Habits are hard to break....

Habits are hard to break....

Or are they? According to Wikipedia habits are routines of behaviour that are repeated regularly and tend to occur subconsciously, without one being conscious about them. Habitual behaviour often goes unnoticed in persons exhibiting it, because a person does not need to engage in self-analysis when undertaking routine tasks.

We were not born with habits; habits are simply something we learnt to do. Smokers – do you remember the first time you smoked? I am sure you did not enjoy that first taste of smoking, yet you learnt how to smoke. Nail biters, more difficult to remember the first time it was done but was it really that enjoyable to want to do it again? Or was it something that made you feel secure in a nervous situation? Or maybe gave you something to do with your hands when bored. The list of common habits could go on and on but the one thing that is similar across the board is that the owner of the habit would feel weird if they didn’t ‘do’ their habit. For example, the smoker would feel weird and not know what to do with their hands whilst standing with other smokers. The nail biter may feel more anxious in a nervous situation without biting their nails. Another thing that is quite common is for the habit to involve the hands, smoking, thumb sucking, nose picking, nail biting, hair twirling. These habits are generally thought of to be nervous habits. There are more involved habits such as tics; vocal or motor. These can be more complex and can stem from muscle tension or medical disorders so are often solved in a different way.

The reason the body feels weird when not doing the habit is because it has become a learned reaction. If you are a driver you will know that if you are in the passenger seat and the person driving the car gets a bit too close to the car in front your foot will try and push down on the imaginary brake pedal in front of you. This is a learned reaction; as is putting your knife and fork in the correct hands when you sit down to eat. Learned reactions are things that we were not born knowing how to do but become as instinctual as natural reactions such as excessive breathing whilst exercising. To try and stop learned reactions can be as weird as trying to stop a natural reaction as the subconscious mind has learnt to automatically react in this way. The conscious part of our mind is the area that controls things we are aware of, the subconscious things we are not aware of. Once a habit is formed it is being controlled by the subconscious mind. Therefore to break the habit we have to become aware of it, this is where will power comes in. Will power is great – when it works. With will power you are willing yourself to do something, therefore you need to keep reminding yourself what it is you are trying to achieve, this has its own problems. To continually remind yourself what you are trying to achieve you have to think about what it is you want to stop yourself doing. This can become a battle in your own mind as you consciously tell yourself that you do not want to bite your nails again / smoke another cigarette / suck your thumb whilst your subconscious mind keeps trying to do what it is you consciously do not want to do. When in hypnosis the subconscious mind is open. Just like when you are asleep and your subconscious mind takes over, allowing you to continue breathing and functioning whilst dreaming and resting the hypnotic state is very similar. When in hypnosis one is not asleep but just on the edge of sleep. Perfectly calm and relaxed with the subconscious wide open ready to accept any suggestions that it chooses to accept. Hypnosis can help, so that habits are not hard to break. When using hypnosis to overcome a habit the therapist will give you suggestions that break the link between your thoughts and the habit, allowing you to stop the habit for good without the need for will power.

Harley Street Hypnotherapy

I have recently become part of a brand new clinic in Harley Street. At On Harley Street a very warm welcome awaits you, we are a group of therapists brought together by our dedication and passion to our specialist areas of work and by our commitment to bringing you the very best level of care and professional service.

On Harley Street provides a multi-disciplinary approach to its clients, offering you choice, experience and a holistic approach to your needs. The clinic has actively sought out professionals at the top of their field, with years of experience in their chosen specialist area, giving you the confidence and peace of mind that you are in the best hands. Whilst I can see you for other reasons at Harley Street I am the Fertility and HypnoBirth specialist; there to help you if you are struggling to conceive, many people do not realise that psychological health is almost more important when trying to conceive than physical. Or are already pregnant and want to experience what is known as the Spontaneous Birth Reflex/Maternal Foetal Ejection Reflex. An amazing natural reflex only experienced during the calmest, most natural births in which the baby is expelled rapidly and safely with minimal pain just as nature intended.

Although, when we work together you will always get treated in a special way, seeing me at my Harley Street practice means you will have your sessions in a central location within luxurious, tranquil surroundings. The service you will receive when arriving at On Harley Street will be second to none truly allowing you to feel comfortable in this prestigious environment.

HypnoGastricBand in Australia

Something very exciting happened this month as we welcomed four new practitioners from Sydney, Australia.

We now have over thirty practitioners across the country and worldwide! If you would like to lose weight easily and without dieting seek out your local practitioner now! Or are you a hypnotherapist that would like to become a practitioner? Email me for details.

Chilean Miners - Is the world cruel to some or is it the way we perceive things?

Chilean Miners - Is the world cruel to some or is it the way we perceive things?

Much of my work with clients involves helping others to deal with situations in a different, more positive way. Recently I have seen two examples of how people in identical situations can react very differently. There are some people in the world who often feel that they have been dealt an unfair hand, is this so or is it just that people react differently to situations? I try to help others see the positive in everything and this is the way I choose to live my life.

I wonder if you can see where this is going! Recently the world watched as 33 Chilean miners were rescued from the mine in which they had been trapped for over 69 days. During the rescue one thing that stuck in my mind was the specific order in which they were rescued. This order was determined by their psychological well being. Thirty three men that had been through an identical situation yet each one had a different reaction. Some were incredibly strong and appeared almost unaffected by the experience, others suffered awfully - yet they had all been through exactly the same thing. Juan Illanes, the third miner to be rescued, when asked what his time in the rescue shaft was like replied “like a cruise”, what a fantastically positive reaction. There are many reasons (which I may go into at a later date) that some people feel more able to cope with certain situations sometimes without seeing a problem at all, whilst others find the same situation taking over their life until whatever has happened is resolved.

Another example was in an episode of Ben Fogle’s Extreme Dreams, a group were led on a twelve day trek through the Guyana jungle to reach an amazing view of the Kaiteur Falls. There was one member of the team who victimised himself, he argued with the team daily, he continually diminished the morale of the team and on the last day when they were only half a kilometer away from the end began complaining saying he could not go on, giving every excuse possible why it was more difficult for him than the others. Again an example of someone in an identical situation to others yet felt he was in a worse situation.

Some people are lucky and naturally see the positive in situations; some have used techniques such as NLP or hypnosis to change the way they view life so that everything that happens can be turned into an opportunity, there are however a lot of people that don’t know (yet) that we can choose how to feel about situations, we can choose to feel that something is a problem, choose to allow something to cause us anxiety, choose to allow something to cause stress OR we can learn some powerful techniques to bounce through life, to let problems skim the outside but not penetrate into us. Choose to life a happy positive life where we give a nonchalant wave of our hand and say its fine.

Derren Brown – Hero at 30,000ft

Over the weekend I managed to catch Derren Brown’s latest TV show Hero at 30,000 feet (http://www.channel4.com/programmes/derren-brown-the-specials/4od#3120303). I absolutely loved the programme and want to highlight the way in which his work in this programme is pretty much the same as my work as a hypnotherapist (only I’m yet to help anyone land an aeroplane!)

If you didn’t see the programme try and watch it using the above link as it is really good viewing. To cut a long story short Derren started with a man who was pretty weak in character. He was stuck in a rut, a dead end job still living at home with his parents and generally not doing what he wanted in life. Over the period of a month Derren worked with the man to help him transform his life. Only the man didn’t know this was happening.

