Archive for October, 2009
Examples of thinking changes
Posted by jonhinch in M.E./C.F.S on 11 October 2009
At the time of writing I am 80% over my ME.
One of the key ways I have over come the illness is to change my thinking patterns.
Today I played with Essex Samba Band. I have no rythmn and very little sense of tone and I am therefore not an ideal member of the band but my wife loves it and since I have started I have loved playing too. Today was my first public performance on bottom surdo (drum). We played at an open air venue and I was really surprised how different the surdo sounded. Normally we practice in a hall and earplugs are essential due to the volume!
Since we were in the open air I made an extra effort to hit the surdo hard. I have my right hand in a plaster cast after being knocked off my motorbike so I had to do the whole performance with my left hand and I was very aware how tired it was. When I got home I tried to drink a glass of water and I was amazed at how badly it was shaking and at one point I felt in danger of dropping it.
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Can Hypnotherapy really reduce pain?
Hypnotherapy taps into the natural resources that each of us have. Are you aware of what your feet are currently feeling? The chances are you were not but you are now. Your awareness was focussed elsewhere. There was little change in the feelings felt by your foot so you didn’t notice it. Have you ever worn a watch or ring for a long time and then removed it? You then become aware of its absence and how much you interact with the item.
Have you ever had pins and needles in your hand or had your hands get so cold you could barely feel them?
These are all resources that can be used to help reduce pain.
Have you ever noticed how waiting 10mins goes quick when you are having fun but when you are cold in and the rain it can seem to take forever? This is another phenomena that can be used to reduce the sense of pain.
Pain is a signal for us to look after our bodies, however when everything that could or should be done has been done then the purpose of pain is removed and therefore the pain can go too.
If you wish to discuss anything in this article please phone, e-mail or leave a comment. Your feedback is always appreciated.
Cancer and Hypnotherapy
Cancer is a physical ailment in the body so what effect can Hypnotherapy, which is basically just talking, have on it? The brain is the control centre for everything we do. It controls our breathing, blood pressure, digestion, immune systems and all automatic functions. When asleep it monitors the surroundings to keep us safe. The brain is also like a car battery. When we experience an emotion that is not appropriate to show, for example our boss has really annoyed us but we want to keep our job, the energy is stored in the brain and blood pressure rises. At night or in quiet times during the day our brains slowly release this energy and frees up our systems. If the amount of stress exceeds what is currently being cleared the body slowly accumulates stress and emotions and these can hinder functionality and the physical performance of the body.
Hypnotherapy affects how these background processes work and can therefore help Cancer sufferers and/or their carers as follows:
Maximise the efficiency of the body’s repair systems.
Reduce and sometimes stop pain.
Help with coming to terms with the illness.
Help with staying focussed and positive on issues that still trouble us whether we have a cancer diagnosis or not.
All or nothing thinking causing limitations
Posted by jonhinch in Depression on 9 October 2009
I don’t tend to watch the news as I find it all rather focused on the negative and as a hypnotherapist I know the importance of focusing on the positives in life. One thing that I do enjoy however is reading people letters on Teletext.
This morning I read such as letter and the writer was talking about express tills in a supermarket, the sort where you scan everything yourself. They had used one and thought they had scanned their card to pay. They then left only to be stopped outside and told they had some unpaid for goods.
From this experience the person decided they would never use self-scan tills again. Here the embarrassment of being asked to return to the shop was so big that the person decided to avoid the situation at all costs. Their conscious mind resolved there was only 1 way to avoid the experience again and that was never to use the tills again.
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