Wellbeing In Mind Hypnotherapy

13/02/2026

Happy Friday 13th! If you’ve already experienced some bad luck today, are you blaming it on the date?

Superstitions are really just beliefs that you’ve chosen to adopt at some point in your life, and beliefs are powerful drivers behind our thinking and our behaviour. So if you’ve started today with an expectation of things going wrong, that’s probably now transpiring for you.

Things might have been going a bit awry for me today, I don’t know, certainly nothing that I’ve noticed in particular…because I’m not looking for that to happen, I don’t “believe in” Friday 13th, it’s just another Friday for me.

Want to know more about superstitions? Check out my blog “Are superstitions a harmless habit or harmful thinking?”

Does Friday the 13th fill you with anxiety? Do you avoid walking under ladders? Find out how to escape the grip of superstitions.

10/02/2026

AI is everywhere and we need to be careful! I have no idea if we’re heading towards the kind of future envisioned in the Dan Brown novel “Origin” and I am guilty of using AI to help me with research and writing, although I do so with caution.

This kind of task-based AI is helpful when you’re a one-woman band, but I am conscious of the non-environmentally friendly nature of the technology in terms of its energy consumption. However, the rise of AI as a companion or (worse) a therapist is worrying.

When you ask AI a question, it seems friendly, helpful, polite…sometimes even a bit sycophantic. This is the “agreeableness” layer that’s built into it. It’s designed to please.

In so doing, it may lie, it may present an incomplete picture, it most certainly won’t push back and tell you you’re being an idiot! It doesn’t read body language or detect nuances in your communication. It can’t experience emotions and it lacks true understanding.

Research has shown that the kinds of responses offered by AI can actually worsen mental health issues. Some bots may even offer dangerous advice or encourage risky or harmful behaviour.

By all means ask AI for recipe suggestions or how to change a plug (do people even do that any more!). Get it to help you plan a project or write a difficult letter. Just don’t expect it to give you the right kind of support when you’re anxious or lonely. Instead, reach out to real people who care and who can offer the kind of help you need.

If you are struggling, Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is great – ask me about having a free initial consultation. Unlike AI, I will challenge your thinking but I promise not to call you an idiot!

02/02/2026

Dry January is done - what happens now? If you’re questioning your relationship with alcohol, take a look at my February blog post.

Alcohol addiction is a habit shaped by dopamine, stress and learned behaviour. Find out how to heal your brain and recover.

30/01/2026

For many, tomorrow is the last day of Dry January. This marks the end of a month of abstinence from drinking alcohol, during which time the body will have started some important recovery work. If you participated, you may have noticed improvements in your sleep, a bit of weight loss and less drain on your finances. Maybe your skin looks a bit clearer and your eyes are brighter. You might have found yourself being more productive at work or more present at home with your family. We all know there are many benefits to quitting the booze…and yet you find yourself looking forward to Sunday and getting off that wagon, at least until Stoptober.

Here’s a question for you: how would you feel about abstaining until April? Make it three months instead of one. If you notice any resistance to that idea, now maybe the time to seriously consider seeking help. If you can’t be as ambivalent towards alcohol as you can towards, say, bananas or orange juice, then I would suggest that alcohol is probably controlling you rather than the other way round.

When you’re ready to address your drinking habits, message me to book a free initial consultation. I can help.

28/01/2026

Does Solution Focused Hypnotherapy really work? Unequivocally, yes! But you don’t need to take my word for it.

A study conducted at the end of 2021 with Northumbria Police looked at the effectiveness of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy on serving officers and civilian staff. All participants responded positively to the therapy (indicating no adverse effects) and 78% recovered completely from clinically significant anxiety or depression. This is substantially higher than the 37-47% recovery rates typically seen with other forms of psychotherapy.

A measure of “life wellness” showed an 84% increase, meaning the effects were sustained rather than temporary. And 88.9% of participants reported a decrease in symptoms by 50% or more, which again is significantly greater than for other talking therapies.

Anecdotally, I’ve seen so many of my clients achieve similarly amazing results. If you would like to join their ranks, it starts with a free initial consultation. Message me to arrange yours – bookings are now being taken for February.

21/01/2026

A belief is something we hold to be true. It’s also something that our brain will then work to reinforce – seeking out evidence to support the belief and discounting anything that goes against it. However, that doesn’t mean your beliefs are set in stone. They can be changed (the existence of Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy being prime examples).

Oftentimes, we don’t realise how much an unwanted behaviour or habit is actually based on a belief or a set of beliefs. Transform the beliefs and the behavioural change becomes much easier.

If you’re looking to make a change that will stick, I can help.

