Recent Posts

Hypnosis research covers a vast number of topics from treating medical conditions such as asthma and irritable bowel syndrome to researching pain control from headaches and surgery. Research on hypnotherapy has also included brain images to discover what areas of the brain are affected by hypnosis and how they are affected. Research has also been conducted to see if there are cost benefits of using hypnosis compared to sedation and analgesia. Researchers have found major differences between the cost of sedation and the cost of hypnosis. It was estimated that in 2009, Americans will spend $2.5 trillion on health care (NCHC).....

http://www.naturalnews.com/027056_hypnosis_sedation_hypnotherapy.html

(NaturalNews) Hypnosis therapy can significantly increase the quality of life for dementia patients by slowing the decline of their cognitive, physical and social abilities, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Liverpool...


http://www.naturalnews.com/025406.html

http://www.trainingpressreleases.com/newsstory.asp?NewsID=4164

Marie Claire

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/celebrity/297047/revealed-lily-allen-s-new-diet-secrets.html

Hello Magazine

http://www.hellomagazine.com/music/2009/01/07/lily-drop-dress-size/

The Surrey Institute worked with a Sun employee to help her stop smoking. See
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/health/health/article2083588.ece

Tumbling stocks and shares, crashing house prices, previously unassailable institutions crumbling into dust and unprecedented turmoil.  These are just a few of the media superlatives filling acres of newsprint at time of writing. What a grim picture is being painted for 2009.

As we enter the dark cold months of the New Year filled with anxiety and trepidation is there any hope to cling to?  Not if the doom-mongering British press has its way. 

Newspaper journalists with a knack for exaggeration can forge successful careers out of their ability to turn a drama into a crisis with nary a thought for the impact on the national psyche.  And there is a national predisposition for pessimism which means collectively we rarely, if ever, ‘look on the bright side’ except in times of dire threat to our lifestyles and wellbeing.  The ‘wartime spirit’ is only seen or talked about in relation to times of extreme danger or deprivation.  Goodness knows what happens to it in periods of peace and prosperity.

So is the media merely responding to our gloomy outlook or are they actually creating it?  It’s possible we might change our perspective if the story was told in a different way.  Try this for size: ‘Decisive politicians save nation’s vital banking institutions’.  Or how about: ‘First rung of housing ladder finally in reach of young buyers’.  Here’s another one to ponder: ‘Entrepreneurial new businesses thrive as jobless create their own jobs’.

A fundamental principle of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is that how we talk affects how we think and feel which, in turn, changes outcomes.  There is plenty of evidence to support this view socially, politically and economically as well as in terms of individual interaction.  ‘Golden ages’ and ‘political greats’ are rarely recognised at the time and are often only acknowledged in sentimental retrospectives.  Our ability to appreciate the good times is undermined by measuring good fortune against greater fortune only to find ourselves lacking.  And the derision which politicians are treated with must be a significant discouragement to the most gifted, leaving governance of the nation to those with thick skin but less talent.

On a personal level, more and more people are leading lonely, solitary lives, locked in depressing isolation by their own limiting beliefs, verbalised internally with viciously destructive self-talk.  The celebrity culture puts tremendous pressure on the vulnerable and insecure to meet impossibly unrealistic criteria in every aspect.  Meanwhile, others race round a relentless hamster wheel of competitive acquisition, seeking validation in a new kitchen or pair of designer shoes.

Much of this hectic shopping for meaningful lives is down to the fabulous skill of advertisers.  They not only create brands and define aspirations but generate belief in what is worthy through the simple power of words and imagery.  This is an insidious, contemporary mass-hypnosis as powerful and skilled as any religious creed in dictating desires, beliefs and acceptable behaviour.  It is confirmation that NLP works on many levels, creeping unrecognised through mainstream culture.

Understandably, the power to manipulate the chatter which defines our opinions and choices is regarded with suspicion and sometimes fear.  It presents the potential to exploit the vulnerable and impressionable.  But it can also empower both individuals and society with motivation, vision, creativity and drive.

So let’s for a moment, as we venture into 2009, use the cynical process of spin but direct it away from commercial gain towards a fresh new concept of progress.  For example, a good start would be for children to be nurtured and educated by parents and teachers aware of and responding to the cognitive differences between individuals.  This is about using language to inform, support and guide according to a fairly basic sensory range of differing needs which can have a significant impact on learning ability.

Amateur parenting and one-size-fits-all teaching are symptoms of a fragmented social infrastructure where creativity is stifled and knowledge is no longer automatically passed between generations or community networks.

