How CBT helps phobias
More and more people have heard of how phobias can be cured through the use of hypnotherapy. However, not as many are familiar with the work of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT is useful for many mental health issues and likewise phobias.
Treating a phobia with CBT usually involves a gradual exposure to the item or situation in questions, which allows the sufferer to face their fear themselves. It is not necessary to know or understand where the fear originated from in the first place. Occasionally, in severe cases, some anti-anxiety medication can be used.
Usually, a sufferer will book a series of sessions with a psychotherapist for CBT, which could be anything from six to 12 sessions although results have been seen in fewer sessions that these in some cases. The most important thing about a phobia is not to beat yourself up over it but to identify that you do have a real problem and summon up the courage to face it and to seek help, whether that is through hypnosis or CBT. You are not the only one to suffer from your phobia, no matter how rare it is.
30/01/2009 | Posted in Hypno-birthing, CBT,
Diet alone may not be enough
If you, like many others this year, are trying to lose weight as one of your New Year’s resolutions, then perhaps you have already given up on the diet, switched to another diet or are steadfastly holding resolute to your guns. No matter what you are trying, if you find that you are always falling off the bandwagon after a few months and yo-yo dieting as an unhealthy consequence, then perhaps you should consider that diet and exercise alone are not enough.
Sometimes there are other factors involved, such as childhood, the way you think about food or approach it, sugar needs and emotional issues. These are not necessarily huge problems but they affect your relationship with food. In order to make sure that a diet is effective, it might be necessary to consider combining the diet with an alternative therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or hypnotherapy, which can help you to examine your feelings or thoughts about food and how your life is affected by it and can help you to change unhealthy patterns into positives. For instance, everyone has vulnerable moments in their day to day lives when they are more susceptible to food. Sometimes simply identifying these can help. CBT is a good way to talk through these issues and look at strategies to help you overcome problems. Hypnotherapy on the other hand can help you to change your ways at a subconscious level so you are no longer fighting with your conscious willpower.
26/01/2009 | Posted in CBT, Hypnotherapy,
Curing a phobia
A phobia is not just a fear, but a really strong fear that generally affects someone’s life in an adverse manner. The fear could be of anything, however, some fears are more common than others such as snakes, spiders, vomit, the dark, going out, thunder and lightning, heights, needles and many more. Other less common phobias could be buttons or Velcro. A psychotherapist at the South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, Peter Kolb, recently told the Surrey Comet newspaper:
“We are all afraid of things but this is a reaction which is out of keeping with the item. The worst case I have seen was someone with a bird phobia. If she was anywhere near a bird she would perspire unbelievably. There was hair matted on her face. People have to realise that these people are petrified. Some years back there was a woman with a spider phobia who climbed out of a window and actually fell to avoid a spider. People have tried to get out of their cars while they are moving because a wasp has got in. It’s a level of fear that takes precedence over everything else. They are so afraid of that item that it overlays other things that the rest of us would say are very hazardous.”There are different methods that can be tried to overcome phobias. Sometimes a phobia can be removed completely and other times it will just be reduced to a more healthy level. For instance, a fear of snakes is perfectly natural to some degree. Methods that have had proven success rates in the past include hypnotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which have been known to cure a phobia in as little as one session.
25/01/2009 | Posted in CBT, Hypnotherapy,
Overcoming a vomit phobia
Phobias are quite commonplace and, indeed, they affect approximately one in 10 people. However, most people hide their phobia rather than seek help to recover from their fear. In a recent article in the Surrey Comet, one 25 year old student avoids alcohol and always leaves a party early, because she has had a fear of vomit since she was aged five. Thanks to this phobia, she also refuses to eat out in case of food poisoning and will not go anywhere where somebody might throw up, such as the local pub. She told the paper:
“I realised I had the phobia after an incident at school. A child was sick, and then another was. I started to panic and they took me outside. I didn’t understand why I was so frightened. But every time from then on I would panic. I started to hyperventilate and sweat. I would feel I had to get out. Now I try to avoid social situations where people might be sick. Even seeing it on screen at a cinema can make me feel very nervous.”
This phobia has had a real effect on her life. The nameless student is too embarrassed to tell boyfriends and relationships do not last long because she is so closed. This story might sound surprising and yet it is not uncommon. A vomit phobia is not that unusual although, for the sufferer, it can feel like they are the only person in the world with this condition.
Therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or hypnotherapy have been known to cure phobias even as extreme as this in just one or two sessions, although sometimes a little longer is required for severe cases.
24/01/2009 | Posted in Hypnotherapy, CBT,
Credit crunch leads NHS to turn to psychotherapy
As predicted in earlier articles, it appears that the credit crunch has indeed led to a general increase in levels of anxiety and depression. According to recent reports, the NHS is expected to search for psychotherapists able to help those feeling adversely affected by the current economic climate. Thanks to the credit crunch and consequent recession, many people are losing their jobs or struggling to cope with rising debts and in many cases, this can result in feelings of depression or anxiety. Permanent secretary Hugh Taylor from the Department of Health told the Sunday People newspaper:
"A long downturn would have some impact on mental health associated with unemployment and particularly debt. We are already making investment in psychological therapies and increasing the number of therapists.”Reportedly, the government is expected to invest around £173 million to ensure that all hospitals have access to psychotherapy by 2011. Psychotherapists are able to counsel people at any stage of their lives. In some cases, it helps just to talk about issues and to gain a new perspective on problems. With modern life, psychotherapy is becoming increasingly popular.
22/01/2009 | Posted in Psychotherapy,
Hypnotherapist cures Labour MP’s fear of heights
Since a visit to the Eiffel Tower at the age of 22, Labour MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey Derek Wyatt discovered he had a fear of heights that made him feel sick and, ever since, he has tried to avoid being more than about 10 feet high. This fear stopped MP Wyatt from going up ladders, using open lifts or even driving up narrow roads when abroad in France or Italy. Not only that but Mr Wyatt loved to ski and had to cover his eyes when being taken up the side of snowy hills and mountains. When the opportunity for a Christmas skiing trip in Canada came up, the now 59 year old MP decided he had had enough and made an appointment to see a hypnotherapist. He told Kentnews:
“If you’ve got children who want to be taken skiing, it’s not much fun if you can’t join in or have lunch with them at the top.”The hypnotherapist initially booked Mr Wyatt in for four separate hypnosis sessions, each of which would last around 90 minutes. However, after one session of hypnotherapy he told Mr Wyatt he was cured. When it came to the skiing trip, Mr Wyatt went on the largest ski lift in the world and did not feel even a wobble. He was delighted with the hypnotherapy and went on to add:
“I had hoped the hypnotherapy would work, but at my age I’d try anything to get over my fear. I was delighted when it did. I know people who have been helped to quit smoking and all sorts of other things, so I’d certainly recommend it.”
21/01/2009 | Posted in Hypnotherapy,
Four years smoke-free thanks to hypnotherapy
In the Killeen Daily Herald last week, the newspaper reported the story of a gentleman called Chris Everett who started smoking with his parent’s permission at school and his addiction followed him for the next 45 years. The story is not unusual in itself as particularly at that time many people started to smoke whilst at school and have struggled to kick the habit ever since. What made the story slightly different was that Everett was a registered nurse and, despite knowing all the health and financial risks, he could not kick the habit until a doctor’s nurse made a comment during an appointment. The nurse said she had kicked her smoking habit using hypnosis. Everett told the paper:
"I looked at her as if she was an alien. I asked her if she had any info and she went into her bag and came out with this number that she told me to call. But I really just thought of it as this clock or pendulum swaying back and forth."Despite feeling sceptical, Everett made an appointment with a hypnotherapist and went for his hypnotherapy. He listened to her speaking, closed his eyes and said he had thought that it could not possibly work. Four years on and thanks to hypnotherapy, Everett has remained smoke free for four years and is saving the money he otherwise would have spent for a dream trip to Paris and Rome later this year. Quitting smoking using hypnotherapy doesn’t mean you have to believe in it; it can still work and often in as little as one session.
19/01/2009 | Posted in Hypnotherapy,
Britain worries over finances
Website ReallyWorried.com shows the UK Worry Index, the resulting index devised from a survey of over 1400 people. According to this index, the global financial crisis means that the cost of living is now at the top of this UK's worries. The survey showed people are worrying more about money than they are about their health and drinking more than the previous year too, possibly in an effort to cope with worry.
Resorting to alcohol can breed more problems and this could be made worse as the survey showed 38 per cent bottle up their feelings. Talking about problems or looking at ways to change our patterns of thinking can really help and counsellors are finding that the credit crunch has meant an increase in the number of patients seeking help and solace from the stress.
