I thought I would give everyone a bit of an update on what I ve been doing over the last 6 months or so to improve the services I offer my clients.
For those clients who have been to see me before, they may remember I was in the basement of 88 Rodney Street, well, over the last few months I have moved up upstairs into the main house, this was due to the noise level increasing downstairs with Genie in the Gutter putting on more activities for their clients. The room I' ve moved to is on the 2nd floor of the house and I must say is a lot quieter than the room downstairs. There is a lift or stairs to the office, and my fitness levels have increased over the last few months due to me opting to walk the stairs! For those of you on Facebook, the office can be viewed on my pictures.
I now have a base in Liscard on the Wirral, due to me seeing more and more clients from the Wirral and surrounding areas. I spend a couple of days a week over on the Wirral and the remaining days in Rodney Street. If you would like to see me at my Wirral practice, please let me know when you phone. I answer all your calls personally, unless I am with a client but there is an option to leave a message or use the Call Back facility on the website.
You can now follow me on Twitter, which I endeavour to update at least 2 or 3 times a day, the updates include the types of clients I am seeing, where I am (Rodney Street or Wirral), hints and tips, as well as words of encouragement. However, be rest assured no client information is ever disclosed to any members of the public due to great emphasis I put on my client's confidentiality.
My Twitter name is NeilFoster2, somebody already beat me to Neil Foster!
Along with Twitter, there is a Transformation Hypnotherapy Facebook page, it is a bit of a 'work in progress' at the moment, but in the coming weeks I will upload videos, lots of hints and tips, aswell as a few discussions for people to join in.
You Tube - I have uploaded approximately 20 videos on You Tube on various subjects from the Myths and Misconceptions of Hypnosis to how my Smoking Cessation sessions work. So why not have a look? Just search 'Transformation Hypnotherapy' in You Tube. I will upload some of the videos, if not all onto my blog in the next few months.
As you can see, I've been quite busy over the last few months, seeing clients and setting up new offices, moving, and social media but it's all been fun.
Look out for the new services I'll be offering over the next few months, including group Weight Loss sessions, Sports workshops, Natal Hypnotherapy Classes and Coaching workshops.
Tuesday 13 July 2010
Tuesday 22 June 2010
The World Cup and Anger Management
Well its the big game tomorrow. Will England do it or not?
Obviously, it can go one of two ways. What if it goes the wrong way and the unmentionable happens?
Research has shown that incidences of domestic violence rise when the World Cup is on.
Originating from Liverpool, and from a family that was divided between the blue side and the red side of Merseyside, I can fully understand the highs and lows of football. Isn't that what makes the beautiful game so great?
However, what can we do to stem the rise of those unwanted emotions, such as anger.
Anger is our bodys reaction to a percieved danger. It comes not only with psychological reactions but also physical reactions, such as increased blood pressure and increased adrenalin flow.
Over the years I have learnt a number of techniques that can help us change our emotional state, which I will share with you all:
1. Change the environment - Go for a walk, get out of the house, bar or wherever you are until you calm down.
2. Find a safe place to vent your anger - go somewhere quiet and shout out loud, stamp on some soft drink cans, break a cup or plate (obviously do it as safely as you can!). I have a punchbag at home which is excellent for reducing any anger.
3. Exercise - Exercise is a fantastic way of eliminating anger, as long as it is done in a safe way.
4. Count to 10, this actually does work! It helps you step away from the situation before you speak or take action you will later regret (perhaps Wayne Rooney should try this one).
5. Reframe your anger, take a step back and learn from it, or change it into a postive. For example, the England Players will be fresher for the start of the Premiership when it starts in August.
If anger becomes an unmanageable emotion in your life, it may be time to seek the help of a professional. Hypnotherapy and NLP are excellent ways of assisting clients deal with anger issues.
I hope we will all be celebrating an England victory tomorrow.
Until next time
Neil
Obviously, it can go one of two ways. What if it goes the wrong way and the unmentionable happens?
Research has shown that incidences of domestic violence rise when the World Cup is on.
Originating from Liverpool, and from a family that was divided between the blue side and the red side of Merseyside, I can fully understand the highs and lows of football. Isn't that what makes the beautiful game so great?
However, what can we do to stem the rise of those unwanted emotions, such as anger.