Derren started by giving the man certain challenges. The first was to put him right in the middle of an armed robbery. As a hypnotherapist I know that when in shock or confused the brain goes into a state where it is more able to accept suggestions. The ‘robber’ (who was of course an actor) said to the man as he was leaving the scene “you’ve done nothing with your life”. This had a big impact on the man so much so that he mentioned it to the ‘shopkeeper’ (also an actor) later on.

A couple of times throughout the month Derren woke the man from his sleep, having fitted discrete speakers in his bedroom. He called the man down to the garden and spoke to him. Again I know that hypnosis is the stage before sleep. If you look at brainwaves, when one is in a normal, alert awake state they are in beta, alpha is a relaxed state, maybe taking a walk in the garden. Theta is a daydream like state, theta is also the hypnotic state. Have you ever arrived at a destination after having driven a route you drive often and realised that you can’t remember driving the last five miles?! This is you in a hypnotic state and also your brainwaves in theta. Lastly delta, this is the sleep state. I have just explained to you here that hypnosis is the state just before sleep and the state in which we can be awake but forget what we have been doing. This explains how Derren was able to wake his subject from sleep, ask him to get dressed and walk downstairs out into the garden, speak to him and then have him forget it in the morning. It should be noted that Derren also mentioned that the man was highly suggestible – a plus for any hypnotist! Derren spoke to the man about what he should be doing with his life, said some things that would make him think about life in general (what a miracle it is and how we should make the most of every opportunity etc) and got him to touch a crocodile on the back!

The final challenge (there were others) was to have the man lay on a train track in a straight jacket with a train hurtling towards him. Now I am sure there was some camera trickery here and the man did not manage to jump up with the train only one inch away from him but even if the train was a mile away from me I would be shitting it – excuse the language here but I most definitely would! All of these challenges helped the man to learn how to take risks and also to appreciate life a little more.

The final challenge showed the man offering to land an aeroplane that he thought was crashing. I am sure there are people confused about the fact that Derren managed to keep a man in a hypnotic state or maybe asleep for long enough to land the plane, get him to a simulator and begin the experience but remember what I have told you. The man is highly suggestible, he was in shock (he thought his plane was going to crash) and he had experienced this feeling a few times already over the previous few weeks – he was the hypnotist’s dream subject. Of course the man did it; he landed the plane safely although he was told exactly what to do step by step – perhaps, in reality, not as difficult as it sounds.

Over the month what Derren did was helped the man to see things from a different perspective. He helped the man to find the resources within himself to make the changes in his life. He helped him to see that risk isn’t always so bad and that things he may have feared in the past were not so scary. He helped him to have experiences that gave him good feelings (for example organising a street party), things like this would have made him want to go on and do more of the same to get the same good feelings. The hypnosis was just an add on, a bit of a helping hand if you like. Hypnotherapy is all about you finding the strength within yourself to make the changes you so desire.

All hypnosis is self hypnosis, you cannot be hypnotised if you do not want to be, I cannot make you do anything you do not want to do – however if it is something you want to do and you allow yourself to be hypnotised your brain will be ready and willing to accept those suggestions that are thrown at you. You too can start to make some amazing changes in your life, just like Matt from Derren’s show.

Size 14 trapped in a size 12 body ©

Sometimes when I tell people my clothes size – not that I do this often I must add, maybe just if they are buying me a top, or I’m ordering a t-shirt for a run perhaps – I tell them I’m a size 12 and immediately feel the devil on my left shoulder cackling “hahahaha you aren’t a size 12, you’re a size 14 really. You just want them to THINK you’re a size 12”. I feel like people are looking at me thinking is she mad – surely she is bigger than a size 12.

I, am a size 14 trapped in a size 12 body.

My brain tells me I’m a size 14 but my body shows otherwise. Since finding this revelation I have started to use it as metaphor in my work. Just yesterday I was speaking with a client. As a child she had a very poor standard of living. She was often hungry and didn’t have particularly nice clothes. Today she always looks beautiful; however she is that poor dishevelled child in the body of a lovely, bubbly beautifully dressed woman. If we live with something for too long, when we become what we want to be we can sometimes forget to leave behind the thoughts and feelings that came with what we were.

We feel what we are but others see what we are. Therefore, even though we may still feel how we used to look others are seeing what we are today. A little tip to leave you with – fake it; If you don’t feel the way you look pretend you do, other people won’t guess you are not quite as confident. It will make you feel better as you radiate confidence and happiness and reap the rewards that come with this. If this doesn’t help come and see me ;-)

