Archive for the ‘Clinical Hypnotherapy’ Category

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Can Clincal Hypnotherapy do anything for my insomnia?

Monday, October 5th, 2009

Our Clinical Hypnotherapist, Zofie, writes:

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist I have worked with clients with sleep problems. These have ranged from not being able to get to sleep, to those who have the ability to fall asleep but then wake during the night and those suffering from terrifying nightmares. A number of clients have suffered for years and arrive with little hope that I can help. As such it is often quite difficult to persuade people that insomnia and poor sleep patterns can be helped in a matter of days or weeks.

Firstly, I ask all sorts of questions relating to the sufferer’s lifestyle and daily schedule as well as probing into their stress levels and stressors. In my experience, what the client is doing is to keep the problem going which becomes apparent very quickly. Sometimes a particular event can trigger the sleep problem and the event may be subsequently dealt with, unfortunately by this time the sufferer has got into the habit of not sleeping or not sleeping well. When facing this challenge the habit can be hard to shift.

For others there doesn’t appear to be a trigger although it can be set off by rising stress levels.
In either event, help in managing stress levels backed up by suggestion work and guidance to help break old habits these longstanding problems can be shifted.

For many individuals it seems like they are stuck in a difficult vicious cycle which can seem almost impossible to break without help; the fear of not sleeping ultimately leads to certain rituals or habits being formed which further serve to strengthen the fear and as a consequence, the problem.
Many sufferers will relate to the idea of the law of revered effect which states: “the harder you try the harder it becomes” and this is especially true for sleep! But it can be hard to stop trying when it has become habitual which is where intense relaxation and confidence building can help.

Hypnotherapy can help you to bridge the gap between the fear of not sleeping and breaking the mould thereby creating new and healthy sleep habits. And, if you would like help and advice on how to deal with a sleep disorder or anything similar please get in touch. I can be contacted on 0117 922 1542 and 07966 094 979.
Zofie
Clinical Hypnotherapist
DHP.HPD.MAPHP.MNCH
CBT Trained

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Post-event massage: what’s the point of that then?

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Simone Crocker, another one of C1 Chiropractic Health Centre’s sports massage therapists adds:

Post-event means after any activity that has been at a high enough intensity to raise your heart rate and engage your muscles in an active way for a sustained period. It could be a 5k, cycling sportive or a good old rock climb but either way, if you have been doing a sporting event, (hopefully one which you have responsibly trained for) chances are your going to ache a bit afterwards (especially if you’ve put your heart and soul into it).

The ache we feel in our muscles after engaging them in activity is known as delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS. It’s a term used to describe the plethora of effects that exercise has, namely the breakdown and rebuild of lean tissue, the metabolizing of energy in order to move and the physical contraction and flexion of muscles. All of this is brilliant stuff because it staves away heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis to name but a few common evils but how do we get rid of that annoying stiffness and return back to our flexible happy selves?

Post event massage stimulates the circulation to remove all the waste product that builds up as a result of exercise. There are so many theories about what causes DOMS: lactate acid build up, calcium imbalance, pH imbalance in the muscles but either way, massage can reduce the stiffness and also massively reduce recovery time (by up to 5 times apparently). It can also encourage repair of damaged tissue by improving circulation, reduce inflammation and stop any painful muscle spasm. Using gentle active and passive stretching techniques can also detect any injury as a result of sustained activity.

Its not to be underestimated: I did my first half marathon 2 years ago and 12 hours later sat on a 9 hour flight with little attention to stretching. For the first 3 days of my holiday I could barely walk, which was by far one of the most stupid things I have ever done.

A sports massage therapist will also be able to pass on handy stretches to keep you supple in the days following the event, so you can get right back into your regular training and do it all over again!

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Sports massage therapy – how does it help athletes in training?

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Rebecca Strange one of our sports massage therapists writes:

Sports massage treatment during training. The pre-event massage is most effective up to two days before the event. A sports massage can help the muscles perform at a high level during training without over training and injury.

Use a sports massage to aid in warming up the muscles before training or before the event. A sports massage can help stretch the muscles as well as stimulate blood flow and relaxation. By having the muscles well stretched and relaxed it can help prevent sports injuries.

Utilise a sports massage after the sporting event to help in muscle recovery. A post-event sports massage can also aid in reducing muscle spasm and soreness. Post-event massages are short and direct lasting only 10-15 minutes. The post-event focuses on the muscles used specifically for the sport.

Sports massage is useful not only for its physical benefits but also for its psychological benefits. Using a sports massage can improve the performance of the serious athlete as well as the recreational athlete. By reducing body tension and increasing confidence through massage therapy an athlete can reach its potential.

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Is Is hypnotherapy the “Magic Wand Treatment” for the overweight?

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Zofie, our clinical hypnotherapist writes:

As a practising Hypnotherapist I have worked with numerous clients seeking to lose weight. Much misunderstanding about to the mechanics of hypnosis and hypnotherapy exists which can sadly lead to some potential contenders being “put off” this type of help.

Having successfully helped many clients with weight loss it has indeed been remarked on many occasions that saying “no” to things has been easy and therefore the weight loss itself much easier. Outsiders witnessing the client lose weight can therefore sometimes perceive the process as magical- as if a magic wand has indeed been waved over the inactive participant.
But if we consider what really happens during a typical course of hypnotherapy for weight loss it becomes clear that although sometimes the results can appear to be magical or miraculous, in fact what is happening is much more straight forward; although no less impressive for that.

Typically a client wishing to lose weight is firstly helped to achieve a generally calm frame of mind and this is vital. When we are stressed out, depressed or chronically angry for many of us it can seem almost impossible to lose weight, or achieve any other sort of goal for that matter. When we are in such a negative frame of mind we both need the excess food as a crutch and don’t have access to the intellectual function of our brain which we require to take action. As such, simply removing this background stress can help the previously impossible become achievable.

This is coupled with subconscious reprogramming which again can sound rather weird and wonderful (and the results it can help us to achieve most certainly are) the process itself is incredibly straightforward. During trance or a state of focused awareness we have greater access to the subconscious. This part of our brain is thought to run around 90% of our actions and so altering things at this level can bring about enormous change.

Other simple yet potentially life changing techniques are also used, such as learning to focus on how you want things to be instead of worrying about what might happen or what has happened. Other techniques I use are self esteem boosting exercises, positive visualisation, relaxation, meditation and skills like the art of saying no!

The combination of these processes, an opportunity to “get things off your chest” and refocus is what leads to what can seem like a magic wand effect. In reality there is no “magic” but nonetheless when you are committed to losing weight the process can be incredibly effective and often enlightening. Although you still need to take the steps, this process can cause you to feel like someone is holding your hand along the way, guiding you and carrying the weight!
If you are interested in finding out more please contact Zofie on:
info@newlifecatalyst.co.uk
or telephone 07966 094 979.

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