Anger is our bodys reaction to a percieved danger. It comes not only with psychological reactions but also physical reactions, such as increased blood pressure and increased adrenalin flow.
Over the years I have learnt a number of techniques that can help us change our emotional state, which I will share with you all:
1. Change the environment - Go for a walk, get out of the house, bar or wherever you are until you calm down.
2. Find a safe place to vent your anger - go somewhere quiet and shout out loud, stamp on some soft drink cans, break a cup or plate (obviously do it as safely as you can!). I have a punchbag at home which is excellent for reducing any anger.
3. Exercise - Exercise is a fantastic way of eliminating anger, as long as it is done in a safe way.
4. Count to 10, this actually does work! It helps you step away from the situation before you speak or take action you will later regret (perhaps Wayne Rooney should try this one).
5. Reframe your anger, take a step back and learn from it, or change it into a postive. For example, the England Players will be fresher for the start of the Premiership when it starts in August.
If anger becomes an unmanageable emotion in your life, it may be time to seek the help of a professional. Hypnotherapy and NLP are excellent ways of assisting clients deal with anger issues.
I hope we will all be celebrating an England victory tomorrow.
Until next time
Neil
Monday 14 June 2010
World Cup Fever
Well its begun.
World Cup Fever has started, but what a disappointing start for England and Robert Green. How many of us have made an error like that? Just when we think everything is as it should be, life takes an unexpected turn and the ball bobbles into the goal!
So how do we get over something like that? How does Robert Green get over it?
Well, hypnosis and NLP can help, and I would dare say some of the sports psychologists the England team has taken over with them will be using NLP and hypnosis techniques to rebuild Robert Green's confidence. I have myself used similar techniques for both professional and semi professional sports people, these have included equestrian sports people, golfers and semi professional footballers.
So how can you get over something like a mistake at world football's biggest stage?
Here's how I would do it if Robert Green came to see me.
1. I would begin by using ego strengthening to restrengthen his dented confidence, and give post hypnotic suggestions for him to repeat, to give a surge of energy and confidence before and during the match.
2. State control would be taught using NLP Anchoring, which is a conditioning technique to assist clients to access resourceful emotional states when required, such as concentration, confidence and focus.
3. Relaxation techniques can be taught to keep the client in a relaxed state, to reduce nervous energy before the game and during half time.
4. The NLP Fast Phobia Cure could be used to help stop the client playing the mistake over and over again in their mind, which would affect their emotional state before the next game.
There are other techniques too numerous to mention, but hopefully this gives you some idea of how hypnotherapeutic techniques and NLP can help even with the most pressurised circumstances, and lets face it, it probably doesn't come any bigger than the first game of the World Cup.
If you have any questions or comments, why not give me a call or drop me an email.
Until next time
Neil
World Cup Fever has started, but what a disappointing start for England and Robert Green. How many of us have made an error like that? Just when we think everything is as it should be, life takes an unexpected turn and the ball bobbles into the goal!
So how do we get over something like that? How does Robert Green get over it?
Well, hypnosis and NLP can help, and I would dare say some of the sports psychologists the England team has taken over with them will be using NLP and hypnosis techniques to rebuild Robert Green's confidence. I have myself used similar techniques for both professional and semi professional sports people, these have included equestrian sports people, golfers and semi professional footballers.
So how can you get over something like a mistake at world football's biggest stage?
Here's how I would do it if Robert Green came to see me.
1. I would begin by using ego strengthening to restrengthen his dented confidence, and give post hypnotic suggestions for him to repeat, to give a surge of energy and confidence before and during the match.
2. State control would be taught using NLP Anchoring, which is a conditioning technique to assist clients to access resourceful emotional states when required, such as concentration, confidence and focus.
3. Relaxation techniques can be taught to keep the client in a relaxed state, to reduce nervous energy before the game and during half time.
4. The NLP Fast Phobia Cure could be used to help stop the client playing the mistake over and over again in their mind, which would affect their emotional state before the next game.
There are other techniques too numerous to mention, but hopefully this gives you some idea of how hypnotherapeutic techniques and NLP can help even with the most pressurised circumstances, and lets face it, it probably doesn't come any bigger than the first game of the World Cup.
If you have any questions or comments, why not give me a call or drop me an email.
