Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Anxiety .... it's autonomous?

A fairly odd title for this blog, but read on and you will develop an understanding. My work as a hypnotherapist entails me working with people who have a large assortment of issues, both physical and psychological. Whatever their issue, I really do believe that the person involved needs to understand, or at least begin to understand what their ailment is created or caused by. As the Latin phrase says, so wisely, "Scientia est potentia". Knowledge is power. If the conscious mind can develop an understanding of their plight, it is far easier to facilitate changes at a subconscious level.

This particular blog is aimed at explaining anxiety, at least as well I can do. Not the common, everyday anxiety which we all experience from time to time, but the anxiety which can take hold of, and sometimes dominate a person's life. It's described by science as a neurosis, which basically is a non psychotic issue of the minds normal functioning. This being the case, it can be altered and the person involved can go on to lead a non neurotic life. It is not a life sentence.

So what are the symptoms of this thing we call anxiety? Well, they are legion. Not everyone smitten with anxiety disorders suffers with all of the sensations listed below, but they will experience most, if not all of them at some time.

(My thanks to www.anxietycentre.com for this very, very comprehensive list)

Body (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the body in general):

Chest (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the chest area):



Fears (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with fear):



Head (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the head):



Hearing/Ear(s) (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with hearing):



Mind (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the mind and thinking):



Mood / Emotions (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with mood, emotions, and feelings):


  • Always feeling angry and lack of patience
  • Depersonalization
  • Depression
  • Dramatic mood swings (emotional flipping)
  • Emotionally blunted, flat, or numb
  • Emotional "flipping" (dramatic mood swings)
  • Emotions feel wrong
  • Everything is scary, frightening
  • Feeling down in the dumps
  • Feeling like things are unreal or dreamlike
  • Frequently being on edge or 'grouchy'
  • Feel like crying for no apparent reason
  • Have no feelings about things you used to
  • Not feeling like yourself, detached from loved ones, emotionally numb
  • Underlying anxiety, apprehension, or fear
  • You feel like you are under pressure all the time

Mouth/Stomach (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the mouth and stomach):



Skin (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the skin):



Sleep (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with sleep):


  • Difficulty falling or staying asleep
  • Frequent bad, bizarre, or crazy dreams
  • Hearing sounds in your head that jolt you awake
  • Insomnia, or waking up ill in the middle of the night
  • Jolting awake
  • Waking up in a panic attack
  • You feel worse in the mornings

Sight (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with sight):



Touch (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with touch):


Other anxiety symptoms are described as:
Being like a hypochondriac, muscle twinges, worry all the time, tingles, gagging, tightness in the chest, tongue twitches, shaky, breath lump, heart beat problems, head tingles, itchy tingling in arms and legs, and so many more.
In addition to these anxiety symptoms, you may also find yourself worrying compulsively about:
• Having a heart attack
• Having a serious undetected illness
• Dying prematurely
• Going insane or losing your mind
• Suddenly snapping
• Losing it
• Uncontrollably harming yourself or someone you love
• Losing control of your thoughts and actions
• Being embarrassed or making a fool out of yourself
• Losing control
• Fainting in public
• Not breathing properly
• Losing control of reality
• Choking or suffocating
• Being alone

Phew!! Anything else, I can hear you thinking?? Well, no, that's just about sums it up quite well. So, now, what causes these feelings and sensations, and what can we do to alleviate them?
An author named Seligman once summed the cause up very succinctly in one sentence; "Anxiety is caused by catastrophic thinking". We are controlled by our thoughts, and, if we fall foul of negative, frightening thoughts, which have become part of a scary learned pattern of behaviour, our autonomic nervous system reacts and up come the sensations listed above. I know, I know, MORE psychobabble, but humor me. Here is a representation of this portion of our nervous system, so named, and very aptly, as it works autonomously, and outside the sphere of our conscious control. One reason at least which makes anxiety so scary, it just 'happens'!

As you can see, the system is split into two distinct parts, the sympathetic, and the parasympathetic portions. Put very simply, the sympathetic portion screams into action when the frightening thought or situation develops. The parasympathetic portion comes back into play as we return to 'normal' and calm down. If you study the picture, you'll see that just about every major body organ is affected, and even the pupils of our eyes dilate during an anxious episode. Fascinating stuff. Check it out for yourself, an anxious person will have dilated pupils, even in normal daylight.