©Copyright Juliet Hollingsworth 2010

A Favela Story

Rocinha Favela is one of the largest favelas in South America. According to Zezinho, the resident who kindly showed us around it has around 300,000 habitants. Yesterday we spent eleven hours ‘hanging out’ with Zezinho, in the favela.
In the morning we met Zezinho by the beach and he took us in a minibus to the bottom of the favela. We then got mototaxis (moped taxis) to near the top of the hill where there was the most amazing view. At the top of the hill we bumped into a young Brazilian couple that live in Gavea, apparently a rich district in Rio. The guy was saying how he wanted to rent a house in Rocinha near to where we were standing. He said how much he loves Rocinha. Why does everyone who visits love Rocinha is what I wanted to know!
Within about 10 minutes of beginning our walk back down the hill a lady started shouting at us from her rooftop. Zezinho said to us that she was inviting us on to her roof. Of course we went up. When we reached the roof of the two story building the lady, Maria, told us how she was building another floor onto the roof that would have three rooms, on the veranda of the below floor she was going to have a swimming pool. We later learnt that she had paid £30,000 for the house as it was, just two small rooms, it’s certainly not just shacks in the favela!
We ended up spending over three hours at Maria’s house. This is where we learnt the most about the people of the favela. I can however only speak for the people we met, the favela we went to and their side of the story. When we walked into the house there was a little boy sat in a tub full of water in the bathroom. As we sat down Maria’s daughter got him out of the tub and got him dressed. The first thing that struck me was how clean it was inside the house. It was either cleaning day or she cleaned daily. It would only later occur to me that if I was going to have around twenty guests a day I would probably be permanently cleaning too! It smelt lovely, a freshly cleaned house. The daughter who looked about fifteen but we later learnt was actually eighteen brought the little boy in and sat down with us all. Everyone was speaking in Portuguese and shamefully we did not understand a word but Zezinho translated for us. There was another woman there who was the cousin of Maria. Zezinho asked whether the little boy was Maria’s son or her grandson. It turned out he was her grandson, the son of the young looking girl. There is apparently a problem of teen pregnancies in the favela as there is in certain areas of the UK. When Zezinho asked the girl how old she was when she had her son (fifteen) she looked extremely embarrassed. The mother said she had been very naughty doing what she did but we laughed with her as she giggled in embarrassment, shamefully covering her face. We then got into a discussion about how the daughter is still in school and the mother looks after the son. We started talking about the life of people outside the favela and the life in the favela. It is this that I found really important and wish that everyone from our western society could come and in see these people like I did.
During the time we were at Maria’s house five different people came in to visit. Not being able to fully understand the language I wasn’t quite sure who everyone was and why they were there but I pretty much got the jist that they were all family in some form, cousins/daughters etc and they were just there to say hi. Coincidently I am reading Gilda O’Neill’s book Our Street at the moment which is all about the East End Community during the Second World War. My Nan, having grown up just off Brick Lane often talks to me about these times and how every house was an open house and how families always lived minutes walk away from each other if not in the same house. I got the impression that living in the favela is just like this. The lady told us that her grandson may not grow up with the luxuries of life that we in the western world do but he would grow up with a lot of love. Every single visitor that entered the house went and gave Victor Hugo a big hug before they did anything. Now we were only in the house for three hours. Goodness knows how many other visitors would turn up in the time we weren’t there but I imagine it is like this every day for families in the favela. Victor Hugo would grow up with a huge amount of love. If he had a problem there would always be someone there to listen. It wouldn’t be a case of “Later I have to finish this piece of work” as is often the case in the Western World. Now Victor Hugo may not grow up with the opportunities many of us have but I expect he will grow up with far less ‘issues’ than you and I. Victor Hugo at three years old already knew how to use a computer. He would go down to the local internet cafe and msn his friends. He certainly wasn’t suffering in intelligence without the opportunities of the western world!
A big thing that was spoken about was how the people living in the favela work hard but they also play hard. There was huge emphasis on enjoying life. Big parties, spilling into the street every Thursday to Sunday. I really try to encourage many of my clients to think about the work life balance. It is something very important that we seem to have lost in our society today. When I sit with my clients and really make them think, many of them are unhappy with the balance of their life. This does not mean that they work too much, sometimes it has been too little. It is often the case however that the aspects of their life are not balanced correctly.
In the favela everyone was smiling. They were not moaning about their lack of this and that like many of us do in England. Everything they had they wanted for, things they didn’t have they didn’t miss. There was no judging, they didn’t look at someone else and think his house isn’t as big as mine, I am better than him. In western society judging is everywhere. This gets people down. I have clients that come and see me who cannot look at themselves in the mirror. It is not unusual for me to hand a client a mirror, ask them to look into it and find that they can’t. Sometimes it even makes them cry. These people were not born disliking themselves. Sometimes the judging in western societies can create this. There was something I noticed while I was in Maria’s house. My boyfriend and I were sat on the sofa in a position that meant we were the first people anyone walking into the house would see. Two ‘gringos’ sat in the house. If I was sat in a strangers house at home and someone I didn’t know that belonged in the house was to walk in I would instantly feel the need to explain who I was and what I was doing there. Not here, people would just walk through the front door see us and smile. They didn’t know where we came from, why we were there or who we were but they smiled at us as if we should be there. As if we had the right to be there as much as they did. How in this environment could you ever begin to dislike yourself getting so much love from everyone that came near you? At one point later on in the day we walked down a beco (alleyway). There was a family group sat on the step by their house having a drink. They wanted us to sit and drink with them, just because we walked past them. I knew that anyone who walked past would have been invited to sit and share the drink. We had to get on so didn’t but that is the way it was in the favela. Every person we met said “Rocinha welcomes people with open arms” and it really was true. (Maria had also tried to get us to stay and eat with them, we would have loved to but would have been there all day & not seen any more of the favela. We told her we had a meeting so as not to be rude).
Although I appreciate that the favela has its problems. There are the drugs, the violence when the police invade, the struggle that the people face (many favela people do work in normal jobs but minimum wage is around £50 a week) and the problems that a lack of money can cause, for example thieving outside of the favela and careers in the drug trade. If we in the western society can take something from these people it would be the community spirit, the happiness of everyone. No moaning, no negativity. The love that everyone has for one another and the warmth that is felt just walking through groups of people. Unfortunately in our society it is not so easy for our children to be with their parents or close family 24/7 but goodness when I think about the amount of cuddles and kisses that Victor Hugo will receive spending every minute of every day with a close relative or family friend, in fact lots of close relatives or friends showering him with love every second I really wish we could all live in a close nit community like the generation of the early 1900s in our country did and the children of the favela do.
Unfortunately we seem to have got stuck into this society of stress where everything is about getting as many possessions as we can, to have the biggest and the best. We forget that we cannot take these things with us. We forget how the stress of this lifestyle can affect us medically. We get down and depressed. Really we just need to appreciate what we have, running water and electricity all day every day. Most of all we need to start appreciating each other again. We need to stop worrying about the next car or computer that we can buy, take some time out and spend it with our children, our friend’s children, the children of our family etc. We need to spend more time with our friends and our partners just enjoying life and appreciating what we have. Maybe then everyone will be happier, have less worries, less stress and greater health. We need to realise that just because we work x many more hours than our friend or earn y more pounds or have a bigger house than Jim or a bigger car than John it doesn’t make us a better person.
As we were leaving we met a man sat behind the till in a shop. He was reading an English language study book. He told us, in English, that he worked at the Sheraton Hotel as a bar tender. When we left the shop Zezinho told us that the man and his wife own the shop. This man may live in a shack, at the very best he lives in a favela house but he goes off every day to the Sheraton Hotel. When he is not at the hotel he must work in the shop he owns. All the while trying to learn English so that he can speak to the ignorant people like myself who make no effort to understand their language. He probably earns in a year what I earn in a month (maybe a slight exaggeration but you get the point!) instantly judging like a typical westerner I knew that he was the better person! He didn’t think so, to him we were equal. I now understand why so many people who visit love Rocinha and its people.

Me and the very cute, very intelligent three year old Victor Hugo

I have many more stories to tell about our visit to Rocinha, if you are interested please ask me. I also don’t want to try and create a picture perfect image. There are problems with the favelas and they are far from perfect. The people are not happy with the conditions but they love the community all the same. There were boys with machine guns checking everybody that entered and exited the favela. The minibus we got in is funded by the drug lords. Inside the favela or in the districts close by the drug lords will not accept any violence, theft, abuse etc however there is no punishment for people who thieve from a district further away. But it is the community way and the attitude of the people that I am interested in and think that we can all learn from.

Suggestion for Self Hypnosis: NEWSLETTER ISSUE 3, ARTICLE 3

Suggestion for Self Hypnosis
Following on from last month’s article on self hypnosis, for those that have been practising here is a short guide to taking the self hypnosis work a step further. Continuing the self hypnosis as last month from steps one to five but this time imagine that you are walking down the steps into a large bath of water. See the water beginning at step five and as you continue slowly down the last five steps feel yourself stepping into the warm, pure water. See the water as cleansing and beautiful. Feel the water as it tickles your feet, ankles and eventually your calves.
Slowly lower yourself into the water. If you are confident in water see the water come up to your shoulders. You can stand but also float or swim if you wish. If you do not feel confident in water see the water the same depth as a bath. You can float nicely and feel calm and content.
You may have already decided what it is you want to work on. If you haven’t just allow your subconscious mind to go wherever it needs to go. See three boxes under the water. Depending on the depth of the water you can either swim to the boxes or gently reach down and collect them. Open the boxes slowly, one at a time. Narrate to yourself what is happening as you open the box.
Avoid using statements that are negative, make sure everything you say is positive. “As I open the box I feel a calming blue light engulfing me, this light is becoming a part of me enabling me to have a peaceful night’s sleep every night. Every morning I will wake feeling refreshed, happy and positive about my day”. “As I open the box a big invisible bubble surrounds me, this bubble is going to bring me confidence so that I can feel strong in any situation I want to”. “As I open the box a little yellow ball jumps out, this little yellow ball will flash before my eyes every time I go to eat something that is not good for my body, the more I see the yellow ball the quicker I am to reaching my target weight”. “As I open the box an image of me at my ideal weight, looking exactly the way I want to look pops out. I stare at the image; I watch that part of me, knowing that I can look the way I want to look. I step into the reflection of me and we become one. Every day in every way I am getting closer and closer to this reflection of myself”.
Repeat your statement to yourself as many times as you wish. Two to three times should be enough. If you are visualising something such as a reflection of yourself looking the way you want to look really look at what is around you. Study yourself. Are you smiling or frowning? Is the sun shining or is it raining? What can you smell? What can you taste? Are there any noises? What or who is in the background? Spend a few minutes really looking around at everything. Sometimes we only see what it is we are looking for, it is important to notice everything else also.
When you have finished opening your boxes and you are ready to continue your day bring yourself out of self hypnosis as instructed in last month’s newsletter.