Until next time
Neil
Monday 7 June 2010
Sports Hypnosis
Sports Performance
Professional or Amateur – are you getting the best out of your game?
Sport in the 21st century is moving into a new era, where an athlete’s mental performance is as equally important as their physical performance. The difference between winning or losing, between enjoying the game or struggling to achieve a satisfying result, depends on it!
For the average person hypnosis cannot turn you into a world champion. Other things other than mental training are involved such as skill, physical attributes. However, no matter what your sport is, hypnosis can you help you achieve better results.
Power of the Mind
As we learn more about the human brain, we begin to appreciate just how strong out mental skills need to be to support our physical skill, Every thought and every action emanates from our brains, and how we think and how we act is determined by what happens in our heads. Which is why it pays to devote the time and effort to improving our mental performance, as well as working on our physical conditioning.
To train the body to the limits of its capabilities without simultaneously training the mind is to invite, at best, mediocrity. Sports psychologists have claimed that forOlympic teams, 80 percent of an athlete’s performance is in the mind. This belief has been echoed by championship players in virtually every form of competition.
What the Mind can do
Mental rehearsal, also termed visualization, can create and reaffirm the confidence necessary to achieve top performance. The picture visualized in the mind can
convince the subconscious that achievement is possible. The automatic nervous system performs in exactly the same manner followed during a physical rehearsal. Neuro muscular coordination improves. What your mind can conceive, you can achieve. If you can think it and see it in your mind, you can do it !
What can be accomplished through the powers of the mind ? Perhaps most important is the development of positive attitudes. Negative thoughts pertaining to
performance skills can be changed or eliminated. Enjoyment of the sport will be enhanced to a major degree as skills improve to the point where intermittent
incidents of poor performance no longer arouse irritation, anger, discouragement or detrimental emotional reaction. Concentration, coordination, technique all can improve as well as awareness of proper form and posture. Sports enthusiasts face the same stumbling blocks that people have to deal with in other areas of life – business,personal relationships, achievement of goals and ambitions. The biggest of all is fear, and fear comes in many forms. Fear of failure is always restrictive and is very common in sports, as is its hidden partner, fear of success – an apprehension that success can create the expectation (among others) of further improvement. Fear of humiliation can be strong. Many golfers experience near terror on the first tee where people may be watching. The first drives. Competition can produce sensations of intimidation resulting in deterioration of skills.
Hypnotherapy, or properly learned and applied self –hypnosis, can work to reduce or eliminate the mental obstacles to peak performance in sport activities. This is
an area in which the truth of the phrase “what the mind can conceive, the body can achieve” becomes highly evident.
The Steps to Achievement
The goal of hypnosis in its applications is not learning or acquisition of the basic skills involved, though these could be helped through hypnosis as used in enhancing
learning skills. The goal is to enable the athlete to achieve the best personal level, performing at peak. As with virtually all hypnosis, the first step must be
relaxation. Relaxation to a level appropriate for the implanting of hypnotic suggestion is not really resting. It is deep, and can be brought about through a hypnotherapist. Goal – setting is essential. Without having an objective, it is pointless to begin a task, project or trip. Athletes, coaches or therapists or a combination there of may set goals. It is important for goals to be specific, focused on the area in which improvement is desired. Playing better tennis is not a valid goal. Improving a serve or backhand is a goal. Goals must be short – term Achievable and step-by-step, so that both success and completion are experienced. Concentration is vitally important, and sometimes
difficult to develop. Hypnotherapy has long been an effective means of improving concentration capabilities. Distractions must be eliminated. Post –hypnotic cues may prove useful in stimulating both concentration and specific skills. Visualization, not just in mental rehearsing, but at the moment of performance can produce dramatic results. Finally, mental rehearsal is the ultimate key to superlative performance. It can prove more productive than physical practice. Imagery is not merely visual in nature; it can include all the senses. In a diving competition, the form of the dive is visual; the smell of the chlorine water is olfactory; the wetness of the entry is sensory, the cheers of the crowd are auditory. Perfection requires the use of all senses.
My Approach
I employ a fresh, new approach to the ‘mental game’, utilizing the athlete’s own internal resources. It combines the latest thinking in sports psychology with Hypnotherapy, EFT and NLP techniques that stimulate the subconscious mind, mobilizing its tremendous power to unlock the door to successful performance.
