At this time of year, with winter a wet and distant memory and spring definitely springing, a lot of thoughts are turning to foreign holidays. And so, it’s about this time of year I see an increase in people wanting help with their fears of flying (even more so since the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370). This increase in anxiety has even been noted in the press (click here). But fear not, for help is at hand! Read more
A chronic pain condition is not an easy thing to live with. Typically, the medical response is to chuck pain-killing drugs at the problem. However, psychotherapy, in the form of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy can do much to not only help alleviate your perception of pain, but to also help with the inevitable emotional problems (such as anxiety and depression) that come with having to live with pain for so long. Read more
I’ve blogged about this before (click here), but stopping smoking is one of the most successful methods for stopping smoking and study after study seems to back this up. And, ahead of National No Smoking Day, new research sheds light on new benefits to quitting. Read more
When people first enquire about my services, one question I am asked more than any other is, ‘how long will this all take?’ It’s a difficult question to answer given that, at that point, I know next to nothing about you or what you want help with. It’s true that CBT and hypnotherapy are both known as brief therapies, but what does that mean exactly? Read more
A video has been doing the rounds on the Internet recently, one that depicts a women going into total meltdown when she can’t get her Chicken McNuggets (click here). A warning though, if you do click on the link, whilst the video is hysterical, it’s also shocking and contains more than its fair share of foul language. Although perfect car crash TV (and leaving aside the possibility that the woman in it might be on PCP or crack), it’s also a perfect display of someone with anger management issues. Read more
Recently, as part of research for his role in the hypnosis-led thriller Trance, actor James McAvoy spent time with a hypnotherapist, but failed to achieve a state of hypnosis [click here]. “I was very keen to be suggested,” he said, “to have somebody tell me to run naked or cluck like a chicken or whatever, but it didn’t work for me.” And, therein lies the rub. I would argue that hypnosis failed due to his expectations. Read more
Okay, so the title of this article may have been purloined from the inaugural address of the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, but it also serves as an excellent introduction to that aspect of anxiety known as panic disorder, a condition that can be borne of just one or even several panic attacks. A panic attack is several things at once, none of them fun. Read more
Jealousy is a complicated emotion and one you experience when you feel your relationship is under threat. It’s an age-old concept and was even mentioned in the bible where (depending on which version you’re reading) it either compared to a cancer or you’re warned that it will rot your bones. But, is jealousy a beast and can it be tamed? Read more
Last year I posted a blog about work-related stress management (click here). Today, I’m focussing on a specific sub-section of it called ‘executive stress.’ If you are a director or CEO, you know that being in charge is hard. Hiring and firing, and helping everyone else below you isn’t easy. It’s no surprise that C-suite executives come with their own special brand of work-related stress. But, what can you do about it? Read more
When someone comes to see you for hypnotherapy, you spend a long time talking about the state of hypnosis; what it is and is not, what it will feel like and so on, as it never truly feels anything like what you think it is going to feel like. Which begs the question, what exactly does it feel like? Read more