Twitter and its place in 2010: NEWSLETTER ISSUE 3, ARTICLE 2

Twitter and its place in 2010
Ten years ago if I’d have said I was going out for the evening to meet people that I had “met” in a Yahoo chat room the majority of people would look at me as if I was absolutely mad. However today I can proudly say that on the 25 March I am going to a Twestival. I know that most reading this probably will be thinking right now,
ok she is a F R E A K
but let me explain further.
A Twestival (or Twitter Festival) is a global series of events organised by volunteers around the world under short timescales which bring people offline for a great cause. Twestival began in September 2008 when a group of London Twitter users hosted an event called Harvest Twestival to raise money and collect food for a local charity known as The Connection. The event was intended for 30 – 40 people but on the day there was a waiting list and 250 attendees. On 8 January 2009 the first Twestival Global tweet went out and a month later 202 cities around the world hosted events to raise money for charity water projects.
Twestival 2010 will be held on 25 March. This year all of the money raised will go to Concern Worldwide. So now it’s a little more interesting but still I hear you thinking
but it’s still an event at which you are going to meet a load of people from the internet and more to the point what are you doing on Twitter anyway?!
Over the past few months I have enjoyed using Twitter for business and social purposes. I have to be completely honest and say that I first found Twitter because of the race between Ashton Kutcher and CNN to get one million followers. I was nosy, so I signed up! I soon started to realise that there are a lot of entrepreneurs tweeting. Duncan Bannatyne is a big tweeter as are Peter Jones and James Caan. A lot of celebrities tweet, Jonathan Ross, Chris Evans, Matthew Horne, the list goes on. What I realised is that all of these people are simply promoting themselves. We watch these people as they answer questions on GMTV or The One Show and sometimes forget that they are not doing this for the benefit of the show or us. I knew if I wanted to move with the times I needed to start promoting myself on Twitter.
First step, get some local people following me. If I have local people following me; when they need a Hypnotherapist they will come and see me, if a friend mentions they want to lose weight or quit smoking they may say “I know a hypnotherapist who can help with that”. So this is what I did. As I started to get involved in the Twitter conversations between local people I was pleasantly surprised at what a huge networking tool Twitter is. I soon found out about a Surrey Tweet Up, which was conveniently held in my local Slug and Lettuce. Again I can see you all thinking...
The freak is back!
I wasn’t totally sure but the fact it was being held in a Slug and Lettuce seemed to make it that little bit less geeky! The event was hosted by a local PR Agency @thebluedoor , their bio: “thebluedoor is a specialist external communications agency, with a passion for PR done well. “ And sponsored by @ranjerj aka Julian Ranger, his bio reads “Career 2 as an Angel Investor and serial entrepreneur”. For them this was just another way to promote themselves. For me it meant a good night out, meeting new people, promoting myself and free drinks. Whoever thought that when I left the ‘great big City job’ I would still get free nights out?! There was a slight structure to the evening, Julian as a plus point of sponsoring the evening got to speak for a little while – his chosen topic was along the lines of social media and how our information is lost soon after we write it (along with a new Twitter app that he has invested in which will help with this problem), very apt! Then chat and get merry!
I met some great people at the Tweet Up, some who were also there to promote their businesses others who just use Twitter for fun but it really was an interesting and entertaining evening.
Now I am looking forward to another great evening at the Surrey Twestival. It is being held in Farnham Castle, sponsored by Mars Drinks (which means we certainly won’t be short of chocolate on the night) along with ibundle (Julian Ranger’s company, investing in ideas) and raffle.it – definitely worth a look at for those who like winning (http://raffle.it/). Of course the participant list is online so I have been able to see who is attending; there are some very interesting people who I look forward to meeting and telling all about my work and some others who I have already met that I know promote me to others. I will enjoy having a drink or three with those I already know and a sensible conversation with those I don’t. It’s going to be a good night for business and pleasure. They say the two don’t mix but according to the rules of Twitter Etiquette, on Twitter they have to as you sell your business and yourself with your interesting tweets (which cannot all be work related)!
It seems to me that social media is becoming more and more popular. There are many businesses using Twitter and more recently Facebook Fan Pages to promote their work. We all know that things change as time moves on and technology is certainly advancing faster than ever before. However ‘sad’ or ‘unchic’ it seems it’s only those moving with the times that are going to advance at the same pace. In the words of Mike Elgan:
“The fact is that Twitter can be a breaking news resource, a celebrity gossip site, a business workgroup communication tool, a personal diary, a way to track packages or thousands of other things. It's whatever you want it to be.”
If you are already on Twitter please follow me @jhhypnotherapy. If not some interesting people to follow are @dragonjones, @duncanbannatyne, @timlovejoy, @wossy, @achrisevans. Last but definitely not least – yes I have got some clients through Twitter!

