Treatments

The main addictions hypnotherapy can help with are:

• Alcohol
• Drugs
• Gambling
• Sex and Pornography
• Smoking
• Food
• Behavioural Problems

I am more powerful than the combined armies of the world; I have destroyed more men than all the wars of the nation; I have caused millions of accidents and wrecked more homes than all of the floods, tornadoes and hurricanes put together; I am the world’s slickest thief. I steal billions each year. I find my victims among the rich and poor alike, the young and old, the strong and the weak; I loom up to such proportions that I cast a shadow over every field of labour; I am relentless, insidious, unpredictable; I am everywhere – in the home, on the street, in the factory, in the office, on the sea and in the air; I bring sickness, poverty and death; I give nothing and take all; I am your worst enemy; I am addiction.

Hypnotherapy has a proven track record in understanding and stopping addictive behaviour.

There is currently a world-wide epidemic of addictions blighting the lives of millions with disastrous consequences. For example the United States government reported in 2008 that 13 million people over the age of 12 have used methamphetamines and 529,000 of those are regular users. The skill of the hypnotherapist is essential in finding the most successful ways of rapidly breaking the patterns of addiction.

Significantly more methadone addicts quit with hypnosis

94 Percent Remained Narcotic Free

“Significant differences were found on all measures. The experimental group had significantly less discomfort and illicit drug use, and a significantly greater amount of cessation. At six month follow up, 94 percent of the subjects in the experimental group who had achieved cessation remained narcotic free.”

A comparative stuffy of hypnotherapy and psychotherapy in the treatment of methadone addicts.

Manganiello AJ.

American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis 1984; 26(4): 273-9.

Facts and Statistics about Addiction

• In 1966 the American Medical Association classified alcohol abuse as a disease. In 1974 the American Medical Association classified drug abuse as a disease.
• The National Centre on Addiction & Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that over 80% of those incarcerated in adult & juvenile penal institutions were there directly or indirectly as a result of the disease of addiction.
• Drug overdose is the number 1 killer of offenders released from prison. Cocaine is the most common drug involved in the overdose.
• The United States accounts for only 5% of the world’s population. However, two-thirds of illegal drugs are consumed in America.
• Twenty-five percent of the world’s prisoners are incarcerated in America, and again Americans only account for 5% of the world’s population.
• Between 1995 and 2005 treatment admissions for dependence on prescription painkillers grew more than 300%.
• More than 29% of the teenagers in treatment are dependent on some form of prescription medication, some of which include tranquillizers, sedatives & opiates.
• Approximately 14 million Americans, 7.4% of the population, meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse or alcoholism.
• More than half of American adults have a close family member who has or has had alcoholism.
• In the United States approximately 1 in 4 children younger than 18 years old is exposed to alcohol abuse or dependence in the family.
• Parents’ drug abuse often means chaotic, stress-filled homes and child abuse and neglect. Such conditions harm the wellbeing and development of children in the home and may set the stage for drug abuse in the next generation.
• Children with an addicted parent or parents are at a significantly greater risk for mental illness or emotional problems, such as depression and/or anxiety. There is also greater risk for children to have physical health problems and learning disabilities including difficulty with cognitive and verbal skills, conceptual reasoning and abstract thinking.
• Children of addicts or alcoholics are almost 3 times likely to be verbally, physically, or sexually abused; and 4 times more likely than other children to be neglected.
• Adults who abuse drugs often have problems thinking clearly, remembering, and paying attention. They often develop poor social behaviours as a result of their drug abuse, and their work performance and personal relationships suffer.
• In the United States alone more than 100,000 deaths each year are attributed to alcohol and drug abuse.
• Among the Nation’s alcoholics and problem drinkers as many as 4.5 million are adolescents and adolescents are disproportionately involved in alcohol-related automobile accidents; the leading cause of death among young Americans 15 to 24 years old.
• 1 in 4 deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to alcohol, tobacco or illicit drug use.
• More than 75% of domestic violence victims report that their assailant had been drinking or using illicit drugs at the time of the incident.
• Adolescents who abuse drugs often act out, do poorly academically and drop out of school. They are at risk of unplanned pregnancies, violence and infectious diseases.

How do you know that you are an alcoholic?

1.  Do you lose time from work due to drinking?
2. Is drinking making your home life unhappy?
3. Do you drink because you are shy with other people?
4. Is drinking affecting your reputation?
5. Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?
6. Have you gotten into financial difficulties as a result of drinking?
7. Do you turn to self-destructive companions and unhealthy situations when drinking?
8. Does your drinking make you careless of your family’s welfare?
9. Has your ambition decreased since drinking?
10. Do you crave a drink at a definite time each day?
11. Do you want a drink the next morning?
12. Does drinking cause you to have difficulty sleeping?
13. Has your efficiency decreased since drinking?
14. Is drinking jeopardizing your job or business?
15. Do you drink to escape your job or business?
16. Do you drink alone?
17. Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?
18. Has your physician ever treated you for drinking?
19. Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?
20. Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of drinking?

According to John Hopkins University Hospital, if you answered YES to any two questions above you are probably an alcoholic. If you answered YES to three or more questions above you are definitely an alcoholic.

Hypnotherapy has a proven track record with addictions because the subconscious mind can be accessed in trance hypnosis to help conquer both the physical and psychological aspects of the disease.

To overcome alcoholism, an alcoholic must undergo a basic change of attitude and lifestyle. This means dropping defensiveness, because it prevents self-treatment. The person with a drinking problem who wants to change must open themselves up, look inward, admit their bondage to alcohol, and their deeper problems of pride, selfishness, insecurity and distrust. People who recover from alcoholism have faced these aspects of themselves and so must your patient.

Above all, alcohol is a disease of self-deception. That is the prime reason it takes an average of 13 years for an alcoholic to reach out for treatment to a hospital, doctor, therapist or Alcoholic Anonymous. This self-deception is further reinforced by society, which avoids facing the magnitude of the problem.

Drug abuse and addictions

How do I know if I have a drug abuse problem? If you answer YES to any of the following questions it is possible you may be addicted.

1. Do you lose time from work due to drug-taking?
2. Does drug-taking interfere with other activities in your life?
3. Do you spend more money or time getting or taking drugs than you think you should?
4. Is drug-taking harming your health?
5. Does your drug-taking harm your family or friends?
6. Do you turn to self-destructive companions and unhealthy situations when taking drugs?
7. Has your ambition decreased since taking drugs?
8. Do you crave drugs at a definite time each day?
9. Does drug-taking cause you to have difficulty sleeping?
10. Has your efficiency decreased since taking drugs?
11. Is drug-taking jeopardizing your job or business?
12. Do you take drugs to escape form worries or trouble?
13. Do you take drugs to build up your self-confidence?
14. Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of drug taking?

According to a survey in Ireland in 2008, 60,000 people have taken cocaine within the last year and 700,000 admitted to having taken one or more of the following at some point in their lives: cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamines (speed), ecstacy, ketamine, magic mushrooms. Gambling addiction has reached epidemic proportions with more than 2,000 addicts attending therapy. 60,000 people self harmed in 2010 and 12,000 people were treated in Accident & Emergency Departments. According to a coroner “too many suicides and deaths are linked to depression tablets.” 600,000 children were exposed to parents hazardous drinking. Psychologists estimate that 3% to 5% of people are sexaholics and possibly more given recent ease of access on the internet. Almost anything a person takes into their body can be considered a drug including visual stimulants. For example cybersex and pornography has been called the crack cocaine of sex addiction. Recent research using brain scans has proven that the same addiction centres in the brain that are associated with heavy drug use are also associated with sex addiction.

Addiction is physical and/or emotional dependence upon a chemical substance. An addict believes he or she cannot physically and/or mentally function – that life would be unendurable – without that particular substance. Alcoholism and drug use are two of the most common addictions in our society.

Any addictive or habitual problem can be treated effectively and permanently with hypnosis – even a chemical dependence.

A habit becomes an addiction when you can’t stop without experiencing symptoms of withdrawal such as irritability, anxiety and jumpiness. You may feel physical discomfort similar to getting sick such as headaches and other aches and pains. You may obsess about the behaviour or substance and feel a constant and intense desire to return to the behaviour or substance.

While physical addiction is a contributing factor, it is only part of the problem. If it was the only cause of the addiction, a gradual reduction of the dosage would be enough to end the addiction. In addition to the physical addiction, the underlying emotional reason for an addiction must be addressed. The physical withdrawal is gone after a few miserable days. The habit is gone in about twenty-eight days. However, the emotional (and spiritual) aspects are the most important, longest lasting and often the most under-treated.

Conventional counselling based on twelve-step programmes can be successful, but according to most statistics their success rate is only about 22 percent. However, many studies show that using hypnotherapy in addition to twelve step programmes results in up to 87% success.

Gambling addiction

I tend to think of gambling addiction as a compulsive impulse to ease the build up of anxiety within the person. Similar to smoking as it is usually self-medication for anxiety, the gamblers excitement or adrenalin rush is eased once the bet has been placed.

Symptoms of gambling addiction

Symptoms of gambling addiction include feeling a compulsion to gamble and continuing to do so in spite of the adverse consequences, the inability to control use, and both physical and psychological cravings. If you recognise the above in your life, then you are probably addicted to gambling.

Consider the following behaviour

• Do you seem to be having problems with money but dismiss these or get angry if questioned about it?
• Are you preoccupied with gambling and tend to do it a lot at the expense of relationships and other commitments?
• Do you stay out all day or night at casinos or betting shops, or spend a lot of time on your computer at the cyber-equivalent?
• Do you take others money or valuables with no explanation and use the money for gambling activity?
• Are you pre-occupied with obtaining money to gamble?
• Do you have an irresistible urge to gamble or get a ‘buzz’ by gambling activity?
• Is your gambling increasing in frequency, financial cost or risk in order to keep experiencing the feelings of excitement and escape?
• Have you lost control over the time and money spent on gambling eventually risking more than you can afford?
• Have you developed an emotional dependency on gambling as a strategy to cope with anxiety, worry, tension or stress?
• Are you denying that you have a gambling problem?

Pornography addiction

Sex, like food, is a primary need for humans. With the advent of the internet, it is available on tap in the forms of pornography, cybersex or quick local hookups via certain ‘dating’ and prostitution sites.

Pornography on the internet has been labelled the ‘crack cocaine’ of sex addiction and this is due to its availability and addictive qualities. For example Cambridge University found with MRI scans revealed the same brain activity present in both alcoholism and heavy porn use.