Every athlete, whether a champion or not, has internal resources. The secret to fulfilling your potential is to access those inner resources and put them to work. Employing Sports Hypnosis techniques leads to improved performance and the opportunity to play to your true abilities. With sufficient effort, it enables an athlete to play consistently ‘in the zone’.
Why not give me a call or drop me an email to see if I can help you improve your game.
Until next time
Neil
Professional or Amateur – are you getting the best out of your game?
Sport in the 21st century is moving into a new era, where an athlete’s mental performance is as equally important as their physical performance. The difference between winning or losing, between enjoying the game or struggling to achieve a satisfying result, depends on it!
For the average person hypnosis cannot turn you into a world champion. Other things other than mental training are involved such as skill, physical attributes. However, no matter what your sport is, hypnosis can you help you achieve better results.
Power of the Mind
As we learn more about the human brain, we begin to appreciate just how strong out mental skills need to be to support our physical skill, Every thought and every action emanates from our brains, and how we think and how we act is determined by what happens in our heads. Which is why it pays to devote the time and effort to improving our mental performance, as well as working on our physical conditioning.
To train the body to the limits of its capabilities without simultaneously training the mind is to invite, at best, mediocrity. Sports psychologists have claimed that forOlympic teams, 80 percent of an athlete’s performance is in the mind. This belief has been echoed by championship players in virtually every form of competition.
What the Mind can do
Mental rehearsal, also termed visualization, can create and reaffirm the confidence necessary to achieve top performance. The picture visualized in the mind can
convince the subconscious that achievement is possible. The automatic nervous system performs in exactly the same manner followed during a physical rehearsal. Neuro muscular coordination improves. What your mind can conceive, you can achieve. If you can think it and see it in your mind, you can do it !
What can be accomplished through the powers of the mind ? Perhaps most important is the development of positive attitudes. Negative thoughts pertaining to
performance skills can be changed or eliminated. Enjoyment of the sport will be enhanced to a major degree as skills improve to the point where intermittent
incidents of poor performance no longer arouse irritation, anger, discouragement or detrimental emotional reaction. Concentration, coordination, technique all can improve as well as awareness of proper form and posture. Sports enthusiasts face the same stumbling blocks that people have to deal with in other areas of life – business,personal relationships, achievement of goals and ambitions. The biggest of all is fear, and fear comes in many forms. Fear of failure is always restrictive and is very common in sports, as is its hidden partner, fear of success – an apprehension that success can create the expectation (among others) of further improvement. Fear of humiliation can be strong. Many golfers experience near terror on the first tee where people may be watching. The first drives. Competition can produce sensations of intimidation resulting in deterioration of skills.
Hypnotherapy, or properly learned and applied self –hypnosis, can work to reduce or eliminate the mental obstacles to peak performance in sport activities. This is
an area in which the truth of the phrase “what the mind can conceive, the body can achieve” becomes highly evident.
The Steps to Achievement
The goal of hypnosis in its applications is not learning or acquisition of the basic skills involved, though these could be helped through hypnosis as used in enhancing
learning skills. The goal is to enable the athlete to achieve the best personal level, performing at peak. As with virtually all hypnosis, the first step must be
relaxation. Relaxation to a level appropriate for the implanting of hypnotic suggestion is not really resting. It is deep, and can be brought about through a hypnotherapist. Goal – setting is essential. Without having an objective, it is pointless to begin a task, project or trip. Athletes, coaches or therapists or a combination there of may set goals. It is important for goals to be specific, focused on the area in which improvement is desired. Playing better tennis is not a valid goal. Improving a serve or backhand is a goal. Goals must be short – term Achievable and step-by-step, so that both success and completion are experienced. Concentration is vitally important, and sometimes
difficult to develop. Hypnotherapy has long been an effective means of improving concentration capabilities. Distractions must be eliminated. Post –hypnotic cues may prove useful in stimulating both concentration and specific skills. Visualization, not just in mental rehearsing, but at the moment of performance can produce dramatic results. Finally, mental rehearsal is the ultimate key to superlative performance. It can prove more productive than physical practice. Imagery is not merely visual in nature; it can include all the senses. In a diving competition, the form of the dive is visual; the smell of the chlorine water is olfactory; the wetness of the entry is sensory, the cheers of the crowd are auditory. Perfection requires the use of all senses.
