wake up feeling happy, positive and optimistic about the
future. What has changed in your life?"
This magical question is the key to finding the solutions
you need to take back control of your life. For when you know
what you want, you can work on a plan to get there, one realistic
and manageable step at a time.
Once you have decided on your first goal WRITE IT DOWN. This
is a simple strategy used by pretty much all of the world's
most successful people. The reason why it works is it has
a powerful affect on your subconscious and effectively turns
your goal from a passing thought to a fixed intent.
In the case of a person suffering from a deep and debilitating
depression it is recommended that they seek the help of a
trained hypnotherapy practitioner.
With appropriate hypnotherapy, depression is one of the most
treatable disorders, it has a dramatically lower rate of relapse
than with anti-depressants alone and is now considered the
most effective treatment, even in severe cases, enabling the
client to focus on solving problems and engage fully in life
again.
Modern hypnotherapy utilises the clinically proven techniques
of Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural
Therapy in conjunction with trance to help people make significant
positive changes within a relatively short period of time
(10 to 12 sessions).
SFBT and CBT is utilised by the practitioner to help the
client lift themselves out of depression. The client is encouraged
to set themselves small and manageable goals which will lead
them out of depression and back to their old happy selves.
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
< Back to top
Exam Success
If you are someone who panics when faced with an exam then
the good news is that this anxiety based symptom is relatively
easy to cure.
The origin of your fear of exams can be associated with a
fear of failure or a worry that you will let yourself or,
more likely, someone else down.
In simple terms when a fear causes us to have a panic attack
our subconscious has determined that our life is in crisis.
It seizes control from our logical conscious mind and offers
us three emotional responses to the perceived danger; depression,
anger and or anxiety..
Now here's the really important thing, why does one person's
subconscious deem their life to be in crisis when faced with
an exam or driving test when another person can face either
of those things calmly and logically? The reason is that it
is not events that cause us problems it is how we choose to
interpret them. The subconscious mind relies on our thought
patterns to determine how our life is.
If you think negatively about a forthcoming exam or test
you will not only increase your anxiety but you will also
be telling your subconscious that that is what you want to
happen.
For example saying to yourself "I'm useless at exams"
or thinking "My last exam was a nightmare" or "I'll
never pass my driving test" is a sure fire way of reinforcing
this negative belief.
The key to overcoming exam worries is to find a positive
way to think about them both in the future and in the past.
Positive Forecasting - "I have studied hard and will
do well".
Positive Introspection - "I won't make that mistake
again", or "I have learned a good lesson from that".
Using hypnosis it is also possible to change old negative
belief systems into new positive ones.
Here's a great 5 minute Positive Visualisation exercise, which
you can do at home, at work/college or even on the bus!
Close your eyes and think about an upcoming exam that you
are anxious about. Make a movie in your mind of yourself taking
your exam. It could be in a classroom or, if it's a driving
test, in a car. See yourself looking relaxed and confident.
You are writing fluently or you are driving well. Imagine
how it feels to be in the middle of your exam and you are
feeling relaxed and confident. You have prepared properly
and you are in complete control. Now take yourself further
into the future, you have just been told you have passed your
exam. You are smiling people are congratulating you. Enjoy
the sensations of success.
Every time you do this exercise you will change, very subtly,
what you believe about yourself and your expectations as to
what you believe will happen to you in the future. Initially
the change may be small but day by day, you will find yourself
instinctively thinking a little more positively about your
upcoming exam and crucially you will begin to expect to succeed.
Your subconscious cannot tell the difference between what
is real and what you imagine. So when you imagine a successful
exam, it will believe that that is what happened and so the
next time you are faced with a real exam it will expect you
to be successful again.
The more times you imagine the outcome you want, the more
likely it is to happen. So do this simple but very powerful
exercise again and again until it becomes fixed in your subconscious
mind.
Please note. Visualising exam success is not a substitute
to studying for an exam. The two go hand in hand and one reinforces
the other.
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
< Back to top
IBS
Irritable bowel syndrome is the most common functional GI
disorder. The symptoms come from the colon and include abdominal
pain, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea.
Hypnotherapy for the treatment of IBS is top of the NICE
list of gold standard treatments and for good reason. The
symptomology responds very quickly to the lowering of anxiety
that modern hypnotherapy techniques bring about.
Here's a powerful 5 minute visualisation exercise, which you
can do at home, at work or even on the bus!
