Hypnotherapy Services

01/05/2022

From may 02 this page will be deleted and my new page will be set up. This link should take you there.
https://www.facebook.com/Hypnotherapy-Services-107461888623415

Established in 1999, Hypnotherapy Services is about helping you to take control of your life through the power of your subconscious mind. Whether you want to get rid of those outdated beliefs and misunderstandings or to build self confidence.

03/04/2022

This page will soon be deleted and a new page created. New updates and article to follow.

05/09/2021

Young boy holding the world in his hand. Clouds moving in the background.

14/01/2021

Below you will find a link to a free e-book which I have shared before. Please feel free to download from onedrive. There is no password required.

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2F1drv.ms%2Fb%2Fs!AmAW7LF8Ql-JnGhi0W0jA9Qxz4PW%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2QqTcQVNV8-Fzi2y-PXsbkopMGxiN6i99cl21KV5YJG9ogBkN4RLwzlS0&h=AT1mxNJUJtwVxDUT5RadC0shqvlpOKOyA6VZgL7n0ugp61hr1lglLUceU6HjLnzdYml9G5aIm_ErRms4_WB4R1l1D0_jciV3R5IyT-qsrzMdsuyQDb4uWsZcfAjMcch6uPA&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT33U8e2kuCMezT33wjhBJgnEVrzggFxAsgGCsjlECvqD4ab_U2EW1hhkc0NOi0idqFYDpj1ysKmGtUkmS5cblqsisRbQDs3ZOeiLusZAGPcNW6Fq4ozu8iDmgsfp74-boR9rxC-9jxXSXbd8k-hUU6UFKR9Nr2pBH8pl-SpmSM2mjTa4ukX4pd6v2c49ngTSLSIOr8

11/01/2021

The story of a woodcutter.

Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant and he got it. The pay was really good and so was the work condition. For those reasons, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.

His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he supposed to work.

The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees.
“Congratulations,” the boss said. “Go on that way!”
Very motivated by the boss words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees.

“I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.

“When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked.
“Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”

Reflection:

Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don’t take time to sharpen the “axe”. In today’s world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy that ever.

Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay “sharp”? There’s nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But we should not get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like our personal life, taking time to get close to our Creator, giving more time for our family, taking time to read etc.

We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to learn and grow. If we don’t take the time to sharpen the “axe”, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness.

Author: Stephen Covey

From: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

31/12/2020

30/12/2020

Part 2 Is your glass half empty or half full?

4. Acknowledge Your Strengths:

I have found that one of the best self-talk activities to try out is to make a list of things that you are good at. We tend to focus on our weaknesses in general, so it is important that we know our strengths as well.
So, to develop your positive self-talk, it is necessary for you to know how to talk gently about yourself, even brag a little bit! Why do your friends like you? What good things would your parents or teachers say about you? What are you good at? Why is it important for you to get up in the mornings? What are you thankful for?
If you think about this, you may be surprised that before you know it, you will notice a change in your self confidence and the overall way that you talk about yourself.
Realize your successes and give yourself a pat on the back, because no one else will do it for you.

5. Think Positive

There are two quotations that come to mind. The first one is:
“Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are” and the second one:
"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
Now, those are two interesting thoughts, aren’t they? Just think about it for a while. What do those statements mean to you? Have a look around you at your friends, at your network, who do you spend most of your time with and how do they make you feel? Our emotions and behaviours can be contagious, so if you spend most of your time around people who tend to focus on mistakes and failures then there is a very good chance that those feelings and behaviours will rub off on you as well.
Your support system is paramount. Start to surround yourself with people who are positive: people who support you and motivate you. You cannot avoid some challenges and setbacks, but you can create that positive environment which includes family and friends that will lift you up when those times get rough. It is all about those positive vibes.
There is plenty of research out there that shows having friends is paramount to our mental well-being, but you also need the right kind of friendships.