My Approach
I employ a fresh, new approach to the ‘mental game’, utilizing the athlete’s own internal resources. It combines the latest thinking in sports psychology with Hypnotherapy, EFT and NLP techniques that stimulate the subconscious mind, mobilizing its tremendous power to unlock the door to successful performance.
Every athlete, whether a champion or not, has internal resources. The secret to fulfilling your potential is to access those inner resources and put them to work. Employing Sports Hypnosis techniques leads to improved performance and the opportunity to play to your true abilities. With sufficient effort, it enables an athlete to play consistently ‘in the zone’.
Why not give me a call or drop me an email to see if I can help you improve your game.
Until next time
Neil
Tuesday 4 May 2010
Smoking
My apologise for the delay since my last blog, it has been a busy time and I will update you all in the next couple of weeks on what has been happening.
One of the major events over the last few months was the article published in the Liverpool Echo about one of their reporters, Katie Mcloughlin participating in a Stop Smoking Session with me, which I am pleased to say was very successful. If anyone would like to read the article I have attached the link below.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-entertainment/best-of-liverpool/2010/01/11/katie-kick-the-habbit-smoker-katie-mcloughlin-puts-hypnotherapy-to-the-test-100252-25573729/
I am always pleased to help my clients quit smoking, to me it is as though I am saving them from all the nasty stuff that smoking can do. So what I thought I would do is to put some further information on Smoking, and how hypnotherapy and NLP can help people quit. Hopefully, this will give those people thinking of quitting that little extra reassurance that stopping smoking with hypnotherapy is painless.
First of all, lets talk about the smoking habit. The so called addiction is caused by an ingredient of cigarettes called Nicotine. Nicotine is a powerful chemical which speeds up the brain and central nervous system.
Over a period of time your brain gets used to the stimulation and lowers the body's natural energy and mood level. You then begin to crave cigarettes in order to give yourself a boost. The more cigarettes you smoke the more you need to make yourself feel normal and so the cycle begins. Some people kid themselves they are doing no harm or they only smoke when they drink, because of the way the brain gets used to the stimulation, they very soon need more cigarettes to get that same level of boost.
In essence, a smoker has forced their unconscious mind to accept nicotine as part of the body's chemical balance and whenever Nicotine levels are running low the unconscious begins to tell the rest of the body it needs Nicotine.
The Smoking habit - This is where a lot of Nicotine Replacement therapies fail. The need for Nicotine is fairly easy to get over with a little willpower, in fact Smokers spend vast amounts of time not topping up their Nicotine levels, i.e. when they are on long haul flights or sleeping. The habit part of Smoking seems to be the most difficult part for Smokers to get over. After a while, smoking becomes a part of a person's life, they have a cigarette first thing in the morning or after a meal without even thinking about it. This is all done unconsciously! Smokers may even use cigarettes to enhance their mood, they will smoke when they are bored, stressed or angry thinking it will help.
What is Nicotine and what are all the other nasties in cigarettes?
Nicotine is described as a poisonous, oily, pale yellow substance that turns brown on exposure to air. Concentrated Nicotine is a highly effective insecticide! There are other nasty chemicals in each cigarette that are far worse than Nicotine, such as Arsenic and Cyanide, as well as many others. Other chemicals include;
Benzene (Petrol Additive) A colourless cyclic hydrocarbon obtained from coal and petroleum, used as a solvent in fuel and in chemical manufacture - and contained in cigarette smoke. It is a known carcinogen associated with leukaemia.
Formaldehyde (embalming fluid) A colourless liquid, highly poisonous, used to preserve dead bodies - also found in cigarette smoke. Known to cause cancer, respiratory, skin and gastrointestinal problems.
Ammonia (toilet cleaner) Used as a flavouring, frees nicotine from tobacco turning it into a gas. Often found in dry cleaning fluids.
Acetone (nail polish remover) Fragrant volatile liquid ketone, used as a solvent, for example, nail polish remover. Found in cigarette smoke.