Then, take the economy and consider the potential benefits of a recession in clearing out all that is no longer functioning effectively.  There were some gross imbalances which now stand some chance of redress.  What we earn, how we spend it and who we give power to will all shift in the cataclysmic clear-out.  Just like the Fire of London in 1666 cauterised the suppurating remains of the Great Plague in the disease ridden city streets, the financial calamity will pave the way for innovation and development. 

On an individual level, that presents many opportunities to discover and tap into new skills.  Institutions will have to be more open and responsive to gain respect and keep in business.  And a better informed and more demanding public will no longer bankroll incompetence.  The ‘unwaged’ may well find their benefits entitlement curtailed and public servants are very likely in for a savage cull as superfluous town hall jobs disappear from The Guardian recruitment pages.  So, theoretically, it’s wake-up time for the unproductive in our society.  They’ll benefit from gaining some NLP skills to convert inertia and entitlement into dynamism and motivation. 

Another quiet revolution in the offing concerns the atrocious neglect of the infirm amongst the ageing population.  It’s true, some of the ‘grey market’ are having a ball and are perhaps the only generation in history to have seen a continuous improvement in their lifestyle.  But others are not.  So watch out, the Baby Boomers are coming and they are the best educated, most dominant and influential generation ever to approach retirement age. They will not tolerate an undignified demise in a wee-stinking armchair in the corner of the TV lounge at the ‘Bide a While’ rest home.  This lot invented NLP and all its derivations and they will wield their powers to awesome effect.

The ‘yoof of today’ had better make the most of their temporary fecklessness and they are destined to be one of the hardest working generations in history.  The responsibility is theirs to support a massive population of dependents.  In short, resourcefulness is a necessity not an option so the language of NLP is going to be a key factor in shaping their destiny for an awesome life where failure is not an option.  They need all our encouragement and positive support to talk them into being fighting fit for the challenges ahead. 

2009 looks set to be a pivotal year of enlightenment and rejuvenation on global, national and individual levels.  It’s a year when so much of our wellbeing and stability depends on the brightest and best having the right resources to achieve transformation.  In the meantime, all the rest of us had better figure out how to be the best we can possibly be to ensure we are ready and able to approach the challenges ahead positively and successfully.

www.hypnotherapykent.co.uk

For anybody that does not have the condition Psoriasis it would seem ludicrous to suggest that they deserve to suffer from this condition. However, during the study I conducted on the effects of Hypnotherapy upon Psoriasis, this is one of the core beliefs that I discovered a Psoriasis sufferer has.

What is Psoriasis? Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition. There are nine types, each with unique signs and symptoms. Plaque Psoriasis is the most common type of Psoriasis and the only one so far that I have been able to affect. About 80% of people who develop psoriasis have plaque psoriasis, which looks like patches of raised, reddish skin covered by opaque scales. These patches, or plaques, often form on the elbows, knees, scalp and lower back. However, the plaques can occur anywhere on the body. 

Researchers believe that psoriasis is an immune-mediated condition. This means the condition is caused by faulty signals in the body’s immune system. It is believed that psoriasis develops when the immune system tells the body to over-react and accelerate the growth of skin cells. Normally skin cells mature and are shed from the skin’s surface every 28 to 30 days. When psoriasis develops, the skin cells mature in 3 to 6 days and move to the skin surface. Instead of being shed, the skin cells pile up, causing the visible lesions. It is my belief that by using Hypnotherapy what the client is able to do is to correct those faulty signals. There is good evidence to show that Hypnotherapy can have a significant effect on Psoriasis.

Psoriasis usually causes discomfort. The skin often itches, and it may crack and bleed. In severe cases, the itching and discomfort may keep a person awake at night, and the pain can make everyday tasks difficult.

In my previous article “Psoriasis an angry man’s game” I described the study, the results and another trait common to a Psoriasis client, anger. However in this article I want to discuss a common belief amongst Psoriasis clients and that is that “I’m not good enough”.  This is a common belief that virtually all Psoriasis clients, which I have worked with over the years, have. They believe, deep down at a sub-conscious level, for one reason or another, that they have done something wrong. This develops into a belief that “I’m not good enough”, which is eventually translated into the belief that they deserve the condition.  To an outsider looking in this would appear to be bizarre. However, consider the small child, say a five year old girl, whose parents split up and her daddy is suddenly taken away. What does that child think? It’s a fair bet that she will be very upset and in trying to understand what has happened to her world, (given her limited understanding of the world and its complexities), she may feel that SHE has done something wrong, which is why daddy left. In turn, this leads to feelings of guilt and low self-worth.  Hence, the “I’m not good enough” syndrome is born.