6. Do What You love:

It is easy for us to get caught up in the daily stresses of life. Many of us tend to worry about the future and we forget to focus on the now, which does NOT help our positive self-talk. You know, things will usually work out, and if you keep making up negative scenarios and situations, it will be hard for you to stay in a good mood and perform at your best.

You need to let go of and forget about the things that you cannot change, just relax, and take time to reset. Figure out what makes you happy. What is that one thing you do that gets you in your bubble? If exercising is what takes your mind off things and gets you in a more positive mood, do it! Now I am not saying to try and go to the gym every day; but just taking the time to go for a 10-15 minute -walk in the park or a short jog is a good start. Just to get those endorphins working.
When you realize that you are focusing too much on things you cannot control, take a step back and reset!

7. Keep a Journal

This may seem easier said than done, but as I have just mentioned, stop worrying about things that are out of your control. It is what it is. We all need to learn from your mistakes and move on. If you are struggling with seeing the positives in a bad situation, then I challenge you to start a highlight journal.
So, at the end of each day, write down at least three things that went well. It may be that you have the worst day ever – you missed your bus to work, the place where you go to lunch has run out of your favourite sandwich, because you missed your bus to work you have to stay and work you have to stay late to make up the time, and just to top it off your card got stuck in the cash machine.

So, what could you write I your highlight journal at the end of that day?! You will have to dig deep for this one. Because, sometimes it is the little things that matter. Maybe you arrived home and there was a delicious meal waiting for you, or on your way to the sandwich shop you met an old friend who you had not seen for a while and arranged to meet up,

Bad things will happen from time to time, but there is absolutely NOTHING we can do about it, so brush it aside and move on with making those positive changes in your life.

www.hypnotherapy-services.co.uk

28/12/2020

This post is going to be in two parts due to the length of it. I will post the next bit in a couple of days so as to give you a chance to practice the first stages. Hope you enjoy.

Is your glass half empty or half full?
We all have conversations with ourselves (known as self-talk) and these conversations can play a very important role in how we feel, act, and perform. Believe me, the words you tell yourself can directly affect your confidence, energy, satisfaction, and success.
You can ask yourself “Why is this”? Well, that’s because each of us have two voices in our head: a negative one, and a positive one. One of these is useful, and the other one, not that much!
Many of us tend to think more negatively when we encounter mistakes and challenges or little setbacks. Well, the good news is that we can all fix this! Now I am not saying that your negative perspective will magically disappear – but you can work on changing it with some positive self-talk activities and suggestions.
1. Just take a second and think about it. Any behaviour we want to change always begins with “Self-Awareness”. It is difficult to make those changes if you are not aware of how you talk to yourself in the very first place. So, you will need to start to realize the type of things that go through your head on a daily Basis.
So, what I suggest that you do is, at the end of each day take a note pad and pen and write down your performance for the day, such as, how you handled difficult situations, your thoughts about yourself, your reactions to conversations you have had with people and so on.
Now if you do this for a couple of days, you will start to notice that there is a pattern or habit in the way that you talk to yourself.
2. “I CAN DO THIS”. So, let us have a brief look at what positive self-talk is. It is all about giving ourselves uplifting and encouraging statements such as, “I can do this”, “I will give it the best shot I have got”, “My challenges help me to grow”, “I can do anything I put my mind to”. These are just a couple of examples of positive self-talk statements that you could be using when facing challenges.
Just look at some of the statements that you tell yourself when you are performing or when something doesn’t just go the way you planned and write them down on a notepad and you will start to notice that we tend to go to say the same things when something goes wrong or not, and once you know what we call our “go-to” words, you will find it easier for you to make that switch later on.
Now, I would like you to think about some positive statements you would like to say to yourself and write those down on your notepad because you can use this list to boost your confidence and motivation if the going gets tough.
3. Switch: A simple little technique we can use when trying to develop positive self-talk are cues. Cues can be a great help in nipping those negative thoughts in the bud before they can take hold and send you in a downward spiral, as you can use them to prevent the dangers of negative self-thinking.
Here is how you can start to use this technique. Whenever you notice yourself starting to say things like “I can’t do this” or “I am hopeless” and you begin to focus on past failures, use a word or an image to help you to stay focused and in a more positive state of mind.
I have used the word “STOP” with many clients, getting them to shout it in their own mind as this can help clear the mind and reset it.
If you don’t like this one, you can replace it with a physical cue like snapping your fingers or simply shaking your head, and once the cue has been established you replace the negative self-talk with a positive one.

www.hypnotherapy-services.co.uk

08/12/2020

Master yourself and emotions through anchors.