Close your eyes and imagine you can see inside your body.
You can see all your muscles flowing smoothly from your head
to your toe. See them contracting and loosening at exactly
the right speed. Imagine their flow as a gentle wave rippling
through your body. Imagine all your muscles flowing in perfect
harmony and you can feel that your whole body is now working
normally.
By imagining the smooth flow of muscles in your body, you
are telling your subconscious in the language it understands
best , in pictures, what you want to happen.
The more times you imagine your muscles flowing freely and
working in harmony, the smoother they will flow. So do this
simple but very powerful exercise again and again until it
becomes fixed in your subconscious mind.
Please also see my section on Anxiety
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
< Back to top
Insomnia
Sleep is not only the time when the physical body is able
to rest and re-energise itself for the next days activities,
it is also the time when the subconscious processes all the
anxiety and stress from the previous day.
It does this during REM. When we are in control of our lives
we typically experience 90 minutes of REM followed by 2 hours
of deep sleep and then a further 90 minutes of REM followed
by a further 2 hours of deep sleep.
It is, therefore, critical that we are able to get a good
nights sleep for us to function properly the next day.
The main causes of insomnia are as follows:
a) General anxiety to the extent that the primitive mind
deems it too dangerous for us to lose awareness. This hyper
vigilance might cause us to be over responsive to noise both
before and during sleep.
b) The inability to 'switch off'. Few people fall asleep
when they are in the middle of an interesting or demanding
problem. Reviewing the day's events or sorting out what has
to be done tomorrow is a sure way to stay awake.
c) Belief systems that put too much pressure on the mind
particularly with people prone to obsessional thought. The
belief that unless we have 8 hours sleep we will not be able
to function the next day can create the 'Law of Reversed Effect'.
d) Doing impractical things before going to bed. These can
include;
1) Taking stimulants like coffee
2) Doing late exercise
3) Eating a late snack
4) Going to bed too early or too late
The key to resolving sleep issues will almost always be based
on reducing anxiety. Once anxiety has been reduced it is much
easier to let go and relax, a key strategy for getting to
sleep.
Here's a great 5 minute exercise, which you can do at home,
at work or even on the bus!
Close your eyes and picture in your minds eye, yourself lying
in bed. You are awake and unable to get to sleep. Make the
picture clear in your mind and in full colour. Now begin to
smile at yourself, you are quite unconcerned. You are saying
to yourself that even though you are not asleep, your body
and mind are resting and re-energising. Continue to smile
at the sight of yourself awake but resting in bed
Every time you practice this exercise you will reduce, very
subtly, the anxiety and the emotion that you attach to being
unable to get to sleep. Eventually, and sooner than you think,
you will find yourself feeling less and less concerned about
whether you are awake or not. Then you will find yourself
forgetting to stay awake and regularly and quickly drifting
off into a very pleasant sleep.
Just doing this visualisation once will have little effect
but doing it again and again will produce life changing results!
Another good strategy is to ensure that you go to bed at the
same time each evening, not too early and not too late. In
this way your subconscious gets used to the pattern and knows
exactly what you want to happen and when you want it to happen.
A third strategy is to use a process called Image streaming
1) Close your eyes and describe in your mind the random thoughts
and pictures you are aware of. Imagine your internal voice
is slow and has a relaxing tone.
Example: Now I hear the clock…now I am aware of a bus….now
I can hear the sea….now I can see a bicycle…now
I can see the moon... and so on.
2. No matter how bizarre the images are that come into your
mind, just carry on describing them to yourself in a relaxing
voice. The tone of your voice will have a powerful effect
upon your feelings. Keep on going describing random images
to yourself and you'll find your mind drifting and very soon
start to nod off.
3. Don't worry if you are still awake after a few minutes,
just keep going. If you do this properly it is absolutely
impossible to stay awake
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
< Back to top
Migraine
Migraine has many of the build up characteristics of an anxiety/panic
attack. They appear to be the result of a gradual (or not
so gradual) accumulation of stress, which can be both physical
and emotional.
About 6% of men, 18% of women and 4% of children get migraines.
Their intense throbbing pain which is usually concentrated
on one side of the head and often accompanied by nausea and
vomiting, typically lasts for hours and can put a person out
of action for up to 3 days. Movement, light and noise usually
intensify the misery of a migraine.
There are a number of treatments recently developed that
can effectively treat migraines, which are available from
your GP.
