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Hypnosis and self-improvement

Hypnosis and self-improvement

by | Sep 30, 2023 | Performance growth

Self improvement at work

Hypnosis can be highly effective at helping you achieve your work related goals.

Hypnosis for self-improvement at work would involve guiding you to experience a state of highly focused attention, which opens up your sub-conscious mind  to accepting suggestions for positive, helpful change. Hypnosis is a gentle, natural and safe way to remove unhelpful, habitual ways of thinking that are mental barriers blocking ability/motivation to change.

Hypnosis can be harnessed to help you bring about improvement in performance at work through helping you develop greater optimism, increased motivation and generally a more positive mindset.  

Use of hypnosis for personal development at work can help with:

  • Self awareness
  • Ability to find direction and set goals
  • Increasing focus and concentration
  • Getting rid of self-limiting beliefs
  • Maximising your work potential
  • Gaining greater control over your work/life balance
  • Enhancing your work relationships
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Use of hypnosis to reduce work related stress

Managing stress

Stress is a fairly common factor in the workplace, resulting in burnout if not recognised and addressed. Stress reduces productivity and can be the cause of health issues such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gaining weight and engaging in addictive behaviours such as drinking and smoking. Hypnosis can provide an effective way for individuals to manage stress through altering the perception of what stresses them and reframing the stress triggers. Hypnosis can help people address underlying issues that are hindering their ability to maximise their performance at work, resulting in improved self-esteem, confidence, motivation and productivity.

Improving concentration and focus

Concentration and focus are an important aspect related to work productivity. If your mind is scattered, seemingly unable to focus on one task for long, the pressure inside of you builds and doubts begin to creep in that perhaps you are not quite up to the job. Hypnosis can improve concentration and focus, leading to improvements in how you approach the tasks in front of you, efficiently and calmly.

Getting rid of self-limiting beliefs

Self-limiting beliefs can present a major roadblock in realising your full potential at work. Hypnosis can help you replace any self-limiting beliefs, that are effectively sabotaging you, with positive, life affirming beliefs that will foster a helpful growth mindset. Shifts in mindset can effect major improvements on how you perform at work, bringing about increased motivation and greater resilience to be able to achieve work related goals.

Hypnosis can be a powerful tool for improving work performance, helping you manage stress, address any limiting beliefs that are holding you back, improving concentration and focus and generally boosting overall wellbeing. Simply put, a few session of hypnosis could be the key to help you open the door to discover and realise your full potential.

Next steps

Get in touch to find out more. Fill in the form below to book a no obligation, free 30 minute discovery session. What have you got to lose? There’s so much you could gain!

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What you eat can stop you losing weight

What you eat can stop you losing weight

by | Sep 1, 2023 | Weight

Why eating well, not eating less is key to weight loss 

How much control can you have over your weight?

To be able to let your excess weight go, permanently, is going to need more than reducing your calorie intake. Sure, eating less can deliver the desired result of the pounds falling away, but all too often your body seems to fight back and you regain what you’ve lost and often more. Is that your experience? 

I’m not here to offer you a quick-fix solution, rather to put some information before you help and encourage you to understand the broader picture of what changes you need to make in your life to effectively let that weight you don’t want, go! 

Firstly, consider your genes (not the blue ones). Look at your mother, your aunt, wider family members and consider their shape and size and ask yourself what is a realistic goal to have that will be sustainable for you in the long terms. Carrying too much weight is not good for many health-related reasons, but learning to feel better about being perhaps just a little lighter, rather than a lot, might be more realistic.

However, whatever your genetic predisposition to be a certain size, your lifestyle is going to be a very important factor in being able to manage your weight long-term. There are two areas I’m going to talk about in this blog post, one to do with gut-health and the second to do with the actual food we eat.

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Gut health

Did you know your gut (where your food digestion takes place) plays an important role in your overall health?

Within your gut you have many different types of bacteria that work on breaking down the food you eat, extracting nutrients that are then ‘fed’ into your body. However, a growing number of scientific studies have linked obesity with a lack of diversity in lower gut bacteria, due to the actual type of foodstuffs being consumed. The result of this lack of diversity in gut bacteria means there is a distinct possibility of a range of health related issues being experienced by that person including, you may be surprised to learn, struggling to keep their weight down. You don’t have to take my word for it, you can read more about how gut bacteria can influence weight, here. 

What do you know about what you eat?

Many of us take what we eat for granted, having a “if it’s in-date it’s okay” way of approaching food we buy. Advertising and/or food packaging tempts us, not to mention the buy one get one half-price offers.