 Psoriasis will often develop after an event like this.  Of course it then follows on quite naturally for the child to link the two together to come to an even bigger fictitious belief that because she wasn’t ‘good enough’ God, Father Christmas or whoever, gave her this horrible scaly, itchy skin. Now, most adults would of course dismiss this belief structure. However we are talking about a small child with very limited processing capability; to her it’s a straightforward cause and effect, “I deserve it and here it is!”

Okay, so now this child has the belief, what happens as she grows?  Does her self-worth improve?  It’s very unlikely!  What would you expect to happen when she’s at school doing PE with scales on her elbows or in her hair? Do you imagine the other children will understand and give her positive encouragement? Of course not!  Names like scabby and snakeskin make her feel more ashamed and teach her to hide it away, dropping her self worth even lower. This will continue for the rest of her life unless someone steps in and tells her subconscious mind to “STOP” these destructive thought processes, and starts the reversal of the cycle so that the healing may begin.

Many people are unaware of the automatic functions of the subconscious mind. This simply means that if a process is repeated often enough, almost irrespective of the outcome, this ‘thinking’ develops into an automatic process. This is because the subconscious mind does not have a critical factor, which means that it does not interrogate behaviour or thinking to establish whether or not it is beneficial to the client.

Hypnotherapy is really the most direct and influential way of changing subconscious thinking; within therapy patterns thinking and behaviour can be improved to facilitate beneficial resolutions. Often this process is both surprising to, and effortless for, the client.

A belief in the benefits of Hypnotherapy is not necessary in order to change behaviour.  Many clients that I have dealt with have either been unable to understand the link between the way we think and the way our body responds, or tend to think of ‘hypnosis’ as being something they have seen on television, which has no relevance to them. Hypnotherapy works independently and separately from a client’s critical intellectual assessment, which often comes as a ‘big surprise’.

Paul Howard has been specialising in Psoriasis for nearly ten years. He has trained many hypnotherapists around the country to treat Psoriasis effectively. He works at The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy in Wallington, Surrey, UK. He can be contacted via the website at www.sich.co.uk He is the Marketing director for The National Council for Hypnotherapy - the premiere governing body for hypnotherapists in the UK.

Monday, September 15, 2008 by: Steve G. Jones, M.Ed


An ulcer is a wound that develops inside the body where acid and digestive juices eat away at the mucous lining. Duodenal ulcers are ulcers in the duodenum which is the upper part of the small intestine that connects to the stomach. Symptoms of a duodenal ulcer include heartburn, burning in the throat, and abdominal pain. These symptoms are most likely to occur a few hours after eating and are more likely to occur when acidic foods are ingested.

Treatment of duodenal ulcers is highly effective with the use of drugs such as ranitidine, H2 receptor antagonists, and tripotassium dicitratobismuthate. However studies have shown that anywhere from 60% to 90% of people who suffer from duodenal ulcers relapse within one year of treatment.

In an article published in the U.K. medical journal, The Lancet, a study was performed to test whether hypnotherapy would play a role in preventing relapses in people who suffered from duodenal ulcers. The study consisted of 30 people of which 14 were female, 16 were men, and the average age was 40. All participants had been diagnosed with the disease through an endoscopy. They also experienced relapses with the most recent relapse being within the past six months.

Treatment for the thirty participants included taking the drug ranitidine. The ulcer was given time to heal and was shown to have healed through an endoscopy. All participants continued to take the drug for ten more weeks. The patients were divided into two groups. One group received seven hypnosis sessions and was given a recording of the sessions to listen to on their own. The other group did not receive hypnosis during their sessions. The participants were taken off the medication and follow-up reviews (with hypnotherapy sessions for the hypnosis group) were performed every three months for the next year.

The hypnosis sessions consisted of an induction to promote relaxation. The participants in the hypnosis group were told to focus their attention and relaxation on their abdomen. They were told to imagine feeling a sense of warmth over their abdomen and the warmth was to control the secretion of stomach acid. They were asked to visualize this process.

All participants were reviewed after one year. The relapse rate in the hypnosis group was 53% compared to 100% in the control group. Statistically this comparison was significant. The study showed that hypnosis can help those who have frequent duodenal ulcers. Hypnosis was shown to be a successful form of treatment along side of medication.

Source:

The Lancet. June 11, 1988. 1299-1300.