The HypnoGastricBand: NEWSLETTER ISSUE 3, ARTICLE 1

The HypnoGastricBand
Sometimes when I am at networking events I mention my HypnoGastricBand process and people laugh. However the silence prevails as they realise the seriousness of the issue when I tell people that one of my most recent clients had actually been referred, by her doctor for a real Gastric Band. In England today about 46% of men and 32% of women are overweight whilst an additional 17% of men and 21% of women are obese. These statistics are increasing dramatically. The percentage of adults that are obese has roughly doubled since the mid 1980s. The Government have even gone so far as to encourage fish and chip shops to make fatter chips as they contain less calories and fat than the thinner version!
A Gastric Band operation is performed laparoscopically and can involve complications, as with all surgery. Between 5 – 10% of patients will require a second operation. The cost is astronomical – as much as £5000 at some clinics and it doesn’t always work! The purpose of the gastric band is to make one feel full more quickly. The stomach is restricted by the band so that less needs to be eaten to fill the stomach. Now please excuse me if I am wrong here but I do not think obese people are overweight because they are hungrier than anyone else. It’s because they think about food in the wrong way. Many of us do not stop eating when we are full, we continue because we are enjoying the food or to mask another feeling. We eat sweets, chocolate, crisps or biscuits as snacks. Again, not because we are hungry but because we are bored, fed up or something similar. So to simply create something that just makes a person feel full quicker than normal seems to be lacking somewhat. Please don’t get me wrong I am sure in a lot of cases it works wonders but what I mean is that these people need more than to just feel full. The whole relationship with food needs to be changed; they need to address the real feelings so that they can recognise when they are eating because they are hungry and when they are eating to mask a feeling. Once this has been recognised the feelings can be dealt with as they should and they can begin to eat for the right reasons.
Being overweight can affect us physically and psychologically. I always ask my weight loss clients “what is the biggest problem being overweight causes”. The answer is never anything to do with health but always something along the lines of not being able to go into a clothes shop and buy anything they want. This explains part of the problem with overeating. Many people that are overweight get so depressed with the way they look, they eat to make themselves feel better. This immediately creates that vicious circle that is so common with many problems.
My HypnoGastricBand process involves a lot of work to remove any psychological attachments to food. We also do a lot of work to help people to love themselves again. The HypnoGastricBand process is a five session program. The first two sessions involve regression work. This is where the qualified hypnotherapist uses a process known as Hypno Analysis to try and find the reasons for the overeating. It may be something as simple as when a child we were given food to stop us from crying. Immediately in this situation the brain begins to form a relationship between the feeling of resolve and food. As adults we will subconsciously head for the fridge when feeling sad/angry/lonely or whatever it was we were feeling all of those years ago when crying. Or it could be a lot more complex.
The third session in the process is the ‘consultation at the clinic’. In hypnosis the hypnotherapist will take you through this scene. Here your subconscious mind will begin to believe that you will be having the gastric band fitted on the agreed date. This is what would happen if you were really having a gastric band fitted so we make sure the process ties in nicely with this. At the fourth session the hypnotherapist will take the client, in hypnosis, through the ‘gastric band operation’. The hypnosis script was written exactly as a gastric band operation is performed. We have real theatre (surgical) noises playing in the background and the client is encouraged to really focus on the sights, sounds, smells etc that would really be there if the operation was happening for real. Parts of the script are personalised to the individual client but the operation specifics stay the same.
The final session is an open session. This is there for the client to use as they wish. If the eating has changed and they are doing really well they could have a session to ‘remove the gastric band’. If the client feels they need a top up we could have a session that involves ‘tightening the gastric band’. If neither of these is necessary then the client can just come for an hour of relaxation or to address any other issues that they may feel are preventing them from moving forward.
Each client gets a MP3 player with personalised weight loss suggestions on to listen to at home and also a session with a nutritionist is included in the price of the process. The reason for the MP3 player is because sometimes clients feel that they will benefit further by having a regular top up session. It’s much more economical to do this via a recording that they can listen to whenever it’s convenient than having to book another appointment with their hypnotherapist. The session with the nutritionist is very important. Although I can advise my clients on better eating habits I am not qualified to do so. I also know that every person is different and there is a diet that is suitable for some of us but not others. This is something the nutritionist can advise on.
The best thing about this process is that it really does work. The HypnoGastricBand was born when I wrote the script for a client almost a year ago. Since then my colleague Sue and I have developed that into the process I have just described. We now have twelve practitioners across the country using our program and seeing results just like we are. If you feel that you are over eating and your weight is becoming something that affects you health wise or maybe you just want to be able to go back into your favourite clothes shop and buy all of the clothes you love please see my HypnoGastricBand website for further information. If you know someone who may be affected in this way simply forward them this newsletter!

SELF HYPNOSIS: NEWSLETTER ISSUE 2, ARTICLE 3

Self hypnosis is something that is a really useful tool. I hope that my newsletters are starting to teach people why relaxation is so important. Just a short burst of self hypnosis can help you with many aspects of your life. Follow these simple instructions and start noticing the benefits today!

1. Take yourself somewhere quiet and comfortable. You could lie down on your bed, your sofa or if you fear you may fall asleep sit somewhere snug. Make sure you are not going to be disturbed, turn off your phone and ask others not to disturb you.
2. Close your eyes and try to rid your mind of any feelings of fear, anxiety or stress. If thoughts pop into your mind just allow them to stay for as long as they need then slowly let them disappear.
3. Begin to focus on your breathing making sure you are taking deep breaths in and then exhaling fully. You could try 7 – 11 breathing. Breathing in for a count of 7 and out for a count of 11. Begin to visualise breathing out tension and anxiety and breathing in calm and relaxation.
4. Start recognising the tension in your body. Start with either your head or toes. See the tension in the area. Allow it to float away with the next out breath. See the area calm, relaxed, lighter and lighter. If you are a visual person you may like to imagine a healing light around you that you suck into your body, see it swirling around calming each area it travels through but remember to see that tension leaving with every out breath. Move on to the next part of your body once the area you are focusing on has relaxed. From your head down or your toes up. With each breath feel yourself sinking deeper and deeper into the surface beneath you.
5. Once you have relaxed your entire body see yourself at the top of a 10 step staircase. Slowly walk down the stairs in your mind, relaxing more and more deeply as you step down each stair. Really see each step and feel more and more relaxed as you go further down. Counting down from 10 – 1 as you go.
6. Once you have reached the bottom allow the visualisation of the stairs to simply drift away. See yourself in your favourite place. This could be lying in the middle of a football pitch or relaxing on a beach. Just allow yourself to remain in that place for as long as feels comfortable.
7. When you are ready and you feel that it is the right time to continue the rest of your day simply get the image of the staircase back in your mind. Slowly and steadily walk back up the stairs in your mind, feeling more and more awake with each step that you take. Count up the stairs from 1 – 10. When you reach 8 say to yourself at the count of 10 you are going to open your eyes feeling fully refreshed and invigorated. On the count of 10 open your eyes. Take some time to appreciate the feeling, when you are ready get up and continue with your day.

For those that want to use this practise it regularly and next month I will add in some work that you can do for specific problems. It is important to practise though as self hypnosis is a learnt skill.

WHY HYPNOSIS IS ABOUT TAKING CONTROL NOT LOSING IT: NEWSLETTER ISSUE 2, ARTICLE 2

Why Hypnosis is about TAKING control, not losing it – using your own mind to control your own body.

Many people believe that when under hypnosis one loses control. The reason for this common view is simply a lack of knowledge and an abundance of stage hypnosis. Almost everyone has seen a stage hypnosis show on television or in a pub. These shows give the impression that the hypnotist has control of his subjects. Many news articles also give this point of view. This is however not correct. The subjects in a stage hypnosis show are in full control of their actions. There are various reasons why they do what they are asked but control is not one of them.

Hypnosis is in fact about taking back control. Many people see a hypnotherapist to learn how to take back control of their life. Other people are able to do this themselves and some do not even realise they have an opportunity to do so!

Weight loss is a massive issue in our country today. Almost everyone you speak to is trying to lose weight or at least ‘watching their weight’. Many of my clients are seeing me for weight loss; often they think that I am going to put a magic spell into their head that will make them suddenly slimmer. Unfortunately it is not quite as simple as that. My job is initially to help find the reasons for the over eating and then teach my client how to take back control of their body and mind. When we over eat it is due to a lack of control. For lots of people, no matter how much they know they should not eat whatever is in front of them they cannot stop themselves. Taking back that control of your mind and body means that you can stop yourself.

A study has been conducted to show that only 1 in 5 gym members use the gym at least twice a week, what is the reason many people cannot get the motivation to go to the gym? Again - a lack of control in their own mind and body. As you learn how to take back that control you can use the power of your mind to motivate yourself to exercise more often. More exercise and good healthy foods, less of the bad stuff or just less in general can only result in one thing... you goddit!