From a hypnotherapy point of view we are interested in prevention.
One of the key triggers for a migraine attack is an overload
of stress.
Here's a great 5 minute exercise to instantly release stress,
which you can do at home, at work or even on the bus!
Close your eyes and picture in your minds eye, yourself looking
at a large white cloud in a clear blue sky. Now imagine all
your worries and anxieties spiralling away from you, like
smoke from a bonfire, into the cloud. Imagine the cloud swallowing
up all your worries and getting ever darker as it does so.
And just as it reaches its darkest, imagine the sun bursting
through and dispelling everyone of your worries and cares
to the edges of the universe.
Every time you practice this exercise you will reduce, very
subtly, your level of anxiety. Eventually, and sooner than
you think, you will find yourself feeling less anxious, more
positive and much less susceptible to having a stress induced
migraine.
Just doing this visualisation once will have little effect
but doing it again and again will produce life changing results!
Please also see my section on Anxiety
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
< Back to top
Panic Attacks
In simple terms when a phobia or fear causes us to have a
panic attack our subconscious has determined that our life
is in danger. It seizes control from our logical conscious
mind and offers us three responses to the perceived danger;
flight, freeze or fight.
When you have a panic attack adrenaline is released by your
adrenal glands and this adrenaline is metabolized in your
body in less than 3 minutes. This means that if you can stop
your catastrophic predictions, your panic attack will be over
completely in less than 3 minutes.
In order to change your response to a panic attack you need
to replace your irrational thoughts with logical ones e.g.
these physical sensations won't harm me and will soon go away.
The simplest and most effective way to deal with an impending
panic attack is to slow your breathing. Taking slow deep breaths
will automatically reduce anxiety and slow your quickening
heart rate.
The second most important technique to deal with a panic
attack is to interrupt your catastrophic thought pattern.
The way to do this is to say out loud or to yourself "STOP".
This should then be followed with a simple balancing thought
e.g. "This spider is harmless and these sensations of
dizziness will be over in less than 3 minutes".
Here's a powerful 5 minute exercise to help you manage an
impending panic attack, which you can do at home, at work
or even on the bus!
Close your eyes and picture in your minds eye… something…an
event or situation that would normally cause you extreme anxiety…
make the image clear in your mind…make sure the picture
is really vivid and in full colour…and when you are ready…start
to drain the picture of its colour…so it turns to a black
and white image…now make the picture go grainy…like
a faded newspaper print…next I want you to start shrinking
the picture…so it gets smaller and smaller and smaller…and
when it is the size of a postage stamp…fling it away
from you…just let go of that worry….
Every time you practice this exercise you will reduce, very
subtly, the anxiety and the emotion that you attach to that
situation or event. Eventually, and sooner than you think,
you will find yourself coping with this situation better and
better.
Just doing the exercise once will have little effect but doing
it again and again will produce life changing results!
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
< Back to top
Phobias & Fears
The origin of a phobia can be associated with a traumatic
or unpleasant event in early life. The phobia, however, can
lie dormant for a time before being triggered during a time
of high anxiety. The subconscious recognising the high anxiety
state steps in with a panic response, which we can then associate
with an object, place or event. Fears and phobias can be extremely
debilitating and restricting in many areas of life.
In simple terms when a phobia or fear causes us to have a
panic attack our subconscious has determined that our life
is in danger. It seizes control from our logical conscious
mind and offers us three responses to the perceived danger;
flight, freeze or fight.
Now here's the really important thing, why does one person's
subconscious deem their life to be in danger when faced, for
example, with an injection, or flight on an aeroplane or harmless
spider, when another person can face any of those things calmly
and logically? The reason is that it is not events that cause
us problems it is how we choose to interpret them. The subconscious
mind relies on our thought patterns to determine how our life
is.
Using hypnosis it is possible to change the way our subconscious
interprets the object, place or event that is causing us to
panic.
On average phobias can be resolved in 3 sessions;
Session 1 - General session to reduce anxiety
Session 2 - Rewind. Desensitise emotion from the object,
place or event. This is achieved by asking the client to think
of their phobia and play it in their mind as a movie from
start to finish and then backwards to the beginning and then
in fast motion forwards and backwards a further fifteen times.
Eventually the subconscious starts to get bored and this has
the effect of desensitising the emotion associated with the
event.
Modern practitioners will use GSR machines that measure anxiety
and will show how well the process has worked.