19/01/2026

If you’re feeling lost, anxious, overwhelmed or stuck, then taking a first step towards getting help can seem like an insurmountable mountain. But it’s only a mountain when you’re viewing the whole thing at once.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy breaks down the mountain into little inclines to be taken one at a time, at your own pace. Before you know it, you’re on top of the mountain and enjoying the spectacular view.

Reading this post suggests you’re ready for that first step – let me help you make it as easy as possible. Message me and I’ll guide you through to a free initial consultation.

12/01/2026

The truth about antidepressants:
- UK prescribing has almost doubled between 2011-2024.
- Antidepressants make up the largest category of medications prescribed.
- Average duration of use has also increased with most patients now classed as long-term users.
- Antidepressants are prescribed for a range of conditions, not just depression.
- Many patients experience unpleasant side effects (such as weight gain, sexual dysfunction, bleeding, falls and generally poorer long-term outcomes).
- Withdrawal can be quite unpleasant (and should always be overseen by an appropriate medical professional).
- Over-prescribing is costing the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds every year.
- Antidepressants are rarely effective except in the most severe cases of depression (as indicated by multiple meta-analyses).
- Across the UK, various measurements indicate a worsening of mental health rather than an improvement, suggesting that the rise in antidepressant use isn’t resolving the problem.

So what’s the solution? Alternative treatments such as talking therapies are available via the NHS but there are often very long waiting lists. Private practitioners may be easier to access but there’s a bewildering array of options and it can be hard to know what would be best for you. CBT or counselling? EMDR or hypnotherapy? Reiki or reflexology? Mindfulness or acupuncture?

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) is a very effective approach which, at the time of writing, is sadly not available via NHS routes. However, private treatment generally costs less than the average adult spends on a holiday whilst delivering benefits that can last a lifetime.

If you would like to explore whether SFH could be right for you, message me to arrange a free consultation.

07/01/2026

Decision fatigue is a real thing! Psychologists estimate that the average adult makes about 35,000 decisions each day – when to get up, what to wear, whether to reply to a notification or ignore it, and so many micro-decisions that we barely notice. But they all add up and ultimately drain our energy, leading to greater difficulty making decisions (just ask my husband when I’m faced with too many options in the supermarket car park!).

We have more capacity for decision-making earlier in the day, so that’s the time to deal with the big decisions. One way to reduce decision-making is by planning ahead, for example, your working wardrobe for the week (allegedly, Steve Jobs wore a black turtleneck sweater every day for this reason), the next few evening meals, what to buy before going into the shop, and so on. Decisions can be delegated, either to someone else or to your future self if they’re not urgent. Habits and routines are another way of reducing the number of decisions.

Every energy-depleting decision adds to your stress bucket. The good news is that a few sessions of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy will teach you how to better manage your stress bucket, giving you more capacity for better quality decision-making amongst other things. Message me to find out more.

05/01/2026

Today is the day when many of us return to work and school after the Christmas break. Here in the UK, the weather is cold and the amount of daylight barely seems to be increasing. I spotted the beginnings of a snowdrop the other day, but the crocuses and daffodils have a way to go yet.

If this time of year gets you down, know that there are things you can do. Nordic countries (where daylight is even less) have this down to a fine art – you may have come across the Danish concept of “hygge” (pronounced hoo-gah) which is about cosy contentment and wellbeing. In Norway, they talk about “koselig” (social cosiness), whilst the Swedes have “lagom” (balance and moderation). “Sisu” is the Finnish term for grit and perseverance (paired with comfort from nature and sauna), and in Iceland, it’s “þetta reddast” (pronounced thetta red-dast) which means it will all work out.

What all of these philosophies have in common is an acceptance of what is, a trust that things will be ok and a connection between the self, others and the environment. Whilst we don’t have a neat word or phrase to encapsulate this approach in the UK, the kinds of things we can do to embody it include:
- Taking walks in nature
- Spending time with loved ones
- Appreciating the necessity of this time of year as an important phase in the cycle of renewal and regrowth
- Nourishing ourselves with nutritious and warming food
- Wrapping up in a blanket with a good book and a hot drink
- Creating a cosy atmosphere with softer lighting or candles

If you would like some help finding calm, balance and wellbeing, then a few sessions of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can make a huge difference. Message me to find out more.

20/12/2025

Continuing the “Ask me anything about how I work!” theme…

Q: Do you give recordings for me to listen to at home?

A: Yes. If you have an Initial Consultation with me then I will send you a 25-minute recording to use at home when going to sleep. It’s a guided relaxation that triggers a natural shift in brainwave patterns from a fully alert state to feeling much calmer, thereby creating an optimal environment for sleep. It also helps your subconscious to come up with solution focused strategies. As such, regular use of the recording reinforces the work we do in the sessions.

19/12/2025

Keep smiling – it makes people wonder what you’re up to!
When we smile, we release positive neurotransmitters that make us feel good.