Clevedon Hypnotherapy Centre

Clevedon Hypnotherapy Centre Cognitive therapy, suggestion therapy, and analytical hypnotherapy for weight management, stress management. quitting smoking, eliminating fears and phobias.

27/10/2021

Recovery from Covid 19.
On September 27th I wrote about having Covid 19. At that time there were positive tests, the beginning of a 10 day quarantine, and arrangements to be supplied with food. I mentioned some of the physical symptoms, and at the time of writing they weren't severe but were serious enough to give my situation some thought.

There was anosmia, a mild cold with a persistent mild headache, a dense brain fog and for at least 2 days chest pain or specifically sore lungs. It was the latter that gave me pause because on one day I had to steady myself and consciously breathe. At no point did I think the virus was "going to take me", but I resolved that if my chest pain became more serious I'd call an ambulance. Thankfully, it didn't come to that.

Fast forward a month. The anosmia remains, but all other symptoms have diminished almost completely. My disposition remains somewhat slightly more fragile than before the illness. I'm confident. I go where I need to go, do what I need to do, and see who I need to see. Something almost indefinable lingers. A subtle vulnerability. The awareness that despite vaccinations and precautions, the disease finds a moment of susceptibility even in the strong. I've made a recovery and for that I'm grateful.

27/09/2021

Covid-19: A personal Account
From the onset of the pandemic, I took the disease to be a real threat. While certain of my own physical resilience, I was determined not to pass the disease onto anyone else if I was a carrier. I've strived to adhere to social distancing guidelines, hygiene guidelines and the wearing of masks. I minimised personal contacts, shopped infrequently, and maintained a strict adherence to the guidelines even if others didn't. The government did not impose these guidelines on me, instead I knew the guidelines were sensible and I was prepared to set an example. I was double vaccinated as soon as the opportunity was offered.

In hindsight, and with a fuller knowledge of symptoms, I'm certain I had Covid 19 in the forth week of March 2020 during the first lockdown. Symptoms passed completely in four days. Fast forward to September 2021. Symptoms of a cold suddenly arrive with mild flu symptoms and then the complete loss of smell or taste (anosmia). LFT positive. NHS PCR test positive. I've got it and at the time of testing felt as if I've I'd been run over by a bus.

Despite every sensible precaution, I caught the disease again. Within 2 days, mild physical discomforts ebbed away although the anosmia remains. I'm left with lethargy, tiredness and a dense brain fog that restricts my cognitive functioning. I catch myself forgetting what I'm intending to do. Otherwise, I sleep. It feels like I've aged 20 years in less than a week.

Be vigilant! I don't mean be paranoid. Be cautious and aware. The disease is here among us still, and throwing caution to the wind carries risks for yourself and others. Meanwhile, I busy myself at home. I've received fantastic support from family and friends. The fridge is full. Thank you!

10/07/2021

More Change on the Way
I've written about little other than the pandemic for a year and a half, but not merely as a passive or interested observer. Each of our lives is immersed in the pandemic and while the prospects of managing the pandemic emerge, the individual still feels like an observer upon circumstances beyond his or her control.

Although the concept of "control" has severe or rigid connotations, our participation in life's trials and tribulations varies between control, influence and no control. The time has arrived to take back some control and influence in my life.

Returning to Canada in 2022 has been on my mind for some time but, when I was on the cusp of making that commitment, the pandemic arrived. My aspirations and plans weren't destroyed but they were delayed. Returning to the plan of going back to Canada is an assertion of influence, and the decision takes back some control of my future. Vaccination is a way of controlling the pandemic for society and the individual, getting on with fulfilling personal aspirations is taking back control and asserting influence. They seem to go hand in hand and so there’s more change on the way.

23/06/2021

Easing on Hold.
On Monday the 14th, the government halted any further easing of restrictions that were due to come into effect on June 21st. We're looking at another 4 weeks of restrictions from the 21st. The Delta variant is now prevalent, infections among the unvaccinated are rising, and the government is hoping to continue to roll out vaccines to all adults in the hope of minimising transmission and hospitalisations.

