Hypnosis

Hypnosis is the original mind/body medicine. For centuries it has gone in and out of vogue. Now, in the twenty-first century, there’s finally sufficient scientific evidence, real hard data, that proves its effectiveness.

Hypnosis is a bridge to the subconscious mind, which houses the emotions, imagination, memories, habits and intuition. It also regulates our autonomic body functions and is the part of the mind that dreams.

Within a therapeutic setting, hypnosis is often induced through various methods of relaxation. As a result of this process the critical factor of the conscious mind is bypassed, giving the hypnotherapist and subject direct access to the deeper mind, the subconscious, which has been called the other 90% of the mind. Hypnosis is essentially a way of relaxing and setting aside the conscious mind while at the same time activating the subconscious, enabling the subject to act on positive, life-affirming suggestions with ease and efficiency. Generally the most well-known characteristic of hypnosis is increased suggestibility.

Within the field of hypnotherapy, there are a great variety of ways to harness the power of the subconscious mind to affect change. It is used in areas such as chronic and acute pain control or affect the psychological associations of pain. It can be effective to improve confidence, concentration, motivation, achievement, recall, focus, health and stress management. Hypnosis can help overcome addictions, habits, eating disorders, insomnia, fears, phobias and negative thought, emotional and behaviour patterns. It can also tap people into the utilization of their full potential in endeavours like work, sports and art.

In 1958, the Council on Mental Health of the American Medical Association formerly accepted hypnosis and recommended its inclusion in the curriculum of medical schools and post-graduate residencies. The British Medical Association had previously recognized hypnosis for psychiatric and surgical use.

Today, thousands of dentists, physicians, psychologists and other health professionals receive training in hypnosis. Hypnosis has emerged as a valuable tool in medicine and psychotherapy and is fully recognized and utilized by many scientists.

Article by: Frederick Stander CHT
Holistic Hypnotherapist & Wellness Counsellor at NewAge Center
http://www.newageshop.com.hk/

The Perpetual Dieter

Weight loss is all about burning more calories than we consume. Right?
So why is it so difficult?
And why has weight been on my mind all my life?
Why is it a constant struggle for me and for others?

I used to say that I was born overweight, but the reality was that I was a normal healthy weight but I grew into an overweight child. A tubby child. A child who had the mickey taken out of her at school and a child that hated sport and any form of exercise or physical activity. And it’s true to say that my hatred of sport and physical exercise has continued. To this day I don’t get that ‘buzz’ that people talk of after a gym session or a run, or the increase in energy that others talk about.

But I do get that ‘buzz’ when I lose weight!! But the thought of eating vegetables and salad (I was never a big lover of these foods) and depriving myself of the foods that I love fills me with dread and makes me grumpy. I used to go to endless lengths to hide the foods from those that I didn’t want to eat (I used to hide vegetables in the cheese plant at my mum and dad’s as we didn’t have a dog!) to those that I ate in secret (a chocolate bar hidden amongst my underwear – after all if no-one saw me eat it then it wouldn’t matter!)

When I went on a diet food was always on my mind and occupied my every waking moment! And if I ate something that I shouldn’t have done then I used to chastise myself and tell myself I deserved to be this way. If I couldn’t have what I wanted or was faced with a plate of unappetising food, again the self-hatred would drown out my reasons for wanting to be slimmer. And the scales each week became my enemy. The dial seemed to be stuck or only ever went up!

Since then I have learnt to accept myself for who I am. I am no stick insect and never will be. But I have learnt to understand my relationship with food. I eat when I am bored, I eat when I am lonely, I eat when I am upset and I celebrate with food when I am happy. I eat when I am stressed, I reach for calorie laden (nice tasting) foods when I am tired and I HAVE to clear my plate (even when I am stuffed) just so that I can have a pudding. The list goes on…

The Solution

Yes the key to losing weight is burn more calories than you consume. But unless you understand your relationship with food and change these habits as well it will be an uphill struggle.

So to be more successful at achieving your ideal weight look at the issues that have prevented you from getting there (and staying there) in the past. For example, if you eat for other reasons besides being hungry then visualise your stomach as a balloon, and ask yourself how inflated this balloon really is. Is it completely empty or so full that one more breath of air will cause it to pop. Visualising your stomach in this way during a meal can also be used to signal that it’s time to stop eating.

Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool to help you change your relationship with your food forever. By working at an unconscious level you can literally change how you think. When you have your first session with a hypnotherapist you are taking the first step on the road to having a healthy relationship with food and increasing your own self confidence. Leading you to a life where ‘diet’ is not part of your vocabulary.

Article by: Lisa Williams
Stockport Counselling & Hypnotherapy
Online and face-to-face counselling and tailor-made hypnotherapy packages
www.stockportcounselling.com