Session 3 - Reframe the object, place or event in a more
sensible way e.g. You realise that the injection is for your
benefit or that British spiders are harmless or you 5 times
more likely to die falling out of bed than in an aeroplane
etc.
Whilst it is possible to work through phobias using self
hypnosis, it is recommended that for debilitating phobias
the help of a qualified practitioner should be sort.
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
< Back to top
Quit Smoking
Hypnosis is a fast and effective tool for the permanent eradication
of unwanted habits and smoking is probably the easiest. The
physical addiction to cigarettes is less than 10% - the rest
is all in the mind, which can be re-educated.
The physical addiction to nicotine is very short lived and
within 3 to 4 days it is out of your system and within 2 to
3 weeks the physical cravings have gone. By far the most addictive
part of smoking is HABIT, which is governed by the subconscious
mind.
It is actually quite easy for smokers to go without cigarettes
for long periods; in hospital, on a plane, through the night
etc.
One of the biggest problems smokers face is the idea that
they will in some way be missing out if they give up smoking.
The idea that smoking is in anyway pleasurable is the biggest
con of them all. The subconscious is being tricked that nicotine
is a reward chemical like serotonin.
On the contrary nicotine offers us no pleasure whatsoever;
it increases our anxiety, drains our finances and significantly
reduces our life expectancy.
Once you have quit you must continually congratulate yourself
for your good sense and strong will. Whenever you see someone
else smoking you must see it as a positive reminder of your
own good sense and feel sorry for them that they have not
managed to break the habit that is so bad for them. If you
find yourself staring longingly at them you will find it difficult
to resist your subconscious when it has a nicotine tantrum.
One of the great smoking myths is that smokers are weak willed.
It takes great determination to become a smoker in the first
place. Consider the awful taste of your first cigarette, it
is only because of your strong will that you were able to
overcome this and become a smoker. You can use this strong
will to overcome short term cravings and become a non smoker.
Cravings are the subconscious having a tantrum and every
parent knows if you do not give in to a tantrum the child
will realise the strategy does not work and will soon give
up.
When you stop smoking:
• Within 20 minutes your blood pressure and pulse return
to normal
• Within 8 hours nicotine and carbon monoxide level
in your blood drops by half oxygen levels return to normal.
• Within 24 hours carbon monoxide will be eliminated
from the body. Lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking
related debris.
• Within 48 hours there is no nicotine in your body.
Your ability to tatste and smell is greatly improved
• Within 72 hours your bronchial tubes begin to relax
and you can breathe more easily
• Within 2 -12 weeks your circulation improves
- Within 3 - 9 months breathing improves as lung function
increases by up to 10%
• Within 5 years the risk of a heart attack falls to
about half of that of a smoker
• Within 10 years risk of lung cancer falls to half
that of a smoker. Risk of heart attack falls to the same as
a non smoker.
So long as you have a genuine desire to quit, hypnotherapy
can help you stop smoking forever.
Smoking Cessation can be achieved in one 2 hour session.
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
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Self Confidence & Public Speaking
Lack of confidence is most likely to be caused by a degree
of underlying stress or anxiety. When we lack confidence in
our abilities we often have negative views of the future or
worry unnecessarily about the past.
Whenever we think negatively we become anxious and anxiety
is always converted into stress. There are three main ways
we create negativity and therefore stress.
Negative reaction - Somebody criticizes you for making a
mistake. You are angry with this person for pointing out your
mistake and you are angry with yourself for making the mistake.
This negative reaction causes your anxiety levels to rise
and creates stress in your day.
Negative forecasting - We imagine the worst and worry about
things that might happen. If we think "I'll never be
able to do that", or "I'll never get that promotion"
your subconscious not only believes that to be true, but thinks
that that is what you want to happen.
Negative introspection - We worry about things in the past.
"I wish I hadn't said that", or "I wish that
hadn't happened".
The key to keeping anxiety to safe levels is to guard against
negative thinking and to find a positive way to react to situations,
forecast the future and think about the past.
Positive reaction - "You are right I have made a mistake
and I will learn from the experience".
Positive Forecasting - "I can learn to do that"
and "I'm going to work even harder to give me the best
chance of getting that promotion".
Positive Introspection - "I won't make that mistake
again", or "I have learned a good lesson from that".
When we think and behave positively we are also rewarded
with serotonin. This is the naturally produced chemical in
the brain that helps us cope with life and generally makes
us feel happy and confident.
