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Clinical Hypnotherapy combines Counselling, Psychotherapy,
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Assertiveness Training, EMDR, Gestalt Therapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Relaxation,
Visualisation, Regression Analysis and Desensitisation. Clinical Hypnotherapy can be used to treat a variety of
medical and psychological problems. It is a safe and natural experience and can be successful where other, more conventional
methods of treatment have been slow to produce the desired results. However it is not a substitute for seeing your own GP
who know each patients full medical history. Listed below are some problems that are not immediately associated with
hypnotherapy as are stopping smoking and loosing weight. Clinical Hypnotherapy is probably the kindest way to deal
with the problems listed below both quickly and efficiently, and most can be treated in just a few sessions.
ACNE Around three-quarters of all teenagers and young adults suffer from acne. However, men and women in their 30s and 40s
can also suffer.The exact cause of acne remains unclear but more is known about how the spots that are part of acne form.
And there are more and more treatments to help deal with this distressing condition it seems the more anxious a person is
about this condition the worse the condition becomes. The causes of acne Acne is a skin condition
caused by overactivity of the glands that secrete oily substances on to the skin. The blackheads and spots usually occur on
the face, where the greatest number of these oil-producing "sebaceous" glands exist. The back, chest and shoulders
can also be affected. Acne is not a trivial complaint. It can be the source of considerable emotional distress. But there is a range of treatment
options to tackle the problem. Hypnosis can assist with symptoms and the emotional effects ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ANXIETY Anxiety is a feeling of unease. Everybody experiences it
when faced with a stressful situation, for example before an exam or an interview, or during a worrying time such as illness.
It is normal to feel anxious when facing something difficult or dangerous, and mild anxiety can be a positive and useful experience. However, for one in ten people in the UK, anxiety interferes with normal life. POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) -
this may follow after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event such as a major accident or military combat.
Anxiety is only one of the symptoms, which may come and go. The person may re-live their traumatic experience in dreams or
flashbacks. It is normal to react with anxiety to a frightening experience - the term PTSD is only applied if symptoms persist.
It may start years after the triggering event. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PHOBIAS A phobia is
a fear that is out of proportion to the real danger posed by the thing or event that triggers it. Phobias interfere with a
person's ability to lead a normal life. The most common phobias are fear of heights, spiders, mice, blood, injections or enclosed
space (claustrophobia). Social phobia is one of the more common phobias. Meeting people
causes anxiety and people are worried about what others think of them. One form of social phobia is severe anxiety about speaking
or performing in public. It is common to feel nervous in these situations, but people with social phobia find these activities
impossible. Agoraphobia, another common phobia, is a fear of various places and situations,
such as crowds or public places. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ASTHMA Asthma
is a relatively common condition – around five to eight per cent of people in the UK are affected by it, and one in
ten people suffer an asthma attack at some time in their lives. Children are more vulnerable. With the right advice and medications,
and an awareness of your symptoms, you can build a personally tailored self-management plan. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BEDWETTING (nocturnal enuresis) "Enuresis"
is an inability to control the flow of urine, and "nocturnal" means that this happens at night. The usual definition
of nocturnal enuresis is bedwetting over the age of five years. It's common for toddlers
to wet the bed, as they have not yet learned to control the flow of urine effectively. However, bedwetting can be a problem
for older children too.It is rare that a child who wets the bed has any underlying illness. However, other possible problems
such as diabetes, infections, or abnormalities will need to be ruled out. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a condition that causes fatigue severe enough to interfere with a person’s
normal life. It is the term used to describe the symptoms formerly known as ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis).Some doctors believe
that there is a strong psychiatric or psychological element to CFS, and that some cases may be depression in another form. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPRESSION At some point in their life, everyone experiences some sort of unhappiness, which is often triggered by a
traumatic event such as the break-up of a relationship or a bereavement. Most people also feel "down" from time
to time. However this unhappiness can develop into a bout of depression. This is a real illness that often goes unrecognised.
Depression affects up to 40% of people at some point in their lives -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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ECZEMA Eczema, also known as dermatitis, describes skin conditions where there is irritation or inflammation
of the skin. It affects 1 in 12 people in the UK at some time in their life. Eczema
makes the skin itchy and dry and sometimes scaly. The skin can crack, becoming red and inflamed and leaving it prone to infection.
Infection by bacteria living on the surface of the skin can cause weeping of fluid ("wet" eczema) and crusting or
scabbing. The areas of the body that are affected differ depending on the type of eczema. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOW
TO BE A HEALTHY WEIGHT
In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories
through physical activity than you take in from food and drink. This means tipping the "energy balance" by eating
fewer calories, burning more of them off or, preferably, a combination of both of these.