If this doesn't make people want to quit, I would now like to talk about the health risks involved. I know a lot of smokers have seen the warnings on the cigarette packets and are pretty blaise about it, however, gone are the days of Aunty Maud living to the ripe old age of 86, smoking 40 woodbines a day. The effects of smoking are real and it's only a matter of time before they catch up on people.
I myself, have seen first hand the effects of smoking when my triplet brother was diagnosed with Non Hodgkinson's lymphoma in his late 20's. Thankfully he survived, but being in the Oncology ward was a real eye opener for me and brought home the true effects of Smoking.
Rather than list the myriad of harmful things cigarettes can do to a person's health I have attached another link for you to look at for yourselves. It makes some pretty grim reading.
http://www.quit-smoking-stop.com/harmful-smoking-effects.html
So what can people do about their smoking habit
There are a number of products designed to help you quit smoking at the moment, nicotine replacement gums, patches, etc as well as inhalators, all of which help to reduce the nicotine addiction. The downside is they don't actually deal with the habit. What most smokers miss is the ritual of smoking, they miss something to do with their hands and the associations they have with smoking.
There are prescription medicines such as Zyban, you can obtain from your local GP or Practice Nurse, however, there have been reports of side effects including insomnia, irritated or runny nose, dry mouth, dizziness, nausea, trouble concentrating, constipation, joint pain, nightmares, muscle pain, diarrhea and nervousness. And yet again they don't deal with the actual habit.
This brings us to hypnotherapy. It is with good reason that smoking cessation is one of the most popular reasons people seek out the services of a hypnotherapist. Hypnotherapy doesn't just deal with the 'addiction' but also deals with the habit, associations etc.
How does hypnotherapy work?
Stop smoking hypnotherapy uses a different approach. Instead of trying to give something up, you use hypnosis to tell your subconscious mind that you don't actually want to smoke.
If you don't want to smoke, you're less likely to suffer side effects, mood swings, anxiety at living without it, or gain weight.
It's not about giving you the will power to break the addiction either. Will power means that you're wrestling for control with your subconscious mind. That battle will end in one of two ways;
•You lose and the subconscious wins, meaning you stay with the addiction.
•You spend your whole life thinking that you're "giving something up", or making a sacrifice. You might stop smoking but it'll be a struggle and you may always have the nagging suspicion that you might still want a cigarette.
The unique combination of Hypnotherapy, NLP & EFT destroy this feeling. Working with the therapist, you teach your mind that you don't want or need to smoke, so the subconscious stops the signal to "have a cigarette". Without that signal, you have no desire to smoke, so quitting becomes natural and easy.
If you would like further information on quitting smoking or any other addiction, why not give me a call or drop me an e-mail and I will answer your questions personally.
Until next time,
Neil
One of the major events over the last few months was the article published in the Liverpool Echo about one of their reporters, Katie Mcloughlin participating in a Stop Smoking Session with me, which I am pleased to say was very successful. If anyone would like to read the article I have attached the link below.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-entertainment/best-of-liverpool/2010/01/11/katie-kick-the-habbit-smoker-katie-mcloughlin-puts-hypnotherapy-to-the-test-100252-25573729/
I am always pleased to help my clients quit smoking, to me it is as though I am saving them from all the nasty stuff that smoking can do. So what I thought I would do is to put some further information on Smoking, and how hypnotherapy and NLP can help people quit. Hopefully, this will give those people thinking of quitting that little extra reassurance that stopping smoking with hypnotherapy is painless.
First of all, lets talk about the smoking habit. The so called addiction is caused by an ingredient of cigarettes called Nicotine. Nicotine is a powerful chemical which speeds up the brain and central nervous system.
Over a period of time your brain gets used to the stimulation and lowers the body's natural energy and mood level. You then begin to crave cigarettes in order to give yourself a boost. The more cigarettes you smoke the more you need to make yourself feel normal and so the cycle begins. Some people kid themselves they are doing no harm or they only smoke when they drink, because of the way the brain gets used to the stimulation, they very soon need more cigarettes to get that same level of boost.
In essence, a smoker has forced their unconscious mind to accept nicotine as part of the body's chemical balance and whenever Nicotine levels are running low the unconscious begins to tell the rest of the body it needs Nicotine.
