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Study with confidence!

It can be incredibly hard to study with confidence, to sit yourself down and commit a set amount of information to memory, so how do you study? Do you study confidently? What are your strategies to make sure you cover everything? If you don’t have a plan sitting at a desk reading randomly or trying to cram as much information into your brain doesn’t exactly sound like fun, does it? It can be easy to become distracted by smart devices or begin daydreaming after a short while of studying which can be really frustrating.

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It’s also quite normal to become overwhelmed by the thought of having to know all the information and then be able to recall it at will. The best way to study with confidence is with a calm and relaxed focus, knowing what you need to get completed during the time you have set out and having clear goals will set you up for success.

To get into the ‘flow’ is easier than you thought possible. By flow I’m talking about that calm, focused state which I’m sure you’ve experienced before at some point in your life. Maybe you feel this when you are doing something you really enjoy or something you find easy, what if you could have the same focus when your studying? It is possible to have this focus with hypnotherapy!

My top tips for studying include:

  1. Making sure you eat, trying to study while you’re hungry will distract you and stop you fully concentrating. Have a drink close by, maybe have a protein bar or piece of fruit close by to keep energy levels up.
  2. Are you getting enough sleep? Just like being hungry, being tired is also a huge distraction.
  3. Set your study space up. Make sure you have everything you need to hand, and some you might need but you’re not sure. Once you’re in the flow you won’t want to break it for something as trivial as a pen or a text book you weren’t sure if you needed. It’s better to be over prepared at this point.
  4. Put your phone away. Turn it off, put it in another room or put it on silent and don’t touch it!
  5. Spread out your studying, committing information to memory takes time so a week of one hour sessions is more effective than one session of 10 hours.  Think of quality over quantity, after a few hours you will become tired which could make it harder to retain information.
  6. Take regular breaks. Get some fresh air and rest your eyes, especially if you’re studying on a laptop or computer. If you’re writing on paper stretch your fingers out regularly.
  7. Using practice papers to test yourself can help you see if there are any missed bits of information. Or get someone to ask you some random questions, or having cards up around our home with questions you find most challenging will help you memorise them more easily.

studying-hard-1192450-639x852It might be that you find it hard to get started and procrastination is a challenge you struggle with. Do you find you’re distracted by the smallest things and leave everything to the last minute? Doing this can bring its own stresses. There’s nothing worse than that feeling in the pit of your stomach that you haven’t done what you really needed to do as the deadline gets closer and closer. These simple tips will help you cut out procrastination and study with focus, determination and with a relaxed mind and body.

The 10, 20 or 30 minute rule is a good one to get you started on a task that you find yourself shying away from. All you do is set a timer, not on your phone as this can distract you, if you have a kitchen timer or an alarm clock this is better. Set the time you want to start with and go. Just keep going until the time is finished, by that time you’ll usually find you’ve been sucked in and will then do more than you first expected. If not you’re that much closer to completing the task. 5 days of 10 minutes is better than nothing, imagine what you could do with the extra time studying? Tackling the most difficult subjects in the morning, or when you start studying will make it easier to get them completed and will stop you from putting them off “I’ll do that tomorrow” you might say to yourself but this usually turns into the day after or the day after so just get it done. Get it out of the way.

Here is a 10 minute timer to get you started!

Study smart, not hard

Smart goals make it easier to accomplish your goals and help you study with confidence, setting clear guidelines makes it easier to keep on track and complete all that you need to study with confidence.

Smart stands for Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Time framed. Let’s break these down and explain them a bit more.

  • Specific – have clear and specific goals. What do you want to get done? If you have a large set of exams like GCSE’s break the different lessons into smaller chunks. Look at one aspect at a time. The smaller you can break the chunks down, the easier they become to manage.  Work out a plan for your study time when you have these smaller chunks.
  • Measurable – Having a measurable outcome helps you stay on track, keeping clearly defined action plans that you can use to measure your progress will make it easier to then track that progress and show you how much you’ve achieved!
  • Attainable or achievable – You might want to get the revision done in one sitting but is that an achievable goal? Breaking a task into smaller pieces will give you more of an idea how to tackle it and will make the goal more attainable and less daunting if you’re worried about the volume of material you need to study.
  • Realistic – And it might be attainable but is it realistic, does your goal match your ambitions? I know a man who makes amazing sculptures out of matchsticks which shows it is possible to do, it is physically achievable but is it realistic that I myself with no talent in art could do the same? In the same time frame as he does? Probably not! So setting myself a goal to do this would be unrealistic. It’s possible to learn the periodic table but is it realistic to have this memorised in 5 minutes? Probably not! In the same sense it might be possible to plan to cram all of your studying into a short time frame like one evening but it’s not very realistic to expect your brain to hold all this information if you overload yourself.
  • Time framed – Set yourself deadlines, you can even incentivise this with something you find enjoyable like a break outside or another cup of tea. Celebrate your milestones and try to set realistic completion times.