Before you enter into any weight loss programme, whether one you pay for or one of your own design, I’d strongly advise you spend some time finding out about processed foods. There’s so much food we are led to believe is healthy for us that actually isn’t. 

My husband ate a particular breakfast biscuit cereal daily, for several years, on the basis that it was pure grain-based. The marketing about the cereal product promoted the benefits of it being a healthy food choice to start the day. Imagine his surprise when, watching a programme about processed foods, he discovered that in fact that food came into the ultra-processed category and was not at all a healthy option to be eaten on a daily basis. So, the moral of this story is – understanding exactly what you are eating is not just important but empowering in being able to make conscious, healthy choices.

Processed foods include canned fish, fruits in syrup, bottled vegetables, cheese, fresh bread.

Ultra-processed foods include soft drinks, many breakfast cereals, sweet or savory packaged snacks, premade frozen meals.

You can find out more about processed and ultra-processed foods here. 

It’s said that eating food that is closest to its natural state is the way to go, but that can be very challenging. Recently I was out and about and felt very hungry and so went in search of a healthy snack. I walked up and down the aisles in my local supermarket and it really brought to my attention just how difficult it is to buy a healthy snack. The shelves were full of tempting sausage rolls, pre-made sandwiches, pork pie, scotch egg (I’m getting hunger pangs just typing this) but little in the way of healthy options. In the end I bought a banana, which did the trick to take me through to my next meal-time. 

Buying healthy options can be expensive, salmon for example. However, with some reading around the subject you will find out more about what is healthy to eat and what is definitely not. Aiming to cut out all unhealthy options is a bit unrealistic, but understanding more about what’s classed as a natural food, a processed food and an ultra-processed food will help you make better food buying and eating choices.

You might want to check out my hypnosis-based letting weight go course, using clinical hypnosis, that runs over 4-weeks. If you think the programme might be helpful to you then get in touch and we can have a chat. I don’t accept everyone onto the course, only those who demonstrate they are really committed to changing, because in my opinion it takes changing your whole relationship with food to experience long-lasting success with keeping your weight within a range you feel is right and healthy for you. Find out more about how you could let unwanted weight go. Phone/message me on 07483 234109 or fill in the form below to book a free 30-minute ‘discovery’ session.

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Originally posted 2023-08-17 14:25:56.

Hypnosis and self-hypnosis overview

Hypnosis and self-hypnosis overview

by | Sep 1, 2023 | Hypnosis

Hynosis and self-hypnosis

How hypnosis could help you

Hypnosis (whether hypnotherapy or self-hypnosis) provides the way to access your subconscious mind, with the aim of making positive changes to the way you think.

Becoming more aware of your habitual ways of thinking, rather than being locked into automatic thinking shaped by past experiences, is the first step to changing your experience of how you live your life.

Hypnosis can be an energising force, helping you focus your attention on replacing unhelpful with more helpful ways of thinking. Quite simply, hypnosis can bring about ‘helpful’ changes in the way you think, feel and behave, in relation to yourself and others. 

Hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis can also help promote new ways of thinking about whatever is at the root of your current suffering, whether the cause is rooted in emotional or physical pain. Hypnosis holds the key to developing a  new  mindset about whatever is currently causing issue for you. 

How hypnosis works

Being in a hypnotic trance effects a bypass of the conscious mind, allowing helpful suggestions to be introduced into the subconscious mind. ‘Suggestions’, made by person themselves in self-hypnosis or by the therapist in hypnotherapy, are more likely to be accepted and integrated into the subconscious mind, helping the person in hypnosis to adopt, rather than reject, new ways of thinking.

The conscious mind is often resistant to change, due to fear, anxiety, or other factors. Hypnosis helps to bypass any resistance by the conscious mind by working directly with the subconscious mind. It is in the sub-conscious mind where our beliefs are rooted and where those beliefs can be reshaped to bring about positive change in how a person thinks, feels and behaves.

Self-hypnsosis

Self-hypnosis can be a very useful skill to learn and the hypnosis state it provides can be accessed easily anywhere and at any time of day or night. Self-hypnosis can become a person’s portable and very user-friendly personal support mechanism.

For those motivated to try using it, self-hypnosis is quite safe, facilitating the unconscious mind to accept positive, helpful suggestions, naturally rejecting any that may not suit. Additionally, in situations where a person is feeling at a loss of control in their circumstances, which can be both comforting and empowering.

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How hypnosis works

On a very basic level, hypnosis (whether hypnotherapy treatments or self-hypnosis) induces relaxation and when a person is in a calm state they are more receptive to being open to new ideas. In a state of hypnosis a person becomes more open to suggestions about new ways of thinking that can be very helpful in improving their life experience.