In a nutshell you are what you think you are. If you think
that you are a failure that is what you will be. If, on the
other hand, you believe that you will succeed, you will.
Belief is rooted in the subconscious mind and there are all
sorts of reasons why you may have developed negative belief
systems about yourself. The good news is that your subconscious
is quite happy to change old belief systems for new ones,
if that's what you tell it you want to do.
The simplest way to change what you believe about yourself
is to imagine yourself exactly as you would like to be.
Your sub conscious cannot tell the difference between what
is real and what you imagine.
This extraordinary fact about the workings of the subconscious
mind opens up a world of limitless possibilities for us all.
If, for example, you imagine yourself giving a great presentation
your subconscious will believe that that is exactly what you
have done, this means that when you come to doing it for real
it will expect you to do another great one.
Practice makes perfect...
Every time you repeat a thought or action an electrical signal
is created in your brain forming a neural bridge. The more
times you repeat this thought or action the stronger the bridge
and the more automatic the thought or action becomes.
This is the science behind why practice makes perfect and
this principle coupled with the fact that the subconscious
cannot tell the difference between what is real and imagined,
is the final piece in the jigsaw that explains how hypnosis,
or positive visualisation if you prefer, can help you to achieve
the life you dream of.
Here's a great 5 minute Positive Visualisation exercise, which
you can do at home, at work or even on the bus!
Think of a time in the future where you will need confidence…make
a picture in your mind of yourself … at this time of
success in the future…you have achieved your goal of
being more confident…don't worry if it's hazy at first…the
more you practice the clearer the picture will become …
you are supremely confident…picture yourself smiling
and looking relaxed and confident …maybe you have just
given a speech….or are talking to a group of strangers…..or
maybe you want to be more confident at work…it doesn't
matter what the occasion is…see yourself smiling….looking
very relaxed….and totally confident….notice how
you are standing…how you are walking….make the image
of yourself as you would like to be clear in your mind...now
make the picture bigger…make the colours richer…brighter….
bolder… sharper…now add sound to your picture..
you can hear people complimenting you … congratulating
you on your achievement…they are telling you how confident
you are…..really enjoy how good it feels to be the new
confident you…
The more times you imagine yourself as confident, the more
confident you will become. So do this simple but very powerful
exercise again and again until it becomes fixed in your subconscious
mind. Every time you do this exercise you will change, very
subtly, what you believe about yourself and your expectations
as to what you believe will happen to you in the future. Initially
the change may be small but day by day, you will find yourself
thinking, feeling and behaving more and more confidently.
Simply by imagining again and again the success you want,
you will not only change the way you think about yourself,
you will also change your behaviour. You will literally find
yourself behaving differently without consciously thinking
about it, as your subconscious works behind the scenes at
creating the reality that you have pictured.
Just doing the exercise once will have little effect but doing
it again and again will produce life changing results!
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
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Self Healing
Most doctors now agree that the mind has a profound effect
upon a person's sense of well being and that an overload of
stress weakens the immune system and causes major health problems.
Stress is a direct result of our body's responses to life's
challenges both real and imagined. The stress response has
its roots in our ancestors who lived harsh and dangerous lives.
The burst of adrenalin released into the blood stream provided
them with energy to fight or runaway from a life threatening
situation. Today a certain amount of stress is useful to help
us avoid oncoming traffic or to add energy to a presentation
or to our sports performance.
The problem comes when we are continually preparing for emergencies
that never happen. This puts a major strain on our immune
systems, spreading toxins through our body and eventually
burning out our adrenal glands.
Modern day stress tends to be caused by much more mundane
situations like traffic jams, arguments and unexpected bills.
These are clearly not life threatening but if you allow yourself
to get angry, depressed or anxious about them, your subconscious
will deem them to be dangerous and will release adrenalin
into your blood stream.
The key to minimising stress in our lives is to guard against
negative thinking and to find a positive way to react to situations,
forecast the future and think about the past.
When we think and behave positively we are also rewarded
with serotonin. This is the naturally produced chemical in
the brain that keeps our immune system functioning correctly,
ensures that we sleep well and generally keeps us healthy.
Here's a great exercise to boost your immune system. Please
note this is not a substitute for medical treatment and it
should be used alongside any treatments prescribed by your
GP or medical professional.