A further study found that 17% of people who viewed pornography on the internet found it to be addictive. One survey found that 20% – 60% of a sample of college aged males who used pornography found it be addictive.

The problem with porn addiction is that the subconscious mind suspends reality in a porn-induced trance in the same way that we become engrossed in a movie. However pornography addiction is usually accompanied with sexual gratification and the release of ‘feelgood’ chemicals such as oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine etc. These feel good chemicals are released in normal sexual relationships and create a bonding effect with ones partner. However in porn, the bonding is done with the computer screen and the habit. In porn, sex is all in the mind and when divorced form real relationships it becomes addictive in nature and one needs more and more of it to feel aroused. This is obviously to the detriment of normal, healthy sexual relationships.

When pornography becomes problematic and addictive

1. If the ‘feelgood’ brain chemistry is being continually activated by fantasy, unrealistic sex rather than real relationship sex, then over time porn sex becomes more pleasurable than the real thing. Whatever you focus on becomes bigger and this is a fact of life in the constitution of ones brain chemistry.
2. It can lead to erectile dysfunction.
3. It lowers testosterone.
4. It can cause social anxiety and feeling uncomfortable around the opposite (or same if preferred) along with feelings of shame and guilt.
5. It can erode self control and will power.
6. It can make you feel dejected and angry if deprived of porn due to circumstances.
7. It can be used as a means to relieve stress, loneliness and anger.
8. It can become time consuming and one loses track of large chunks of time.
9. It becomes obsessive viewing despite the negative consequences such as a broken relationship or job loss.
10. It becomes addictive and one is unable to stop using pornography despite attempting to do so.
11. It becomes mood altering in that one becomes angry, hostile or irritable if asked to stop using porn.
12. It becomes a “secret life” and it is as though you live a double life.
13. It can cause one to neglect family, social or work obligations and one continues to use despite the negative consequences.
14. It causes one to need to increase the risk or view more extreme material in order to acquire the same satisfaction as the brain desensitizes, another trait common to all addictions.
15. It may cause one to act out their sexual fantasies with dangerous financial, criminal or health implications

Sex Addiction

1. If you are spending many hours each day compulsively chasing sexual fulfilment on the internet combined with sexual gratification then you may be an addict.
2. If you are feeling guilty about becoming possessed with an all-consuming desire to engage in your addiction to the complete exclusion of everything else then you are probably addicted.
3. If you are engaged in sexual activity and find no satisfaction or fulfilment in an emotional relationship and the sexual act becomes all consuming then you are probably an addict.
4. If you are suffering from intense feelings of grief, shame and despair due to your sexual acting out which may include masturbation, prostitution, anonymous sex, voyeurism, exhibitionism, sexually explicit phonecalls etc
5. If you are suffering relationship, legal or financial difficulties due to your sexual activities.
6. If you are feeling isolated, alone, suicidal, preoccupied with sexual matters, using sexual activity as means of behaviour control mood and cope with emotional turmoil.

If you answer yes to any of the above then you are probably suffering from some form of sex addiction.

Why is sex so powerful

In my view there are two reasons why this compulsive sexual behaviour is addictive.

1. The person involved goes into a trance, albeit a sex trance, and that’s why hypnosis is so powerful in creating change because it is able to target those negative trance states.
2. The mind becomes addicted to the brain chemicals being produced such as oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin.

In normal sexual relationships and experiences, the brain releases four important neurochemicals:

• Dopamine which creates a feeling of ecstasy and arousal and a bonding experience with ones partner.
• Norepinphrine which burns the sexual experience into ones mind.
• Oxytocin which is a bonding chemical.
• Serotonin which gives the calm feeling after climax. In a normal sexual experience these four chemicals bond human beings together which brings about happiness, joy and fulfilment. This is the science behind ‘making love’. However in sexual addiction this process is inverted and when these chemicals are released by the body one bonds with impossible fantasy creating confusion in the deeper mind and this can erode or destroy the bond with ones partner and family.

A large percentage of my clients present themselves for hypnotherapy with anxiety symptoms and often fear that they are going ‘crazy’ because they feel so emotionally out of control. Often this is accompanied by a fear of death.

Anxiety and fear are different. For example one can see the fear object and become anxious or have a panic attack related specifically to this particular external scenario. For example, the person with a fear of flying may think of flying and the aeroplane crashing and this may produce a panic attack. However with anxiety, the focus is internal, not external and the client cannot really tell you what the anxiety is about. It is subjective, free-floating, out of control. One can have a feeling of ‘impending doom’ or a sense of a vague, distant or unrecognised danger.

Anxiety effects your whole being. It is an emotional, physiological, mental and behavioural reaction all at once.

An incredible percentage of people died in the 1940 blitz from the sounds of the bombing compared to those who were direct fatalities. This is a neat analogy for how anxiety symptoms actually arise out of a persons thoughts about potential danger and not the actual danger in reality. This is what separates it insidiously from the healthy, fear instinct.

I normally look for the following symptoms in clients.

• Shortness of breath
• Heart palpitations
• Trembling or shaking
• Sweating
• Choking
• Nausea or abdominal distress
• Numbness
• Dizziness or unsteadiness
• Feelings of detachment or being out of touch with ones self
• Hot flushes or chills
• Fear of dying
• Fear of going ‘crazy’ and out of control
• Disturbing dreams
• Insomnia
• Sexual dysfunction
• Endless worrying

If a client is experiencing four or more of the above symptoms all at once it may be classified as a spontaneous panic attack. Otherwise it is known as free-floating anxiety.

If a client becomes anxious in a specific situation, this is called situational anxiety or phobic anxiety. Once a client has experienced an anxiety attack they have a tendency to develop anticipatory anxiety or apprehension in fearful anticipation of the next one. It is negative conditioning.

Examples of anxiety disorders:

• Panic disorders
• Agoraphobia
• Social phobia
• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Post traumatic stress disorder
• Acute stress disorder
• Anxiety disorders due to a general medical condition
• Substance-induced anxiety disorder

Treatments

When there is anxiety in the symptomology, analysis is always recommended. Therefore a combination of cognitive suggestion therapy along with hypnoanalysis is necessary.

At the Emotional Health Centre, Therapy House, 6 Tuckey Street, Cork city we help with blushing

Blushing
Erythrophobia is the name given to the fear of blushing. Of all the symptoms I have had to deal with over the years, blushing stands out as a major social anxiety problem affecting both males and females. I have ad a days work every week working with this symptom alone for over 30 years. Extreme and severe blushing is a horrific problem causing the sufferer to become agoraphobic, reclusive and addicted to external substances to gain control. In my experience, in order to stop blushing there is now known way apart from hypnopsychotherapy applied with the B-Chaps model (Brief Clinical Hypnotherapy Solution Focused). In every case which worked with this particular symptom the client improved to such an extent that they managed to stop this problem.. However generally it takes the full amount of sessions (10 – 12). It is extremely effective to use hypnotherapy for the types of social anxiety symptoms. I like to think of it as a minor anxiety attack affecting the triggering mechanism of the blood flow and the vessels to the face. It is common that 1 in 5 experience significant anxiety at some point in their lives. It is normally an automatic response due to emotional stress, embarrassment, anger or even in intimate situations. For those with celtic genes (fair or redheaded individuals with white skin who need to avoid the sun) who tend to redden up easily this can be an additional problem. The sympathetic nervous system response well to hypnotic suggestion to cool down the facial blood vessels which have been triggered by the sufferers own suggestion “Oh I hope I don’t blush” thus causing the symptom in the first place. Severe blushing may cause social anxiety, emotional stress, embarrassment, fear of rejection, avoidance of situations, fear of being humiliated, negatively evaluated, fear of being criticised, fear of going out (agoraphobia. This reddening may effect the lives of those involved adversely in social or professional situations.

Blushing is generally distinguished, despite a close physiological relation, from flushing, which is more intensive and extends over more of the body, and seldom has a mental source. If redness persists for abnormal amounts of time after blushing, then it may be considered an early sign of rosacea. Idiopathic craniofacial erythema is a medical condition where a person blushes strongly with little or no provocation. Just about any situation can bring on intense blushing and it may take one or two minutes for the blush to disappear. Severe blushing can make it difficult for the person to feel comfortable in either social or professional situations. People who have social phobia are particularly prone to idiopathic craniofacial erythema. Psychological treatments and medication can help control blushing.

Some people are very sympathetic to emotional stress. Given a stimulus such as embarrassment, the person’s sympathetic nervous system will cause blood vessels to open wide, flooding the skin with blood and resulting in reddening of the face. In some people, the ears, neck and upper chest may also blush. As well as causing redness, blushing can sometimes make the affected area feel hot.

Physiology of blushing
There is evidence that the blushing region is anatomically different in structure. The facial skin, for example, has more capillary loops per unit area and generally more vessels per unit volume than other skin areas. In addition, blood vessels of the cheek are wider in diameter, are nearer the surface, and visibility is less diminished by tissue fluid. These specific characteristics of the architecture of the facial vessels led Wilkin in an overview of possible causes of facial flushing to the following conclusion: “increased capacity and greater visibility can account for the limited distribution of flushing.”

Evidence for special vasolidation mechanisms was reported by Mellander and his colleagues (Mellander, Andersson, Afzelius, & Hellstrand. 1982). They studied buccal segments of the human facial veins in vitro. Unlike veins from other areas of the skin, facial veins responded with an active myogenic contraction to passive stretch and were therefore able to develop an intrinsic basal tone. Additionally Mellander et al. showed that the veins in this specific area were also supplied with beta-adrenoceptors in addition to the common alpha-adrenoceptors. These beta-adrenoceptors could exert a dilator mechanism on the above-described basal tone of the facial cutaneous venous plexus. Mellander and his colleagues propose that this mechanism is involved in emotional blushing. Drummond has partially confirmed this effect by pharmacological blocking experiments (Drummong. 1997). In a number of trials, he blocked both alpha-adrenergic receptors (with phentolamine) and beta-adrenergic receptors (with propranolol introduced transcutaneously by iontophoresis). Blushing was measured at the forehead using a dual channel laser Doppler flowmeter. Subjects were undergraduate students divided into frequent and infrequent blushers according to the self-report. Their mean age was 22.9 years which is especially favourable for assessing blushing, since young subjects are more likely to blush and blush more intensively. The subjects underwent several procedures, one of which was designed to produce blushing. Alpha-adrenergic blockade with phentolamine had no influence on the amount of blushing in frequent or in infrequent blushers, indicating that release of sympathetic vasoconstrictor tone does not substantially influence blushing. this result was expected since vasoconstrictor tone in the facial area is known to be generally low (van der Meer. 1985). Beta-adrenergic blockade with propranolol on the other hand decreased blushing in both frequent and infrequent blushers. However, despite complete blockade, blood flow still increased substantially during the embarrassment and the blushing inducing procedure. Additional vasodilator mechanisms must therefore be involved.