I also see a lot of people experiencing panic attacks. Panic attacks are not a result of an actual fear but a fear of the fear itself, the physical manifestations of high anxiety. It may begin with you going into a shopping centre and getting lost. You panic and feel terrified. The next time you go to the shopping centre as soon as you walk in you have a panic attack. The memories of the last time you were in this place cause your subconscious mind to feel panic and your heart starts to beat fast, you sweat, shake etc. A week later you need to go to the shopping centre again. In the days running up to this you begin to worry that you will have a panic attack again. This worry starts the heart racing and before you know it you’re having another panic attack. The thought of getting lost is gone. The fear is now all about the panic attacks. You begin to become someone that “suffers from panic attacks”, every time you have to go out you start to worry that you will have a panic attack. Although this can be quite a long process, before long you stop going out unless you have to, simply because you are afraid that if you do you will have a panic attack. Another perfect example of a lack of control.

If I had a client experiencing this I would initially take them back to the first panic attack and try to find out the reason that they panicked so extremely in the first place. I would help them to realise that there was no need for the panic. They were in a safe place, there would have been many information points in the area to ask for guidance and they had their mobile phone with them so they could have called a friend to ask if they know where the exit is. It could have been that the reason for the panic is a childhood experience, I will explain later, but I use hypnosis to find the reason. Once understood and reframed the brain no longer looks to the previous experience to know how to react. I then teach the client tools to take back the control, they can learn how to slow their heart beat down, they can learn how to stop shaking and sweating they just need to learn how to use their own mind to control their own body.

Does that mean that hypnotherapy is only about learning how to take control?
No it is much more in depth than that. As I explained in my January newsletter (please see my blog if you did not receive this) in hypnosis we can clear the subconscious mind of any emotions that may be affecting our day to day behaviour. Ordinarily to try and change something about ourselves we must use will power, to quit smoking for example or to keep up an exercise program. Will power is a product of the conscious mind. Although the conscious mind likes to think that it is in control it is really our subconscious mind with all of its past experiences that is controlling our behaviour. Every thought we have has an impact on us, negative or positive. No matter how much conscious effort we put into changing our habits the subconscious mind floods the body with messages that have been ingrained for years. So, in a normal hypnotherapy session I would use a technique known as hypno-analysis to reach the reasons that cause us to do the opposite from what we really want to do whilst at the same time teach you a large variety of techniques to help you deal with the problem symptom until it disappears forever.

I recently had a client, for the purposes of this we will call her Jenny. Jenny had recently started having panic attacks at 50 years of age. Jenny had always suffered from claustrophobia and although the panic attacks were not happening in claustrophobic situations they were giving the same feeling. Using hypno-analysis we went through a series of childhood memories in which Jenny felt that same feeling. It was always in the dark but not necessarily in confined spaces. The recent panic attacks were always happening at night, in the dark. Finally Jenny came to a memory of being 2/3 years old and playing in the garden shed. She then remembered getting stuck under a table, it was dark and confined. I asked Jenny if she felt the same feeling then but she said no. What she did feel however was extreme fear that she would be told off for playing in the shed. In the memory she could hear her parents calling her but was too terrified to emerge. Of course when she was found they were just happy, they had also been terrified that she had fallen in the pond. From that day on Jenny’s brain linked dark confined spaces with sheer terror and panic. Whenever she was in a place that resembled the space under the table she would feel afraid. Unfortunately this then grew into the panic attacks that she had started experiencing. Understanding why she was feeling like this and reframing it has allowed Jenny to take control of the panic attacks and no longer experience them.
Although I haven’t specified here why someone is not out of control when in hypnosis, it is interesting to note that medical professionals have determined that when a person is in a state of hypnosis they actually have more control over their mind and body that when not in hypnosis.

If you’re expecting black capes and fancy magician words that will make you do things against your will, you’ll be sadly disappointed. Hypnosis is a legitimate practice that is recognised by medical forums everywhere, and is a safe and healthy alternative treatment. Start asking around, I bet you know someone that has experienced hypnotherapy and will tell you how they now know how to use their own mind to control their own body.

One good way to begin to take control of your mind and body is to start saying I feel instead of I am. I feel stressed; I feel tired; I feel sad. YOU are not stressed; YOU are not tired; YOU are not sad. These things are just feelings that you may be experiencing. As soon as we let these things take over us we begin to lose control of ourselves.

HOW STRESS AFFECTS US: NEWSLETTER ISSUE 2, ARTICLE 1

How stress affects us

Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger – whether it’s real or imagined – the body's defences kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” response.

The fight-or-flight response was first described by Walter Cannon in 1929 so this goes back a long way. Doctors now call the body’s reaction to stress the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). There are three stages to the GAS, Cannon’s theory describes the first stage. He stated that animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, priming the animal for fighting or fleeing.

Normally, when a person is in a serene, unstimulated state, the "firing" of neurons in the locus coeruleus, a nucleus in the brain stem involved with physiological responses to stress and panic is minimal.

When we sense danger or we sense an environmental stressor, now it’s important to note here this could include just a perception of danger, we relay the information from the sensory cortex of the brain through the hypothalamus to the brainstem.
Now the brain stem is very important as, though small it is through the brain stem that the nerve connections of the motor and sensory systems from the main part of the brain pass through to the rest of the body. So at this point the muscles tense, the heart beats faster, the breathing and perspiration increases, the eyes dilate and the stomach may clench. All of these things are actually done to keep us safe from the danger we sense, however this is just the beginning, just a very small amount of stress can affect the body quite dramatically.

Now the previous signalling process immediately increases the rate of noradrenergic activity in the locus coeruleus, and we become alert and attentive to the environment. We begin to produce epinephrine (adrenaline). Along with epinephrine, nor epinephrine also underlies the fight-or-flight response. As a stress hormone nor epinephrine affects parts of the brain where attention and responding actions are controlled, directly increasing heart rate, triggering the release of glucose from energy stores, and increasing blood flow to skeletal muscle.

The stress response is the body’s way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. Now for a moment imagine you are an antelope in the South African wilderness. Suddenly you look up and sense the presence of a huge lion. Now this antelope doesn’t think like you and I. He doesn’t say “hmm I sense a Lion I must get out my gun and shoot him dead”. No what happens is the fight or flight response kicks in. All of the actions I have described start to happen and the antelope does whatever he has to do to save himself. All of the things previously described would help this antelope.

As a human, in emergency situations, stress can save your life – giving you extra strength to defend yourself, for example, or spurring you to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident.

The stress response also helps you rise to meet challenges. Stress is what keeps you on your toes during a presentation at work, sharpens your concentration when you’re attempting the game-winning kick, or drives you to study for an exam when you'd rather be watching TV.

However as intelligent human beings we sometimes become stressed over things that we do not need to. Beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to our health, our mood, our productivity, relationships, and our quality of life.

Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, speed up the aging process and of course contribute to infertility. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

The body doesn’t distinguish between physical and psychological threats. When you’re stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency stress response may be “on” most of the time. The more your body’s stress system is activated, the easier it is to trip and the harder it is to shut off.

With the release of “emergency” hormones throughout the body, the body is on alarm, and energy is directed toward the areas needed for actual “fight” or “flight” such as the arms and legs, and away from areas the brain considers less important. Once a chronic imbalance of the autonomic nervous system is created, only the regular and consistent practice of relaxation will facilitate the restoration of the parasympathetic nervous system.