The national mood is one of somber acceptance and resignation. For those whose livelihoods are negatively impacted by the pandemic, the mood is one of desperation. Many of us have adjusted our lives and attitudes to the point we simply carry on with social distancing and masks. Do we dare ask when will it end? The question suggests being prepared to look months, if not years, into the future. This is precisely what most of us have stopped doing: making plans into the future. Last week's halt of further easing of restrictions is a not so subtle reminder the pandemic is here, continues to evolve, and remains dangerous. No surprise the easing of restrictions is on hold.

06/06/2021

The Pandemic and its Legacy
I regularly receive news feeds from different national and international sources. I keep up to date with so many aspects of the pandemic be it the situation in each country, domestic infections rates, or variants of concern. A global consensus has emerged that people's mental health has suffered and this is the norm rather than the exception. This is the ongoing legacy of the pandemic. This strongly suggests to me that we are all vulnerable to diminished mental health in these extraordinary times. The pandemic, with it's human toll and the struggle to immunise against it, is relentless.

The upshot is that, despite the relaxing of restrictions, many are still in lock down mode mentally. For the majority that doesn't imply extreme anxiety or paranoia, but it suggests vigilance, an awareness of the possibility of change, towards a pandemic that evolves. Our hopes rest upon immunisation locally, nationally and globally. This private expression of caution and vigilance, in the face of uncertainty, is the emotional legacy of the pandemic.

30/05/2021

Cautiously Out of Lockdown
About two weeks ago, England began to ease restrictions. Infections were down, hospitalisations were down and deaths were down. The roll out of vaccines was proving effective. Two weeks ago bars, pubs and restaurants reopened. People could meet, go to the gym and go to the cinema. A semblance of normality was returning, although travelling abroad remains problematic.

Much of the general public embraced the easing of restrictions and returned to their favourite pub or restaurant. As I write these words, I sit in my favourite coffee bar for the first time in 14 months. Despite the easing of restrictions, not everyone has rushed to resume every aspect of their pre-Covid lives. Foot fall in town and city centres hasn't returned to pre-Covid levels, but online shopping doesn't account for all the sustained drop.

Apprehension and caution remains, particularly with aggressive variants in parts of the country. For some, a lock down mentality persists and this isn't an expression of paranoia. Having been in lock down for a year, achieving a sense of normality is a gradual process, not an over night one. For many, particularly those who have lost loved ones or friends, life will never be the same again. For many others, they will go cautiously out of lock down.

23/05/2021

Face to Face or Face Time
When I began as a therapist 15 years ago, I took it completely for granted that therapy was a face to face experience. Face to face therapy provides the immediacy that forms the basis of trust that's vital for a successful outcome.

Skype and FaceTime have been around for several years and I had thought it possible to conduct initial consultations and sessions with either. Up until the beginning of the pandemic, I had no requests to conduct sessions in any other way than face to face.

Then we emerged from the third lockdown. Suddenly, people are opting for initial consultations and sessions via Skype or Face Time. Trends such as hybrid working have spurred people on to the belief that therapy can be effective remotely. My preference remains face to face sessions, but I'm confident that when sessions begin remotely they can have just as positive an outcome as face to face sessions.

25/04/2021

Challenges Remain
Late April 2021. The sun has been shining for what seems like weeks. Spirits lift in anticipation as the pandemic loosens its grip. We all sigh a breath of relief but remain cautious in the light of what's happening in the rest of the world. Meanwhile here in the UK, infections are down, deaths are down and vaccinations continue to be rolled out.

People reconnect with family and friends. Some want to pick up where they left off in 2019. Others decide to address personal issues and see me for counselling and therapy.