Psychology of blushing
Charles Darwin devoted Chapter 13 of his 1872 The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals to complex emotional states including self-attention, shame, shyness, modesty and blushing. He described blushing as “…the most peculiar and most human of all expressions.”

Several different psychological and psycho-physiological mechanisms for blushing have been hypothesized by Crozier (2010): “An explanation that emphasises the blush’s visibility proposes that when we feel shame we communicate our emotion to others and in doing so we send an important signal to them. It tells them something about us. It shows that we are ashamed or embarrassed, that we recognise that something is out of place. it shows that we are very sorry about this. It shows that we want to put things right. To blush at innuendo is to show awareness of its implications and to display modesty that conveys that you are not brazen or shameless. The blush makes a particularly effective signal because it is involuntary and uncontrollable. Of course, a blush can be unwanted but the costs to the blusher on specific occasions are outweighed by the long-term benefits of being seen as adhering to the group and by the general advantages the blush provides: indeed the costs may enhance the signal’s perceived value. ”

In some parts of the world, making a person blush without being crude earns a kiss from that person.

It has also been suggested that blushing and flushing are the visible manifestations of the physiological rebound of the basic instinctual fight/flight mechanism, when physical action is not possible.

For an appointment please ring Therapy House, 6 Tuckey Street, Cork city on 021-4273757 or email us on ichp@hypnosiseire.com

At the Emotional Health Centre, Therapy House, 6 Tuckey Street, Cork city we help with bullying and those who have been effected by this behaviour in others

Bullying
In 1993/1994 Mona O’Moore, from the Trinity College anti-bullying unit, carried out a survey of bullying in primary and second level schools. The results to many people’s surprise showed that 32 per cent of primary and 16 per cent of second level pupils had been bullied at some time. This survey is well worth reading and studying.

Guidelines for countering bullying were published by the Department of Education and Science in 1993 and all schools are requested to develop a policy on countering bullying behaviour.

The ‘stay safe programme” (a child abuse prevention programme) was also introduced into schools in the early 1990s and the issue of bullying is handled very effectively. This programme adopts a three-way approach to preventing or tackling bullying and involves schools, parents and pupils.

What can bullying involve?
Bullying can be physical, verbal, psychological or emotional and may be carried out by groups or an individual. Children who are bullied can be constantly subjected to:

• unprovoked beatings;
• being regularly kicked or punched;
• continuous teasing;
• physical harassment in the form of shoving and pushing;
• being called hurtful names;
• being insulted or having their family insulted;
• being verbally abused;
• being threatened and intimidated by known aggressors, being bullied in school and out of school in their local neighbourhood;
• having lies and false rumours spread about them;
• having nasty notes written about them;
• being isolated from groups and being left out of activities on purpose;
• having their property damaged wilfully;
• living in constant fear of something bad being done to them or their families;
• being forced to hand over money or goods through fear and intimidation;
• being made to feel bad about themselves because they are weak intellectually;
• being teased and jeered because of their socio-economic, intellectual, mental, emotional or racial status.

Why do children and young people?
The poor relationship which some children have with their parent(s), can be reflected in the negative attitude which the child has towards other children and adults. Where a parent appears to reject the child and is negative towards him/her the child may, as a result, bully other children as he/she has developed a faulty response mechanism towards others.

Some children are victims of bullies themselves at school or at play in their locality. They feel powerless and frustrated about the situation and, as a result of these bad feelings, they begin to bully others who are weaker than they are.

They bully to gain acceptance from their peers. In some gang situations, for both boys and girls, it is necessary to prove yourself to be part of the gang.

Bullies can be jealous of other children, who appear to be more successful than they are, have more possessions or are more popular. Jealousy has been found to be one of the main reasons given by children for bullying, particularly those who have a low sense of self-worth. They feel that life has given them a bad deal.

Bullies lose out socially because they cannot enjoy others successes. They often become angry and resentful of others.

The behaviour of younger children can deteriorate if there is a new arrival in the family. They feel angry as their mother or father spend less time with them and give them less attention. They take it out on others in the family or, as sometimes happens, on the new arrival.

Bullies may have some physical disability of which they are conscious but with which they have not come to terms. They feel different to other children and may even be jeered and taunted about their disability. They bully out of frustration and to feel power over others.

Because of a change in their family situation, the child may be under severe stress. The child feels alienated from the community and the bullying is a form of revenge. This change in behaviour is usually temporary and may be caused by:

• a parent’s loss of employment and status perceived by the child;
• loss of the family home;
• a change of home and the loss of much that is familiar to the child;
• a death in the family or the death of a friend;
• the loss or death of a pet;
• alcoholism in the family;
• marriage breakdown;
• violence in the home;
• a parent or sibling in prison;
• poverty

They are so insecure within themselves that they enjoy making others feel small and inflicting pain on them.

They are not used to taking turns, sharing, begin part of a group, losing at any type of game or taking directions as to behaviour. They simply bully their way into getting what they want.

(from Fitzgerald)

Childhood bullies – treating the bully with hypnosis
Use any of the techniques suggested for adults.

You may want to refer to the Working with Children masterclass manual for ideas on adapting scripts using play, metaphorical story telling, drawing etc.

The aim is to uncover the pain which caused the child to lash out with bullying in an attempt to control his or her environment so that no-one could hurt him or her again.

Follow this with assertive expression and confidence building techniques.

Childhood bullying – EMDR
1. Ask child to think of a time when they were bullied, or bullied others.
2. Ask about physical feelings in the body as they remember the experiences.
3. Process these to resolution.
4. Creative positive affirmations.
5. Let the child write these in different coloured pens.
6. Process new affirmations in imagined new good behaviours until new behaviours are established in unconscious mind.

Bullying by adults
Child bullies turn into adult bullies, in their grown up playgrounds of the office or the romantic relationship.

Behaviours include:
• physical violence
• shaming
• screaming
• intimidating controlling sarcasm
• silence
• refusing to talk about a problem
• sullen and sulking behaviours
• threats to end a relationship when attempts to control it don’t work
• financial punishment
• verbal or emotional attacks
• humiliating a partner
• accusing and assigning malicious intent
• pathologizing or dehumanizing another
• punching a wall to intimidate or silence
• posturing as if you are going hit someone, and verbal threats to hit if the other person doesn’t comply

Bullies have been ascribed the following traits:
• excessive aggression
• desire for power and dominance
• alienation from society
• belief that bullying is justifiable and deserved
• lack of empathy with their victims
• abdication of responsibility for their actions
• self-obsession

Meanwhile victims are viewed as having the following characteristics:
• high levels of anxiety or insecurity
• quiet demeanour, sensitivity, timidity
• poor self-esteem
• lack of self-confidence
• tendency to be loners

For an appointment please ring Therapy House, 6 Tuckey Street, Cork city on 021-4273757 or email us on ichp@hypnosiseire.com

Feelings of depression can be a normal reaction to some of life’s events or stressors such as a bereavement, job loss, retirement, injury, illness or the termination of a relationship. Therefore depression can be triggered by a normal reaction to the traumatic events one encounters in life such as: marital conflict, physical or sexual abuse, economic deprivation, social skills deficits, problem solving skills deficits, self-management skills deficits, dysfunctional ways of thinking and perceiving the world.

Anxiety disorders effect 60% of those who have depression and these include social phobias, agoraphobia, panic attacks, post traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder etc.

Hypnopsychotherapy is ideally suited to those who are depressed because depressed people are highly aroused. Therefore, hypnotherapy is first necessary to calm them down using trance hypnosis combined with relaxation skills, breathing retraining, guided imagery, relaxation conditioning techniques and solution-focused therapy.

How do I know I need help for depression?

If you are suffering from three or more of the following symptoms for a period of more than two weeks you may be suffering from depression.

• Persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness
• Insomnia, early waking, difficulty getting up
• Loss of interest/pleasure in activities once enjoyed such as hobbies, socialising, work, intimacy etc
• Diminished ability to think or concentrate
• Fatigue, weakness, lack of enthusiasm, decreased energy.
• Chronic pain that fails to respond to typical treatments. For example headaches and stomach aches.
• Eating disturbances. Over-eating or under-eating.
• Restlessness, irritability, temper loss.
• Persistent thoughts of suicide and death.
• Low self esteem, guilt or shame.
• Increased crying.
• Increased use of alcohol or drugs.
• Persistent feelings of anxiety, stress, fear.

Why is hypnopsychotherapy an effective approach to treatment?

The United States Public health Service Agency, mandated in 1979 to provide guidelines for the treatment of depression, initiated a literature search from 1975-1990 which looked at some 100,000 pieces of research. Over 3,500 of the best studies were selected to form the guidelines and were peer reviewed by 73 professional societies including the British Psychiatric Society and the British Psychological Society.

The guidelines for effective treatment are:

• Therapy should be active, time limited, focused on current problems and aimed at symptom resolution and not personality change.
• Psychotherapy should be considered the first line treatment approach if the depression is mild to moderate, if it is non-psychotic, not chronic, not highly recurrent and if the client wants it.
• Medication should be the first line treatment if the depression is very severe, if there have been two prior episodes, if there is a family history of depression and if the patient wants it.

This massive research programme quite clearly shows that the types of psychological treatment that are effective in lifting depression are brief, short term therapies such as short term solution focused hypnotherapy, cognitive and behavioural therapy.

