Category: Mental Health

Often when we are worried, feeling confused or burdened by life our minds become carried away with stress.

Stress is a common experience in our modern-day lives and can lead to a range of physical and mental health issues. Whether it’s related to work, finances, relationships, or health, stress can be overwhelming and exhausting. When we are constantly in a state of stress, it can weaken our immune system and lead to other serious health issues. The reduction of anxiety is, therefore, essential for our overall well-being. Hypnotherapy is one approach that has been found to be effective in managing stress and anxiety.

Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy that uses hypnosis to induce a state of deep relaxation. During this state, the hypnotherapist guides the client’s thoughts and imagination towards a positive outcome. Hypnotherapy has been found to be effective in treating a range of conditions, including anxiety, depression, phobias, and addiction.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) is a particular type of hypnotherapy that focuses on solutions rather than problems. SFH is based on the principles of positive psychology and neuroscience. It helps clients focus on their strengths and resources to overcome their problems and achieve their goals. SFH is a collaborative process that involves the therapist and client working together towards a positive outcome.

The goal of SFH is to help clients achieve a state of relaxation and calmness. During the session, the hypnotherapist will guide the client into a state of trance, which is similar to a state of deep relaxation. While in this state, the client’s conscious mind is temporarily bypassed, allowing the hypnotherapist to communicate with the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is where our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs are stored. By accessing the subconscious mind, the hypnotherapist can help clients identify and change negative thought patterns and beliefs that are contributing to their stress and anxiety.

SFH sessions are usually short-term, typically lasting between six to twelve sessions. During the initial consultation, the hypnotherapist will assess the client’s needs and goals and develop a personalized treatment plan. The client will also be taught relaxation techniques that they can practice outside of the sessions. SFH is a safe and non-invasive therapy that can be used alongside conventional medical treatments.

In conclusion, hypnotherapy is an effective approach for managing stress and anxiety. SFH, in particular, focuses on solutions rather than problems and helps clients access their inner resources to overcome their challenges. If you are experiencing stress or anxiety, it is important to seek professional help. A qualified hypnotherapist can help you manage your stress and anxiety, and improve your overall well-being.

To find out about how Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help you, contact Neil Cox at Neil Cox Hypnotherapy.

Get in touch by calling +447900225171 and for more information please click my Contact page.

Primitive instincts and modern problems. Have we truly evolved yet to our surroundings?

If so, then why with so many comforts of modern life at our fingertips are we suffering from stress related symptoms such as anxiety disorders, OCD, IBS and depression?

We have mobile phones and the internet, we’re able to travel to far off destinations in the same day. There’s the availability of public transport and many of us owning our own cars now.

So what is happening in this rapidly changing modern life we live?

Primitive instincts.

What is happening is that many of the primitive instincts have not evolved as quickly as the imagination of humankind, that imagination having created the many benefits of modern life.

So to explain what is happening we must go back into the past and take a look at how our cave dwelling ancestors lived and survived. They survived with the basic instinctual responses they were born with. To stay and fight, or run and survive to fight another day. Our primitive instincts. It is this response to the environment through the information taken in through our senses that still reacts today. Albeit irrationally to a perceived danger or illogical fear.

So why is this happening now even though we have developed a thinking planning mind?

The same primitive part of us that reacts before we can rationalise, that special part of our brain that is lightning fast is known as the amygdala. This is our own pattern and association matching system. Despite the fact that it’s amazing, how it works to keep us safe it is not perfect. It will generally match with something similar.

Then, when it has done that, it will match with something that is similar to the situation therefore creating a generalisation.  And where do we hear the term general used these days to describe a symptom – (GAD) general anxiety disorder.

To describe how this happens in another way, let us say someone has an experience of something frightening where they felt fearful. Then they experience something that seems a little similar, now the amygdala fires off the alarm bells to run or fight.  It has matched this experience to the previous fearful one. But, if the fear is not needed, no action is required to be taken.

So the thinking rational mind goes why do I feel afraid?  This arousal of fight or flight energy has no outlet or purpose and takes time to fade. Each time this pattern is matched to the first or previous experience, creating a fear of the fear. This can also be brought on with our own imagination.

So, let’s move to the imagination and how it plays a part in our modern problems. Imagination is what helped us to evolve and where everything around us was created; everything is first created in the imagination.

So how does this wonderful imagination give us modern problems?

Everything you see with your eyes is an image reflected inside from the outside world. Just like a camera that takes a picture and reflects the exposure of the outside onto the film. So anything perceived in the imagination is just as real, as we are projecting this image on the same movie screen of our mind. By imagining something may happen we are creating images that the amygdala believes to be a real danger. This sets off the natural survival warning system. The fight or flight response of a raised heart beat, sweating, not being able to think straight as more blood rushes to muscles to prepare us to move quickly.