If you have a lot of weight to lose, it is better to set a realistic medium-term goal, rather
than aiming to lose 50kg.Some diet programs and adverts promise a "quick fix" of rapid weight loss. These are often
unscientific, and may be harmful. The challenge is not just getting to, but maintaining a healthy weight in the long term. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INSOMNIA
Insomnia is a feeling of not being
able to get enough sleep. It is usually related to finding it hard to get to sleep, waking up without having had enough sleep,
or having unrefreshing sleep. Who is affected? People differ in their need for sleep,
and everyone has the occasional night of disturbed sleep. Almost a quarter of the population frequently experience sleeping
difficulties, and it becomes more common with increasing age. Over the age of 65, 29% of men and 37% of women are affected. The symptoms
of insomnia typically include: difficulty getting to sleep (taking more than 45 minutes to get to sleep),
Difficulty staying asleep (frequent awakenings and difficulty getting back to sleep), early morning
waking, feeling tired and unrefreshed in the morning. .
People with insomnia have an increased risk of dying from cancer, heart disease or stroke. Other sleep disorders also respond
well with hypnotherapy.(nightmares, night terrors etc.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ IRRITABLE
BOWEL SYNDROME Irritable
bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic (long-term) condition affecting the small or large bowel. It causes pain or discomfort and
an altered bowel habit. Treatments are available to help with the symptoms, and people can also take
an active part in their own treatment, using self-help techniques. Most people's symptoms are so mild that they don't bother
to see a doctor about them. However, some people can have symptoms that are more troublesome, especially abdominal cramps,
bloating and diarrhoea Other symptoms include a bloated abdomen, excess wind, nausea, vomiting and
indigestion. Some people also experience a sense of fullness. If the main symptom is diarrhoea, food passes through the digestive
system faster than usual. There may also be associated problems, such as back and groin pain, lethargy, depression, disturbed
sleep and a tendency to urinate more frequently. The need to pass water is sometimes very urgent, and doing so can be painful
(these symptoms are more common for women). Women may also experience painful periods and pain during sexual intercourse. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OSTEOARTHRITIS
The word "arthritis" means inflammation of the joints, and refers to a group
of more than 200 diseases of the joints, which affect more than 8 million people in the UK. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, affecting around a million people. It is rare
in people under 40 but becomes more common with age – most people with the condition are over 65. Symptoms The main
symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain, stiffness and swelling of the joints. The joint may have restricted movement, and there
may be tenderness or deformity. The joint may also crack or creak (called crepitation). Some people who have rheumatoid arthritis
also develop so-called secondary osteoarthritis in the joints where their rheumatoid arthritis was active. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ RHEUMATOID
ARTHRITIS
Arthritis
means inflammation of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is caused by inflammation of the joints or the lining of the joints.
It can occur at any age, but is more likely in people aged over 40. RA may be very mild with few symptoms, but for around
1 in 20 people it can be severe and disabling. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease. Normally
cells called antibodies, produced by the body's immune system, attack foreign substances such as viruses and bacteria. With
autoimmune diseases, the immune system mistakes the person's own tissue as foreign and attacks it. Losing weight if necessary
is important, since extra weight can put added pressure on the joints. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- STRESS
Stress affects virtually everyone at some time in their
life. As well as the emotional and psychological disruption it causes, stress-related medical problems are becoming increasingly
common. In the modern world, we all need to learn how to cope with stress. The aim of stress management is to
help you balance the various aspects of your life - your work, your relationships and your leisure - and to balance the physical,
intellectual and emotional aspects of life. People who effectively manage stress consider life a challenge rather than a series
of irritations and feel they have control over their lives, even in the face of setbacks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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50 minutes for 50 years -
phobia, what phobia?
By John Donmall-Hicks ‘The airlock doors opened, a cold draught of dank air swept through us
and past the line of excited tourists behind, and we breathed in the fetid hint of a dark journey that awaited us hundreds
of feet beneath our feet. A long flight of slippery wet steps led deep into the earth below, water dripping from the low ceiling.
The rounded stairshaft had been cut for short men. I'm tall, and to benefit from the full height of the shaft, I had to walk
in the centre of the stairs, from where I couldn't reach the low hand-rope loosely looping down to one side. And even there,
my neck was bent so my chin was against my chest, and only my hard hat hitting the roof told me of the uneven protrusions
from the rough, low ceiling - I felt very unsteady, and feared slipping on a wet step and falling the full length of the stone
stairwell, the bottom of which could not be seen.