Targeting seven basic pillars associated with depression

“The hypnotherapist should identify the client’s current problem and design a solution-focused recording to change his/her negative thinking process”

1.  To quiet the rumination process and let sleep take over naturally. To teach the client the ability to compartmentalize and to address boundary issues relating to the waking state and the ability to sleep. (rumination is a key factor in depression) Rumination is usually about either irresolvable issues or else issues that are very unlikely to occur. It is necessary to establish a boundary that separates ones waking activities from being able to both fall asleep and stay asleep. Need to create a separate time to analyse one’s life and to try and solve all of ones problems, for example, lying in bed while waiting to sleep is definitely the wrong place. Need to make the bedroom a stress-free place.
2. To break the pattern of hopelessness and negative expectation. The hypnotherapist needs to build positive expectation – to look at the future optimistically – that positive change is inevitable.
3. To break the patterns of feeling stuck, helpless and hopeless. The hypnotherapist needs to address issues of rigidity and to encourage flexibility. Control issues:- depressed people evaluate distortions o what is and isn’t controllable in their life. They may feel like victims of life and circumstances leading to subjective feelings of helplessness (victim mentality). Alternatively, they may suffer from the illusion of control in which the client believes he/she can control things and make things happen that are in fact beyond the individuals actual range of powers.
4. To teach a clear sense of personal boundaries and how to maintain them. Depressed people complain about feeling overwhelmed. They may be globally aware of all the problems that are facing them in life, seemingly all at once, which would be overwhelming for any one. Thus it becomes a specific goal in treatment to teach the client not only to identify all the problems, but to achieve some sense of priority and establish a sensible sequence in which the problems are going to be addressed. You need to teach your client the skill of compartmentalisation which involves the ability to separate one aspect of experience from another – to discover ‘where to draw the line.’
5. To turn guilt into liberation. Excessive or inappropriate guilt is a typical and emotionally powerful component of the overall experience of depression. Guilt usually surfaces when the client does not live up to someone’s expectations or even their own expectations. Clients may feel personally responsible for how other people think, the choices that other people make, the things that others do and the things that other people do not do. You need to teach the client to know what they are and are not responsible for and to make it clear that they have to let other people make their own choices responsibly.
6. Preventing life’s stressors controlling the clients’ coping ability. Everyone has problems, stressors, disappointments, rejections, humiliations, losses and other hardships and circumstances that are occasionally painful. The client must be taught that when bad things happen that they are usually transient, there are things you can bounce back from and move on from in your life and they represent only one portion of life, not all of life. The goal is to make the clients’ life a satisfying one, an enjoyable one, where they are able to experience the kind of things that they want to be able to experience. There are lots of things that fall in the realm of the clients control and they can do a lot of things to prevent unnecessary stresses, and avoid potentially depressing circumstances.
7. To turn indecisiveness into empowerment. Empowerment means the ability to choose, to recognise that at any given moment of time the client has the ability to choose whether they’ll respond and how they’ll respond to different people and different circumstances. It means have an orientation towards the future that allows them to be goal orientated and clear and deliberate in their understandings of how the things that they do right now will impact on the events yet to come.

Treatment

Depression is treated with solution-focused hypnopsychotherapy which involves a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy and hypnoanalytical psychotherapy which takes an average of 8 to 12 sessions.

The heart beats faster; the palms get sweaty; perhaps the knees feel a bit weak; the mouth and throat feel parched; memory of even the most familiar of facts and details deserts a frantic mind. I could be describing a teenager’s first date, but of course, I’m not. To so many people the symptoms I’ve just described all too well typify there own experiences when faced with tests and examination. but it doesn’t have to be that way. Exams can be prepared for and taken with a minimum of anxiety and tension.

Examinations are not a measure of a person’s intelligence. Indeed, how many of us have paused in wonder when our less than bright classmate outscored us in that all important, do or die exam. I can clearly remember a former professor of mine, the late eminent anthropologist and social scientist, Dr. Margaret Mead telling our class that “all exams really do is measure our ability to take exams.” As such, efficient, effective and successful exam preparation and tension free exam taking is a skill that can be learned by everyone regardless of native intelligence.

We must assume that, for our purposes, the person preparing for the particular exam is familiar with, has studied and has completed as applicable the necessary course work and reading of the appropriate subject matter for the exam. All that is now necessary is to adequately and thoroughly review the learned material for the test itself. Those wishing for or needing assistance with memory, concentration and proper habits of study will be catered to during the sessions.

The first step in preparing for an exam is to find out as much as one can about the exact nature and scope of that particular exam. If possible, the students should obtain pervious examinations. If the patient is a college student, the acquisition of test papers given by the same instructor would be a definite plus. If the exam faced is the proficiency or professional type such as the civil service, real estate, insurance, contractors, etc., sample tests are usually available to the applicant. Whatever the situation, exam copies should be studied carefully.

You will be advised to try to answer all the questions on the exam as if they were actually undergoing the exam itself. They should allow themselves the allotted time they will be allowed at the actual test itself and only that much time. Knowing the total time allowed for the examination is an obvious and vital help to the student in preparing for the test because it will enable them to practice answering questions under actual exam conditions.

Time pressure is one of the great stumbling blocks in the path of many exam takers. Only by timing their answers when studying will they be able to practice answering questions in the allotted time. It’s one thing to answer exam questions correctly, but it’s quite another thing to answer them correctly in the allotted time.

And since most tests today are given under timed conditions, the time element is one of the major factors in getting a high score. Only practice under timed conditions will best enable the student to answer questions in the real examination. This is another good reason for obtaining and studying previous examinations.

Of course, the actual exam will most probably not contain the same questions as are on the sample test but it most probably will contain the same types, level of difficulty and perhaps even the same amount of questions the student will have to deal with on the actual exam. this will greatly help to prepare the student and let them know what to generally expect. it’s been shown that, if two people of equal intelligence, education, experience and training take the same exam the one most familiar with previous exams that most closely resemble the actual test in form, scope and allotted time will score the higher.

Review and study for the exam is, of course, very important. There can be no set rule for how long before the exam date reviewing should begin. This will vary depending upon several factors. College students may or may not find that new material that will be included on the exam is being presented by the instructor up to the last day of class.

When to begin the review will depend to a very large extent on the total course load being carried, the dates of the exams and, of course, the study time the student has available to him or her. Those taking professionals exams e.g. real estate, civil service and other such broad proficiency and professional examinations are normally not limited to the degree a college student is and thus may begin reviewing at their own discretion. However, for such exams it is strongly recommended that reviewing begin at least a month and no later than two weeks prior to the exam date.

Reviewing assumes, of course, that all the required work and new learning has been completed and, as such, all that is now needed is a general overview of the subject area to reacquaint the conscious memory with the previously learned information. Of course, particular emphasis may have toe be paid to certain rough spots if necessary.

For optimum benefit, study sessions should be somewhere between 15 and 45 minutes in length. As we’ve seen, clinical studies have proven that learning is more efficient where its broken down into small chunks with short rest breaks in between each session. Somewhere between 15 and 45 minutes seem to be the best for study or learning periods. If too small, there will be insufficient meaning and continuity for proper understanding of the material. If too long boredom, restlessness and fatigue become inhibiting factors to learning and retention.

Rest breaks should be about 5 to 10 minutes long. There will admittedly be times when, with studying going well, temptation will arise to study on past the point when a rest break should be taken. Such temptation should be avoided. Studies have shown that later recall of the material is actually enhanced by interrupting the studying and temporarily turning the mind to other, unrelated activities.

After the rest break, a few minutes should be spent reviewing the material from the previous study session even if the student stopped studying just 5 minutes before. This quick, mini review “warms” the students up and re-establishes the proper mental set. A few minutes should be spent reviewing the material from the previous day’s study. Ten minutes after the day’s or evening’s study the entire material should be reviewed for about five minutes.
A good nights’s sleep before the exam is important to ensure that the student will be well rested for the test. Last minute cramming should be avoided. A hasty, last minute cram may help the test-taker answer one or two additional questions that they otherwise might not have been able to answer but the general weariness late night cramming generally produces is much more likely to have an adverse affect on the test as a whole.

Students should arrive at the test location 10 or 15 minutes before the scheduled start time of the test. Whenever possible, the entire test paper should be read, along with the instructions, before attempting to answer any of the questions. Of course, those taking the lengthy proficiency and licensing type exams will usually find this impossible and even inadvisable from the standpoint of time. However, it would be a good idea for them to take a few minutes to gain a general overview of the exam. If nothing more, the time spent reviewing the test papers will help to settle any last minute jitters.

Studying the exam also enables the test taker to plan the time her or she must allot for each question to be answered. They should mentally not how many questions each part contains along with the degree of difficulty of each question. If there is a choice of questions the student should select those which they’re sure they know the answer to and then answer those questions first.

Test takers often complain that certain questions are ambiguous in their wording and open to interpretation. Sometimes this is true but more often than not it’s actually the test taker, suspicious of the examiner’s intentions, who reads into the question something that isn’t there. Every question on an exam has a definite point and that point must be discovered by a student before an answer can be adequately attempted. If a question actually is ambiguous then the best course of action is to choose one of the possible meanings and answer the question as if that were the only meaning.

If the question is of the essay type then the student should state the difficulty they had in interpreting the examiners intent at the outset of answering the question so that the examiner will be made aware of the ambiguity. Depending on the type of exam, the examiner may possibly take this into consideration when grading the test. But again, the student should choose a meaning and answer the question “as if” that were the true meaning and answer the question confidently and fully. In for a penny, in for a pound! A half answered question, regardless of ambiguity, invites half the score at most.

If there’s time at the end of the exam, the student should read over the questions and his or her answers to them. They’ll often be amazed and surprised at the mistakes they find. However, it is important that they learn to trust their intuition. If they arrive at two possible and plausible answers to the exam questions, they should trust their hunch in making a choice. More often than not, their hunch will prove correct.

Study Habits
Poor study habits involve both internal and external conditions. Internally, a person’s sense of how to manage their time or how to bear down and concentrate may be poorly defined and difficult to put into action. This results in an unnecessary drain on their energy and emotions. For example, if they have an exam, a progress report, research to do for a lecture, a sales pitch – any act of learning that requires preparation and some semblance of organization – they can transform it into a traumatic, self punishing experience by delaying it. If, instead, they did the task in small increments before their deadline, their task would be considerably easier.

Time management is not a complex, tedious process. It simply involves breaking one’s whole project into workable segments. People can do this with any block of material – the information to be learned for the bar exam, the research necessary for their annual report, the work of the three novelists that they need to study for their oral exam in twentieth century literature. Their learning module can be compared to an ice cream that they cannot easily ingest if swallowed whole; broken into pieces, it goes down easily.

The external factors of poor study habits have to do with the physical location of a person’s study area and their association with it. A psychologist working with students who had poor study habits found that when the students followed the three rules below, their learning experience was markedly improved.

1. Designate one particular location for study and use that location consistently.
2. Eliminate any external distractors.
3. Leave the location as soon as you are no longer able to concentrate.

Hypnosis can help directly with the last two factors. Some external distractors will never be easy or even possible to eliminate. A housemate’s squaking parakeet or the blasting stereo down the hall are examples (but you can program your patient, with hypnosis, to block out sounds).

Of course, if a person’s external distractor is their baby, their spouse, or someone else close to them, then they need to settle on a study schedule that coincides with the times they’re not involved in that person’s routine. But they can’t expect the people they live with to come and go as the patient might please. They need to construct a cooperative plan of action that deprives neither party of his or her “rights”.

