More than first aid...hypnosis being used in French fire service

I recently had a conversation with a man who had worked in the police for many years. 
He had often been first to witness the aftermath of traumatic accidents or finding people seriously injured. Throughout his career he retained an ability to remain calm, stopping the more disturbing things he'd seen from affecting him. I asked him about how he thought he had been able to deal with that and he told me he always thought of the family of the individual and focused on looking after their needs. He said this had allowed him to deal with the more challenging experiences whilst he had been in service. 

I've worked with other people who haven't been quite so unaffected either as a professional or after being involved in a serious accident. I would always suggest not 'burying' a problem if it's affecting you now. Seek help to deal with any emotional or physical problems if time has not yet been successful at healing those emotional 'wounds'. 

For those who are involved in dealing with traumatic experiences, I was interested to read about a technique being pioneered in eastern France during the last half of 2013.  120 of the local fire brigade crew have been trained in 'basic hypnosis techniques' to ease pain and anxiety of trauma victims alongside traditional first aid whilst they assist them or extricate people involved in accidents.  

As firefighters arrive at the scene of an accident perhaps cutting a victim free from wreckage, those staff who have been trained in hypnosis establish a more personal link with the person. They work to divert attention away from the trauma itself and instead onto the person's wellbeing.  The fire station manager, David Ernenwein, is convinced that the method is useful. He says, "We have all noticed that when we hold someone's hand, things go better, even if we did not label it as 'hypnosis'. The first thing that we can do to help people is to calm them down, and this technique has given us the tools to be able to do that, to help people suffer less".  The firemen were also taught techniques to control their own stress response. 

The 'trial' continued to the end of 2013, with the fire brigade keeping a record of the heart rate, pain levels or emotions of victims they help. These results will be compared with stats of victims treated by firemen who have not used hypnosis with them. so I will be interested to know if the training has been rolled out beyond that one area. 

As another side to this, many people who are given positive suggestions in hospital tend to need a shorter stay. If you are feeling nervous about an operation or staying in hospital, hypnotherapy could help you to feel calmer about it. By calming your mental state before you go in, you can reduce the physical stress on your body and can increase your capacity for healing whilst there and when comfortably back at home.

If you would like to know more about how hypnotherapy might help you, contact me at info@angiegiles.co.uk or call 07773 610816 

Help with feelings about pregnancy and morning sickness

Reports earlier this year said Kate Middleton may have turned to the help of hypnotherapy for dealing with her feelings about food after severe morning sickness meant she became dehydrated and was hospitalised. Only in the worst cases do GP's suggest medication might be used. A trip to hospital is only involved only when the impacts of the sickness present a potential risk to the mother or her unborn child.

What help can a mother find to deal with how she is feeling (alongside the main medical care on offer for her and her baby's physical safety)?
Asking for help from those close is a good idea, particularly if you have another child and are finding yourself under pressure to continue with everyday tasks. Finding a way to distract your mind from worries about the pregnancy or the morning sickness are also useful. Another way is gaining support through the benefits of hypnosis during the first trimester. Learning self hypnosis techniques as well as finding a practitioner to help with maintaining a positive focus and getting through those early symptoms. Hypnosis should always complement the main care on offer through the NHS. See the NHS website link here on morning sickness/nausea in pregnancy and how to help yourself or if someone you know is feeling the effects. Suggestions include foods and drinks to avoid and other steps you can take to help yourself and seek support from those close to you.

If you would like to know more about hypnotherapy and how it can complement existing medicine, I offer a free initial consultation in Norwich, Norfolk, UK. Based at the Norfolk Clinic, 38-40 Magdalen Road, Norwich, NR3 4AG, an established and well respected complementary health care centre in Norwich. Telephone 01603 660792. See Angie Giles Hypnotherapy web page for more information.

Positive effects of Hypnosis - could it be a standard NHS technique?

Hypnosis could become a standard technique on the NHS. 

A report by the Royal Society of Medicine (hypnosis and psychosomatic medicine section) said that Hypnosis could become a standard technique on the NHS to treat a range of conditions. It said it can be used to relieve pain and treat stress related conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. 


I was pleased to see that hypnosis (and talking therapies) is considered a viable option. From my perspective I agree hypnosis particularly works well with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  Focusing on relaxation, on emotions as well as the physical symptoms.  In fact I would like to challenge anyone to change my belief that the mind and body are totally connected! In my late teens and early twenties I suffered IBS.  Whilst I had some food intolerances that made it worse, I was also very unhappy at work at the time. I'm certain the stress I felt back then was a factor in making me feel unwell. It felt like a vicious cycle.  
                                                                                                                                                                         
A therapist should have sufficient training and supervision to help their clients.  An important thing for anyone considering hypnosis is that their therapist can do it well.  They should belong to a recognised regulatory body and adhere to any guidelines laid out by that organisation.  I belong to the General Hypnotherapy Register and (in my work as a therapeutic counsellor) to the National Counselling Society.  I receive regular supervision for my work.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
Of course, a therapist can learn much from working with clients and also get an understanding of how their practice is going through feedback from those clients. If my clients are happy, then I am happy! In the last 6 months I had feedback telling me about reduced stress, better ease at falling asleep (and staying asleep), feeling more positive about themselves and life in general, greater assertiveness, greater confidence,  managing pain, losing weight.   I work on a tailored-to-their-needs approach with clients. 
                                                                                                                                                                      
I've been able to see first-hand how hypnosis and the use of 'talking therapies' gets positive results.  The old expression of talk is 'cheap' has moved with the times.  Talk is 'value for money', is more like it.

See:

http://www.angiegiles.co.uk/
Twitter: angie_therapist
Facebook: Angie Giles Hypnotherapy

Facebook for HypnoShape: HypnoShape weight reduction programme

About the Author: Angie works as a hypnotherapist, counsellor and coach at the Norfolk Clinic Complementary Healthcare Clinic, 38-40 Magdalen Road, Norwich, NR3 4AG. 

Call Angie directly on 07773 610816 or email info@angiegiles.co.uk 
Angie offers a free initial consultation to find out more.