The stair-base was cold and cramped, opening into a small dim
cavern with a slow-flowing watercourse running through. The floor was a small boarding platform from which we 16 or so nervous
souls clambered onto a rough-hewn barge-boat, with five or six three-seat benches formed across it. The craft rocked alarmingly
as each person stepped in, and appeared to settle at a dangerous list down to my side. My efforts to balance the boat by shoving
in towards the stranger in the middle of my row seemed to be countered each time by others moving the other way, so the dirty,
cold water was at the point of flowing in and sinking us.
The spotty guide was oblivious to this danger, preoccupied
as he was with his dismal spiel of tired statistics and the string of weak jokes he had told 100 times before. His aim seemed
to be to impress and frighten us with tales of human misery, degradation and death that had accompanied the opening of the
cave's extensive tunnel system 200 years ago, and the mining of its lead deposits. And to make sure we were very aware of
just how deep, inaccessible and dangerous was the system we were worming through’.
My claustrophobia had
been a problem as long as I could remember. I'd devised strategies to manage it. I used stairs whenever I could to avoid lifts.
I counted the seconds in a lift ride, and if it slowed or shook, I would tense all over, and cold sweat would quickly form
on my brow and in the small of my back. I walked to avoid the tube, or travelled early or late to avoid the rush hour. If
I couldn't avoid rush hour, I'd travel at one end of the train to minimize the crush, and I'd find a spot next to the lowering
window in the access door to the next carriage. I'd often let one or two crowded trains go through, hoping they had taken
most of the crush from up-line and that the next one would be comparatively empty. I now realize that I planned my travel
in precisely the same way my black friends have told me they plan theirs to avoid threatening racist situations.
I don't know where
this phobia came from, but I've always had a vague memory of being locked in the coal cellar by my elder sister when I was
about 7. She denies it to this day, but that panicky fear that had the sweat running down my back at the mere thought of a
tight, confined space, seemed to be accompanied by a faint echo of laughter from somewhere above. Or were my personal devils
mocking me? I certainly felt belittled by and ashamed of my fears. I knew they were irrational, and I had tried to brave them
out. One time I tried to brave them out, I was just twenty, on a holiday pilgrimage to
the Holy Land. I had gritted my teeth and taken the guided trip down the part-flooded tunnel that leads under the walls
out of the city of Jerusalem. The guides didn't check whether anyone suffered from
claustrophobia. They should have! The trip turned into a total nightmare 800 yards of sheer Hell.
At the middle, it was pitch black: the tunnel roof left only a few inches of air above the stream which I could just make
out rising towards my stooped face: both exits were beyond sight and completely blocked by the slow-moving queue of strangers
behind and before me. Was there rain in the air when we started? No idea! I could feel total panic swelling up my throat,
and I knew that I was going to throw up or faint, or completely 'lose it' and batter my way back through the line of people
behind. The panic rose and rose, and there was simply nowhere for my fear to go. Looking back, I now ask myself was the phobia
going to be flooded to extinction? No such luck! I got out in a trembling heap feeling weak, dizzy and tearfully relieved.
Phobia extinguished? Beaten? No way! It was alive and well, thank you very much, and I could hear it laughing at me from somewhere
up above. It was just that much stronger for having frightened the life out of me!
Thirty-seven years later, weekend
2 in the 2002 Manchester Diploma course, Maurice Sterndale called for a volunteer to demonstrate the systematic desensitization
technique for dealing with phobias. My hand went straight up. This was my chance! 'Piece of cake', he said. 'Just give me
the scenarios, 100% down to 1%, and all points in between, then assume the position, and away we go'. And so it was! I told
him of my worst possible imagined fear, the one that invaded my consciousness unbidden at the slightest trigger (being buried
in total darkness, unable to breathe or move, and knowing there was absolutely no hope of escape or rescue). Plus all the
others down the scale. Then into trance and off to my favourite place of relaxation, summoning up each of my feared scenarios
from 0% up to 95% (I ducked out before reaching 100%). At every stage there was this lovely relaxing feeling, triggered by
Maurice's rolling Oldham vowel, 'NOWwww...’ and the fear seemed to, well, just sort of evaporate.
Afterwards
they all asked me how I felt. 'Pretty good', I said, 'And I don't think I've got a phobia any more. I'm actually looking for
a small confined place to go and relax. The airing cupboard would do if I could get into it. I'm looking forward to testing
it out down Speedwell Cavern (In the Peak District of Derbyshire).’
And so it was. Standing, waiting to go
down into the cavern, I genuinely didn't know whether I felt afraid or not. But once I was down below, there was no fear of
the enclosed space. It was just an enjoyable boat trip down a lovely cool tunnel.
50 years of fear extinguished
in 50 minutes! I'm now left with no phobia, and one new puzzle: What do I have to do to get those rolling Oldham vowels: NOWwww...
out of my head every time I go to find some peace and quiet in our cramped downstairs loo?
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