The last rule, which deals with leaving the study area when their concentration has dissipated, can be regulated by their specifying a time frame for their activity. This involves designating a starting and stopping time that corresponds to their normal attention span and then working within those limits.

According to some experts, (with studies to back them up) relaxation skills are the most crucial element to improve learning ability. Anxiety interfere with learning. Any kind of anxiety, not just that type associated with the learning process itself. If you can help your patient rid themselves of anxiety, they are more likely to learn. With this in min, appropriate therapy for stress and anxiety should be a part of your patient’s program when indicated along with training in relaxation techniques.

For an appointment please ring Therapy House, 6 Tuckey Street, Cork city on 021-4273757 or email us on ichp@hypnosiseire.com

• Hypnotherapy is 100% natural and is the key to mastering the deeper mind and body.
• For training please visit http://www.hypnosiseire.com , ring 0214273575 or email ichp@hypnsosiseire.com
• For private consultations please visit https://www.hypnosisireland.ie/ , ring 0214273575 or email ichp@hypnosiseire.com

New Foundation course commencing in September

Economic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Hypno-psychotherapy Interventions

1 in 4 have PTSD symptoms from financial stress

On Friday 1st of July 2016 Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England stated on the Financial Times that due to the Brexit vote to leave the EU that Britains economy was in a “post traumatic stress disorder situation”.

According to a new study from Payoff one in four have PTSD-like symptoms from financial stress such as stress resulting from homelessness, late payments, stress about paying off outstanding debt, stress resulting from negative financial behaviour and from acute financial stress (AFS).

Considering the state of the economy and the fact that the global economy is imploding with zombie banks, zero interest rates, fiat money not to mention every country is bankrupted and central banks creating money out of nothing, backed by nothing and creating nothing.

Many are overwhelmed by stagnant incomes, non-existent savings, rising debt levels, high taxes and financial ordeals such as bankruptcy, defaults and eviction.

Capitalism Without Capital

When government controls all wealth and the central banks are involved in quantitative easing, buying not only government bonds but corporate bonds also. This of course is ‘capitalism without capital’, a new concept engineered by the central bankers to bring about a new world order in finance. Its only a matter of time when the central bankers (private banking system) will own all of our assets. The majority of people are completely oblivious to this coup d’etat of our monetary system and the resulting consequences which of course is financial stress all around.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder of the Economic Kind

PTSD is often accompanied by depression and in the most serious cases, a genuine risk of suicide. Like people with any other mental illness, people with PTSD will probably also tend to abuse alcohol or other drugs. Hypno-psychotherapists see this abuse as an attempt at self-medication that does not remedy anything in the long term.

Behavioural/Cognitive Therapies and Hypno-psychotherapy can alleviate the symptoms experienced by people who have PTSD. These forms of therapy often involve a process of desensitization, in which the patient is exposed to memories of the traumatic event in the secure setting of the therapists office. This process can help the patient to feel less afraid and eventually to manage his or her fears more effectively.

PTSD sometimes resolves itself over time even without treatment. Thus, in a sense, the purpose of the psychotherapy is to accelerate this natural process of forgetting.

Intrusion Symptoms

When PTSD sufferers manifest intrusion symptoms, they do not simply experience memories of the traumatic event – they cannot stop their memories from coming back to haunt them. Some of these people experience veritable flashbacks so invasive that it feels as if they are literally reliving the event. Nightmares are another form of intrusion symptom.

Avoidance Symptoms

When PTSD sufferers show avoidance symptoms, they try to avoid conditions and situations that might trigger memories of the traumatic event. They also tend to avoid talking about this event, so that they do not have to confront it directly. Another avoidance symptom is a dulling of the emotions, sometimes so extreme that these individuals become emotionally deadened. They lose interest in activities that they used to love, stay away from friends and family and turn inwards on themselves.
Overstimulation Symptoms

People with PTSD may experience many symptoms of hypervigilance that make it hard for them to concentrate and to finish the activities that they start. More specifically, these people may: experience insomnia and nervousness, tend to become frightened easily, have a constant sense of danger or imminent disaster, be highly irritable, and even engage in violent behaviour.

It was long thought that people could develop PTSD only if they were involved in disasters such as being in a plane crash, witnessing a homicide, or being trapped in a building that had collapsed in an earthquake or a bombing attack. War is in fact the main cause of PTSD, and in North America, the largest group of PTSD sufferers consists of Vietnam war veterans. Indeed, most of what we know about PTSD comes from studies of combat veterans.

More recently however, the list of events that may cause someone to develop PTSD has been expanded to include such experiences as being raped, being in an automobile accident and economic disasters for both individuals and families.

Treatment with Hypno-psychotherapy

According to the IREBH (International Register of Evidence Based Hypnotherapy), the best practice for treatment is outlined in the book “Function-focused Hypno-psychotherapy” by Peter & Deborah George as follows:

Strategies for Treatment

In 1990 Mervin Smucker, Ph.D, from the Medical College of Wisconsin, created Imagery Rescripting and Reprocessing Therapy (IRRT) for the processing of traumatic experiences. The lists below compare the therapeutic goals established by Dr Smucker and those used in Hypnopsychotherapy

IRRT – Goals

• Decrease physiological arousal
• Eliminate intrusive PTSD symptoms
• Transform traumatic imagery into mastery, self-empowering imagery
• Modify trauma-related beliefs/schemas
• Enhance ability to self-calm, self-nurture and affectively self-regulate
• Enhance linguistic processing by developing a narrative about the traumatic event

Hypno-psychotherapy – Goals

• Calm/relax (self-regulate)
• Suppress rumination STOP/re-direct
• Generate safe haven
• Regress to Trauma and generate Mastery imagery
• Cognitively re-construct
• Enhance Ego Strength & ability to affectively self-regulate anxiety
• Develop a new narrative about the traumatic event(s) and future pace to test for improved anxiety threshold

They are clearly very similar in overall approach but there is advantage in the Hypnotic state in being able to create and use fictional resources to empower self with substantial reality through felt experience.

In the pin-point regression to the trauma the patient is encouraged to recount the event internally at a safe distance with the therapists presence clearly felt via the therapist slowly counting from 1-100 (a most useful technique developed by the Father of PTSD definition – Prof. Frank Ochberg).

At the Emotional Health Centre, Therapy House, 6 Tuckey Street, Cork city we help with enhancing creativity

Enhancing creativity
Each side of your brain – each brain hemisphere – controls certain activities or processes. Your left hemisphere is concerned with verbal description and suggestion; it is your “practical” side. Your right hemisphere is the side of creative visualization and mental imagery; it is the seat of your intuition, musical and artistic ability, and even your sense of humour.

The hypnosis cycles in this therapy use a full-brain approach; that is, a combination of both verbal suggestion and creative imagination. This session, however, is specifically designed for right-brain development: The suggestions are not as “clear cut” or as specific as in the others. this cycle will help more of your creative potential to unfold. You can use it to remember you dreams, to listen to your hunches, to daydream creatively, to discover hidden talents and abilities, and to have more insight into all that is around you and in you.

Your creative right hemisphere is the full-blown sail of your mind. the practical left hemisphere is the rudder that helps direct your course. Allow your adventurous creativity to propel you and use your guiding rudder to keep you on course. A marriage of your right brain to left brain is the ideal in any creative endeavour. Balance your full potential by verbally discussing your creative insights with yourself or with others.

One good method to develop your creativity is to play a favourite piece of music, then – while in a self-hypnotic or reverie state – verbally describe out loud, using all your five sense, a memorable vacation or a pleasant event in your life. At another time, play different music and imagine a story – make up a story – aloud, that fits the mood of the music. This “stream of consciousness” exercise bridges the right and left hemispheres.

You can also use creative daydreaming by taking a short break during the day to quiet your body and envision in your mind your ideals and your goals. Thomas Edison regularly took “cat naps” and often awakened with new insights and ideas. he wrote these ideas in countless journals and on scraps of paper; then he discussed these ideas with people close to his work.

For an appointment please ring Therapy House, 6 Tuckey Street, Cork city on 021-4273757 or email us on ichp@hypnosiseire.com

At the Emotional Health Centre, 6 Tuckey Street in Cork city, Ireland we treat a whole host of emotional problems. One in five people suffer from an emotional problem and the types of problems are as numerous as the clients suffering them.

The term ‘mental health’ conjures up all types of stereotypes of mental illness including psychosis (madness), schizophrenia, delusions etc. While there is nothing wrong (or necessarily even permanent) about suffering from a serious mental health problem, this ‘tarring with the same brush’ can be quite stigmatising for people with less severe mental health challenges. This in turn may discourage them from seeking help from qualified Hypnopsychotherapists such as at the ICHP.

Most if not all clients consulting with anxiety or panic attacks will say “I think I am going mad or crazy” and they present with these persistent symptoms in the hope of getting relief from them. Alternatively some find relief from panic attacks and anxiety in the from of self medication such as alcohol, drugs, medications etc which have severe side effects and offer only temporary resolution.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.

In accordance with WHO guidelines regarding mental well being the term ’emotional health’ is more appropriate to describe the less severe (but no less pressing for the world economy in terms of lost productivity) forms of mental health symptomology. Emotional health is about having control over ones emotions good, bad or indifferent. It enables one to navigate through both the stormy and calm seas of life with awareness and equanimity.

The cycle of emotions
1. Joy/Appreciation/Empowerment/Freedom
2. Passion
3. Enthusiasm/Eagerness/Happiness
4. Positive Expectation/Belief
5. Optimism
6. Hopefulness
7. Contentment
8. Boredom
9. Pessimism
10. Frustration/Irritation/Impatience
11. Overwhelm
12. Disappointment
13. Doubt
14. Worry
15. Blame
16. Discouragement
17. Anger
18. Revenge
19. Hatred/Rage
20. Jealousy
21. Insecurity/Guilt/Unworthiness
22. Fear/Grief/Depression/Despair/Powerlessness

Symptoms of emotional problems include:

• Panic attacks
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Irritability
• Mood swings
• Sleep disorder
• Sadness
• Nightmares
• Excessive crying
• Dissociation
• Shame
• Hostility
• Loneliness
• Binge eating
• Restlessness
• Depression
• Burnout
• Procrastination

Breaking the cycle of negative emotions
Negative emotions can be like a ball we keep pushing under the water. It takes a lot of energy and time to keep the ball in place here and eventually we will lose grip and it will spring up to the surface with dire consequences. The last creatures to realise that they are in water are fish and we are the last ones to realise we are in oxygen yet if we lack it for even a few minutes we expire. The same logical principles apply to emotional avoidance and expression. What we resist persists. Our natural instincts are to avoid pain and push it under the surface which creates more problems and a cycle of negative emotions. Hypnopsychotherapy has a proven strategy to eliminate these negative cycles.