Another hurdle some people face is low confidence, having a lack of confidence might mean you self sabotage. Do you think you’re worthy of the achievement? Self doubt gets the best of us at times so it’s important that you’re honest with yourself and face any confidence issues you might have that could be stopping you from studying. It is common to feel some self doubt but this could lead to you not trying just in case you fail. Sometimes we can convince ourselves it’s better to not have bothered than to try and fail, this could be a subconscious thought you’re not really aware of so it’s important to plan your time out and this will show you if you are sabotaging yourself. Is there always a reason you can’t study this time? Will you have a different excuse next time? How about the time after that?

I’ll let you into a little secret, there is no such thing as failure, if you see this instead as feedback which can show you where you need to improve you give yourself more room to grow. Life has no limits if everything you do is an opportunity to learn something new.

How can hypnotherapy help you study with confidence?

Hypnotherapy can help you study with confidence and stay in the flow or in the zone, relaxation techniques like hypnotherapy help you create the same calm and relaxed mental state you need for success. It is in you right now so all you need do is teach your sub conscious mind to narrow its focus and you will be able to study more effectively. You can train yourself to focus on any chosen goal where and when you need to, becoming the master of your own concentration! Imagine how confident you will be going into an exam knowing that you have studied to your full ability and been able to focus entirely on your learning, with clear concentration. This focus, this clear concentration will also stop you from getting distracted from your goals and stay on track to success.

You can learn more about how hypnotherapy can help you study with confidence in our podcast HERE with a free hypnotherapy audio that includes techniques to help you rid yourself of self doubt and narrow your focus more easily; you can try this today to help you study with confidence!

If you feel you need more help with your studies you can contact us today by calling 01438 358174 to discuss your goals further.

Here’s a video I found on youtube that has some great tips to help you study with confidence!

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Coping with Death in Hertfordshire

coping with death in hertfordshireIt seems like each week another high profile celebrity is passing at the moment so I thought it would be good to explore the stages of grief and how hypnotherapy can help you if you are coping with death in Hertfordshire. It can be easy to forget these stages are responses to feelings or emotions and they can be fluidly experienced one after the other in a short space of time.

It’s sometimes thought that it takes a set amount of time to overcome each stage but this can differ from person to person. You might even skip a stage or two only to find you come back to it at another time, usually when you least expect it. Having friends and family you can speak to can be invaluable, if you feel you cannot speak to those around you it might be time to find a therapist or professional who can support you through your difficult time.

Denial

The first stage of grief and coping with death in Hertfordshire is denial; this knee jerk reaction helps us cope with the shock of our loss. You may find you question why this has happened to you, how you can go on or even why you should go on. The shock will wear off in its own time but initially these emotions help us to experience our feelings of grief and cope with the loss in our own time, at our own pace in a way that we can handle. You could also feel a numbness or lack of feelings at this stage but as the denial fades feelings that you might have suppressed will begin to surface.

Anger

Usually we are told to control and manage our anger but during the grieving process it’s important that you express your anger in a way that will help the healing process. Feel the anger and explore it, this is the only way to work through this stage and this will help dissipate the potentially overwhelming feeling. There will be other emotions under that anger but the anger is the easiest to deal with at this point. You might find you are angry with the situation, or people who you feel have let you down during the process or at yourself for not doing more or any number of other people or situations. Anger is usually suppressed but in this situation it can be used to anchor you in the now, it is a strength that can give you structure in a difficult time.

Bargaining

“What if” and “should’ve, would’ve, could’ve” thought patterns might creep in at this point in the process.  What if we could have seen there was something wrong, if only I’d been there, I could have changed things. It is normal to try to take some control of the situation in this way but these thoughts will only contribute to your feelings of hopelessness. This might also be the time that you make a bargain with your god or deity “If I’m devout maybe you will bring them back to me” or “if I pray every day I can protect myself or other loved ones from the same fate”. You will find fault in yourself in this phase as you go over what you could have done differently. This keeps you in the past as you try to negotiate your way out of the pain and discomfort you experience as you are coping with death in Hertfordshire.

coping with death in hertfordshire

Depression

This can be one of the harder stages to cope with on your own. The grief can feel like it has entered your life on a deeper level and you might feel it will last forever. You could find yourself just going through the motions as you live in a fog of despair and even withdraw from life. This is a natural response to a life changing experience and is a necessary step along the path of the grieving process, as much as it hurts and makes you feel very low, you need to experience it before you can fully process what’s happened.