Parents also worry their kids may become a victim of bullying. Youths aged from 16 to 24 worry the most as one in six apparently worries for around 12 hours a day. The worst day is Monday and after midnight is the time we worry the most.
Earlier this month The Sun quoted Phillip Hodson, a spokesperson for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, as saying:
“It is alarming to realise from this research just how many people in Britain are chronic worriers. Worry is the central component of all anxiety disorders and most depression. Worry is the paralysing emotion that leaves us like rabbits trapped staring into the headlights. And it’s not only in the mind. The physical side of worry triggers a range of other symptoms from tics to indigestion and from obsessions to insomnia. “While it’s true that "born worriers" may never be cured, it is a darn sight more difficult to keep on worrying once you share your concerns with others who may already have found some good answers and who make you turn your fears into a realistic story with a beginning, a middle and, hopefully, a happy ending.”Counselling, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy are great therapies to help cope with the stress and worry so it is unsurprising that therapists are seeing more people for help with their day to day lives.
15/01/2009 | Posted in Psychotherapy, Counselling, CBT,
Four stone weight loss with hypnotherapy
Sixty-eight year old Maureen Foster from Tamworth, Staffordshire was featured in the Tamworth Herald earlier this week as a result of her losing weight with hypnosis. Maureen has lost over four stone in weight and reduced her dress size from a size 22 to a size 12 using the process of hypnotherapy. Maureen told the newspaper:
“I've tried all the different diets and I've lost weight every time, but I've always put it back on. This is the only one that I've kept the weight off – it's not a diet, it's a way of life. I was a size 22, I had been as low as a 14 before, but I'd never been able to maintain it – now I'm a size 12. I've always struggled with my weight, all my life. But now it just feels normal."Maureen had tried every diet in the past but, thanks to hypnotherapy, she has lost weight and hasn’t eaten a chocolate or biscuit since and has found that she no longer wants them. In this case, Maureen was lucky to find that a hypnotherapy CD worked but in many cases these aren’t always perfect because they are made to suit a broad range of people. When you see a hypnotherapist for weight loss, they can tailor the session to suit you perfectly so sometimes even if you tried a hypnosis CD and it didn’t work, seeing a hypnotherapist has a much higher success rate, often in just one or two sessions.
11/01/2009 | Posted in Hypnotherapy,
Lily Allen and hypno-diets
The magazines and media have been full of celebrity gossip about Lily Allen this week as the singer has been showing off her new figure. Lily Allen has returned from her New Year trip to the US looking slimmer than ever, having reportedly dropped two full dress sizes using the latest trend in America - to use hypnotherapy for weight loss. The media has named this the"hypno-diet".
Susan Hepburn, a Harley Street hypnotist, said, "It's very big in LA and New York and it's becoming increasingly popular in London. During sessions, I taught Lily to favour healthy, low-fat meals instead of junk food. And to see that alcohol isn't a confidence booster, it's just extra calories that sabotage your efforts to get a good body".
Using hypnotherapy for weight loss is not new. However, giving it a media-friendly name like 'hypno-dieting' and seeing celebrities such as Lily Allen, Geri Halliwell and Sophie Dahl promoting the benefits does bring it into the public eye, showing how people can manage their weight without developing eating disorders.
08/01/2009 | Posted in Hypnotherapy,
Avoid a new year divorce with mediation
According to a report from The Times Online, it isn’t just your body that might be flagging following the Christmas period but your relationship might need a little tender loving care too.
The Family Mediation helpline has stated that thousands of UK couples worry about separation in the New Year period and indeed divorce lawyers state that the first working day in the new year often sees a flurry of activity as couples file for divorce.
Mediation is the process of allowing a neutral third party to help bring together two parties in order to find a mutually satisfactory outcome to any dispute. Contrary to popular opinion, it isn’t just for corporate companies or legal disputes, but can also be used in relationships especially where children are involved.
To help avoid divorce, couples should take a little time for themselves. This doesn’t have to be an expensive time, sometimes just watching a film together or going back to places where they dated can help to rekindle memories of happier times and to remind them why they got together in the first place. It is important not to resort to blame tactics, but to take a more constructive approach and see how you can proceed together as a couple from hereon in.
Mediation can often help couples to see things from outside the relationships. A mediator does not take sides, but simply helps to reach workable agreements and avoid a trip to the courts if at all possible.
06/01/2009 | Posted in Mediation, Psychotherapy,