Close your eyes and imagine that you can see inside your
own body. Imagine lots of brightly coloured fish swimming
around your body and feeding on little black particles, which
represent diseased cells in your body. See the brightly coloured
fish swimming all around your body and cleaning up any infected
areas. If there is an area that you know has a problem spend
some time there until all the black particles have been swallowed
up by your brightly coloured fishes. When you have finished
picture yourself smiling, looking healthy and feeling great.
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
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Sporting Excellence
A certain amount of anxiety is good in competitive sport,
as it produces adrenaline. When adrenaline is controlled it
is converted into power and determination.
The problem occurs when you allow the anxiety to control
you. This typically results in self doubt, tension, negative
thinking and poor performance.
As all good coaches will tell you there is no substitute
for practice. Every time you repeat an action, whether grooving
your golf swing, or kicking a ball or jumping a hurdle, a
neural connection is made in your brain. The more times you
repeat this action the more connections are made and the more
automatic the action becomes.
This is the simple science that explains why practice makes
perfect. As the action becomes more and more automatic you
can turn your attention to the outcome.
This is the really important part, whatever it is you are
about to do, you must visualise a positive outcome. If you
are about to take a golf shot you should see your ball flying
through the air straight at the hole, if you are about to
take a penalty see your ball flying into the back of the net
or over the posts for rugby.
If you have any doubts in your mind you should step away
and refocus positively.
Get Into The Zone...
Whatever you are preparing to do; take a penalty, run a race,
make a crucial putt etc… use this mind-set technique
(as used by the pro's) to 'get into the zone' and achieve
excellence.
1. Relax Your Mind and Body
Take several slow deep breaths (in through your nose out
through your mouth) - this is the fastest way to achieve instant
physical and mental relaxation.
2. Focus on your Objective
Next focus your mind to the exclusion of all other thoughts
on your target or objective. For example fix your eyes on
the back of the net, the finish line, or the hole. The more
detail you can notice the stronger will be your focus.
3. Visualise the Outcome
Now create a movie in your mind in which you see yourself
achieving your objective. See yourself scoring the goal, winning
the race or holing the putt. Play this movie in your mind
again and again until it becomes fixed in your subconscious.
Now you are ready to make your play.
In doing this you have told your subconscious what you want
to happen and it will work behind the scenes to make this
happen (as close as it can).
Your subconscious cannot tell the difference between what
is real and what you imagine. Visualising your own sporting
success again and again is exactly the same for your subconscious
as actually achieving that success in the real world.
Every time you visualise your sporting success you will change,
very subtly, what you believe about yourself and your expectations
as to what you believe will happen to you in the future. Initially
the change may be small but day by day, you will find your
performance getting better and better as you move towards
your optimum potential.
Just doing the exercise once will have little effect but doing
it again and again will produce fantastic results.
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
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Tinnitus
Tinnitus is the term used to describe a condition in which
the person hears sounds that are the result of changes in
the auditory pathway not triggered by 'genuine' sounds arising
in the world outside their head. The sound is often heard
for the first time at night and it can be the cause of a great
deal of psychological stress.
To explain why a harmless sound can cause some people such
problems we can compare it the reaction of an animal in the
wild. For animals an unexplained sound like the rustle of
leaves or the sound of moving grass, represents an early warning
of possible danger.
When tinnitus is treated as part of our alarm system it can
cause immense distress. Some people despair that their world
will never be quiet again and fear that they will always have
this noise with them. Some fall into deep depression. Some
will get angry, whilst others will have difficulty sleeping.
The key thing to understand is that not everyone is affected
badly by tinnitus. Many people just accept the sounds as 'just
another thing' or 'something to do with getting older' and
quickly come to accept these noises.
The fact that many people have tinnitus without suffering
from it illustrates that the healthy un-anxious mind has the
ability to filter out noises that are recognised as harmless.
Consider people living near airports or by railway tracks.
Whilst their overnight guests may find it difficult to sleep
as a result of the noise of the planes and trains, these people
will typically filter out the background noise and eventually
will hardly notice it at all.
In the first instance a visit to your GP is recommended to
rule out infection, mastoid disease or otosclerosis.
Once you have established that you have tinnitus, you can
be reassured that the sound you are hearing is harmless. With
this knowledge you can instruct your subconscious to filter
it out.
This is done by a process of reducing your anxiety associated
with the sound. As soon as the sound is not considered a problem
by your subconscious, it will begin working behind the scenes
to filter it out.