Acceptance

The final stage of coping with death in Hertfordshire is acceptance. This won’t mean that you’re “Ok” or happy that your loved one is gone, it simply means you have accepted the reality that the person is gone and recognise this is a permanent change to your life. It might be that you feel trapped in the anger or denial and never get to this stage. It is usually at this time that we make our peace with the situation and understand that the person cannot be replaced but you are now ready to make new connections and begin to live again.coping with death in hertfordshireHow can hypnotherapy help?

It is common to struggle with overcoming feelings of loss or bereavement when you are coping with death in Hertfordshire, but hypnotherapy can assist you in coping and lessen the negative feelings. If you have lost a loved one you might not want to burden other grieving family members, therapy is a good place to talk about your feelings and give you space to talk about your loss in a safe environment without worry that you will be misinterpreted or judged. We can help you find a way to work through your loss and deal with the stages of grief as they arise. Perhaps you are struggling with:

  • Guilt or anger
  • Blaming yourself or others
  • Anxiety around living without the bereaved
  • Worrying about financial insecurity
  • Worrying about others or yourself dying
  • Feeling stressed out or overwhelmed
  • Fear about your own health
  • Feeling lost in the world
  • Losing control of your emotions
  • Lose confidence or self esteem
  • Nervous nail biting
  • Feeling vulnerable
  • Deep sadness
  • Weight gain or loss
  • Sickness and fatigue
  • Loss of concentration
  • Panic attacks
  • Insomnia or sleep irregularities

Using relaxation techniques and positive suggestions hypnotherapy can help you focus your energy in a relaxed and enjoyable way and help you find new coping strategies to support you through the grieving process. Healing can begin once you allow yourself to feel the grief as it arises without resistance and we can help you to do this in a controlled way. We will use a bespoke combination of hypnotherapy, NLP and CBT tailored to your challenges and specific needs to create a lasting positive change.

Contact us today on 01438 358174 to discuss how we can help you as you are coping with death in Hertfordshire, today. It would be our pleasure to create a bespoke therapy program just for you, tailored to your needs with your challenges in mind.

 

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New Year’s resolution in Hertfordshire

Making a New Year’s resolution is a very old tradition that is still widely practiced today. It’s a chance to make a promise to yourself that you will make a commitment to an act of self improvement.

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This can be a promise you make to yourself privately or something that you tell people about; it could even be something that you work towards as a competition with a friend or loved one. Each style of resolution has its benefits, there is no right or wrong way to practice a new year’s resolution it’s whatever works for you.

So are you making a New Year’s resolution in Hertfordshire this year? Perhaps you start each year full of optimism and with every intention of sticking to your goal and achieving it no matter what, only to fold after a few days and go back to your limiting habit or behaviour. Or maybe you’ve tried to change your habits with will power alone and find you’re not getting as far as you want to. It is common to focus on what it is you are trying to change instead of the benefits of the change.

There are many different goals to choose from, some common goals include:

  • Stop smoking
  • Lose weight
  • Get fit / join a gym
  • Manage stress
  • Give up anger
  • Cut out caffeine
  • Increase confidence or self esteem
  • Socialise more, or with more ease
  • Log off social media and putting down the smart phone
  • Stop swearing
  • Be more mindful
  • Self improvement through study
  • Read more
  • Learn a new skill

Knowing what you’re working away from is a great starting point but if this is the focus of your goal you will find it very difficult to make lasting changes. Think about what you will gain from achieving your goal. How will your life be improved? Will the change benefit anyone else? It’s easier to achieve a goal if you’re in the right frame of mind to enjoy the change, so what will you gain by making the commitment to change today?

Break down your resolution, is it a SMART goal?

Even the simplest of resolutions will need some planning and thought, ask yourself these simple questions to see how SMART your goal is. Is the goal:

Specific – What is it that you want to achieve? Can you state this in a positive way? It is easy to state what you don’t want  “I will not eat chocolate today” will make you constantly think of chocolate as your mind needs to think about chocolate to stay away from it which then creates a sub conscious craving for chocolate. “I look forward to being that size/weight I want” or “I want to eat healthily today” will set your mind up to think about healthy foods without the subconscious want for foods you are trying to avoid.

Measurable – How will you measure your success? This could include the way you feel or the way you behave as well as changed habits.