Steve G. Jones, M.Ed. has been practicing hypnotherapy since the 1980s. He is the author of 22 books on Hypnotherapy. Steve is a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, American Board of Hypnotherapy, president of the American Alliance of Hypnotists, on the board of directors of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Lung Association, and director of the Steve G. Jones School of Clinical Hypnotherapy.
Steve G. Jones, M.Ed. is a board certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Florida (1994), a master's degree in education from Armstrong Atlantic State University (2007), and is currently working on a doctorate in education, Ed.D., at Georgia Southern University. Learn more at:
http://www.betterlivingwithhypnosis.com/

Introduction

Simon came to see me with a presenting issue of anxiety and panic attacks. He said he was unable to eat in front of anybody but his family. He was unable to go out with his mates anymore, even to the pub for a drink. The anxiety increased ten fold if any women were in the group. He had been unable to have a relationship with women for the past 5 years. He noticed anxiety in situations with women from around the age of 11. He also had to start presenting a course in the near future, as part of his job, and it was this that had filled him with dread and prompted him to seek help.

Background

Simon was a 23-year old man who, although a little withdrawn, seemed very friendly and likeable. He works at a local company as a computer technician. In his job he did not have to interact with too many people and used to feel safe, until these new responsibilities had been laid at his door. He had created all the usual avoidance techniques.

His anxiety manifested itself by making him physically sick or at the very least retching. Understandably this had proved very embarrassing in passed times, and now the fight or flight response in many situations had been installed.

The client's goal of therapy - expectation

He said that he wanted to be mentally stronger, to be able to enjoy other people's company in unfamiliar places, and to stop his irrational thinking.

My aims as the Therapist

My aim was obviously to find and remove any underlying fears that were causing the anxiety, and then to move the client forward to have a few convincers those things were changing; then to build on those successes and allow the client to realise that its okay to feel comfortable in all situations, where appropriate.

The Technique

I used rapid and progressive relaxation inductions, and during the therapy I used hypno-analysis, gestalt, suggestion, metaphor, timeline and NLP.   

Treatment: session 1

During the initial interview we established that he had a very good and stable home life. He has two sisters, one 4 years older and one 6 years older than him. He has a very loving relationship with all his family.

We established that he became very anxious in new situations, especially where he would be required to eat. For example, if he were invited to the pub for lunch he would decline because he was afraid that he might be sick in front of his work colleagues.

During these feelings of panic, he would get a wave of anxiety rushing up from his stomach to his throat. Using an NLP technique, I anchored the feeling of a wave travelling in the opposite direction to him, by pressing his thumb and finger together. In future anytime he felt this feeling of panic, he could destroy the wave using this “finger tool”. We future paced this and he found it to be very effective.

As the session was drawing to an end I simply induced hypnosis using a modified Elman technique. I then used a metaphor about feeling really good in public and how it was possible for him to be calm and relaxed any time he needed to be, reinforcing the “finger tool”.

Session 2

During the pre-hypnosis interview, we discovered that he had an overwhelming fear of loss of control and a fear of criticism. He also reported that the “finger tool” was working very well, and he had quelled several panic attacks that week. He felt as though he had a greater measure of control.

During the hypnosis I regressed Simon back to the first time he felt these feelings of panic and loss of control. He went straight back to a time aged 11, when he joined a new school. He had felt very overwhelmed and scared as it was very formal and he felt lost. During this time he had tried to make himself as small and insignificant as possible in the hope that nobody would notice him. Unfortunately this did not work and he was bullied for quite a time when he first started at this school. He always tried to make sure everything was perfect so as not to draw attention to himself. After doing integration and allowing him to realise that this could well be the reason for his fear of criticism, I went on to do some direct suggestion work on his perfectionism.

Session 3

During this session Simon explained he felt that his control was still increasing, and he had not had a panic attack all week. In fact he reported that he had felt increasingly calm.

Simon asked me if we could concentrate on his anxiety over eating in front of people as he had a function coming up at work soon. I did some direct suggestion work based on his anxiety regarding eating, as well as future pacing him out with some friends, eating calmly and really enjoying himself. Upon termination of the hypnosis Simon reported that he felt really excited when he had seen himself eating calmly in front of his friends. However there was a certain amount of doubt as to whether he would really feel that way. I asked him to try it and to give me feedback on how it went the following week, which he said he would.

Session 4

At the start of this session Simon explained that he had had limited success with regards to the eating. He had been able to eat in front of his mates i.e. male friends, but still felt extremely self-conscious in front of women.

In the hypnosis session I instigated a regression back to the first time he really felt self-conscious in front of women. Again it was when he was 11. His sisters and their friends were there taking the micky out of him because his voice was breaking. I had him review this event and did the integration work.