A. One needs to quieten the mind and body and look at the situation objectively.
B. Recognise the negative cycles of emotions.
C. Stop and replace the negative cycles by expressing your emotions in a positive way.
D. Rehearse appropriate responses in your imagination.
E. Rehearse cues and anchors for positive outcomes.
F. Find the triggers in the present time.
G. Find the root causes in the past.
H. Awareness of bodily feelings and emotions is paramount. Recording for playing at home to reinforce the clinical work. Remember that every time you become aware of your emotion give yourself a ‘star’ (or a mental facebook ‘like’!!) – this is the first step to improved emotional health.

Snapshot of Irish Emotional Health Symptomology

• Anxiety and depression comprises over 80% of all mental or addictive disorders
• One in every four adults suffer from anxiety or depression
• Less than 30% of those with anxiety disorders receive professional help
• Only 50% of those experiencing major depressive disorders receive help
• Only 40% of those with depression receive help
• 12.3% of men and 19.5% of women have neurotic disorders
• Depression – 10%
• IBS – 20%
• Stress – 35%
• Anxiety disorders – 15%
• Cancer – 25% (lifetime)
• Obesity – 39%
• Asthma – 25%
• Sexual abuse – 40% women, 25% men
• 62% of Irish prisoners have an addiction
• 52% of Irish prisoners have used or will use heroine
• Pain – 80% of people will suffer back pain
• 5% of people suffer migraines
• 5% insomnia/sleep difficulties
• 25% of women experience violence
• 50% of workers bullied
• 20% high blood pressure
• 50% of the population binge drinking
• 30% smoking
• 50% of students have/do take drugs, 19% will take drugs
• Medical junkies – 2 million prescriptions issued each year
• 700,000 effected by mental disorders in Ireland
• 62% – Burnout
• 60% of patients who suffer depressive disorders also suffer from anxiety, i.e., social phobia, simple phobia, PTSD, agoraphobia, panic
• 13 unwed dads committed suicide over a three month period
• Problem children fail to get psychological support in schools
• Workplace stress doubles the likelihood of fatal heart attack
• 75% of students dropped out of a course because it was too difficult
• 90% of 15 and 16 year olds have taken alcohol (69% have been drunk)
• 32% of children have used cannabis
• Smokers start in their teens – pressure to fit in, be independent etc
• Suicides and Para suicides numbers are growing each year
• One in every 140 had deliberately self-harmed. In Cork it is more, 1 in 8.
• One fifth of adults suffer from mental disorders (half of which are undiagnosed)
• 10,000 people attempted suicide in 2002
• Medical errors kill 2,000 people each year in Ireland

What are the main types of mental health problems?

• Mixed anxiety & depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain, with almost 9 percent of people meeting criteria for diagnosis.
– The Office for National Statistics Psychiatric Morbidity report (2001)
• Between 8 – 12% of the population experience depression in any year.
– The Office for National Statistics Psychiatric Morbidity report (2001)
• About half of people with common mental health problems are no longer affected after 18 months, but poorer people, the long-term sick and unemployed people are more likely to be still affected than the general population.
– Better or Worse: A Longitudinal Study of the Mental Health of Adults in Great Britain, National Statistics (2003)

Statistics on mental health
• 1 in 4 people will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year.
• Mixed anxiety & depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain.
• Women are more likely to have been treated for a mental health problem than men.
• About 10% of children have a mental health problem at any one time.
• Depression affects 1 in 5 older people living in the community and 2 in 5 living in care homes.
• British men are three times as likely as British women to die by suicide.
• The UK has one of the highest rates of self harm in Europe, at 400 per 100,000 population.
• Only 1 in 10 prisoners has no mental disorder.

Treatment at the Emotional Health Centre

Bereavement, Loss, Grief, Anger & Jealousy
Emotions are part of the very fabric of life. They’re what separates us from machines, plants and pet rocks and add an important dimension f meaning to human existence. Because they are a contributing factor to a variety of physical and psychological ills, it is vitally important that the therapist be able to help their client successfully address and resolve the conflicts engendered by so-called ‘negative’ emotions.

We work with the six emotions that contribute most to human misery – anger, grief, jealousy, bereavement, loss and guilt. You’ll gain a remarkable insight and some startling new perspectives as you learn why you feel the way they do and how we, as therapists, can help you to change. Some of the techniques you’ll learn are tried and true while others are positively ground-breaking. Once mastered, these techniques can be applied to a whole host of other emotions.

Stress, Anxiety & Worry
Stress and it’s related anxiety and chronic worry has been described as the plague of the 21st century and it is estimated that over 80% of physical & emotional symptoms presented to therapists are psychosomatic and directly caused by distress. The havoc that these three emotions (stress, worry, anxiety) exhort in terms of human misery, suffering and health is virtually incalculable. They have been strongly linked to such physical ailments as hypertension, ulcers, heart disease, colitis, IBS, cancer, virus reactions and even the common cold. Stress is fast becoming recognised as a problem in the workplace and businesses lose billions of euros each year because of stress related problems.

Emotional Health Centre Cork
Changing Minds – Transforming Lives

List of symptoms treated by Hypnopsychotherapy Evidence-Based

It has become increasingly evident that bidirectional (“top-down and bottom-up”) interactions between the brain and peripheral tissues, including the cardiovascular and immune systems, contribute to both mental and physical health. Therapies directed toward addressing functional links between mind/brain and body may be particularly effective in treating the range of symptoms associated with many chronic diseases. In this paper, we describe the basic components of an integrative psychophysiological framework for research aimed at elucidating the underlying substrates of mind-body therapies. This framework recognizes the multiple levels of the neuraxis at which mind-body interactions occur. We emphasize the role of specific fronto-temporal cortical regions in the representation and control of adverse symptoms, which interact reciprocally with subcortical structures involved in bodily homeostasis and responses to stress. Bidirectional autonomic and neuroendocrine pathways transmit information between the central nervous system (CNS) and the periphery and facilitate the expression of affective, autonomic, hormonal, and immune responses. We propose that heart rate variability (HRV) and markers of inflammation are important currently available indices of central-peripheral integration and homeostasis within this homeostatic network. Finally, we review current neuroimaging and psychophysiological research from diverse areas of mind-body medicine that supports the framework as a basis for future research on the specific biobehavioral mechanisms of mind-body therapies.

A
Abandonment Aches and pains Acne
Addictions Age regression Ageusis
Aggression Agitation Agoraphobia
Air hunger Alcoholism Allergies
Amenorrhea Anaesthesia Anger
Anxiety Racing thoughts Apathy
Aphonia Asthma Assertiveness
Assist healing Arithmomania Attitude adjustment

B
Bed wetting Being overcritical Better exam results
Blood pressure Blurred vision Blushing
Breathing Bulimia Bullying
Bereavement

C
Career success Car sickness Change habits
Chest pain Childbirth Hypnosis for children
Chronic pain Cigarettes Co-dependency
Colitis Communication Compulsions
Compulsive stealing Compulsive washing Concentration
Confidence Constant worrying Constipation
Control Cramps Cravings
Creativity

D
Death or loss Decision making Dental procedures
Depression Developing skills Diarrhoea or constipation
Dissociation Discouragement Dizziness
Double vision Doubt Dreams
Driving fear Drug addiction Dyslexia
Dysmenorrhea Dyspepsia
E
Eating disorders Eating more or less Eczema
Emotional pain Enuresis Envy
Eyelid droop Eye-strain Exam nerves
Excessive blinking Exercise motivation

F
Fainting Fears Fear of flying
Feeling vulnerable Fibrositis Forgiveness
Fibromyalgia Frigidity Frustration

G
Gagging Gambling Goal setting
Guilt

Fears & Phobias
Animals Being alone Being touched
Change Clowns Commitment
Crowd Darkness Death
Dentists Doctors Dogs
Dirt Driving Engulfment
Falling Failure Flying
Germs God Heights
Injections Intimacy Long words
Loss of control Loud noise Open spaces
Public speaking Rejection School
Snakes Social situations Spiders
Success Surgery Thunder and lightning
Water Wasps

H
Habits Hair twisting Hair pulling
Hallucinations Hay fever Headaches
Helplessness Hoarding Hopelessness
Hypochondria Hostility Hypertension
Hypnosis for teenagers

I
Immune system Impotency Improve health
Improve sales Inability to concentrate Inability to relax
Indecision Independence Indigestion
Inferiority complex Infertility Inhibition
Inner child Insecure feelings Insomnia
Irrational Irrational thoughts Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Irritability Isolation Itching

J
Jealousy

K
Kleptomania

L
Lack of ambition Lack of confidence Lack of direction
Lack of enthusiasm Lack of initiative Lip biting
Loneliness Lower blood pressure Lying

M
Meanness Medical procedures Medication side effects
Melancholia Memory Memory problems
Migraines Mind/body healing Misogamy
Misogyny Misanthropy Mistrust
Moodiness Morbid thoughts Motivation

N
Nail biting Nausea Negativism
Nervousness Nervous habits Neuralgia
Neurosis Nightmares Night terrors
Nymphomania

O
Obesity Obsessions Obsessive tidying
OCD Orgasmic dysfunction Over dependency
Over eating Over critical Overwhelming feeling

P
Pain management Palpitations Panic attacks
Paranoia Passive aggressive Perfectionism
Performance anxiety Pessimism Phobias
Picking nails or fingers Poor communication skills Poor judgement
Post surgical Premature ejaculation Presurgical
Problem solving Procrastination Public speaking

R
Reach goals Regression Rejection
Relationship Enhancement Relaxation
Resentment Resistance Resistance to change
Responsibility Restlessness Revulsion

S
Sadness Sciatica Sea-sickness
Seeing only the negative Self awareness Self blame
Self confidence Self consciousness Self control
Self criticism Self defeating behaviours Self esteem
Self expression Self forgiveness Self hypnosis
Self image Self improvement Self mastery
Self pity Sexual problems Shame
Shaking Shingles Shivering
Shoplifting Short temper Shyness
Skin problems Skin disorders Sleep disorders
Sleeping too much Sleeping too little Sleep talking
Smoking cessation Snoring Social phobia
Speech disorders Spiritual development Sports hypnosis
Stage fright Stammering Stop smoking
Study habits Substance abuse Surgical recovery
Suicidal thoughts

