New Growth Therapy

12/06/2023

I really like this post.

Source: instagram.com/elise_gravel/

26/07/2022

I have officially signed a 1-yr contract for a position in Adolescent Medicine at Kidz First Hospital in Auckland, NZ. Thus, I will be pausing my hypnotherapy service. I am finishing up with current clients and will make every effort to see everyone on my waitlist. Please be patient with scheduling. My postings for the next year will be intermittent and likely unpredictable. But I will still share things as I can.

Thank you for supporting New Growth Therapy!
https://www.MedicalHypnosisNZ.com/

05/07/2022

NZ school holidays are around the corner!
Posts are on pause for the next 2 weeks and appointments are scaled back. But I do have availability so let me know if you'd like to meet.
In the meantime, may it be a time of connecting, bonding, and joy for your family!
https://www.MedicalHypnosisNZ.com/

29/06/2022

Deep thinkers ponder. This is a good thing.
But when it becomes a continuous loop or a repetitive negative thought process, it can cause distress and feel difficult to stop.

Break the loop. Wonder how to do it? Let me teach you how.
https://www.MedicalHypnosisNZ.com/

21/06/2022

What do you think this boy is picturing right now?
Purple elephants. Of course!

When we tell ourselves NOT to think about something, that is a surefire way that we WILL think about it. There's a sweet children's story by Susan Whelan and Gwynneth Jones with this exact title. In it, the main character struggles with anxious thoughts at bedtime. Her family tries different ways to help distract her, but they don't work. Her mother wisely teaches her how to use this exact phenomena to her advantage and the little girl is able to conquer her anxiety.

I use this phenomena in hypnotherapy all the time. I can also teach you how to use it as a parenting technique or a self-hypnosis technique. Don't you want to meet with me now? 😉
https://www.medicalhypnosisnz.com/

14/06/2022

Client feedback is very important to me. One of the things I love about hypnotherapy, is hearing about the immediate results. It works!
https://www.MedicalHypnosisNZ.com/

06/06/2022

CELEBRATE!

Think of something you recently celebrated, that utterly filled you with joy. Can you remember what it was for? Can you remember how you felt?

Celebration reinforces inside you that something special happened, deserving acknowledgement. When we fully engage in the moment of celebrating, we generate strong emotions like joy, confidence, and pride. These emotions anchor our memories and become part of how we see ourselves. Isn't that powerful? In hypnotherapy, I often use these types of memories and feelings as emotional anchors, especially when children are feeling stuck in an uncomfortable feeling and don't know where to move next. They can become lifelines, pulling children in a new or different direction.

So whether it's a big or small reason, find a genuine reason to celebrate with someone. Create joy and savor the moment! These are the types of emotional anchors we all need.
www.MedicalHypnosisNZ.com

30/05/2022

Kids learn best through PLAY. Play fosters the development of creativity, physical skills, problem solving, social skills, emotional well-being, and much more. Play is key, up through the school-age years.

Therefore, when I work with kid clients, I implement imaginative play techniques to make hypnotherapy fun AND to use their mind's most effective process for learning. Let's play, learn, and GROW together!
www.MedicalHypnosisNZ.com

24/05/2022

MENTAL HEALTH TIP
A study just published on 14 May 2022, shows that getting kids outside and engaged in adventurous play prevents anxiety.

What is adventurous play? It is risky, child-led play "where children experience subjective feelings of excitement, thrill and fear; often in the context of age-appropriate risk-taking.*"

So encourage your kids to play adventurously, especially outdoors. It's a very real way to bolster their mental health!
www.MedicalHypnosisNZ.com

*Link to quote source and original study: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10578-022-01363-2

17/05/2022

I'm always on the look out for books that help kids understand emotions, relationships, or life situations. Here's a review of one of my favorites.

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ABOUT THE BOOK

"CONSENT (for kids!)" by Rachel Brian is aimed at school-aged kids, but I would also recommend it for young teens. Concepts covered: what is consent, how to set a boundary, creating healthy friendships, and more. The writing style is clear, fun, and simple. The concepts are presented with school-aged appropriate examples. Overall, the book maintains a light, mildly humorous, positive tone via cute graphics. It's like a picture book merged with a comic book. At 64 pages, it's a quick read with 3-10 short sentences per page.

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KID REVIEW (from my kids, ages 8 & 11)

Me: What did you think of the book?
Kids: It was ok. I thought it was going to be super long but I finished it way faster than I thought. So that was good!
Me: Have you learned or heard about these ideas before? Maybe at school?
Kids: Not really. At least, I don't think so. Mostly new to me.
Me: Anything you didn't understand or want to ask about?
Kids: Nah. It makes sense. It's super clear. Like really clear. Can we stop talking about it now? I want to go play.
My response: Sure, we can talk about it later.
😄

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RECOMMENDATION FROM DR CHI: 5 stars

Definitely check this book out from the library. If you have the funds, it's worth buying. When you're done with your copy, pass it along. If your kids don't like reading, that's ok. It can be a useful tool for parents to get easy language and examples for discussing consent. If you get your hands on the book, let me know what you think!
www.MedicalHypnosisNZ.com

10/05/2022

Pat* felt very stressed about leaving their home to go to school. As the start of the school term approach, Pat became too anxious to even go outside on the sidewalk. Eventually, Pat preferred to stay in their room, barely coming out. (*Not their real name)

Avoidance is one of many coping mechanisms for stress relief. By avoiding the stressor, the child feels instant relief. But sometimes, the next time they face the same trigger, they feel more anxious than before. As the problem grows, they lean on the avoidance technique to bring quick stress relief in that moment, but instead create a vicious cycle.

I use hypnotherapy to help children break that cycle. Hypnotherapy safely gives them an experience of what it would feel like to face that trigger in a different way. Sometimes that's all it takes to help them disconnect an unhelpful loop.
www.MedicalHypnosisNZ.com

02/05/2022

Think about a time you held hands.

Can you remember what you were doing? Or imagine the warm contact of their skin? Maybe you can recall the weight of their hand in yours. Or the gentle squeezing pressure. Perhaps you can even hear their voice. How did you feel, as you held hands? Close your eyes, and savor that moment.

Did you know, that you can pop back into that emotional feeling, whenever you choose, for as long or as short as you wish? I often teach kids how to do this with a hypnotherapy technique called, "Anchoring." This is very useful when kids feel emotionally stuck. With this technique, they learn how to move through - not squash or avoid - an uncomfortable feeling.
www.MedicalHypnosisNZ.com