What I've found during the last few weeks is that some people who would have sought my services months ago, if not several months ago, couldn’t for obvious reasons. Unfortunately for some, that means their symptoms have become worse in the absence of therapy. More doubt. More anxiety. More depression. This is the emotional legacy of the pandemic and it may take years to diminish. It's as if we have a form of collective PTSD. The pandemic has receded for now, but from a mental health point of view serious challenges remain.

11/04/2021

April Update
The days lengthen and get warmer just at the point in time corona virus restrictions are being gradually eased. From March 29th, we can meet in small groups outdoors. Golf courses and outdoor swimming pools are open. There's a sense of relief that a considerable amount of time and vigilance allows us to begin to reclaim all aspects of our lives.

Along with the relief at the return of the new normal, is a palpable caution that insists we don't squander our hard won gains with irresponsible behaviour. One has only to look across the English Channel, to see parts of Europe confronting the next wave of the virus. The emphasis now is to keep variants out of this country. We'll need to redouble our resolve. It also means that restrictions on going abroad may continue.

Where are we headed individually and collectively? The pandemic has reshaped our behaviours, our expectations, even our consciousness. Trivial distractions have fallen away as we focus on new priorities. What may have been taken for granted, is now in focus and vitally important.

28/03/2021

March 2021 Update

It's been a hundred and twenty days plus since I last committed pen to paper. Last November, I commented on the precarious state of the nation's mental health and the intervening months have proven to be no less challenging. In many respects, what we went through in January this year was worse than last April in terms of the numbers of infections and deaths.

The most noticeable changes in my life include the absence of making any long term plans. I've noticed a complete withdrawal from social life and a gradual withdrawal from social contact, but these are the norms we all face in the lockdown. FaceTime, Messenger, Skype and Zoom are the platforms that sustain my businesses and sustain what's left of a social life. I've been making the accelerated shift to digital so that even shopping lists are written on my iPhone notes app.

What are aspects of the "new normal"? In my case it's two lateral flow tests per week. It's having received the first Astra Zenica flu shot and await the next in May. Face masks and social distancing are now nearly instinctive restrictions and these may last for years.

Daylight lengthens and the days get warmer. Optimism returns almost as suddenly as the roadside daffodils. The sunshine is no less welcome in these times, but the sense of potential threat remains pervasive, despite vaccinations. Perhaps one day soon I'll be describing post pandemic stress disorder. Aa always, we carry on. Our resilience must remain formidable.

17/01/2021

I've recorded 3 different MP3s and all are available from my website: clevedonhypnotherapy.co.uk

Weight Management
Quit Smoking
Boost Your Confidence
All MP3s have been professionally recorded, and no doubt you'll find them very useful.

22/11/2020

A Mental Health Catastrophe:

Because I couldn’t anticipate the arrival of the corona virus, I couldn't anticipate that the mental health of the nation is currently in such a precarious state. NHS staff are exhausted and many are traumatised. Health care and social care workers are no less exhausted and stressed.

What we here now are those who have become anxious and depressed while in lockdown or shielding. On top of that are the hundreds of thousands who have lost their jobs and struggle to feed their children, pay their bills and mortgages. Many of these people had no idea they, and their families, would be in this situation and this has taken a significant toll on their mental health. Even among those for whom the lockdown has been little more than a prolonged inconvenience, there's a pervasive atmosphere of worry.

Government accepts that mental health is a major issue during the pandemic, but there isn't yet a recognition that therapists should be deemed essential or key workers. While government has provided financial support for some self employed therapists, there now needs to be a recognition that, considering the mental health of the nation as a whole, therapists are desperately needed and should be key workers. Without this recognition we're heading towards a mental health catastrophe that may take years to address.

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9A Teignmouth Road
Clevedon
BS216DL

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Monday 9am - 8pm
Tuesday 9am - 8pm
Wednesday 9am - 8pm
Thursday 9am - 8pm
Friday 9am - 8pm
Saturday 11am - 3pm

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