Attainable – How will you accomplish your goal? What will you need to do to get there and is it really worth the effort? Going to the gym every day could be an unattainable goal if you have a full time job and a family to manage, creating a plan that works with your life and not against it will help you achieve your goals.

Realistic – Is the goal challenging yet still attainable within the time frame? Taking on more than you can realistically cope with will stall your plans of change.

Time framed – Give yourself a date to come back and evaluate your progress. If you are losing weight think about the whole amount you want to lose and then think about when you would realistically be able to achieve this. You can then break this goal down into months, weeks and then days to give you complete control over your resolution.

Should you share?

Now you need to decide if you will be sharing your goal with others. It is usually thought that by sharing your goals with others you are more likely to follow through and achieve through a sense of accountability and having to admit if you ‘fall off the wagon’ and go back to your previous habits.

This TED talk by Derek Silvers explains why you should keep your goals to yourself until you have achieved them, or to set up limits within your sharing. Derek’s example of how to do this is great.

“What can we do? Well, you could resist the temptation to announce your goal. You can delay the gratification that the social acknowledgement brings, and you can understand that your mind mistakes the talking for the doing. But if you do need to talk about something, you can state it in a way that gives you no satisfaction, such as, “I really want to run this marathon, so I need to train five times a week and kick my ass if I don’t, okay?”“

How can hypnotherapy help?

Hypnotherapy helps you to refocus your energy in a relaxed and enjoyable way. We will discuss your goal including all the reasons you would like to change and how this would benefit your life. With this information we can create a bespoke plan incorporating these specific goals into your hypnotherapy plan which we will also record so you can practice at home.

We can help you achieve your goals in a stress free way, without the need to rely on will power alone using a combination of Hypnotherapy, NLP and CBT that is suited to your requirements. Using this approach ensures your conscious and sub conscious responses are working towards the same goal.

Contact us today on 01438 358174 to discuss how we can help you with your new year’s resolution in Hertfordshire, today!

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Stop smoking in Hertfordshire

It’s Time To Stop Smoking in Hertfordshire, for Good!stop smoking letchworth

October is here and with it comes Stoptober, the month dedicated to helping people quit smoking once and for all.

We all know that smoking is bad for you, even the graphic pictures of diseased lungs etc don’t put people off smoking. So instead of focusing on the negative let’s take a look at the benefits of quitting smoking today.

You may find it helpful to write these down as a reminder of why you want to quit.

Stopping smoking improves fertility.

If you are hoping to start a family you really need to stop inhaling chemicals which reduce fertility and cause disease, there’s no point starting a family if you won’t be around to help raise your family!

Stopping smoking reduces stress.

Nicotine addiction makes smokers stressed due to the ‘withdrawal’ between cigarettes. The feeling of satisfaction that comes after smoking is temporary and is not a real cure for stress.

Stopping smoking gives you better skin by reducing the effects of premature ageing caused by toxins in tobacco smoke.

Wrinkles and spots can be reduced by quitting smoking today!

Within two to 12 weeks of stopping smoking, your circulation improves. This makes all physical activity, including walking and running, much easier.

Quitting also boosts your immune system, making it easier to fight off colds and flu, just what you need as the cold season gets into full swing. The increase in oxygen in the body makes ex-smokers less tired and less likely to have headaches.

One of the most appealing benefits to quitting smoking is the money you save! Smoking is expensive and you might be surprised at how it all adds up.

On average, most people who quit save around £250 each month.

That’s nearly £3,000 a year going up in smoke. What else could you spend that money on?

A holiday

Home improvements

Gym membership

Socialising with family or friends

Spoiling yourself

How we can help you quit smoking.

Stop smoking for 28 days and you’re five times more likely to stop for good. That’s a great statistic but those 28 days are full of nicotine withdrawal symptoms and they directly contribute to the decision to start smoking again. Perhaps you will feel like you have given up an old friend who has seen you through the good and bad times. Cigarettes are more like a parasite that have taken your money, time, health and have given you nothing back.

Stopping smoking suddenly using sheer willpower (‘going cold turkey’) is the least effective way to quit. Stopping is more likely to be successful if you plan ahead, have support and have a genuine desire to become an ex smoker.

Using a combination of techniques including Clinical Hypnotherapy, NLP and CBP we can assist you in tapping into the power of your subconscious mind and changing your attitude toward smoking permanently. By setting realistic goals and changing your subconscious focus you can stop smoking and become a retired smoker without experiencing distracting withdrawal symptoms, weight gain or feeling like something is ‘missing’ from your life.