As I said previously, this is not a life sentence. The mind can be teased, coaxed and taught to think in a different way. One of the most subtle and effective ways of doing this is via the use of hypnotherapy. Most sufferers will begin their search for a cure by first visiting their GP, who will generally prescribe medication, and of course that's just fine. Many of my clients discover that as our sessions progress, their need for chemical interventions diminish. This is done by altering that "catastrophic thinking", and in turn influence the autonomic nervous system, bringing it back to what is known as homeostasis, or a point of balance.

I just know after all of this that you will have questions! Of course, you can always contact me by way of my email address, or, if you're a local, by phone or text.

Monday, March 21, 2016

Increasing your potential and lessening your insecurities .....

Reese Witherspoon used hypnosis to battle insecurities .....

Reese Witherspoon was hypnotised to overcome her insecurities.


The 39-year-old actress - who is nominated in the Best Actress category for her portrayal of Cheryl Strayed in 'Wild' at this year's Oscars - admitted years of being told she was too fat or short for Hollywood roles had taken their toll on her self esteem, so she turned to hypnosis for a confidence boost before taking on the gritty role.

She said: "People may think I have this dream life, but for years I worried about my looks. 

"I thought I was too short or not thin enough to be a Hollywood star. I was constantly being told, 'No, not right, not tall enough, not pretty enough, not sexy enough'. I wasn't allowed to audition for roles because they saw me as too cute and girlie.  

"So I decided if I was to succeed I had to face facts. I could never be the sexiest, thinnest girl in Hollywood.

"[Hypnosis] was so helpful. I get panic attacks, especially right before I start a movie.

"Half the time on set I feel like I'm hanging on by the seat of my pants and I don't know what the heck I am doing."


The blonde beauty - who won the Best Actress Oscar in 2006 for her role in the Johnny Cash biopic 'Walk The Line' -also opened up about her decision to start her own film production company, Pacific Standard, in 2012, after realising there weren't enough lead roles for women being developed in Hollywood.


According to The Sun newspaper, she said: "Other than one studio, literally one, nobody was developing anything with a female lead.

"It just hit me like a ton of bricks and I was so mad.

"I had stories I wanted to tell and I'd become increasingly frustrated." 

(This article courtesy www.insidehalton.com) 


 

 

It's all in your mind .....

All, or at least most of us are aware of our physical state of health. People these days are generally aware that it's vital to look after the body. It's obvious to most when something is adrift physically. When this is the case we would usually take some action to rectify the issue. Self medication or a doctors visit will often be the resolving factor; but what about our mind? A great deal of denial and avoidance often takes place when we're psychologically troubled.

Read on, and maybe you'll fine some answers of interest:

We often use words like stressed or depressed to describe our mood, but when does a normal period of the blues or one too many drinks become a serious problem and what can you do about it?

Depression is a mental health condition characterised by sustained periods of unhappiness, feelings of hopelessness and physical symptoms such as insomnia or over and under-eating.
Most of us feel sad or miserable at times, but when these feelings are more severe than usual, go on for too long or interfere with everyday life, it often indicates that depression has become an illness.

This simple set of ten questions will assess your mood. If you answer yes to a few or more of the questions and have felt that way for a substantial period of time it may be an indicator of depression. If you agree with number 10, I would suggest you contact your GP immediately.
1. Do you feel unhappy most of the time?
2. Are you finding it hard to cope with things that used to be manageable?

3. Have you lost interest and enjoyment in activities that you used to enjoy?
4. Are you finding it harder to make decisions?
5. Are you having trouble sleeping?
6. Have you experienced a loss of appetite or have you lost weight?
7. Are you feeling worn out and tired?
8. Do you lack self-confidence in areas that you used to feel competent in?
9. Have you been avoiding other people or friends?
10. Do you ever contemplate suicide as a way out of your problems?
Stress and anxiety disorders are characterised by mental and physical symptoms from feelings of panic to an irregular heartbeat.
Stress and anxiety are normal human feeling and can be useful, for example when we are expected to meet deadlines a healthy level of anxiety will spur us on to complete projects on time. Stress and anxiety become a problem when the feelings are strong enough to have a detrimental effect on your life or if they go on for too long. Eventually they can become an illness affecting your mental and physical health.
Anxiety disorders have symptoms in the mind and the body. If you answer yes to around half or more of the questions over each of the categories below, it may be an indicator that you are suffering from an anxiety illness.
MIND
1. Do you feel worried almost all of the time?

