Horizon Hypnotherapy

Relaxation is something I work on with all my clients – it’s so important whatever the issue, be it weight loss, fertility or anxiety.  The importance of relaxation has been brought home to me personally this week.  I have a big event this weekend and have been rushing around trying to get everything finalised for it.  My sister had arranged a spa day for me yesterday, knowing that I might need some me-time in preparation for the weekend.  When we were driving there I noticed that I was thinking how I didn’t really have time for this, there were other things I could be doing with the day, getting things done and being productive.  I felt quite stressed about taking time out!

Once I was at the spa, all of these negative thoughts changed.  I started to relax and enjoy being away from everything, knowing that I couldn’t do anything if I wanted to.  It was bliss!  I ended the day feeling totally chilled out and much more energised.

This experience has reminded me how important it is to take time out, however busy you are.  Clients often tell me that they don’t have time to relax, even for a short period.  I was lucky to be able to take a whole day to relax, but it doesn’t have to be that long.  Stopping, even for the shortest time, will recharge your batteries meaning that you have much more energy for the rest of the day.  So why not sit and watch the world go by, lie back and listen to your favourite song, or take yourself for a 20-minute walk outside?  I guarantee you will feel much better afterwards!

Spring can seem like a very fertile time of year, with buds appearing on the trees and baby animals playing in the fields.   However, for couples struggling to conceive time can pass by in a blur as they focus on trying to get pregnant.

Many people don’t consider hypnotherapy when looking for ways to help with fertility, as they see this as a physical issue.    However, there is a very powerful connection between the body and mind and hypnotherapy can help to use this link in a very positive way.  When we are stressed, the body can go into ‘fight or flight’ mode taking the focus away from any systems that aren’t deemed completely necessary, one of which is the reproductive organs.  By using hypnotherapy to relax, the body will feel more in balance and more ready to have a baby.

There can also be underlying emotional reasons which may prevent conception; this may be something from your own childhood or perhaps you have worries about how you will cope with a baby.  Hypnotherapy can help to identify these unconscious emotional issues and help to reframe them in a positive way.

If you are struggling to conceive at the moment, why not contact me and we can talk about the ways that hypnotherapy can help you.  I’d love to help.

The spring is a great time of year to make changes.  We have more energy as the days grow lighter and we can start to think about what we really want from our lives.

Sometimes we can have a sense that all is not well with life, but we can’t pinpoint exactly what we want to change.  A good way of exploring this in more detail is to use a Wheel of Life.  This is a fantastic tool which helps us to look at the areas of life which are important to us and identify which of those need more attention.  For example, you might devote a lot of energy to your work and find that you are not making enough space for your friends and family; perhaps you would like to challenge yourself more at work or through personal learning, or maybe you would like more fun in your life?

You can find an example of an interactive Wheel of Life on the Mind Tools website: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_93.htm.   You can build your own wheel to show the areas that mean the most to you.  Once you have seen where there are any gaps in your life, you can start to take action, perhaps setting goals to get you closer to where you want to be.

It’s important to know where you are starting from when you begin to make changes, so why not have a go with the Wheel of Life today and find the right balance for you.

Many of the people who come to me for hypnotherapy say they need to increase their motivation.  So, what is this mystery quality that helps us to achieve our goals more easily and how can we tap into it?

There are a couple of tools that I find useful when looking to increase motivation.  Firstly, find a goal or outcome which is really going to inspire you.  I wanted to get fit and tone up this year for a big social occasion and I thought that would be enough to encourage me to eat healthily and exercise more, but it didn’t; I needed something more to stimulate me into action.  So, I decided to enter the Great South Run which is taking place in October.  I knew that by having an event to train for, I would stick to my fitness plan and make time to go out running.

So, what do you need to motivate you?  Do you like to do things with other people – many people find it easier to stay on track if they have the support of others.   It can help to make a commitment to achieve a particular goal and to let others know about it, keeping them up-to-date with your progress and letting them know how well you are doing.

If you prefer not to share your goals with others, then how about finding your own internal personal motivator?  I find that people often have a critical voice inside that tells them that they can’t do it, they are destined to fail, so why bother?  No wonder we find it difficult with that constant criticism and negativity in our minds!   So, decide to make a switch.  Imagine you have your own personal motivator in your mind.  Create an image of what that inspirational person or character looks like, notice how they sound and what kind of things they say to you.  Practice bringing in your internal motivator whenever you can and if that negative voice creeps in, then sweep it away with your new positivity!

There are lots of ways of increasing your motivation to get where you want to be.  I often find that just by making the choice to come for hypnotherapy, clients are a big step closer to achieving the outcome they want as mentally they have already committed to it.  So, why not let me know what you want to change and what helps to encourage you?

When we’re busy and rushing around, it can be all too easy to live in our heads.  We focus on our thoughts, worries and anxieties which can lead to us feeling out of balance and ‘top-heavy’.

By bringing your attention back to your physical body, it can help you to feel more grounded.  This is often one of the first steps I take with my clients – inviting them to focus on what’s going on in their bodies.  This can be especially helpful if you’re struggling with a particular feeling, for example, anxiety, anger or sadness; just noticing where in your body you are holding that feeling can help you to take control.  Often just taking your breath into that area of the body can help, breathing deeply and allowing the breaths to travel down to that particular part of you.

If you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed, it can help to focus on your legs and feet, taking your attention to the lower part of your body.  Whether you are sitting down or standing, just notice how you are making contact with the floor.  Take some time to feel firmly planted, allow the energy from the ground to flow up through your feet into your legs and the rest of your body.    This will help you to feel more grounded and secure, moving your focus from away from your thoughts and into your physical body.

As there is such a strong connection between the body and mind, by taking some time to relax physically and feel more grounded, you will automatically start to quieten the mind.  This sense of space can be deeply beneficial and replenishing.

So, why not take a few moments now to notice what’s going on in your body?   Listen to what’s happening for you physically and take some deep breaths.  I guarantee you will notice a difference.