Costing only £180 for a block of 3 sessions we can help you work out a bespoke therapy plan which will give you the best chance to take control of your habit and quit for good. We recommend 3 sessions as this gives your subconscious mind time to fully absorb the new behaviours. You will probably find there are times or circumstances which challenge your new non smoker status, we can address these as they come up and limit the possibility of you going back to that dirty old habit. If you’re saving £250 in your first month of quitting, the sessions will actually save you money! You can feel more confident knowing that you beat smoking and are now enjoying the benefits.

Contact us today on 01438 358174  to discuss how we can help you achieve your goals and stop smoking in Hertfordshire, today! It would be our pleasure to create a bespoke therapy program just for you, tailored to your needs with your goals in mind.

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Stop Nail Biting in Hertfordshire

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“Will you stop biting your nails!”  Every kid has heard that at some time or another.  But it’s annoying and embarrassing when the habit goes on and on, regardless of the number of times you ‘decide’ to stop!

So you’re sat there watching TV or worrying about something and without even noticing you’re doing it, you find that you’ve chewed your nails back into that ugly, painful condition again. Perhaps you have tried deterrents in the past, nail varnish or the foul tasting coating you can get to assist you with changing you habit but still can’t stop.

And that’s the problem – the nail biting is ‘unconscious’ – you do it without even noticing. So when you make a ‘conscious’ decision to stop nail biting, nothing happens – the cure has to happen in a different way.

The decision to stop nail biting has to take place at an unconscious level!

Hypnosis can help you permanently change your behaviour and make the choice to stop nail biting in Hertfordshire, a real one that will last a life time. Hypnosis helps us to talk directly to your subconscious mind where we can suggest new patterns of behaviour which will be acted upon more easily than just using willpower alone.

We all know the difference between how it feels when we say we’re going to do something and when we know we’re going to do it. When you cure nail biting properly, the urge to bites your nail disappears – there simply is no struggle!

Easy exercise to try today!

You’ve just caught yourself red handed with your fingers in your mouth, how does it make you feel when you catch yourself in the act? Some people will find they are left with a bundle of negative emotions, perhaps you will berate yourself or maybe even punish yourself in some way.

A quick way to curb your habit is to think of something you really hate on your fingers. Here are a few examples of what could work for you:

  • Cigarette ash
  • Hoover bag contents
  • Mud and dirt
  • Raw meat
  • Marmite

Maybe you can think of other things that you would want to wash off before you put your fingers in your mouth?

We will use cigarette ash as our example. Take a few slow breaths, close your eyes and imagine yourself (it is not recommended to do this physically, some substances can be damaging to your health) dipping your fingers into a full ashtray, really imagine digging your fingers around until you can actually feel the ash building up under your nails.

Now take your fingers out and look at how disgusting they are, smell that awful over powering scent and imagine slowly raising your fingers to your mouth. As you open your mouth and take the first bite you can feel the ash on your lips, taste it on your tongue and as you bite off that first nail you are over come with repulsion, aren’t you?

If you’re not, perhaps you need to add another disgusting ingredient. You can repeat this process until you feel repulsed when you think of putting your fingers in your mouth. If you gag when you think of your fingers going into your mouth then you’re doing it correctly. You are trying to provoke a physical reaction, the stronger the reaction the more effective this technique will be.

This is a very powerful tool that can assist you in achieving your goal to stop nail biting in Hertfordshire. It might not stop you completely but it will help you to think again the next time you find yourself absentmindedly beginning to chew your nails.

Hypnotherapy download

The Stop Nail Biting download will enable you to know you are going to stop biting your nails.

Stop nail biting is an audio hypnosis download that taps directly into your unconscious mind and allows you to very rapidly and easily update unconscious automatic habits like nail chewing – so you just start to even forget you ever bit your nails at all.

Download Stop nail biting  today and look forward to having whole and healthy nails again. Download it now and look forward to whole, attractive fingers…

Alternatively contact us today on 01438 358174  to discuss how we can help you achieve your goals and stop nail biting in Hertfordshire today! It would be our pleasure to create a bespoke therapy program just for you, tailored to your needs with your goals in mind.

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Hyperemesis Gravidarum in Hertfordshire

What is Hyperemesis Gravidarum?

Most women will experience a level of morning sickness during their pregnancy, especially during the first three months. Hyperemesis gravidarum is more extreme than being sick once or twice a day. Women can find they are constantly sick, even feeling nauseous just thinking about eating and this can begin to impact on their health. Some will find it hard to hold simple liquids like water down and will possibly need hospital treatment.

