Rex had problems when asked to do a presentation at work. He had recently been promoted and was expected to make regular presentations in front of colleagues and senior managers. As the day of the presentation approached he became more and more anxious, despite the fact that he was very familiar with the material he was presenting. He went hot and cold just thinking about it, began sweating and had difficulty sleeping the night before the presentation. He became anxious on his journey to work and dreaded the thought of everyone looking at him when he got to the room where the presentation was to take place, even though he knew nearly everyone there and was on good terms with them.
He decided that this state of affairs couldn't go on, did a search on the internet and after a bit of research, thought that hypnotherapy could be the answer.
He came for the initial free consultation and explained his problem. I reassured him that he was not alone and that many people experienced nervousness when having to stand up and speak in front of a group. A certain level of stress is to be expected and once this is acknowledged he would be able to relax and actually enjoy the experience.
During the hypnosis session I helped re-programme his mind to feel confident about the whole experience, to gain control of his breathing, to relax the muscles of his body and to regard the group as his friends whom he could talk to as he would any group of friends.
After three sessions, over a three week period, he was amazed that he was able to do exactly as he had hoped. He was no longer anxious about the experince and realised that his fears had been unjustified. As hoped, he began to enjoy giving the presentations and his confidence grew.
Sunday 30 August 2009
Smoking
It's amazing to think that it wasn't until the report by the Tobacco Advisory Group of the Royal College of Physicians in 2000 that it was finally admitted by the medical profession that smoking was the single most important health problem in Britain. No other single avoidable factor accounted for such a high proportion of deaths, hospital admissions or GP consultations as smoking. It's estimated that smoking costs the NHS £2 billion per year and causes the death of one in every five in Britain. The greatest impact of smoking is death from lung cancer, ischaemic heart disease and chronic obstructive airways disease. Passive smoking also damages children before and after birth.
So why do people smoke? There is strong evidence of psychological dependence on cigarettes. The major psychological motivation to smoke is the avoidance of negative mood states caused by withdrawal of nicotine. Nicotine intake in smokers is stable and consistent over time. Smoking is widely believed by smokers to have a positive effect on mood, but objective evidence suggests that the only improvements in mood resulting from smoking are those arising from the relief of withdrawal symptoms.
Nicotine obtained from cigarettes meets all the standard criteria used to define a drug dependence or addiction, but historically addiction to nicotine had not been recognised as a medical or social problem in Britain until recently. But nicotine is highly addictive, to a degree similar or in some respects exceeding addiction to "hard" drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
Addiction to nicotine is established in most smokers during teenage years and within about one year of experimenting with cigarettes. Once addicted, most smokers are unable to give up even when they develop disease caused by smoking and made worse by continued smoking. Only about 2% of smokers succeed in giving up in any year.
Hypnotherapy can not be guaranteed to stop someone smoking, but it can help the determined person who wants to break their addiction to nicotine. It does this by placing an emphasis on all the benefits of being a non-smoker, by changing smoking habits and addressing any important issues that may be driving the addiction.
So why do people smoke? There is strong evidence of psychological dependence on cigarettes. The major psychological motivation to smoke is the avoidance of negative mood states caused by withdrawal of nicotine. Nicotine intake in smokers is stable and consistent over time. Smoking is widely believed by smokers to have a positive effect on mood, but objective evidence suggests that the only improvements in mood resulting from smoking are those arising from the relief of withdrawal symptoms.
Nicotine obtained from cigarettes meets all the standard criteria used to define a drug dependence or addiction, but historically addiction to nicotine had not been recognised as a medical or social problem in Britain until recently. But nicotine is highly addictive, to a degree similar or in some respects exceeding addiction to "hard" drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
Addiction to nicotine is established in most smokers during teenage years and within about one year of experimenting with cigarettes. Once addicted, most smokers are unable to give up even when they develop disease caused by smoking and made worse by continued smoking. Only about 2% of smokers succeed in giving up in any year.
Hypnotherapy can not be guaranteed to stop someone smoking, but it can help the determined person who wants to break their addiction to nicotine. It does this by placing an emphasis on all the benefits of being a non-smoker, by changing smoking habits and addressing any important issues that may be driving the addiction.
How to stop Nail Biting
Susan had been biting her nails for as long as she could remember. Without thinking, her fingers moved towards her mouth and she found herself chewing on any small part of her nails that were still remaining. She even chewed on the skin around her nails until it became raw and painful.
As she grew up she felt ashamed of the way her hands and fingers looked and envied people who had nice looking nails and fingers, but the habit had become so ingrained that she found it impossible to stop. She became self-conscious of her hands and began hiding them away as much as possible.
After confiding in a friend how upset she was beginning to feel about her problem, the friend made enquiries and found that hypnotherapy was an effective way to get rid of the habit.