Hypnotherapy provides an effective means of establishing that restoration.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS: NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1 ARTICLE 3

Is a New Year’s Resolution “Something that goes in one year and out the other.” Oscar Wilde

The idea of New Year Resolutions goes all the way back to 153BC when Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar. Janus had two faces, one that could look back on the past year and the other that looked forward towards the New Year.

It was believed that Janus could forgive transgressions so many Romans would give gifts and make promises at the beginning of the new calendar year. Their belief was that Janus would see this and then bless their life for the entire year. Between 153BC and 46BD the official date of the New Year switched between January and March many times. In 46BC Julius Caesar changed the calendar for the final time to align it with the seasons. He made 1st January the official New Year Day. A legend began that on the last day of December at midnight Janus could see the past year and the coming year at the same time. Romans began making promises to Janus on the last day of December in the hopes that he would see their sincerity and help them attain their goals.

After the Roman Empire dissolved middle age Christians tried to remove the Roman traditions and make 25th December the beginning of the New Year however in the sixteenth century Pope Gregory XIII revised the calendar bringing the New Year back to 1st January and with it all previous traditions of New Year Resolutions but without Janus.

Statistics show that nearly 97% of resolutions are not kept. Why?

Learn how to keep your resolutions
Some of us make resolutions that are just not possible. It is always important to make sure that any resolutions made are attainable. Decide that you will join a gym and go once a week. As the habit of going once a week kicks in you can step up the pace and begin going twice a week. Eventually you may be able to increase this to three times a week maybe four. It is not easy to begin a new routine therefore trying to add something in to your day every day will be difficult and hard to stick at. Once a week is much easier.

Get help with sticking to your resolution. Becoming a non smoker involves a lot of willpower. Have some hypnotherapy to remove the need for willpower. Losing weight is not always easy if you have some psychological blockers. Have a few hypnotherapy sessions can remove the emotional attachment with food allowing you to eat a healthy diet naturally. Take this action as soon as you decide on the resolution. Putting things off could result in them not happening.

Be specific about your goals. HOW MUCH weight do you want to lose? HOW MANY new leads do you want to get at work? WHEN will you achieve this? HOW will you achieve this? You must have a written plan to achieve these goals.

Within your written plan set yourself targets and reward yourself when you have reached them. For example:

Goal: Lose three stone this year
Target: Lose five pounds by the end of January
Reward: A massage

OR
Goal: Save £5000 this year
Target: Save £1000 by the end of March
Reward: £50 to spend on a new item of clothing

You can also reward yourself by finding a positive substitute for the old habit, for example if you are now a non smoker substitute cigarettes for a healthy snack that you really like. If you ever have a craving for a cigarette, eat your healthy snack instead. This helps you to take your mind off the old habit and rewards you for not reverting back.

HYPNOSIS & HOW IT IS USED AS A THERAPY: NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1 ARTICLE 2

Hypnosis and how it is used as a Therapy

Everyone enters a hypnotic state unknowingly every day.
Before you fall asleep and as you wake up you enter the hypnogogic and hypnopogic states.

However many people enter the deep state of relaxation that is hypnosis in many other situations. Whilst driving – how often do you arrive somewhere and wonder how you got there? Whilst at work – ever catch yourself staring into space for seconds but on looking at the clock realise it was minutes? Watching TV – ever had a partner/friend tap you as they had been talking to you but you could not hear? This deep state of relaxation is hypnosis. We can however also explore this by looking at the different brain waves.

Brain waves are categorised into four categories Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta.

Beta 14-30Hz; this is the state of normal wakefulness and how we spend much of the day. One is awake and alert.

Alpha 8-13Hz; this is how we are when we are relaxed, eyes closed and daydreaming for example. These are the brain waves that come into use when we are really using our imagination. The conscious mind becomes less dominant and the subconscious comes more to the fore. These are the brain waves we get when zoning out and using meditation. When the alpha brain waves are in force we are in a light state of hypnosis.

Theta 4-7Hz; the theta state can be achieved by repetitive movement or sound. In this state the subconscious mind is totally dominant. When you are dreaming, in deeper hypnosis, meditating, or in the zone in sports, you are in theta. The theta state is what you will be in if in deep hypnosis, for some hypnoanaesthesia can be achieved. Hypnoanaesthesia occurs when clients are so deeply relaxed that surgeries can occur with sensation but without pain. Although theta occurs during drowsy, meditative or sleeping states it does not occur during the deepest stages of sleep.

Delta 0.5 – 4Hz; Delta is the unconscious state. It is where we are during the
deepest stages of sleep and the state at which we will not remember what is happening. The delta state could be a reason why many people forget what has happened during their hypnosis sessions. It is however not a state that any hypnotist wants their subject to go into because it goes against the definition of hypnosis, which is (defined briefly) a heighted state of concentration achieved through deep relaxation.

These definitions explain exactly how hypnosis works. When in the alpha or theta state the subconscious comes to the fore. It is the subconscious that a hypnotherapist works with. We can use this state to access repressed memories and emotions that may be attached to the problem in some way. Remembering the memory can allow the client to release any emotion that was not let out at the time or simply understand the memory from an adult view point opposed to the child’s. This is important because our brain reacts to certain situations by remembering the way we behaved the last time a similar situation occurred. This is fine if the previous reaction was positive but if it restricts us or negatively affects us in some way it is not good. For example if one learnt as a child to eat sweets when feeling bored this will continue into adulthood. Using hypnosis we can change that reaction to certain situations.

EXERCISE & MOTIVATION: NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1 ARTICLE 1

Exercise and Motivation

I usually go for a 30 minute run every morning. I do not particularly enjoy it but I am starting to realise why I do it. As the snow started I came down with a cough. Needing to use my voice in peace and quiet for my work I have not been running to try and lose the cough as quickly as possible. This ties in nicely with the vast amounts of snow outside!

I have noticed however that since not running I have felt tired and unmotivated. I often set my clients that suffer with stress and depression a weekly routine that involves lots of walking. I do this because I know how exercise can help lift the mood and increase motivation but why is this?

For a start exercise gets you up and out of the house. Personally I usually get up at 7.30am so that I can go for my run, get home showered and have breakfast in time to be sitting at my desk for 9am. With no run I do not need to get out of bed until, well it appears 8.45am. Although my alarm has been set for 8am the lack of exercise is making me tired and I am struggling to get up. With a run part of my day I get up at 7.30am without fail.

During my run I get to see the world. I run to the top of a hill so when running back down I have a nice view of the North Downs in front of me. Sometimes there is a beautiful blue sky other times it is raining but even the rain does not put me down as I know I will be jumping straight into the shower when I get home. Running in the rain can actually be quite liberating. If you are not one for the weather though going to the gym can allow you to have time to just be with yourself.

Exercise causes the brain to release serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and endorphins. Serotonin acts as a neurotransmitter, a type of chemical that helps relay signals from one area of the brain to another. Because of the widespread distribution of its cells, it is believed to influence a variety of psychological and other body functions. Of the approximately 40 million brain cells, most are influenced either directly or indirectly by serotonin. This includes brain cells related to mood, sexual desire and function, appetite, sleep, memory and learning, temperature regulation, and some social behaviour.

Dopamine is another neurotransmitter and is essential to the normal running of the central nervous system. Tests have been done to show that when we consider alternative options whilst making real-life decisions, dopamine has a role in signalling the expected pleasure from those possible future events. We then use that signal to make our choices. Dopamine therefore plays an important role in our decision making but also our expected pleasure. When dopamine is released, it provides feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement, and motivates us to do or continue doing certain activities.