If you are concerned you are experiencing hyperemesis gravidarum in Hertfordshire, it is very important to see your GP or health advisor as the symptoms can be an indicator of many different illnesses, please do not diagnose yourself.

So what are the symptoms of hyperemesis gravidarum? These can include:

  • Severe or prolonged vomiting.
  • Persistent severe vomiting leading to weight loss and dehydration, as a condition occurring during pregnancy.
  • Nausea when thinking about food.
  • This will occur in approximately 0.5 – 2 % of pregnancies.

If you’re one of those 0.5 – 2 % you can rest assured that you don’t have to suffer alone without respite. Knowing that you have to eat can bring on waves of nausea which can put you off even trying. Having an empty stomach can also make the symptoms worse, perhaps you have experienced:

  • Dizziness
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Weight loss
  • Dehydration
  • Headaches
  • Confusion
  • Fainting

Hyperemesis gravidarum has been highlighted in the news due to Kate Middleton experiencing it during her first pregnancy. The Duchess of Cambridge found hypnosis beneficial to reduce her anxiety around food which reduced the reaction she felt when it was necessary to eat.

I understand how stressful it can be to have to eat during a pregnancy, I experienced sickness daily during my own pregnancy and I know how hard it can be to force yourself to eat something you know you will see again. If only I had known Hypnotherapy could have helped!

How can hypnotherapy help?

Hypnotherapy can help by reducing your anxiety, especially around food and drink. As you think about eating you may find there is tension in your stomach or throat and this can be alleviated with hypnosis techniques which will allow you to eat in a relaxed, calm way without the added pressure of worrying about the food or the after effects.

Negative associations can be made while you are experiencing the sickness or nausea, hypnotherapy and NLP interventions can assist you to change these associations into more useful reactions. If you are watching a TV show when you feel the sickness coming you might then associate the show with the feeling so the next time you hear the theme tune you find your stomach begins to tense and feel that sense of impending doom. This association can be changed with the use of simple techniques that are easy to remember and enjoyable to practice.

Allow me to teach you techniques that will assist you in staying relaxed and calm even when experiencing sickness, reducing stress levels will also benefit your growing baby as prolonged stress can cause many different complications including developmental problems later in life.

If you feel this could be beneficial to you or someone you know please contact us today on 01438 358174 for more information or to book your appointment today.

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What is Hypnotherapy?

With ‘You’re back in the room’ showing on  ITV recently I felt it was time to explain the differences between Hypnotherapy and stage hypnosis. It was common to be asked “will I cluck like a chicken” but now people expect to be doing all sorts of random acts when they’re in trance. So what is hypnotherapy and how can it help you achieve your goals?

The very first thing to understand about hypnosis is when you focus on something, you amplify it in your awareness. Hypnosis is a natural state of deep relaxation and mental alertness which is achieved using techniques similar to guided meditations, or children’s bedtime stories. Being in a deeply relaxed state allows you to focus your attention on the aspects of your life you would like to alter in a constructive context.

 How does it work?

Focusing on what you want from life and setting clear, defined goals will allow you to change your behaviour in a very direct and effective way. We can assist you to change your way of thinking, changing the sub-conscious reactions you have to situations or stresses, which will enable you to take control of your life without the intervention of medications or invasive treatments.

There are four different types of brainwave, during your usual waking state you will be using beta brainwaves to function. When you meditate, use relaxation techniques like hypnotherapy, or are deeply absorbed in an activity that you do without consciously thinking about your actions, you will begin to use alpha or even theta brainwaves. Delta brainwaves are usually recorded during very deep sleep so hypnosis doesn’t usually utilise these.

What does it feel like?

Have you ever experienced a day dream or been so focused, so involved, so ‘entranced’ in an activity or situation that your surroundings fade away and become unimportant? If your answer is yes, you have experienced a trance state. It is possible for anyone who wants to be hypnotised to achieve a hypnotic trance. The depth of trance will vary with every individual and depend on your own personal preference. Being in a trance state feels very plesant, it is similar to feeling sleepy or deeply relaxed. After the session is completed you will feel refreshed and relaxed – it is a stress free process, so why not give it a try?

Will I be in control?

Entertainment shows such as ‘You’re back in the room’ have wrongly portrayed hypnosis as a form of mind control, which can be done to a person without their consent and that it can be used to make a person do things against their will.

Hypnosis always requires your co-operation to achieve a trance state: hypnosis cannot make you do anything that you don’t want to do, or that is against your personal beliefs.

You will be in control of what you say during a session: hypnotherapy cannot be used to make you divulge personal information or secrets that you do not wish to share.
It is impossible to become stuck in a trance state. If you fall asleep during trance you will simply wake up naturally as you usually would, you are in control of the trance state and can end it any time you want to by simply opening your eyes.