However no real danger is there for us to respond to, and we are left with this arousal state. As I said before, that takes time to fade leaving us afraid or anxious, because we don’t know why we feel this way.

So now we understand that anxiety is caused by primitive instinctual responses we are born with. They are also used for us to learn everything we know. All information is stored in the unconscious mind to create patterns and associations for understanding our world. That’s why our lives and behaviours become a reflection of our experiences both good and bad.

All information is taken in from the world around us and then sent into the unconscious resources of experience to search for meaning and that meaning is only our perception as all understanding is only from our learned experience.

So what can we do with this knowledge to rid ourselves of our primitive ancestors reactions that are causing us such difficulty?

What we do is we seek out a therapist that we feel comfortable with who is capable to work quickly on the cause and reactions we are having, I say quickly because depending obviously on the complexity of the initial sensitising event and how subsequent similar events that may be generalised it should be quick, that part of your brain learned how to make you feel this way quickly so it has the ability to unlearn it just as quickly!

After all it is only interested in your protection and survival.

Options.

Your brain never came with instructions only a basic programme to meet your needs for survival. So a therapist who is flexible enough to work in many ways will give you the quickest results. If the therapist has only one way of working you will have to fit the therapy they offer and they may get stuck trying to prove their therapy works at your expense. That is not to say that one therapy is not the solution and will not give equally good results, but having more options can often mean success.

www.hypnotherapists.org

People who need help to overcome these modern problems are not broken. They never were, and as you can see here it’s our primitive instincts of our primitive mind that we are born with. It works so perfectly well in your best survival interest and only responding to generalised patterns being matched outside your awareness at an unconscious level.

So I hope I have pointed out here, that it may be time to seek out the help or guidance you need. You can then rid yourself of this limiting response you have been having that is holding you back from the life you deserve.

Achieving Your New Year Goals with Hypnotherapy

The start of a new year often prompts people to make resolutions and set new goals. However, sticking to these goals can be challenging, and many people struggle to maintain their motivation throughout the year. Hypnotherapy can be a powerful tool to help individuals achieve their New Year goals and create healthier habits of thought.

As a Solution Focused Hypnotherapist practicing in Cornwall, I employ techniques that help clients visualise their “preferred future.” By asking specific questions, I help people describe how their future will look when they have achieved their goal. This visualisation exercise is followed by a session of hypnosis, which is a relaxed state in which the mind is more receptive to ideas and suggestions.

It is important to note that hypnotherapy is not a magic wand that can change behaviour without any effort on the part of the client. Willpower and determination are still needed, but hypnotherapy can be enormously helpful in maintaining motivation.

Habits are a crucial factor in achieving New Year goals. Most resolutions involve changing ingrained habits, such as eating habits, cleaning habits, or work habits. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy works by helping clients see an alternative behaviour that benefits them. By helping clients imagine having achieved their goal, hypnotherapists are helping them create healthier habits of thought.

Neuroscience has shown that when we imagine doing something, similar changes take place in the brain as if we are actually doing it. We can accelerate the formation of new habits by simply thinking about the way we want to be. The deeply relaxed state achieved during hypnosis helps the mind to absorb the positive mental image.

Visualisation is a powerful tool in hypnotherapy, and it can be done by anyone, regardless of their artistic ability. I often ask clients to describe their car or tell me what their kitchen looks like. By providing as much detail as possible, clients can create a vivid mental image of their preferred future.

The benefits of hypnotherapy extend beyond just achieving New Year goals. It can help individuals overcome phobias, anxiety, and other mental health issues. By focusing on solutions rather than problems, hypnotherapy can help individuals create a positive mindset and improve their overall well-being.

In addition to hypnotherapy, there are several other techniques that individuals can use to achieve their New Year goals. One effective method is to break down goals into smaller, more manageable tasks. By setting achievable milestones, individuals can maintain their motivation and build confidence as they progress towards their ultimate goal.

Another helpful technique is to share goals with a friend or family member. Having someone to hold us accountable and offer encouragement can make a big difference in our ability to achieve our goals. Joining a support group or seeking guidance from a professional can also be beneficial for those seeking to achieve their New Year goals.

In conclusion, hypnotherapy can be an effective tool for achieving New Year goals and creating healthier habits of thought. By helping clients visualise their preferred future, hypnotherapists can accelerate the formation of new habits and maintain motivation. If you are struggling to stick to your New Year goals, consider hypnotherapy as a viable option to help you achieve your desired outcomes. Remember to break down goals into manageable tasks, share your goals with others, and seek support when needed.