Category Archives: Hypnosis

Most depressed people have habits of behaviour, including thought patterns, that depress them. Its a habit, its a way of being, its something you can change!

Being depressed often involves thinking what is the worst that can happen, “What if that”, “What if this”. When this is thought of long and hard these thought patterns can become our living and waking reality. With enough practice this leads to lethargy and the attitude of nothing matters or why bother AKA Depressed.

Depression does not happen overnight, it takes time and practice and some pretty shitty circumstances to become a reality. It takes time and repeated exposure.

Some research shows that phobic and even depressive thoughts begin in one half of the brain hemispheres, but not both. This suggests a neurological neuro-physical solution.

If you were to start the day thinking “How bad can it be“, unsurprisingly a human brain will ‘go looking’ for evidence of how bad it can be. One the other hand if you are one of those terminally happy people who go around thinking how good the world is then the world can seem like a very rosy place to live.

Our brains are the most sophisticated and complex structures on this planet, possibly in this universe and they do not come with a user manual or operational set of guide lines. The old adage of self fulfilling prophesy is all too true. If you think ( in words or pictures ) that you will have a great life you probably will. On the other hand if you think you wont … open up Tartatus and a place of woe.

What the mind thinks tends to be realised. And this is all too true for depressive thoughts. One of the neurological ways that anyone with problematic thoughts, like depression, can go about changing how they feel is to do something physical. And something physical that involves both brain hemispheres. I have never met any depressed joggers or runners yet running is not everyone’s cup of tea. Look for alternatives.

One of the most effective self help activities that anyone who is experiencing depression, sadness or emotional pain that I know of is to learn how to juggle. This is a physical activity as well as a metaphor for life. I regularly insist that any of my clients who feel depressed learn how to do.

In just 15 minutes per day over one week anyone can very literally turn their life around by juggling. Why?

Juggling or learning to juggle ( something that honestly takes about an hour ) must involve both brain hemispheres. There is co-ordination with the hands, eyes and by nature this involves both hemispheres being used to co-ordinate an ongoing activity. Similar to running, swimming or Brain Gym exercises this is probable one of the easiest and by far most effective ways to change how you feel.

The real trick is finding the motivation to do this on a regular basis, but … once you start juggling is addictive, in a good way.

Change your mood, change your thought patterns, learn to juggle [ life ].

Warning Juggling can be very addictive coz it makes you feel good.

One of the occasional yet sadly unrealistic requests I get from clients is “I want you to put me under and make me forget everything” or “Knock me out and take all the memory away” or even “I want you to hypnotise me so I will never do that again”.

It is really really important to understand your clients expectations from the outset.

A long time ago, one of my first paying clients came to me to stop eating pies. They eat one of those Fray Bentos tinned pies each day. I did the hypnotherapy and the NLP and sent them away. The next week I met them to ask how they were doing. “Have you stopped eating pies” I asked. “Yes” they replied “but I am still fat so it hasn’t worked”. They indeed got what they asked for but clearly it wasn’t what they expected.

Not only do you need to explore client expectations and outcomes, you need to do a reality check too!

Some clients do actually have the expectation that having had a complaint for lets say, over ten years that just one session of them being ‘knocked out’ will miraculously change a long standing problem behaviour with absolutely no work on their behalf. And the rest of their life will be rosy like an apple.

“I want you to put me under and make me forget everything”

This could be achieved with a hammer and could be described as a Lobotomy or Leucotomy. Not a terribly good solution, Imagine all that re-training and re-educating an adult would require.

The re-training and re-educating are much easier and effective with the memory intact. Hypnosis can certainly be used to create the states where learning becomes easier and changing deep routed neurological patterns becomes easier too because in hypnosis it is very possible to learn through repetition really fast … while you are in the right states to make changes stick.

One of the many things that amazed me whet I first started learning how to apply NLP and Hypnosis in 2000 was the fact that we can control our feelings through practice.

NLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming is largely concerned with how our brains operate. A basic tenet of NLP is our internal world of thoughts has massive influence on how we feel. NLP and Hypnosis are very very similar in many aspects.

Hypnosis is a particularly effective way to change your internal world and with practice make this change more automatic in every day life.

A human brain and consciousness is the most sophisticated computer like organism on this planet. And it comes without an instruction manual. Our thoughts which are a combination of pictures, words, sounds, smells and tastes – our our basic ways of experiencing the world and these ways of experience or receptors massively influence how we feel.

As an example, think of someone you really like to share time with. Close your eyes. Bring this remembered image of this person closer to you and make it bigger and make the colour more intense. Most people on doing this will feel an increased sense of well being and pleasure as the picture or image moves closer and is made more colourful. Add in the sound of their voice and notice how your feelings change.

A recent article ( thanks Ian ) in the Independent shares conclusive proof that changing your internal world of how you think really does make a difference in how and what you feel.

Depressed people tend to see ( internally and externally ) the world as less colourful that it actually is. Conversely very happy people will likely see the world as more colourful.

Too see the Independent article in Depression – Really Does Make Every Thing Look Grey click here.

One very easy way to do this on your own is to purchase a pair of Orange Sun glasses and wear them. Another application of the Orange Sunglasses ‘making you happier’ phenomenon is that wearing such glasses is a solution to SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Image via Wikipedia

Creative Block, Self Doubt and Lack of Motivation are not exclusive to writers, poets, scientist’s and the self employed. Creative Block can effect anyone. From time to time the vast majority of people quite literally lose their way. This is usually but not exclusively due to emotional trauma compounded with a failure to truly believe in themselves.

In a recent BBC article the use of Hypnosis is shown to be used effectively to remove Creative Block and help people to return to serious productivity.

Read this BBC article on how hypnosis has been used effectively to remove Creative Block.

With a powerful combination of hypnosis and physiological techniques you can rediscover the motivation and drive that can propel you back into being your real creative and productive self.

Contact me for details of how I can help you return to your very best top form!

Tel : 0770 481 8467

eMail : nigel@nigelhetherington.co.uk

This is a very special workshop in Newcastle for all Solution Focused Therapists, Coaches, Counsellors and Therapist with the one and only Bill O’ Hanlon.

“There is no use trying, she said.“One cannot believe impossible things.”“I dare say you haven’t had much practice” said the Queen “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day.Why sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Possibility Therapy uses the power of acknowledgement to meet people where they are stuck and the power of possibility to invite them into change. Not just a positive approach, this approach recognizes problems, the influence of the past, and cultural, political and gender influences while creating a respectful, hopeful environment for change. It also adds a spiritual dimension to therapy.

Through clear handouts and lectures, videotapes and practice exercises, participants will have the opportunity to not only learn this approach to therapy but also to apply it to their own lives and selves.

For full details and booking please click here.