What should I expect?

We would usually recommend a three session program, this will allow hypnotic suggestions to be deeply absorbed and reinforced into your sub conscious mind over a period of time, with repetition. This makes the therapy much more robust and effective. Some hypnotherapists will claim results can be achieved in just one hour-long session, for some people this will work but only a small percentage of people will respond to such a short and intense program.

Each session will involve your participation, you will be taught techniques that you will be encouraged to practice at home as the more you put into the process the more you will benefit from it. Hypnotherapy will not be a quick fix therapy: you will have to put effort into making changes in your life, giving yourself time to grow into the person you have always wanted to be.

We will teach you various techniques including self hypnosis, which can be applied to many different aspects of your life to change your outlook completely. We will also provide you with a hypnotherapy recording that you can listen to in the comfort of your own home. We recommend you listen to this and practice self hypnosis as regularly as you can, even once you have achieved your goal. Practicing self hypnosis and listening to the recording regularly will empower you to commit to the changes you have made. We also have a selection of Hypnosis downloads that you might like to look through.

Think of it like an old nursery rhyme you once knew word for word. Years later, without regular practice, you may find that you cannot recall all of the words or the tune. If you had listened to it regularly it would have stayed fresh in your mind and would have easily been recalled. The suggestions given in trance will fade just like the nursery rhyme if you do not keep refreshing them via self hypnosis or listening to a hypnosis recording.

 

Are you searching for Hypnotherapy in Letchworth, or Hypnotherapy in Hertfordshire? Call us today on 01438 358174 to discuss your goals further.

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Improve your self confidence in 15 minutes

I used to be incredibly anxious in social situations. Have you ever found yourself overcome with hot flushes, worried about speaking and looking foolish, concerned about doing or saying something to embarrass yourself? I had all these and more, and although people who know me now would never believe I used to doubt myself so much I had to learn confidence until it became a natural part of me. I can tell you relaxed optimistic confidence is just, well so much more fun.

Here I’ll tell you about the things that made the most difference to my confidence levels…

Some people seem to have been born with naturally high levels of confidence, if like me you weren’t one of these people you can learn to be more confident by practicing a few simple techniques. Everyone can benefit from these simple ways to improve your self confidence in 15 minutes.

Firstly, it’s important to get a clear idea of what self confidence really means, otherwise you won’t know when you’ve got it! So as a guide we believe self confidence to mean:

1) Being calm. For every situation in life you need to run on the appropriate level of emotion. Too much emotional ‘leakage’ into an experience can spoil the experience. You make great strides towards confidence when you begin to relax in a greater range of situations, even those you find most challenging.

2) Being cool. The second part of self confidence is about being able to relax with uncertainty. To be ‘cool’ in a situation really means relaxing with not knowing how things will pan out. If you truly tolerate uncertainty, you can do pretty much anything. There is no use worrying about what could happen or trying to predict an outcome, learning to be ‘cool’ gives you the freedom to live without these unnecessary worries.

3) Not being too concerned with what others think of you. Anthony Hopkins once said “My Philosophy is: It’s none of my business what people say of me and think of me. I am what I am and I do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. And it makes life so much easier”.  We couldn’t have put it better!

You know when you imagine what some place is going to be like before you go there but when you get there it is totally different to your imagination? That’s how reliable your imagination is! Stop trusting your imagination so much. I’ve long since stopped bothering to imagine what others think of me because so often I’ve turned out to be wrong. As long as you are happy with who you are the rest of the world will be too, and if they aren’t do they really matter?

4) Being specific – where do you want confidence? ‘Confidence’ is meaningless until you tie it to something specific. You are already confident that you can read these words or can switch a light on and off. So you don’t need more confidence everywhere. To get what you want in life you have to establish exactly what you do want in positive and specific language. Where do you want confidence in your life? Think about the specific situations now and write them down. You are now beginning to steer your brain towards confidence.

5) Understanding that what you expect is what you get. Your brain is an organ that needs clear goals to work towards. When a task has been set in your brain it will do everything it can do to bring about the completion of that task. If you’ve tried to recall someone’s name but can’t, hours later you’ll often find their name pops into your head.

The ‘trying to recall’ experience set the task or blueprint for your brain’s future subconscious behaviour which eventually produced the name for you – when you weren’t thinking about it consciously. You can use this natural mechanism to start feeling more confident. But, to ensure you set the right task for your subconscious mind, the next point is vital.