During these uncertain times we need a quick fix which can help us get through the day. So, what follows is a technique I have shown many people over the years which can help. It’s what is called “An Anchor”. It is a simple technique which we can use to bring experiences under our conscious control and bring them out whenever we want to.

So, let’s say for instance we are looking for more confidence in the future or for a special occasion. Well, we can create an anchor for that to give us the confidence when needed.

So, here is how we do it.

1. You recall an experience with the resource which you require.

2. When you experience the resource at its maximum, then you can squeeze the forefinger and thumb together which will anchor the experience.

3. Recall, or imagine several other similar experiences to strengthen the feeling which you desire and apply the anchor.

4. Test the anchor and see if it evokes the experience which you want. If not just repeat the above steps.

In the above anchor we are using the forefinger and thumb as the anchor, but you can apply the anchor on the back of the wrist, the shoulder or clasping the hands. You can even anchor it to a sound a gesture or even a piece of music.

Just have a go and see how you feel.

www.hypnotherapy-services.co.uk

01/12/2020

5 Ways To Be More Confident
If you feel that you need to take yourself out of a situation where other people undermine your abilities or you just need to challenge limiting beliefs that were formed years ago, you need to work on your self-confidence. Actually, self-confidence refers to assuredness in your own power and ability to overcome any kind of situation. So, if you don't have a strong sense of belief in yourself, the following are 5 ways to be more confident.
1. Get rid of negative thoughts
It's important for you to know how to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. This is mainly why negative thoughts, as well as any kind of insecurities, usually pop-up in your mind. In fact, you need to learn to be aware of your self-talk, when it's negative, and be able to get rid of it. Instead you can think all the amazing things that happen to you right now and focus on them. Even though it's not easy to do so, with a little training you can control your mind over insecurities and negative ideas.
2. Focus on solutions
If you focus more on problems and complain about them than trying to find any possible solutions, you need to change your focus as soon as possible. For example, instead of trying to figure out why you are facing a difficult situation, you can try to find the best solutions you can, in order to resolve the problem. In fact, by trying to find new ideas that will help you with your problem is one of the best things you can actually do for your confidence.
3. Get prepared
When you think that you are not going to perform well at something, it's hard to be confident in yourself. You can actually beat this feeling, by preparing as much as possible for any hard situation. For example, if you need to make a presentation for your work in front of an audience, you need to be prepared well; learn everything about your subject and study as much as you can. This way, you'll be able to perform better and you'll eventually feel more confident.
4. Set small goals
Many people usually make the mistake of making really big plans and as a result they get easily discouraged. Even if it's great to 'dream big', it's better to start by setting a small goal that you know you can achieve. This is going to give you more joy and you will feel more powerful in achieving your small goals. As a result, soon you'll be setting bigger ones.
5. Know yourself better
If you are trying to overcome a negative self-image and you really want to replace it with confidence, you only enemy is yourself. So, it's crucial to get to know yourself well. For instance, you can start by listening to your thoughts and try to analyse them. Then, you need to thing about all the good things about yourself, such as the thinks you can do great and you like and think about if your limitations are real.

www.hypnotherapy-services.co.uk

11/10/2020

Microbiomes lead to a healthy way of life

You really are what you eat, as the discovery of the microbiome—the trillions of bacteria in our gut—testifies. An unhealthy microbiome can lead to poor health, but this can be reversed quickly, a unique research project has discovered.

The microbiome changes as our diet alters during our lifetime—from consuming breast milk, to eating soft foods and then solids, and finally vegetables and meats.