Susan came to see me and after two sessions of hypnotherapy she managed to break the habit and began taking a pride in her nails. She now has elegant nails and fingers, uses nail polish and has regular manicures. She feels more relaxed and much more confident with other people. She regrets the fact that she allowed the problem to persist for so long and wishes that she had dealt with it sooner.
As she grew up she felt ashamed of the way her hands and fingers looked and envied people who had nice looking nails and fingers, but the habit had become so ingrained that she found it impossible to stop. She became self-conscious of her hands and began hiding them away as much as possible.
After confiding in a friend how upset she was beginning to feel about her problem, the friend made enquiries and found that hypnotherapy was an effective way to get rid of the habit.
Susan came to see me and after two sessions of hypnotherapy she managed to break the habit and began taking a pride in her nails. She now has elegant nails and fingers, uses nail polish and has regular manicures. She feels more relaxed and much more confident with other people. She regrets the fact that she allowed the problem to persist for so long and wishes that she had dealt with it sooner.
How to stop smoking
John had been smoking since he was 15 years old, he was now 21. He felt that it had become a dummy and a crutch and he wanted to end the dependency. Above all he was scared of the all the problems it could cause to his body. He was a student and needed to work solidly for the final few months of his degree course. He needed more energy and motivation and felt that nicotine and cannabis were not helping him concentrate and work to his full capacity.
There were a number of other personal problems that needed to be worked on as well that were affecting the smoking addiction and helping to drive the habit - relationship issues, diet, depression and forms of obsession.
Through years of experience and working with all kinds of smokers, I have found that normally clients can be helped to stop smoking after three sessions. Depending on the individual circumstances cessation can sometimes be achieved after only one session or it may take four.
The aim is to help the client stop permanently and in a way that avoids relapse, but there can be no guarantees. Once nicotine has been taken regularly there will always be the possibilty of relapse, but, with the help of self-hypnosis and the backup of a good therapist, this can be prevented.
John went on to pass his degree and after six months is still a non-smoker.
There were a number of other personal problems that needed to be worked on as well that were affecting the smoking addiction and helping to drive the habit - relationship issues, diet, depression and forms of obsession.
Through years of experience and working with all kinds of smokers, I have found that normally clients can be helped to stop smoking after three sessions. Depending on the individual circumstances cessation can sometimes be achieved after only one session or it may take four.
The aim is to help the client stop permanently and in a way that avoids relapse, but there can be no guarantees. Once nicotine has been taken regularly there will always be the possibilty of relapse, but, with the help of self-hypnosis and the backup of a good therapist, this can be prevented.
John went on to pass his degree and after six months is still a non-smoker.
Wednesday 12 August 2009
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Reeta was going through a difficult patch. She was not happy with her job and suffering depression and anxiety. It was affecting her relationship with her husband and that was proving stressful.
She had an eating disorder that she felt hypnotherapy could relieve. She felt that the disorder was connected to her self-image. She thought of food all the time and she wanted to get rid of that feeling. Like many people suffering from eating disorders she recognised that food helped fill an emotional void in her - she had a feeling of hunger even though she wasn't hungry.
Her childhood had been unhappy. She came from a large family where the father had been verabally abusive and a mother who was lacking emotionally. She didn't feel valued growing up and consequently lacked confidence.
She had been having pychotherapy in New Zealand 12 years ago for 2 years and then more recently for 2 years and had been diagnosed as suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
IBS is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders, but it is puzzling for those who have it and for the doctors who treat it. Reeta suffered from alternating bowel movements - diarrhoea and constipation - disturbed sleep, bloating, flatulence and other symptoms. After several hypnotherapy sessions and the use of specially prepared CDs, she was feeling much better and the symptoms were becoming less frequent.
As a result she felt much happier, slept better and became more focused on the things she wanted to do without constantly thinking abour food. Her relationship with her husband has improved and she is generally more positive in her outlook on life.
She had an eating disorder that she felt hypnotherapy could relieve. She felt that the disorder was connected to her self-image. She thought of food all the time and she wanted to get rid of that feeling. Like many people suffering from eating disorders she recognised that food helped fill an emotional void in her - she had a feeling of hunger even though she wasn't hungry.
Her childhood had been unhappy. She came from a large family where the father had been verabally abusive and a mother who was lacking emotionally. She didn't feel valued growing up and consequently lacked confidence.
She had been having pychotherapy in New Zealand 12 years ago for 2 years and then more recently for 2 years and had been diagnosed as suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
IBS is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders, but it is puzzling for those who have it and for the doctors who treat it. Reeta suffered from alternating bowel movements - diarrhoea and constipation - disturbed sleep, bloating, flatulence and other symptoms. After several hypnotherapy sessions and the use of specially prepared CDs, she was feeling much better and the symptoms were becoming less frequent.
As a result she felt much happier, slept better and became more focused on the things she wanted to do without constantly thinking abour food. Her relationship with her husband has improved and she is generally more positive in her outlook on life.
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