A new year. A new you. Thinner. Fitter. Confident. Smoke-free. Fearing nothing.
What’s not to like?
So how are you going to go about this?
Hypnotherapy
So how does hypnotherapy work? Well, it's a form of therapy that uses the power (and it is powerful) of suggestion to encourage positive change in you.
A hypnotherapist (me) will use relaxation techniques to help you reach a state where the conscious part of your mind is relaxed and your subconscious part is more open to suggestions.
Basically, I’m calming you down so you’re open to new ideas that lead to better thoughts, feelings and actions.
To start with, here’s a classic New Year’s resolution that works better with hypnotherapy.
Weight loss and Hypnotherapy
Nearly everyone who comes to me has tried dieting for weight loss. And it hasn’t worked.
Yes, you lose weight, but about 95% of people who lose weight by dieting will regain it in one to five years.
Why? Dieting, by definition, is a temporary food plan.
It won't work in the long run. Starving your body can lead to a diet-overeat or diet-binge cycle.
And since your body doesn't want you to starve, it responds to overly-restrictive diets by slowing your metabolism, which of course makes it harder to lose weight.
What I look at is mind-set.
The wrong mindset and weight gain are inextricably linked.
But turn that idea on its head and the right mindset can help you lose weight.
Overeating is wrapped up in:
- Self-confidence and self-worth
- Boosting motivation
- Getting rid of anxiety eating
- Changing eating patterns
- Exercising regularly
- Possible PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
Together we can straighten things out and use your thought feeling and behaviours to create new patterns and habits to get to your weight loss goal.
This is where hypnotherapy comes in. To help you have a new relationship with food.
Note I still not using the word ‘diet’. It’s not helpful. We’re looking to create a lifetime of good habits, not a crashing down of weight that we all know in our heart of hearts is not sustainable.
Hypnotherapy and smoking cessation
No easy task.
But it can be done.
It’s not just in the mind. Nicotine itself is physically addictive.
We work together with hypnotherapy combined with undoing learnt behaviours such as socialising, drinking alcohol, coffee and smoking.
Working like this, hypnotherapy is one of the best ways of quitting smoking. Clinical Journals put the success rate of hypnotherapy for smoking cessation at between 80 – 90%.
Be warned. I also ask you to do lots of homework between sessions. I didn’t say it would be easy.
Hypnotherapy, fears and phobias
Phobias and fears are extreme or irrational aversions to something.
Fears
They can leave you afraid for the future because you find yourself functioning from a negative place based on past experiences that have scarred you mentally.
Time and again your mind tells you something bad is going to happen again and because of it feel unsafe.
Phobias
Phobias are unfounded fears that feel irrational. Phobias can really hold you back. For example, the fear of driving can mean missing out, not socialising and loneliness.
Examples:
- Spiders
- Snakes
- Heights
- Open spaces
- Confined spaces and lifts
- Dogs
- Flying
- Dentists
- Injections
It’s a popular treatment at this time of year as people, say, plan big adventures and realise they worry about flying to exotic places and the spiders they’ll meet.
Hypnotherapy and self-confidence
Time off over Christmas and New Year is often a time of reflection. When people check in with themselves.
A kind of self-audit.
And more often than not they think and feel they could be a better version of themselves.
And that means to some extent not liking what they are here and now.
Let’s be clear. Everyone, everyone has insecurities. That feeling of self-doubt before a presentation. Being a bag of nerves before a first date you so want to go well. These are typical responses to stressful situations.
It’s completely natural.
But for some these shortfalls in self-confidence are crippling. You can be so unsure of yourself that you can’t make decisions. In some instances, not even move.
You’re sabotaging yourself.
In these instances, Hypnotherapy can help conquer these insecurities.
Working together we’ll release self-doubt, and look to make you feel self-assured, unstoppable and able to make positive steps in every part of your life.
It’s all about recognising when these feelings are taking over and taking control
Hypnotherapy, anxiety and depression
We’ve all experienced either anxiety or depression at some time in our lives. We’re all human.
Making it a New Year’s resolution to lower anxiety and depression and learn to relax will help you be a far better version of yourself.
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something that you’re not sure how it will play out. The uncertainty is getting to you.
Depression really impacts the way you feel about everything. You feel sad about all the activities and interests that once made you happy. It leads to emotional and physical problems and affects your ability to function at work and at home.
The trick is to be able to check-in with yourself. Examine your thoughts actions and feelings as soon as you’re aware of any change and start to heal yourself.
This is where hypnotherapy works best. When you tap into your subconscious, this is a powerful form of natural self-healing.
Let’s make it a happy relaxed 2020.
If that’s your resolution, then I’ll resolve to work with you and make it happen.