Stress
Stress Anxiety Sterility
Stress causes Stress effects Stress headache
Stress management Reduce stress Stress relief
Stress treatment

T
Teeth-grinding Tension headaches Thumb sucking
Torticollis Tiredness Trauma
Tics Tinnitus Trembling
Trust issues Twitching

U
Ulcers

V
Vaginismus Victimization Visualization
Vomiting

W
Warts Wasps Water
Weight management Work stress Worry
Writers block

Weight loss
Gastric band hypnosis Fast weight loss How to lose weight
Lose weight fast Rapid weight loss Weight loss diet
Weight loss plans

Suicide, unemployment and the effect of economic recession
WHO recently estimated that 804,000 people worldwide died by suicide during 2012. Suicide prevention experts have historically focused their attention on elevated risk during times of economic downturn. For instance, Stack and Haas estimated that more than 900 suicides in the USA were attributable to the sharp rise in redundancies that occurred in 1981-82 during the early years of the Reagan administration, and which pushed the national unemployment rate up to its highest level since the interwar Great Depression era

At the Emotional Health Centre, Therapy House, 6 Tuckey Street, Cork city we help with fear of flying

Fear of flying
In some situations a certain amount of fear is a natural and adaptive reaction. Fear is healthy when it alerts us to danger, heightens our awareness, and motivates us to be careful. But given the safety of modern commercial air travel, fear of flying is not an adaptive reaction. Planes do crash, but so do cars, buses, trains, and bicycles. Statistics show that one is safer on a plane. Nevertheless, large numbers of people are afraid of flying. Some fly anyway, but suffer. Others don’t fly, and miss out on pleasure trips, visits with friends and relatives, and business opportunities.

Why all this fear of flying? Leaving solid ground scares us. To fly we must accept our lack of control and the necessity to truth the pilot, control-tower personnel, and a strange machine. If a person doesn’t feel emotionally supported or on solid ground in their daily life, they may overreact to the predicament of being suspended in midair in a metal box, helplessly dependent on the sanity and goodwill of others.

The very situations that frighten us, however, can be sources of fun and exhilaration once we master them. Many people have conquered their fear of flying and discovered how easy and delightful flying can be. They have also learned more about themselves in the process.

Gaining the necessary trust and confidence takes repeated positive experiences and concerted effort. Flying fears often have straightforward causes. One is direct experience – that is, having a “bad flight”. People also learn inappropriate fear from other sources, such as a relative who won’t fly, a friend who had a scary experience, or an exaggerated movie.

Extreme fears of phobias consist of three elements: emotions (the way we feel), cognitions (the way we think), and behaviours (the way we act). All three aspects although interrelated, must be understood and dealt with separately.

Overcoming emotional obstacles
“When I get on a plane, I panic; it’s like I’m going to die.” “I’m afraid I’ll just break down and make a fool of myself.” Such reactions can include feelings of rapid heartbeat, stomach cramps, dizziness, headache, and nausea. They have a common cause; increasingly rapid breathing (hyperventilation). In extreme cases, such overbreathing leads to feelings of choking or dying. It is crucial for the phobic to realize that such breathing is under their control. They can accelerate it – leading to feelings of increased fright and eventual panic – or decelerate it – leading to feelings of greater control and calm.

• One of the most effective ways to help the patient overcome emotional obstacles is by systematic desensitization through successive approximation employed within the framework of a hypnotherapy session. Have your patient think of 12 flight related situations, ranging from those with low arousal to those of high arousal. They, or you, should write these down, beginning with the least threatening and going on through to the most threatening. You’ll use these within the session.

Here’s a sample list I’ve found that applies to most fear of flying clients:

1. Planning the trip
2. Packing for the trip
3. Leaving for the airport
4. Arriving at the airport
5. Checking in the luggage
6. Checking in at the gate
7. Boarding the plane
8. Taking their seat
9. Taxiing down the runway
10. Taking off
11. The plane bouncing as it encounters turbulence
12. Landing

In hypnosis, the therapist will program you with an ideomotor response. It might go something like this: “In a moment, I’m going to lead you through the process of a flying experience, beginning with your planning the trip. if at any time you begin to feel anxious or nervous, I’d like you to raise the forefinger of your right (or left) hand.”

Now being to go through the list, starting with the least threatening. Be sure to embellish the imagery of each step. This means, don’t just say “you’re planning the trip”, for instance. Rather, you might say “you’re planning your trip and looking through the travel brochures or thinking about what you’re going to do or who you’re going to see when you reach your destination.”

When you reach an anxiety provoking step and their forefinger lifts, immediately say: “Now, I want you to go through that particular step again but this time imagine yourself taking a few moments to change that negative reaction to a more positive and pleasant one. You’re in that situation or place and you now close your eyes, take a deep, lung-filling breath – go ahead, take a deep breath right now – and exhale. Take a second deep, lung-filling breath…and exhale. Now, you picture and imagine yourself in your favourite place – one you especially enjoy being.” Continue to lead yourself through a relaxation imagery. You then proceed as follows with the following direct suggestion. “You are calm, relaxed, at ease and totally in control of the situation. As a matter of fact, you’re beginning to rather enjoy the experience as you will continue to do to an even greater degree, now and in the future.”

For an appointment please ring Therapy House, 6 Tuckey Street, Cork city on 021-4273575 or email us on ichp@hypnosiseire.com

Guilt is an unpleasant feeling of remorse or sadness for past actions. It can happen when a person does something that goes against his/her moral code or feels as if he or she has wronged somebody.

It’s one thing to feel guilt after actually doing something wrong or hurtful to another person. It’s quite another to carry around a burden of excessive and unjustified guilt. The first sort of guilt is a signal from our conscience that we’ve violated our own sense of morality. This signal helps us regulate our social behaviour and learn how to get along with others.

The second sort of guilt is a blight. It can paralyse us with fear, worry, anxiety, humiliation and eventually a deep, possibly suicidal self-loathing. The emotional fallout of needless guilt can range from chronic fatigue to such self-punishing behaviours as alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual dysfunction, accident-proneness, and psychosomatic illness.

A critical, unforgiving conscience turns against the self-nagging away at all sorts of thoughts, feelings and acts. Frequently this crippling guilt is grounded in the past. We sometimes carry along harsh judgements from the past to the present, even though we have changed. The weight of this self-blame can be enormous: The guilt-ridden victim feels bad, worthless, unlovable, unfit for human companionship. Guilt can thus drive a wedge between an individual and the rest of the world. Perhaps even more painful and damaging, guilt can also separate us from ourselves: We can end up truly alone, without even ourselves for support and interior friendship.

This remorse and loss of self-esteem is like paying endless instalments on a stiff fine for a past crime. Yet the guilt-ridden individual may never have done anything really wrong. Children are easily shamed into feeling unworthy and bad; some never grow out of this. Even if they can look back to some genuine past wrongdoing, beating oneself up with guilt feelings will only get in the way of their making changes and improvements that could enrich their life and that of others.

It’s often very difficult to let go of guilt, whether or not its justifiable. Some people look for forgiveness by suffering. They think that if they endure enough guilty misery they will earn release. Some people find it easier to dwell on the past than to deal with the present. They concentrate on their old sins and avoid taking creative risks and assuming responsibility now. Compulsively paying off a debt of guilt to parents, spouse, or children can be a way of acting moralistically but actually neglecting to use ones freedom and power to do real good in the world.

Feeling excessively or inappropriately guilty is a psychological habit that can be broken. If a person recognizes guilt as a destructive force in their life, they must take the opportunity to look carefully at it so that they can understand it and get rid of it. By putting their guilt feelings into perspective, they can begin working on becoming a more creative, self-assured, loving person.

For an appointment please ring Therapy House, 6 Tuckey Street, Cork city on 021-4273757 or email us on ichp@hypnosiseire.com

Uncomplicated Grief
Grief and loss are a part of life and are experience by most of us at some point in our lives. People deal with grief in many different ways, and not necessarily going through a predictable group of ‘stages’, although some do.

How people grieve can depend on the circumstances of the loss (e.g., sudden death, long illness, death of a young person) as well as past experiences of loss. There is no time limit on grief – some people get back to their usual routine fairly quickly, others take longer. Some people prefer time alone to grieve, others crave the support and company of others.

Below are just some of the range of experiences which can be part of uncomplicated grief.
• Symptoms of depression or anxiety, such as poor sleep, lowered appetite, low mood, feeling of anxiety – for some people the anxiety will be more obvious, for others the depression.
• A sense of the loss not quite being ‘real’ at first, or refusal to believe that it has occurred.
• Feeling disconnected from others, sense of numbness.
• Guilt about not initially feeling pain about the loss.
• Worries about not grieving ‘normally’ or ‘correctly’.
• Mood swings and tearfulness.
• Guilt about interactions with the person who has died (e.g. I should have spend more time with her or I wish we didn’t have that argument).
• Waves of sadness or anger which can be overwhelming and sometimes get triggered suddenly by reminders.
• Seeking reminds of the person who has died, e.g. being in their home or with their belongings, or perhaps at times even feeling you see or hear the deceased person.
• Guilt about gradually getting back to ‘normal’ life and at times not ‘remembering’ to feel sad.

Coping with uncomplicated grief
Most people going through the pain described above will eventually adjust to the loss and return to normal life, although of course carrying some sadness about the loss. Most people do not require medication or counselling to manage uncomplicated grief, and should simply be supported to go through their individual grief process. It is important to maintain a healthy diet and some physical activity during this time. Some people may find it helpful to engage in counselling or to attend groups with others who have suffered a recent loss.

Complicated grief
Complicated grief is a general term for describing when people adjust poorly to a loss. This is very difficult to define, as there is no standard which limits what is normal and healthy grief.

Below are some warning signs which may suggest that a person is not coping well with grief and may be at a greater risk of the grieving process taking longer to resolve or being more difficult.

• Pushing away painful feelings or avoiding the grieving process entirely
• Excessive avoidance of talking about or reminders of the person who has died
• Refusal to attend the funeral
• Using distracting tasks to avoid experiencing grief, including tasks associated with planning the funeral
• Abuse of alcohol or other drugs (including prescription)
• Increased physical complaints or illness
• Intense mood swings or isolation which do not resolve within 1-2 months of the loss
• Ongoing neglect of self-care and responsibilities

Again, it is important to emphasis that there are no ‘rules for grieving’ and that many of the items above may occur as part of uncomplicated grief. However, people who are coping very poorly one month after a loss may continue to cope very poorly 1-2 years later, so if these warning signs are present then it is often worthwhile seeking some help early on, to increase the chances of adjusting in the long term.