But eating a poor diet creates a poorly-functioning microbiome that affects the way our immune system deals with viruses and bugs.

The good news is that we can change our microbiome by improving our diet, as researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine discovered when they researched four communities living in the Himalayas. The Raute and the Raji communities have farmed for the past 40 years, the Tharu for 300 years, while the Chepang are still hunter-gatherers.

The gut microbiomes of each community differed, although the Rautes' and Rajis' was similar. "Human microbiomes may have changed gradually as human lifestyle changed, and these changes can happen within a human's lifetime", said researcher Aashish Jha.

The discovery echoes that made by earlier studies, which noted that the microbiomes of indigenous populations in Africa and South America differed from those in industrialised Western countries.
It also throws into question what it is that makes us 'tick'. The standard model has it that we are made up of the genetic coding of our DNA, but these new discoveries suggest that we are more microbial—and changeable over very short time periods.

(Source: PLOS Biology, 2018; 16: e2005396)

www.hypnotherapy-services.co.uk

04/10/2020

A Change will do you Good

As the last rays of summer’s warmth ebb away and the gentle breezes of autumn waft themselves upon us, we recognize once again, that change is inevitable. Nature is constantly changing and yet, so many people have the notion that change is frightening.

People are creatures of habit and some find it difficult to adjust to changes that are certain to come our way. Life is like an old, comfortable pair of shoes. We may realize that we need new ones and we may even find new ones we really like, but we know that changing will cause us discomfort for a little while until we break them in.

Sometimes we need to realize that life isn’t always easy. What may be better for us is not what we are used to, but it is certainly worth the trouble of breaking in new habits and lifestyle changes.

Change does not have to be painful. Just look to nature and it will give you clues to how change can be effortless. The beautifully coloured autumn leaves do not hang on to the old tree for dear life. No, they yield to the changes with ease and float gently off the tree.

With the coming of autumn, we have been busy in our gardens pulling up the old stuff and getting ready for a time of rest. We know that the ground must rest and next year there will be more wonderful things in our garden to delight us.

Are there things in your life that need to be gently eased out of your life? Maybe there are bad relationships or habits or thoughts that need to be weeded out of your life. Don’t be afraid to do a little gardening in your own life.

Every gardener knows that unless we get to the roots, we really are not getting rid of the problem. It may go away for a while but unless we get to the root, it will sneak back into the garden very quickly.

Although the harvest time is here there is no time to stop weeding the garden of our minds. This garden needs constant attention in order for us to flourish and be all that we can be. The only way to keep this garden in top shape is to make sure that no weeds are there trying to strangle any good we are trying to do. The weeds of our mind, of course are negative thoughts that like to creep in and keep us from achieving that which we are striving for.

William James said, “Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.

How do we change the inner attitudes of our minds? By changing the way we think. We must put fear and negativity behind us. How, you ask? Just as the leaves of autumn gently blow from the tree, don’t try and make a change in your thinking overnight and expect to get instant results. We cannot rip these thoughts out of our minds, as much as we would like to sometimes. No, we need to be gentle on ourselves and let positive thoughts replace the negative.

Yes, it will take some work on your part. You must constantly fill your mind with positive thoughts. Proverbs 27: 3 says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”, and Rene Descartes says “Cogito ergo sum” “I think therefore I am”. We are what we think. When the negative thoughts come into your mind, you must be ready and willing to replace those thoughts with positive ones. Just say to yourself, no, I won’t let that thought take over my mind, I will think positively. Affirmations are good to have readily available so you can replace the negative thought with the positive one. It won’t be easy, it won’t be hard either, it will just be different, like that new pair of shoes we were talking about earlier.

The autumn leaves fall to make way for new life. We too must go through changes that will bring new growth to our bodies, souls and spirits.

Change is inevitable, so why fight it? Why be afraid of it? Yes, change will require us to do a bit of readjusting but it is always worth it. Don’t be afraid of change, a change will do you good.

www.hypnotherapy-services.co.uk