Norepinephrine is both a hormone and neurotransmitter. As a hormone it works alongside adrenaline to give the body sudden energy in times of stress. As a neurotransmitter it passes nerve impulses from one neuron to the next. Norepinephrine can increase alertness, increase reaction times, increase concentration and decrease drowsiness.

Endorphins are the body’s natural pain killers that also produce a positive mood state and reduce stress. When a nerve impulse reaches the spinal cord, endorphins are released which prevent nerve cells from releasing more pain signals. Immediately after injury, endorphins allow humans to feel a sense of power and control over themselves that allows them to persist with activity for an extended time. It is the effect of endorphin production that is known as the ‘runner’s high’.

It is easy to see that during exercise when these chemicals are produced our mood is lifted and we become motivated. The lack of norepinephrine in the body could contribute to the tiredness one experiences when having a break from a usually steady exercise regime. It is really important to make exercise a big part of our lives for more than just weight loss.

Trainee Hypnotist Stuck in Trance?

So the latest article about hypnosis appeared in this morning’s newspapers. Trainee hypnotist puts himself in trance using mirror. Is this possible?

As explained by hypnotists everywhere all hypnosis is self hypnosis. The hypnotist is there simply to guide the client into hypnosis, in doing so teaching them a powerful tool that they can then use for themselves. Reputable hypnotherapists train for a long time to learn how to help clients, to guide them in the right direction in relation to their ailment, to help a client who abreacts (the reliving of an experience in order to purge it of its emotional excesses) and many more tools related directly to therapy. The simple act of putting someone into hypnosis is actually not the most important part of the course and once learnt straightforward and natural. Why then if hypnosis is self hypnosis would someone be able to put themselves into hypnosis but not get themselves out?

There could be many reasons why Helmut Kichmeier’s wife could not get him out of the hypnotic state he was in. Beginning with some similar theories to why a stage hypnotist’s subjects do as they are ordered.

Susceptibility; many people are hugely suggestible. They want to be, there is a lot of peer pressure or subconsciously they go along with what they are being told to do without consciously thinking about it at all (well this is hypnosis you may say!) Kichmeier is a trainee hypnotist who wanted to put himself into trance and therefore did so. There is nothing in the article about how long he wanted to stay in this trance or whether he was happy when brought out of it. The relaxed state that is hypnosis is actually a very beautiful state of mind to be in. When I bring many of my clients out of hypnosis the first words I hear are “ohhh that was nice”. If this was the way Kichmeier was feeling why would he want to come out of it? It is important here to note that during my hypnosis training I was taught what to do if someone chooses not to come out of hypnosis. The method was to try using the normal count up once more, or maybe twice more. If this does not work we must be very stern with the client and tell them that if they do not come out of hypnosis on the count of five I will not guide them back into that state ever again. Although I have never had to do this the reason behind the method is that people may choose to stay in the hypnotic state because it is such a nice place to be. If there is the possibility that they will not go there again they will come out.

Attention; it is a shared opinion that many subjects of a stage hypnosis show do what they are ordered because a; they would behave like that anyway in front of friends or b; they would like to have the confidence to behave like that in everyday life but do not. Under the guise of hypnosis they gain this confidence. Now Helmut Kichmeier is a sword swallower who goes under the name of Hannibal Helmurto. His job is to perform on stage in front of a lot of people. He likes to perform, this was simply another performance and without saying any more I will say he now has his name, his stage name and minor details of the tour he is preparing for in many English newspapers and all over the internet. Not too dissimilar to the work of Colorado based Richard Heene recently!

Now it could also be that Kichmeier simply fell asleep. I have known clients to fall asleep during my session. I simply start speaking a bit louder, maybe say their name or ask a question and they soon come back up a little into hypnosis. Now it is unlikely Kichmeier was asleep as we know from the article that his wife tried to ‘wake’ him when she found him. We do not know how she tried to wake him or whether she just panicked after asking him one question and immediately phoned his hypnosis mentor, Dr Roberts. We also do not know what Dr Roberts said to Kichmeier on the telephone that afternoon.

There was a program on Channel 4 last year titled Britain’s Youngest Sleepwalker. The documentary told the story of Jess a four year old who would fall asleep at bedtime but then awaken in a trance like state around midnight every night. She had been doing this for over three years. When she woke she would play for the rest of the night with imaginary friends. Jess’ parents worried she would hurt herself took her into their bed and for those three years she kept them awake most nights, they would often try and talk to her during these awake hours but she was unresponsive – much like Kichmeier was when his wife found him. Her eyes were open, she was animated and even spoke with her imaginary friends but was in her own world.

After numerous tests doctors found out that Jess was in an awake state during these episodes but has alpha brain waves during them. Brain waves are categorised into four categories Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta.

Beta 14-30Hz; this is the state of normal wakefulness and how we spend much of the day. One is awake and alert.

Alpha 8-13Hz; this is how we are when we are relaxed, eyes closed and daydreaming for example. These are the brain waves that come into use when we are really using our imagination. The conscious mind becomes less dominant and the subconscious comes more to the fore. These are the brain waves that become apparent when in a light state of hypnosis. These are the brain waves we get when zoning out and using meditation. When the alpha brain waves are in force we are in a light state of hypnosis.

Theta 4-7Hz; the theta state can be achieved by repetitive movement or sound. In this state the subconscious mind is totally dominant. When you are dreaming, in deeper hypnosis, meditating, or in the zone in sports, you are in theta. The theta state is what you will be in if in deep hypnosis, for some hypnoanaesthesia can be achieved. Hypnoanaesthesia occurs when clients are so deeply relaxed that surgeries can occur with sensation but without pain. Although theta occurs during drowsy, meditative or sleeping states it does not occur during the deepest stages of sleep.

Delta 0.5 – 4Hz; Delta is the unconscious state. It is where we are during the deepest stages of sleep and the state at which we will not remember what is happening. The delta state could be a reason why many people forget what has happened during their hypnosis sessions. It is however not a state that any hypnotist wants their subject to go into because it goes against the definition of hypnosis, which is (defined briefly) a heightened state of concentration achieved through deep relaxation.

On finding out these results Jess’ parents were advised to put Jess into her own bed at night. As she was in an awake state she knew what she was doing and there was no more chance of her hurting herself than at any other time. After three nights of sleeping in her own bed Jess stopped waking up during the night to play. Due to Jess’ age no one really knows why she was waking in the night to play maybe it was because she subconsciously knew that if she did this she got to spend the night in her parent’s bed. Maybe it was because she enjoyed the dreamy feeling so much or maybe it had just become habit.

There are many similarities between the state Jess was in during her alpha hours to the state Kichmeier was in when found by his wife. Both had their eyes open, both were unresponsive yet both came out of the state at some point. The stark difference was that Jess came out of the state naturally but Kichmeier was brought out by his hypnosis mentor. This could lead us to the conclusion that Kichmeier put himself into a very nice state of hypnosis; he was relaxed and felt good. He may have fallen into the delta state but I believe he was probably in the theta state and feeling quite nice. When he chose to he would have brought himself back to the beta stage but with Dr. Roberts on the other end of the phone he was pressured into doing so sooner, if not goodness knows who his wife would have called next!