6) Don’t task your mind with negatives. Instead of: ‘I don’t want to screw up’ (which sets the task of ‘screwing up’ for your brain), set the blueprint for what you do want! Your brain doesn’t work towards what to do by being told what not to do. And nature has given you a wonderful natural tool to set the right task blueprints with. As we have said before, be careful with the language you use when creating tasks for your mind to achieve as a negative statement can make the difference between not failing and success!

7) Use nature’s goal-setter: Now you understand how vital it is to set the right task for your brain, you need to know how to do this reliably. Good clinical hypnosis will strongly ‘program’ the right blueprint in your mind through the use of your imagination. If you powerfully imagine feeling confident and relaxed while in a relaxed hypnotic state it will be hard for your unconscious mind to do anything else. The blueprint for relaxation has been set firmly into your subconscious mind.

3 simple strategies to get you feeling confident quickly:

1) Think specifically of the time/place/situation you want to feel confident in. Remember ‘confidence’ doesn’t mean anything until you attach it to something specific.

2) Focus on words in your mind right now that describe how you do want to be in that time and place. Maybe words such as ‘calm’, ‘happy’, ‘relaxed’ or ‘focused’. Remember your brain works on clear positive instructions.

3) Close your eyes for as long as you like and think about how those words feel and times you have experienced them with ease. Then, imagine the situation itself and rehearse it in your mind feeling confident and relaxed. This way you set the right blueprint or ‘task’ for your unconscious mind.

You can repeat this often to make it more effective and use it with as many areas of your life as you need to. If you listen to a hypnotic CD or download that can make the benefits even more powerful (see link below). So if you feel like you’d be blessed with less confidence than some other people you can start redressing the balance by using your mind in the right way right now.

It took me years to learn how to be more confident – now you can do it in a fraction of the time. Good luck!

Click HERE to boost your confidence now at HypnosisDownloads.com or alternatively contact us on 01438 358174  to discuss how we can help you achieve your goals and become a more confident person today!

 

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A pep talk from Kid president

I’m a huge fan of TED talks and came across this video today that I had to share. Meet Kid President and watch his short video “Pep talk”.  As Kid President says, “You were made to be awesome”.

“Kid President commands you to wake up, listen to the beating of your heart and create something that will make the world awesome. This video from SoulPancake delivers a soul-stirring dose of inspiration that only a 9-year-old can give.”

Click HERE for the video, visit our Facebook Page to let us know what you think of the pep talk.

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Mindfulness exercise

Investing a few minutes of your day into your wellbeing can make all the difference to your mental health. Set aside a few minutes, maybe the time it takes to drink your morning tea or coffee, when you can be quiet and won’t be disturbed to practice this mindfulness exercise.

Begin by bringing your attention to your breath. Notice your breathing as you slowly breathe in and out, perhaps imagining  a balloon in your stomach, noticing the sensations in your stomach as the balloon inflates on the in breath and deflates on the out breath.

Notice any feelings you have and where they are felt.

Name the emotion:

  • What is it?
  • What word best describes what you are feeling?
  • Angry, sad, anxious, irritated, scared, frustrated?

Accept the emotion. It’s a normal body reaction. It can be helpful to understand how it came about – think of the circumstances that have contributed to you feeling this way. Try not to condone or judge the emotion, simply let it move through you without resisting it or encouraging it.

Investigate the emotion:

  • How intense is the feeling?
  • How are you breathing?
  • What are you feeling in your body? Where do you feel it?
  • Where do you notice muscle tension?
  • What is your posture like when you feel this emotion?
  • What is your facial expression? What does your face feel like?
  • Is anything changing? Such as the nature of the feeling, the position or intensity?

What thoughts or judgements do you notice? Focus on those thoughts, allow them to come into your mind and allow them to pass. If you find you are engaging with the thoughts by judging them or yourself for having them, believing them or struggling against them; notice what you are doing and bring your attention back to your breathing and to the physical sensations of the emotion.

If any other emotions come up or if anything changes simply notice and repeat the steps above. Notice the feelings change over time.

As you become more practiced you can use this mindfulness technique when you feel more intense emotions in times of stress. It might also be helpful to keep a note of your emotions and your investigations in a short diary, this can show you if there are any patterns to your emotions or reactions to situations.

If you are finding this technique difficult to master, try starting with our other blog  Simple Mindfulness exercise first and progress to this exercise when you are more comfortable with being mindful.

Building stress management tools like this mindfulness exercise into your daily routine can positively influence for your mental health and the way you react to the outside world. If you need more help with managing stress or anxiety call us today on 01438 358174.