Here's a simple exercise that will begin that process.
Close your eyes and listen. What can you hear? If you hear
a sound that is not a real sound from the outside world, think
to yourself that this sound is harmless. Focus all your attention
on the sound and SMILE at it. It could be an inner smile or
a real smile on your face. It doesn't matter as long as you
are thinking about smiling at the unwanted sound. Smile at
it and think to yourself that you are not worried about it,
it doesn't make you anxious, it's a harmless sound and that
you just don't need to hear it anymore. Imagine yourself smiling
and waving goodbye to the unwanted sound. Continue smiling
and waving in your mind for as long as you want. The more
you smile at it the less of a problem it becomes.
This visualisation is designed to communicate to your subconscious
in the way that it understands best, in pictures, that you
are not worried about the sound. Now that it knows this it
will automatically begin to filter it out. Up to now it thought
that you were worried about the noise so that's why it kept
reminding you it was there. Now that you are smiling and waving
goodbye to the sound, it is getting a totally different message.
Just doing this exercise once will have little effect but
doing it again and again, will, day by day, reduce your anxiety
more and more until eventually your subconscious will filter
it out of your consciousness.
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
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Weight Control
The most common cause of being overweight relates to the
individuals attitude to food. It isn't simply a matter of
choice but also a matter of conditioning laid down in childhood
and throughout life.
Comfort eating when you are feeling low, or in response to
having low self esteem is perhaps the major cause of weight
control issues.
Your attitude to food and eating is the most important means
of losing weight and that's where hypnotherapy comes in. Under
hypnosis the subconscious can be encouraged to form new perspectives
on how, what, when and why you eat. Hypnosis can also dramatically
improve your self confidence and self esteem.
Weight control is a way of life not a temporary miracle diet.
Using suggestion therapy your subconscious can be reminded
of the benefits of choosing healthy foods, eating slowly,
taking smaller portions and not having to clean your plate
etc.
In addition to this, visualising yourself as the size you
would like to be is a powerful way of letting your subconscious
help you to achieve your goal.
If you were asked to close your eyes and picture yourself
in your minds eye, what do you see? If you see yourself as
overweight you are effectively telling your subconscious that
that is how you want to be. If on the other hand you picture
yourself as the size you would like to be, then it will take
on board this message. Your subconscious will in time begin
to alter your automatic behaviour accordingly in order for
you to achieve that goal and you will find yourself instinctively
eating smaller portions, exercising more etc until you get
there.
Finally hypnosis can help you to build up your self esteem
and confidence and therefore reduce the need for comfort eating.
Here's a great 5 minute Positive Visualisation exercise,
which you can do at home, at work or even on the bus!
Make a picture in your mind of yourself at a time of success
in the future. You have achieved your goal of losing weight.
Don't worry if it's hazy at first, the more you practice the
clearer the picture will become. You have lost weight, picture
yourself smiling and looking confident at this time of great
success. Maybe you are wearing an item of clothing that no
longer fits you. See yourself wearing it now and it fits you
perfectly. Make the image of yourself as the size you would
like to be clear in your mind. Then make the picture bigger,
make the colours richer, brighter, bolder and sharper. Then
add sound to your picture, you can hear people complimenting
you, congratulating you on your achievement. They are telling
you how great you look. Really enjoy how good it feels to
be the new slimmer you…
Simply by imagining again and again the success you want,
you will not only change the way you think about yourself,
you will also change your behaviour. You will literally find
yourself behaving differently without consciously thinking
about it, as your subconscious works behind the scenes at
creating the reality that you have pictured.
Just doing the exercise once will have little effect but
doing it again and again will produce life changing results.
Every time you do this exercise you will change, very subtly,
how you perceive yourself. Initially the change may be small
but day by day, you will find yourself instinctively thinking,
feeling and behaving in a way that will help you to achieve
your goal of losing weight.
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
More on Weight Control...
Sensible Eating
In essence a weight loss regime is simply one in which the
body takes in less energy in the form of calories than it
expends. When we cut down on calories sufficiently or use
up more calories than we consume we lose weight.
Everyone is different and the selected sustainable eating
regime has to suit the individual and it has necessarily to
be flexible. Therefore the following general aid should be
treated as a guide.
Research has shown that a combination of diet and activity
is more likely to result in long term success than diet and
exercise alone.