The second event was much more recent. It was a failed relationship that occurred when he was 18. It transpired that he had really trusted her but she had an affair and they had split up. It would appear that this event really seemed to knock his self-confidence with regard to women. We did some gestalt work with this woman and he told her how he really felt about the affair, and the consequential breakdown of the relationship. There seemed to be some very intense feelings still in evidence. After doing the integration work I terminated the trance.

Session 6 (Final Session)

In this session Simon reported that he had thought long and hard about the relationship we had worked on last week, and had come to the conclusion that this was part of his reticence with regard to being around women. He explained that during this week he had been out to the pub for lunch with two of the girls at work, where he had had a sandwich and a pint. Although he thought this was only a small step, he was really pleased as his anxiety levels, although somewhat high at the start, dropped to zero after about 10 minutes. He felt confident that he would be fine the next time.

I did some suggestion work for rebuilding trust in relationships and brought the session to a close. Simon felt that he had come a long way since the start so I suggested a break where he could try out these new patterns of behaviour.

Post Treatment

Simon called me four weeks later to report on his successes. He told me that he felt so much better about himself since his sessions. He could now go out in a social environment in a calm and confident way. He had also started a relationship with a girl he had known for sometime but always kept at arm's length. His fear of criticism had reduced and in fact he has now taken on the job of doing in-house IT training for the staff in his company. This filled him with dread before our sessions.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Simon was a very good hypnotic subject. He was very easy to work with, given his abilities to visualise. He seemed willing to take things on board very quickly and he was always willing to work to make things right for himself.

During our sessions I could almost watch him grow. The changes were so profound that it almost seemed to make his head spin.

After we had finished working together, I saw Simon 3 months later in a local pub. He was with a group of friends and he seemed to be having a good time. He was interacting well with both the men and the women. Although I didn't make my presence known to him he did notice me later in the evening - and sent a huge smile my way!

Paul Howard is an anxiety specialist and has been helping clients with anxiety for nearly ten years. He has trained many hypnotherapists around the coutry to treat  in particular agoraphobia and social phobia effectively. He works at The Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy in Wallington, Surrey, UK. He can be contacted ve the website at http://www.sich.co.uk. He is also the Marketing director for The National Council for Hypnotherapy - The premiere governing body in the UK.

 There's been a lot of guff written about happiness in recent times. On the one hand, you've got the positive thinking gurus peddling their often simplistic fast track to deep joy and on the other you've got the doom-mongers telling us we're richer, healthier and unhappier than we've ever been.

Despite being somewhat cynical about the way happiness is regarded as the panacea for all ills, I confess to being part of the industry which promotes it as a life-affirming goal. Some see happiness as sentimental dream or fleeting fantasy. But I realise through my work as a hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner that it is possible to create a happy state of mind and spread a little of this magical ingredient.

What makes you happy is only relevant to you. A loving partnership and strong friendships are more highly prized than material things by most of us. It's a given that happiness is not necessarily about millions in the bank, a yacht on the Med or any of those affluent trappings. Many are the tales of how lottery winners lose their friends, community, identity and even their loved ones over arguments about new found loot.

There's no question, cash equals freedom of choice. More to the point, earning it equals a healthy sense of self worth which no trust fund kid will ever know (hence the less than life-enhancing addictions that often fill the gaps in their lives).

In a wealthy western culture, few of us go hungry or lack material goods. The poorest and most disadvantaged have access to housing, healthcare, education, the welfare state, iPods, mobiles and flat screen TVs.

What makes the starving happy is a good meal. It takes more than that to sate an emotionally starved but nutritionally nourished appetite. Whilst not life-threatening, such a condition undermines energy, motivation and focus, impairing the ability to set and achieve goals. High flyers in both primitive and technological societies often start out the hungriest and succeed simply because they try harder.

So it seems that the old fashioned Protestant principle of good old hard graft leads to a very secular kind of satisfaction. And being a bit peckish is no bad thing. It makes those little snacks in life so much more tasty. In this indulgent era of comfort and excess, those who make an effort and choose energy over inertia, those who curb their appetite enough to truly savour all that is plentiful and those who take the time to nurture their loved ones are the winners in the happiness stakes.
 
See http://www.hypnotherapykent.co.uk for information about hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner Karen Martin.  She is a confidence and weight control specialist who is also in great demand in Tunbridge Wells, Kent and surrounding areas by sufferers of conditions including anxiety, addictions and phobias. A member of The National Council for Hypnotherapy, she has also trained in CBT.