2. Do you feel tired or lacking in energy all of the time?
3. Do you have episodes of panic?
4. Are you unable to concentrate on a task for more than for as long as you used to be able to.
5. Do you feel unusually irritable, with tasks or people or get angry quickly?
6. Are you finding getting to sleep difficult or are you waking earlier than usual?
BODY
7. Do you ever experience a strong or rapid heartbeat?(sometimes known as “palpitations”)
8. Do you find yourself sweating excessively when you are not exercising?
9. Do you have regular or constant pain or tension in your muscles?
10. Do you find yourself breathing quickly or more heavily at times of anxiety?
11. Are you experiencing indigestion or diarrhoea?
All of these issues are common states of mind, and each has a therapeutic approach which will help. Don't suffer in silence and feel stigmatised. Seek help, the benefits can be enormous and life changing.

All the best, and as usual you may find me on my site at www.cqhypnosis.com
You can even make an appointment with me from there directly by email, or, ask me whatever questions you may have relating to this amazing modality of therapy.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

You don't HAVE to panic ...

Panic and anxiety disorders affect quite a large percentage of the worlds population. The figures vary according to the source, but it's certainly a figure between 3% and 6%. Globally, that's a huge number of people who will fall foul of this mind related issue at some stage of their life. In my hometown alone (pop approx 45,000), that could equate to some 2700 persons, or more, who will be afflicted now, or into the future.

So, what is panic, and what is anxiety. They are in fact two separate entities with similar physiological sensations. They both play havoc with the body's autonomic nervous system and create a plethora of frightening symptoms. These manifestations can be some, or all, of the following: rapid heart beat, tightness in the chest, dizziness, faintness, feeling 'distant', fearful and the belief that one could lose control or even die on the spot. What a ghastly set of symptoms to be lumbered with! The final irony is that when a sufferer tries to explain these feelings to a non sufferer, it's quite often misunderstood or even disbelieved. One can only postulate that this is because, to the observer, the afflicted person appears to be quite well. But, make no mistake, to the anxious person, these sensations are not in the mind, they are very, very physical indeed.

As I said, panic and anxiety are two separate entities, sometimes they are confusingly thought to be the same, but are not. It's simple really; panic "comes out of nowhere". It descends on the hapless victim like a smothering wet blanket. Anxiety, on the other hand, tends to lurk there in the background at all times. There is a feeling, a sensation which never really disappears, but instead peaks according to the situation at hand. These disorders can be termed as either mild or severe. The most severe manifestations may even cause people to become housebound; we would term this as agoraphobia.

So, the big question is, what causes these disorders? I really like the explanation given by the psychologist Martin E.P. Seligman. It makes sense, and sums it up neatly in one sentence (well almost!). Panic for instance, he says, is simply "the catastrophic misinterpretation of a bodily sensation". In other words, to those prone to it, a sensation of any of the symptoms which I mentioned before can very rapidly crash out of control, influence the autonomic nervous system, and there you have it. PANIC. Following on with that line of thought then, we can easily believe that by halting that "catastrophic" thought in midstream, we can bolt the door on panic and anxiety.

After consulting a GP, many people are prescribed medication to suit this issue, and that's just fine. Whatever is required to get you into a more stable state will assist you to move onto the next phase of recovery. Seligman himself believes, as do I, that some form of cognitive therapy, can alleviate your panic and/or anxiety. Of course, my modality of cognitive therapy is Hypnotherapy, the modern term for Clinical Hypnosis.

The bottom line is that sufferers need to know that it is not a life sentence. It may require determination and a deal of effort, but panic and anxiety can be either controlled to the point where they are a non issue, or, they can be completely eradicated.

I really do know which path seems to be the more promising. Good luck.

Monday, May 4, 2015

All Ye Would-be Smokers .....

A HEALTH organisation in Thailand has made a video that should make smokers want to give up tobacco forever.