The objectives of a healthy diet and exercise programme are
to:
- Achieve a negative energy (calorie) balance
- Maintain (or even increase) lean tissue
- Gradually reduce body fat percentage
- Achieve an optimum intake of vitamins and minerals.
We should set realistic goals
Before embarking on a weight loss plan, write down your goals
clearly, as research has proven that by writing down your
intentions, you are far more likely to turn them into actions.
These goals should be specific, positive and realistic (I
will lose 2lb per week) rather than hopeful (I would like
to lose some weight).
Monitor body composition changes
The best way to monitor your progress is by taking simple
girth or circumference measurements (see sheet below).
Monitoring changes in these measurements at specific sites
in the body allows you to see how your shape is changing and
where most fat is being lost. This is a far better motivator
than just using scales.
Keep a food diary
Write down everything you eat and drink for a period of a
week. This will allow you to check whether your diet is well
balanced or lacking any important nutrients.
Cut calories
To lose 1lb fat per week, aim to create a calorie deficit
of 3500kcal a week or 500 per day. The most effective way
is by increasing energy expenditure and decreasing energy
intake. So for example if your normal intake is 2500kcal per
day you could reduce it to 2200kcal and increase energy expenditure
by 200kcal (e.g. a 45 min walk).
Exercise - a few facts
Whether the body uses carbohydrates as energy or fatty acids
depends not only on diet but also the intensity of the exercise.
The most intense exercise, the kind that makes it difficult
to catch your breath, uses carbohydrate, stored as glycogen.
We have sufficient glycogen for two hours of intense activity.
During this period we will probably not use up any fat at
all. Worse still at the first opportunity the body will replenish
the glycogen store. Any weight we do lose we will replace.
During moderate physical activity the muscles derive their
energy from both glycogen and fat. After 20 mins of moderate
exercise the muscles begin to use less glycogen and more and
more fat.
Golden rules of exercise - 1) Exercise at low to moderate
intensity, 2) Exercise for 20 minutes or more.
Eat more frequently
If possible, plan to eat at least 4-6 times per day. This
does not mean increasing the amount eaten, rather eating moderate
sized meals or snacks more frequently. Research has shown
that each time we eat the metabolic rate increases approximately
10% for a short while afterwards. Researchers have also found
that frequent eating keeps blood sugar and insulin levels
more stable, as well as helping to control blood cholesterol
levels.
Eat Slowly
It is important to eat slowly and to savour your food. Eating
slowly not only enables your body to digest the food better
but it also gives the brain time to send you the signal that
you are full. On average it takes around 20 minutes for the
brain to recognise that you are full and to communicate this
to you. It is common sense therefore that no matter how much
or fast you eat you will still think you are hungry until
you receive the signal that you are full.
You should also avoid eating in front of the television as
this takes your focus away from your food. Eat at the table
and give your food your full attention.
Some Questions Answered...
Should I count calories?
To begin with yes. However calorie counting doesn't give the
full picture. New research suggests that the total number
of calories is less important than the relative calorific
amounts of fat, carbohydrates and protein in your diet; calories
from each of these sources are handled by the body in quite
different ways. This has an important bearing on body fat
levels.
What is BMI?
BMI or Body Mass Index, is an index of a person's weight in
relation to their height. It is determined by dividing our
weight (in kg) by the square of the height (in metres).
Example - A person who weighs 79kg and is 1m77cm tall has
a BMI of 79/1.772
BMI = < 18.5 = underweight
BMI 18.5 to 24.9 = normal, BMI 25 to 29.9 = overweight, BMI
> 30 = obese
Can protein make you fat?
Protein is unlikely to be 'fattening' unless grossly overeaten.
Can carbohydrates make you fat?
Although possible in theory, in practice it is relatively
difficult for the body to convert surplus carbohydrate calories
into fat.
What's the key to appetite control?
It appears that carbohydrate plays a key role in regulating
our appetite and thus in achieving long term weight control.
Carbohydrate is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles.
Any fluctuations in our glycogen stores are detected by our
appetite control centre in the brain and translated into feelings
of hunger.
So when glycogen stores are low, we experience an increased
appetite and eat more. When glycogen stores are full our appetite
is reduced and we eat less. Therefore it is much harder to
gain body fat when eating a carbohydrate, low fat diet.
The cornerstone of long term, successful weight control is
a low fat, high carbohydrate diet.
If you would like to visit me at my practice in Crediton,
Devon please click
here.
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