There are some situations where hypnosis should not be used, for example where someone is suffering from uncontrolled epilepsy, psychosis or has a brain tumour or TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). Speaking with a qualified hypnotherapist will provide you with guidance as to what therapeutic approach will be most suitable to help support whatever needs you identify. 

How I can help

I provide a free 30 minute discovery session for the purpose of providing information and guidance on what therapeutic approach might be most suitable to meet your needs. Please be aware I work with people to help them maximise the success potential of prescribed medication/medical interventions, not as an alternative to engaging with them. 

You can make contact with me by filling in the form below, or by making a phone call or sending a text to 07483 234109

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Originally posted 2023-08-14 10:26:09.

Nature therapy for mental health

Nature therapy for mental health

by | Sep 1, 2023 | Nature therapy

How Nature helps improve mental health

Nicola’s story

Nicola had been really struggling with her mental health, unable to get rid of feelings of being stressed out and overwhelmed by life. She had explored various routes to help her feel better, including signing up for a relaxation class. The trouble was that every time she attended and tried to relax she just couldn’t, felt she was failing and that made her feel even worse.

Then someone suggested she sign up to a Nature Immersion session in a woodland to help improve her mental health. This seemed a bit unlikely to Nicola to begin with, but she decided to give it a go because she was, frankly, beginning to feel a bit desperate.

As soon as Nicola had got out of her car at the woodland she was struck by how loudly the birds were singing and also how within a few minutes she seemed to be able to breathe more deeply and easily and how pleasant that felt.

Over the next few weeks, with guidance, Nicola learned how to tune into nature at a level she had never imagined possible before and how through doing so it was possible to help herself connect with a greater sense of calmness in her head that felt, so much of the time normally, fit to burst. 

Over a few sessions of Nature Immersion Nicola found it easier and easier to access a state of relaxation through tuning into the sights and sounds of nature, noticing more than she had ever done before in both the woodland and in herself. 

The Nature connection activities Nicola was introduced to helped still her mind, relax her body and by the end of each session she noticed a definite reduction in her stress levels and felt somehow enveloped in a bubble of calmness. 

Nichola shared her experiences with others in the group as they sat in the log circle at the end of each session, Sarah felt a sense of community and connectedness that she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

As the weeks went on, Nicola also noticed that through pursuing a deeper connection with nature she felt more deeply connected to herself. It felt good.  

Nicola realised that spending time in the woodland has really helped her with her mental health. She not only had developed a deeper appreciation of the natural world but felt more grounded and able to slow down her incessant, whirring mind that was just exhausting to live with.

Nicola realised the power of Nature Connection in helping her slow down, notice more and be able to just let thoughts go, rather than just allowing them to chatter on and on inside her head. Just knowing she now had a ‘happy place’ to go made things so different, not to change her life circumstances but to help her approach in dealing with them day to day with a greater sense of calmness and resilience.

circle seating in woodland
woodland path through trees
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The Science behind the story

Scientific research has proved that spending just 2 hours a week immersed in nature has the potential to deliver significant health and wellbeing benefits.

Nature immersion activities can be active or they can be reflective, it all depends on personal preference. What is key to experiencing Nature conneciton benefits lies in learning to bring heightened awareness to your senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch and even taste. When you’re focussed on your senses it turns down the volume of your chattering mind and that in itself can effect mental relaxation and physical relaxation that helps reset emotonal balance. 

The experience of Nature Immersion is akin to allowing yourself to be bathed by soothing, warm water; a nourishing. bathing experience that has not only been practiced by the Japanese for over 50 years. Research into the benefits of bathing in nature has resulted in the practice becoming  a valued part of Japan’s National Health Service. 

Originally posted 2023-08-12 14:22:13.

Support for neurodiverse children

Support for neurodiverse children

by | Sep 1, 2023 | Children

Therapy support for neurodiverse children

It’s okay to be different

Neurodiversity just means that a person is different in the way they think. However, being ‘different’ often effects challenges in day to day living. 

To be neurodiverse doesn’t mean there’s anything negative going on, but rather a positive, through possessing a different way of thinking about things. People who see things differently have often been those who have changed the world we live in, for the better.

Of course, when a person feels they are ‘different’ and others don’t think in the same way they do it can cause confusion and upset, leading to loss of of self-belief and self-esteem. Too often a person who is neurodiverse can feel they don’t ‘fit’ and, over time, that can lead to anxiety around other people and/or situations. If your neurodiverse child is not coping well with life at the moment I can provide therapy-based interventions face-to-face or online.