Coping with Complicated Grief
Hypnopsychotherapy Evidence-based can support people to safely explore feelings of grief and connect with painful feelings and memories, paving the way for resolution. Therapy may also support people to use strategies such as relaxation, engaging in positive activities, and challenging negative thoughts, in order to combat the associated symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Mild medication may also be used to alleviate depression associated with grief, and this can be useful in conjunction with hypnotic strategies. Strong tranquillizing medications can interfere with the natural grieving process.

Although early help is recommended, health professionals are able to support people to work through complicated grief even years after the loss.

Grief/Bereavement/Loss
Grief is the natural, universal response to loss and it’s the most profound emotional pain we’ll ever experience. It can strike suddenly and with devastating intensity. it grips like a vice for months, even years. And, to make matters worse, medical studies have shown that it can wreak havoc with our immune system, leaving us vulnerable to a variety of physical ailments including cancer and arthritis. In intense grief, a person may become short of breath, their throat may tighten and waves of uncontrollable crying may sweep over them. They may become listless and depressed, or nervous, irritable and restless. They may become exhausted from sadness and crying. Grieving people often sleep poorly or not at all. When they do sleep, they may have nightmares. Some can’t eat or make love, while others overeat or feel desperately sexual.

The initial reaction to losing a loved one may be shock and disbelief, followed by a feeling of confusion, outraged anger, or guilt. It is hard to believe that grief is a healing process, but a person must experience it in order to become whole again.

The most profound grief is usually felt at the loss of a spouse, child or lover, and it is especially intense if the death was sudden and unexpected. We’ve had no time to say good-bye. We’re caught in the midst of our life together in mid-flight. There were so many things we wanted to do for that person, so much love to give, things we had always meant to say, restitution we wanted to make for past hurts. Even if a death has been gradual and expected, a person may be filled with remorse for the things they’ve done or left undone. They may feel angry at their loved one for leaving them, and perhaps be ashamed of their feelings.

Some people torture themselves with the idea that they or someone else could have prevented the death. “If only I hadn’t asked her to…then she wouldn’t have been there when…”, “Perhaps the doctor could have prevented the death, if he were skilful enough, or if he had cared enough. Maybe it was the hospital’s fault.”

Such intense feelings are exhausting. A person may begin to feel utterly hopeless and helpless. They feel they will never be the same again, that nothing will ever be the same. Yet, for all the ‘grief’ it gives us, experts continue to assure us that this is a natural emotion, even a healthy on.

Then why is this healing emotion often thought of as harmful? Apparently, much hinges on our perspective and our preparedness to deal with loss. Fear, not grief, is the culprit here. Fear of death (our own, as well as the loss of those we love) can immobilize us to the point that we deny our grief. It is this denial or suppression, then, that can give rise to serious consequences.

Unfortunately, too, supportive efforts often discourage full expression of our emotions. Well-meaning relatives may tell us to, “be strong,” “think positive,” “don’t cry.” The clergy may paint a reassuring picture of life after death, explaining that “there’s no reason to mourn” since the deceased is in a better place. Doctors may prescribe tranquillisers and antidepressant drugs long after the initial shock period – whether or not they are necessary. These are all common solacing techniques that, in effect, block the natural grieving process. And, in so doing, do more harm than good.

To fully recover and move forward pas the immediate loss, we must affirm and acknowledge our feelings. Sorrow, guilt, anger, depression, loneliness, fear, anxiety and shame are all normal emotions associated with bereavement that need to be voiced openly and honestly. Only through telling our story over and over again do we clarify in our own minds what has happened and how we really feel about it. Through that, we come to accept the reality of the loss so we can go on living. Crying can also provide a healthy outlet. Tears carry away toxins that are produced during emotional shock. That may be why we feel genuinely better afterward.

It is important too, to allow enough time for the grieving – and healing – process. How much time is, of course, different for each person and set of circumstances. Research on 1,200 mourners showed an average recovery time of from 18 to 24 months.

For an appointment please ring Therapy House, 6 Tuckey Street, Cork city on 021-4273757 or email us on ichp@hypnosiseire.com

The rationale behind the ‘BChaps’ (see below) model developed by Dr Joseph Keaney is fully supported by empirical research as outlined in the book What works for whom? A critical review of psychotherapy research (see reference at the footer of the page).

This research synthesizes a wealth of information on the efficacy of the major models of psychotherapy for commonly encountered mental health problems. Maintaining a judicious balance between empirical considerations and the role of clinical judgement, the review examines how research evidence can be used to improve the structure and planning of services to specific client groups. Its comprehensive disorder by disorder approach and careful attention to the methodological strengths and limitations of available research make this a valuable resource for students, clinicians, researchers and health care administrators.

• As therapeutic expertise, rather than experience, is an important predictor of the establishment of a productive treatment alliance (which is probably the single best predictor of outcome outside of client and orientation factors), the monitoring of individual therapist performance should be an important aspect of the evaluation of psychotherapy services.
• Though specialist professional training and clinical experience may be less relevant for first time referrals in nonspecialist settings such as primary care, expertise is important for more “difficult” cases (chronic, negative, severe or hostile patients). It follows that specialist psychotherapy centres should have adequate numbers of trained and experienced professionals who offer treatment to this group.
• Appropriate supervision, even of experienced therapists is important in view of the likelihood of ruptures of the therapeutic relationship and the adverse effect this may have on therapeutic outcome.
• There is evidence that manuals of psychotherapy have much to contribute to the training of psychotherapists. Models of good training practice could include acquainting candidates with training manuals and formally assessing their capacity to adhere to these.
• The literature clearly indicates that whereas good knowledge of the key components of a technique lays an important foundation for effective practice, flexibly, and deviate and go beyond them at times when the clinical situation seems to require this.
• There is some limited evidence in the literature suggesting that in-depth training in multiple modalities may improve the therapeutic efficacy of individual practitioners. Further research needs to be undertaken to establish the value of training in multiple orientations for therapists.

Roth, Anthony & Fonagy, Peter, 1996, What works for whom? A critical review of psychotherapy research, Guildford Press, New York.

Recovery Rates
Hypnotherapy 93% recovery after six sessions
Psychoanalysis 38% recovery after 600 sessions

Counselling
Behaviour therapy 72% after 22 sessions

A survey of psychotherapy literature by Alfred A Barrios Ph.D (source: American Health Magazine)

ICHP Hypnopsychotherapists who utilise the “B-Chaps” model (Brief Clinical Hypnoanalytical Psychotherapy Solution Focused) can be relied upon to consistently deliver good results in a professional environment.

The above recovery rates may not be applied to all therapists but only those who are accredited members of the Irish Hypnotherapy & Psychotherapy Register and the Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy & Psychotherapy.

Did you know that:
• One in four people will experience a mental health problem caused by anxiety and/or depression in a given year
• One in six people experience anxiety and/or depression at any given time
• 450 million people worldwide currently have a mental health disorder

Many great pioneers in the fields of Hypnotherapy and alternative health blaze trails into the frontiers of knowledge and leave lasting legacies in the body of work that humanity inherits after their blazing is done! Roy Hunter left Parts Therapy, Richard Bandler left us NLP, Joe Keaney and the ICHP will leave us…B-CHAPS (Brief-Clinical Hypnotherapy & Psychotherapy Solution-Focused!)

B-CHAPS embodies the ICHPs pioneering fusion of all the quickest and most efficient of healing techniques available into one highly effective system. Our therapy is brief and solution-focused so that the client has a definite contract and time limit and isn’t required to spend indefinite amounts of time (and money!) in a more traditional form of psychoanalysis. And yet the core tenets of Freud and Jung are not ignored by B-CHAPS but utilised in the highly effective hypnotic state where cause and effect can be addressed and rectified by accessing the subconscious mind directly and removing the conscious ‘middle-man’. This fusion of psychoanalysis and hypnosis speeds up the therapy process beyond dramatically. Furthermore, presenting symptoms of the client are also initially dealt with using cutting edge Cognitive Therapy and NLP. This gives the client relief from their presenting symptoms, helps them to cope in the short-term and ultimately provides a platform and foundation whereby they can launch into the more important work of finding the root cause of the problem in the persons past and removing it.

Session One: Meeting the client, intake form, consultation questionnaire, hypnotic tests, induction of hypnosis, well-formed outcomes, introductory talk, plan of therapy, contract, setting client up for next session, identifying cognitive distortions, skill deficit, solution-focused model, practicing anti-anxiety hypnotic techniques.

Session Two: Solution Focused – Hypnotic suggestion session. Audio recording made of the session while administering therapy to the client. Client learning self-hypnosis and mastery of his/her symptoms, cognitive approaches and symptom prescription.

Session Three: Clearing Session – Fear/symptom cure, Fast phobia/trauma, Pin-point analysis sequence to cause of presenting symptom, desensitisation, ICHP blow away emotion techniques, use additional ICHP techniques as required and if time permits.

Session Four: Additional clearing session if required, depressed clients may need additional recordings, e.g. insomnia, IBS, emotional clearing techniques, parts therapy, EMDR, dreams dreams, NLP, Gestalt, ‘Drop-through Technique’, etc. Please note, to use additional ICHP techniques if required and in context if time permits.

Session One: Free Association Tree Shaker

Session Two: Free Association “Sex Talk” “Wise Old Man”

Session Three: Free Association

Session Four: Free Association Automatic Writing
Technique (AWT)

Session Five: Free Association Oedipus/Electra Complex

Session Six: Free Association

Session Seven: Free Association

Session Eight: Free Association

When it comes to change, Hypnotherapy is the fastest and most effective way to do it – with no exceptions!

Hear are the statistics:

• Hypnotherapy: 93% recovery after 6 sessions
• Behaviour Therapy: 72% recovery after 22 sessions
• Psychoanalysis: 38% recovery after 600 sessions

American Health Magazine reported study.

Other research
Hypnotherapy is the most effective treatment of IBS – Lancet 1984

Hypnosis is the most effective way of giving up smoking, according to the largest ever scientific comparison of ways of breaking the habit. Willpower, it turns out, counts for very little.
New Scientist Magazine.

When it comes to helping people lose weight, remove fears and phobias, stop panic attacks and countless other symptoms like depression, OCD etc… nothing comes close to the speed and effectiveness of hypnotherapy.

Hypnosis Approval

1956, British Medical Association (BMA) approved the use of hypnosis in the areas of psychoneuroses and hypnoanesthesia in pain management in childbirth and surgery.

1958, the American Medical Association approved a report on the medical uses of hypnosis.