The Thai Health Promotion Foundation, along with experts from the faculty of 
medicine at Chulalongkorn University and 
advertising agency BBDO, created the 
"Message from the Lungs" using tar that 
was collected from smokers' "donated" 
lungs and turned into ink. 





Gruesome indeed ......

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Smoking 'epidemic' likely to kill two out of three Australian smokers ..........

Two out of three smokers, or about 1.8 million Australians, will die because of their habit, the first large-scale Australian study on the link between smoking and mortality shows.

The study, published in the international journal BMC Medicine, found the smoking "epidemic" reduced a smoker's life expectancy by 10 years on average.
Scientists from the Sax Institute in Sydney and the University of Melbourne followed 200,000 smokers over the age of 45.

The study, published in the international journal BMC Medicine, found the smoking "epidemic" reduced a smoker's life expectancy by 10 years on average.
Scientists from the Sax Institute in Sydney and the University of Melbourne followed 200,000 smokers over the age of 45.

Professor Emily Banks, the lead author of the study, said smoking was a "very, very powerful addiction" and she hoped the findings would give people the information they needed to really consider whether they should continue to smoke.

"Even though we've been incredibly successful at tobacco control in Australia we still have 2.7 million smokers," Professor Banks said.
"And 1.8 million of those smokers will die from their habit if they don't quit."

The three main conditions that kill smokers are cardiovascular disease, cancer and chronic lung disease.

Professor Banks said those who smoked 10 cigarettes a day doubled their risk of premature death and that figure was much higher for heavy smokers.
"People who were smoking 25 or more cigarettes a day [had] up to a four to fivefold increase in their risk of dying [early]," she said.

"In a way this two-thirds figure actually tips the balance," she said.

"What it means is if you quit smoking or you support someone to quit smoking then the chances are you've actually saved someone from premature death.

"Now would be a good time to quit, and these data show if you continue to smoke the chances are you won't get away with it."

The study found those who gave up the habit before the age of 45 could mostly avoid the major risks associated with smoking.


www.cqhypnosis.com



Monday, February 23, 2015

Bulimia, a matter of weight .....


What is bulimia? Most of us have heard of it, but what is it, and what can we do about it? Here's a little insight into the issue:

Bulimia nervosa is a type of eating disorder. Eating disorder is the term used to describe a group of illnesses where someone has a distorted view of body image and extreme disturbances in eating behaviour. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder are all different types of eating disorders.

People experiencing bulimia go on regular eating "binges", which involve consuming large amounts of food in relatively discrete periods of time whilst accompanied by feelings of being out of control of one's food intake. The binge eating is usually followed by feelings of guilt and anxiety about becoming fat which results in a need to get rid of the food.

Common ways of getting rid of food may include:

* over exercising to burn the calories
* "throwing up"
* taking laxatives, diuretics or diet pills
* not eating for several days after the binge.

Binging may be used as a way of coping with anger, depression, stress and sadness.

Some of the common signs of bulimia may be:

* eating unusually large amounts of food
* being secretive about what is eaten and when
* visiting the bathroom after eating
* over exercising
* being very critical of one's self
* moody
* depression
* regularly tired/lacking energy
* sore throat
* decaying teeth

and .....


What causes bulimia

Like other eating disorders bulimia is a combination of physical and mental health difficulties and the cause is not clear. However, a number of factors may be associated with bulimia. These may include:

* physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
* cultural emphasis on slimness
* preoccupation with body image ideals
* relationships with peers or family
* loss and grief
* brain chemistry
* physiological and psychological effects of dieting
* stress or coping styles

And here's the big question:

DO I HAVE BULIMIA?
Ask yourself the following questions. The more “yes” answers, the more likely you’re suffering from bulimia or another eating disorder.
Are you obsessed with your body and your weight?
Does food and dieting dominate your life?
Are you afraid that when you start eating, you won’t be able to stop?
Do you ever eat until you feel sick?
Do you feel guilty, ashamed, or depressed after you eat?
Do you vomit or take laxatives to control your weight?


Bulimic sufferers have been, and can be guided out of the misery created by this illness. The interventions required are psychological in nature, such as Hypnotherapy (Clinical Hypnosis), which I look upon as a very subtle and potent form of cognitive behavioral therapy.