Neurodiversity super-power

Neurdiverse people are, essentially, wired differently, but that doesn’t mean it’s a disability or an illness. In fact, neurodiversity occurs quite naturally in the population as a whole, a bit like right and left handed people.  In fact, research is demonstrating that numbers of neurodiverse people are increasing because more people are learning to be more open about their way of being, celebrating their way of seeing the world as full of positivity; a super-power of creative potential.

Supporting a neurodiverse child

Being neurodiverse can make a child become withdrawn or prone to exhibiting unhelpful angry behaviours. It could be that, as a parent, you recognise elements of being neurodiverse too? It’s important you don’t look for ‘fixes’ but rather ways to help your child feel it’s okay to be different than others, finding ways to empower rather than disempower their life experiences.  So, if being neurodiverse has impacted negatively on your child, help is available.

You can book at free 30-minute ‘Discovery session’ to have a no-obligation chat about your child, to see if you feel I might be able to be of assistance.

 

 

 

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Neurodiversity is….

Conditions that could be considered as neurodiverse are Autism and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).

Dyslexia is another condition that might be considered an example of neurodiversity.

Dyscalculia, which is more related to numbers rather than words, is another example of neurodiversity.

Dyspraxia, manifesting as a person having difficulties with body coordination, (the person often being described as clumsy) can be considered an example of neurodiversity.

Dyspraxia, labelling for someone who finds it very difficult to organise themselves, can also be considered linked to neurodiversity.

In relation to Autism, other difficulties individuals may experience can relate to social interactions and getting along with other people. The underlying reason may be linked to neurodiversity becasue that person has difficulty in reading non-verbal signals or lack facilty to fully grasp what someone means, so they take things quite literally.

However, having outlined a number of neurodiversity examples it has to be said, being left-handed could be considered “neurodiverse” (that person is wired differently than the vast majority). Being different doesn’t have to be an anchor in life and there are plenty of examples of neurodiverse people who have not only achieved amazing things but changed the world for the better, becasue of their ability to think ‘outside the box’.

Find out more about how I could help support your neurodiverse child

Building self-confidence, self-esteem, improved focus and, importantly, techniques for relaxation, slowing down the mind and focusing more on the present moment can be incredibly helpful for neurodiverse children. 

The focus of my work with children is on helping them to flourish;  working with them to make positive use of their strengths. In other words, I work with children to help them appreciate their strengths, to grow their ability to connect more effectively with themselves, understand other peoples emotions and how to communicate their needs to others.

Gaining confidence to interact with life in ways that nourish rather then deplete is a valuable skill for anyone, but particularly so for neurodiverse children who need to believe in themselves to be able to build resilience for coping with a world that can be ‘out of step’ with their values and beliefs.

If you’d like to find out more about how I would work with your child, phone/text me on 07483 234109 or fill in the form below to book at free 30 minute ‘discovery session’ that can take place on the phone or online using Zoom or FaceTime.

 

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Originally posted 2023-09-01 09:25:30.

Emotional regulation through nature connection

Emotional regulation through nature connection

by | Sep 1, 2023 | Nature Connection, Nature therapy

Case study – child with anger 

Connection with nature brings about deeper connection with self

This is a case study of a child who was expressing anger in unhelpful ways. Names have been changed, to maintain confidentiality.

Max got angry very easily, struggled to control his emotions and even small things could make him lose his temper. His parents had tried various ways to try and help him but were feeling pretty exhausted and overwhelmed themselves with failing to find successful strategies to lower the angry outbursts from their son that were both verbal and physical. 

However, what Max’s parents had noticed was that when Max was outdoors he seemed more settled and happier in himself, so they started researching into therapists who worked with children outdoors. That’s how they came across me, as someone who works using the outdoors in a therapeutic capacity, to bring about emotional regulation through nature connection.

Max was initially reluctant to engage with coming along to therapy sessions in a woodland, but once he arrived, he was entranced by the wildness of the wood, the animal tracks he could follow and the opportunities for all kinds of fun such as fire making and den building. What Max found, over a period of just a few sessions, was that just being in the wood made him feel better inside. What was happening was that his emotions were soothed by his senses being engaged with nature, resulting in Max feeling a lot calmer and more at peace with himself.

 

Nature connection delivers a sense of joy

In one therapy session, as we were wandering through the woods, Max saw a deer with a young fawn and he was truly awestruck by the experience. He went home and started finding out more about the type of deer it was and all about them as a species. His parents were amazed at how Max not only became engrossed in what he was doing, which was something he usually struggled with, but how his general manner at home seemed calmer and not so prone to fly into his usual rages. Max just seemed happier and more content in himself, for longer periods of time at home, than had been the case previously.

