Imagination is the first step to reality

'What ever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve' - Napoleon Hill

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

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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. 

Confidence and Questions

“Confidence, like art, never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all the questions” - Earl Gray Stevens

start as you mean to go on!

Sometimes there can seem like hundreds of options and opinions taking you in different directions. To avoid confusion, weigh it up - the pro's and the con's and then just choose one option.  Though the path might bring you back to where you started, the good news is you can try another option. A different path. You may not have realised that very first experience taught you what you needed, quickly getting you to where you want to be.  

Making a mistake can be a positive experience - no one is perfect. Perfect your idea of what perfection is and you will already be travelling a different road.  A happier one.

Moment of change

'A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour'  ~Author Unknown

Big Brother does good

UK Department of Health campaign funding
Governments, and businesses for that matter, sometimes make a mistake.  Then, though not suggesting it was a mistake, backtrack and decide to change their decision discreetly, referring to a 'temporary freeze'. In this 'thaw', news that award funding for Change4Life, Smoke free, help for older people and also targeting youth is the name of the game.  
Since the public advertising for several campaigns was pulled, there were reductions in people visiting the sites (and very expensive to the public purse they were too). Reductions to 'hits' on those sites have yet to be proven as a direct measure of increases to the number of people who are smoking, overweight, drug taking, elderly and requiring help or the young, who need someone to turn to for advice. All these online services lead to other helpful resources.
However, I've been doing my own low key 'survey' and from people I talk to, those online sites aren't fully explored or known - even with the last campaign. I've looked and think some are excellent. Change 4 Life, which also has a useful C4Life links page, has some great ideas for families who want to make changes.  
FRANK is great both for those wanting to know more about drugs and their impacts and by those affected by drug-taking or families or friends who want help.   
Smokefree website - I have a few reservations with it (those who know me well can probably guess what), though some of it is excellent. It has some useful information for anyone making that big decision to quit.
A good bit of news for a step towards the positive wellbeing of the nation. Big Brother gets a thumbs up from me today!     

Sleep and childhood weight gain

Well, sleep is of interest to me again.  This time it's because research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has shown that children who don't get enough sleep are shown to be more likely to be overweight by the age of 7.  I know that parents always try to do the best for their children.  Helping children to get enough sleep can increase the chances of a healthier person both in childhood and into adulthood. 

The experts who compiled the report said "Young children who sleep less have a significantly increased risk of having a higher BMI in middle childhood, even after adjustment for multiple risk factors that have been implicated in regulation of body weight." While the differences "may seem minor at an individual level, the benefits for public health, if applied at the population level are considerable", they added.

I've always found that sleep solves many problems for me. It's a chance for my brain to unwind and recharge itself.  So, off to recharge... Good night all.