The Smoking habit - This is where a lot of Nicotine Replacement therapies fail. The need for Nicotine is fairly easy to get over with a little willpower, in fact Smokers spend vast amounts of time not topping up their Nicotine levels, i.e. when they are on long haul flights or sleeping. The habit part of Smoking seems to be the most difficult part for Smokers to get over. After a while, smoking becomes a part of a person's life, they have a cigarette first thing in the morning or after a meal without even thinking about it. This is all done unconsciously! Smokers may even use cigarettes to enhance their mood, they will smoke when they are bored, stressed or angry thinking it will help.
What is Nicotine and what are all the other nasties in cigarettes?
Nicotine is described as a poisonous, oily, pale yellow substance that turns brown on exposure to air. Concentrated Nicotine is a highly effective insecticide! There are other nasty chemicals in each cigarette that are far worse than Nicotine, such as Arsenic and Cyanide, as well as many others. Other chemicals include;
Benzene (Petrol Additive) A colourless cyclic hydrocarbon obtained from coal and petroleum, used as a solvent in fuel and in chemical manufacture - and contained in cigarette smoke. It is a known carcinogen associated with leukaemia.
Formaldehyde (embalming fluid) A colourless liquid, highly poisonous, used to preserve dead bodies - also found in cigarette smoke. Known to cause cancer, respiratory, skin and gastrointestinal problems.
Ammonia (toilet cleaner) Used as a flavouring, frees nicotine from tobacco turning it into a gas. Often found in dry cleaning fluids.
Acetone (nail polish remover) Fragrant volatile liquid ketone, used as a solvent, for example, nail polish remover. Found in cigarette smoke.
If this doesn't make people want to quit, I would now like to talk about the health risks involved. I know a lot of smokers have seen the warnings on the cigarette packets and are pretty blaise about it, however, gone are the days of Aunty Maud living to the ripe old age of 86, smoking 40 woodbines a day. The effects of smoking are real and it's only a matter of time before they catch up on people.
I myself, have seen first hand the effects of smoking when my triplet brother was diagnosed with Non Hodgkinson's lymphoma in his late 20's. Thankfully he survived, but being in the Oncology ward was a real eye opener for me and brought home the true effects of Smoking.
Rather than list the myriad of harmful things cigarettes can do to a person's health I have attached another link for you to look at for yourselves. It makes some pretty grim reading.
http://www.quit-smoking-stop.com/harmful-smoking-effects.html
So what can people do about their smoking habit
There are a number of products designed to help you quit smoking at the moment, nicotine replacement gums, patches, etc as well as inhalators, all of which help to reduce the nicotine addiction. The downside is they don't actually deal with the habit. What most smokers miss is the ritual of smoking, they miss something to do with their hands and the associations they have with smoking.
There are prescription medicines such as Zyban, you can obtain from your local GP or Practice Nurse, however, there have been reports of side effects including insomnia, irritated or runny nose, dry mouth, dizziness, nausea, trouble concentrating, constipation, joint pain, nightmares, muscle pain, diarrhea and nervousness. And yet again they don't deal with the actual habit.
This brings us to hypnotherapy. It is with good reason that smoking cessation is one of the most popular reasons people seek out the services of a hypnotherapist. Hypnotherapy doesn't just deal with the 'addiction' but also deals with the habit, associations etc.
How does hypnotherapy work?
Stop smoking hypnotherapy uses a different approach. Instead of trying to give something up, you use hypnosis to tell your subconscious mind that you don't actually want to smoke.
If you don't want to smoke, you're less likely to suffer side effects, mood swings, anxiety at living without it, or gain weight.
It's not about giving you the will power to break the addiction either. Will power means that you're wrestling for control with your subconscious mind. That battle will end in one of two ways;
•You lose and the subconscious wins, meaning you stay with the addiction.
•You spend your whole life thinking that you're "giving something up", or making a sacrifice. You might stop smoking but it'll be a struggle and you may always have the nagging suspicion that you might still want a cigarette.
The unique combination of Hypnotherapy, NLP & EFT destroy this feeling. Working with the therapist, you teach your mind that you don't want or need to smoke, so the subconscious stops the signal to "have a cigarette". Without that signal, you have no desire to smoke, so quitting becomes natural and easy.
If you would like further information on quitting smoking or any other addiction, why not give me a call or drop me an e-mail and I will answer your questions personally.
Until next time,
Neil
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