What had happened was that Max had, through connecting with nature, learned about the pleasure and joy of relaxation and bringing focussed attention to the present moment. Once Max was able to access a more relaxed state he became more open to other therapeutic treatments, including IEMT (Integrated Eye Movement Therapy) to process memories that were effecting unhelpful emotions. IEMT was the therapy used to help Max explore how he came to feel the way he did, with a view to helping him reduce his emotional dysregulation.

Working with the parents was also part of the therapy treatment programme, providing them with strategies to use to help both Max and themselves. Changing behaviour was effected first through learning to relax in nature, followed by a more formalised therapy treatment programme suited to the particular need of both child and parent(s).

Find out more about how nature connection could help your child

The 20 acre woodland where I work is privately owned with no public access and is located near the town of Thrapston, in East Northamptonshire. f you think nature connection sessions could be helpful to your child then please get in touch by phoning or messaging me, Susan Collini, on 07483 234109, or use the contact form below and I will get back to you.

 

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Originally posted 2023-08-26 16:35:13.

Develop a mindset for business and personal growth

Develop a mindset for business and personal growth

by | Sep 1, 2023 | Hypnosis, Performance growth

Cultivate a mindset for growth

Be better at what you do

Even if you are good at what you do there is always room for improvement.  A combination of clinical hypnotherapy and IEMT (Integral Eye Movement Therapy) can help unlock your potential to boost ability to achieve greater success, through  letting go of what is holding you back and generally becoming more focused and better at what you do.

Every person, whether already feeling successful at what they do, has internal resources that have not been maximised. Being guided to access those inner resources and then utilising them to best advantage is what makes those people more successful than other people. Engaging with a few sessions of clinical hypnotherapy and/or IEMT can be instrumental in realising potential for business or personal growth.

Hypnosis can be instrumental in enhancing and improving an individual’s mental attitude and focus through embedding greater confidence in their subconscious and by helping eliminate unhelpful beliefs holding them back.

IEMT can be very effective at helping resolve underlying identity related issues that have, up to that point, stunted potential for developing that person’s full potential.

The ‘how’ of helping you

Following an initial induction interview, where your aspirations and goals are discussed in detail, a series of clinical hypnotherapy sessions would take place where you will be guided into a state of hypnosis to help you achieve the following:

  • Eliminate negative beliefs or thoughts
  • Increase dedication and motivation
  • Concentrate and relax deeply to imagine success
  • Improve self-belief and confidence
  • Overcome distraction and maintain composure
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Relaxation is key to optimising performance

When you’re under pressure it is very difficult to relax, because your mind becomes so focused on getting the job done, in the belief that once the task is completed the pressure will be relased; then you can relax. How much do you identify with that and is that what happens in practice?

Can you, I wonder, also identify with overthinking when you’re under pressure? Does your mind go into super-charge mode? You may think that’s a positive, necessary for achieving your end-goal, but actually it is more often counter-productive, with you becoming  less, rather than more able to progress towards your goal through by thinking things through clearly and creatively.

The term ‘paralysis by analysis’ has been used to describe this phenomenon of what is effectively a kind of ‘brain-freeze’ and it can impact on an individual whether they are running a business or caring for someone at home. When you’re under pressure you can feel there’s just so many jobs to be done, so much that has to be achieved to keep things running smoothly. The answer? – Just keep going until the job is done.
But I wonder, do you then take time out to recuperate by relaxing or do you just keep going until you fall into bed, your mind still whirring away that then impacts on the quality of your sleep?
If you don’t sleep properly then that then impacts further on your performance; it’s a vicious circle. 

How I can help

I can facilitate you improving your performance by helping you develop key cognitive psychhological skills; essentially about cultivating a mindset disigned to enhance performance outcomes.

Firstly I will gain an understanding of the goals you want to achieve and what unhelpful beliefs are holding you back. Secondly I will produce a plan of action that will be discussed and agreed before commencing hypnotherapy-based treatments to bring about necessary changes to be able to move steadily towards what it is you wish to achieve.

Hypnotherapy isn’t about making it happen, just through you going into hypnosis. Helpful suggestions are made to your subconscious, to help motivate and focus the mind on changing ways of thinking, feeling and behaving, but these require practice day to day to reinforce the new ways of thinking and acting. 

Hypnosis is a very natural state of mind, one where you are more open to helpful suggestions being made to improve your life experience. There is no magical transformation but hypnosis can be transformative in how it helps individuals achieve the goals they seek. 

If you would like to find out more about how hypnosis could help you cultivate a mindset for growth, for business or in your personal life, then please get in touch for a free 30 minute discovery session. You can phone/message me on 07483 234109 or send a message using the form below.

 

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Originally posted 2023-08-22 15:51:02.