We've moved to Hanover House, Hanover Street

Well its been a while since I ve written on my blog, however, I will be posting more often to keep you all up to date with what has been happening with my practice, general news about Hypnotherapy, NLP, Coaching and Psychotherapy. Here are a couple of things that have happened and are happening at the moment, the first thing to tell you all is that we have moved from 88 Rodney Street to Hanover House. We listened to a number of our clients and their comments regarding our previous office and decided to move the practice to the 5th Floor, Hanover House. We have been here a couple of weeks now and have settled in really well. Our clients can expect a warm welcome from the reception staff here and we will be developing our new office over the coming months, I will keep you all posted. The Transformation Hypnotherapy website is in the process of being updated and will include my new list of qualifications, one of which is a Certificate in Professional Coaching. Although I ve not really advertised my service as a Coach, apart from a small page on my website, I have combined my unique management skills, my NLP qualifications and now my coaching certification to ooach a number of Executives, Heads of Department and Business Owners over the last year or so. However, my coaching skills are not just limited to Business Coaching. I am combiniing my skills and experience to help a number of people wanting to achieve for themselves. One of the most popular services both Jane, Jane Ezra Personal Training and myself have been working on is a combined weight loss package. The package includes Personal Training, Weight Loss Hypnotherapy and Coaching - We've had some truly amazing results! If you would like to know more why not give me a call on 0151 201 8167 or email me - neilfoster@transformationhypnotherapy.co.uk. Over the next 6 months, I will be extending the range of services I offer to my clients, again I will keep you posted as and when they are beginning to happen.

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

Looking Forward to Christmas?

What does Christmas mean to you – a joyous time to be spent with family and friends, or a complete nightmare that you can’t wait to be rid of for another year?

The media and television portray it as a joyous time, but for most people it can be a nightmare. Cold dark nights, busy shopping and getting ready, the pressure of looking good and socialising at parties, family arguments, unable to afford the latest toys for the kids. Not a nice scenario.

And then January comes immediately after that. The cold dark nights are still there, the summer holidays feel a long way off, the family arguments aren’t patched up yet and the credit card bill comes through the door…

Is it any wonder that it can be a therapist’s busiest time of the year?

A therapist obviously can’t do anything about your financial situation or awkward family members, but good mental and emotional health can help you cope with anything that may come up. Some of the problems experienced at Christmas are actually due to underlying issues such as low self-esteem, SAD, lack of confidence or general anxiety. And they can be dealt with.

So be nice to yourself this year. Take some time to look at what causes the problems, either by yourself, with a trusted friend or a therapist and think about how to deal with them. Think about what causes the problems in the run-up to Christmas, the event itself and afterwards. A therapist can also help you to think about, and identify, what the problems might be.

Christmas doesn’t have to be a nightmare and there’s lots of helpful advice about. You can give yourself the greatest gifts possible - peace of mind and a little happiness - and there are plenty of people who can help you to achieve it. All you have to do is ask, but beware of therapists offering guarantees, as I pointed out in Unethical Practitioners Claiming ‘Guaranteed’ Cures.

Regards,
Neil

A Cat Registered as a Hypnotherapist

Did you see the recent BBC article about a cat being registered as a Hypnotherapist with what the cat owner says are leading Hypnotherapy Organisations? The Organisations mentioned in the article are the British Board of Neuro Linguistic Programming, The United Fellowship of Hypnotherapists and the Professional Hypnotherapy Practitioner Association.

These are NOT ‘leading’ Hypnotherapy Organisations. However, it is a sad fact that there are vast differences in the level of qualifications and skills between UK hypnotherapists. This is both damaging to the general public who use the services of one of these poorly qualified Hypnotherapists and the Hypnotherapy profession as a whole. Some people can train for a few days or take online courses to qualify as hypnotherapists, which is frightening when you think about the damage it can cause to the unsuspecting public who come to them in all good faith.

A lot of you will know how passionate I am about my work and hypnotherapy as a whole, as well as the ethical guidelines I practice. Along with this story, there are a number of things currently happening within the Hypnotherapy profession that just don’t sit well with me, such as unethical practitioners claiming ‘guaranteed’ cures which I’ll cover in future blogs.

So how do you choose an ethical, qualified hypnotherapy practitioner?

As a minimum, look at the qualifications the practitioner holds, where they got them from and how long they studied for. With so many hypnotherapy ‘qualifications’ available, it is hard to know which ones are legitimate. You can claim to be a ‘master’ hypnotherapist but only ever have trained for 4 days. Look for a nationally recognised qualification such as the HPD (Hypnotherapy Practitioners Diploma). This diploma is externally marked, rather than by the training establishment where the student trained.

I would also want see if the Therapist is a member of any of the recognised leading Hypnotherapy Organisations such as the National Council for Hypnotherapy. They have a strict code of ethics, a formal complaints procedure and strict entry requirements. Practitioners who are members of the NCH are required to have completed and passed the HPD before they allowed membership.

Before I join any organisation, and I am a member of most of the Leading Hypnotherapy Organisations, I ask myself if the terms of their code of ethics is something I can agree with. The organisations I am a member of are The LEADING ORGANISATIONS in their field with a strict code of ethics and a strict application policy. The reason I am involved with these organisations is that I fully agree with their ethics and standards.

I offer prospective clients a free 20 minute meeting where they are encouraged to ask questions in order to help them make the decision if I am the right therapist for them. There is no obligation or pressure in these meetings and I quite often ask people to make their decision after they have left the office, to alleviate any pressure they may feel.

It’s such a shame that ‘cat becomes hypnotherapist’ is in the news, when there is so much positive research going on into the results of Hypnosis and how it can help issues such as IBS and dementia.

Regards,
Neil

New Wirral Office

Due to demand, I am now spending more time helping my clients over on the Wirral. Requests have become more and more frequent from clients asking for help from the Wirral, especially those affected by the recession.

A lot of people are now finding themselves in unchartered waters with the worst economic downturn in living memory and many have mentioned how much more convenient it would be if they didn’t have to travel into Liverpool for our sessions.

To help meet the needs of our clients, we are renovating an office at our home on the Wirral to ensure that local receive the same quality experience and comfortable surroundings as our main office in Rodney Street.

The new office will have state of the art facilities including recording facilities to allow clients to purchase a bespoke CD for them to further strengthen the hypnotic parts of the treatment in between sessions and CCTV cameras are being fitted to record all child therapy sessions. This provides great peace of mind for parents and also enables them to observe their children in therapy without interrupting their son's or daughter's concentration.

Using NLP, Hypnotherapy and Coaching, clients are able to start taking control of their lives and get a clear picture of where they are and where they need to be. The emphasis of these sessions is to encourage my clients to take the necessary steps to help themselves out of a difficult situation.

We are striving to offer a first class environment for each and every client, as well as offer a Hypnotherapy, NLP, Psychotherapy and Coaching service which is second to none.

If you would like further information about the kind of services we offer or how hypnotherapy works, please visit our website at http://www.transformationhypnotherapy.co.uk.

This new project really excites me and I look forward to working with many new clients from the Wirral area.

We hope to keep everyone informed of the renovations by posting regular updates and pictures, so we’ll bring you more news soon.

Regards,
Neil

The Anti Obesity Drugs

It is my opinion that the new generation of anti-obesity drugs coming onto the market could have a detrimental effect on the emotional health of a significant number of overweight individuals.

According to research, the new diet pills available over the pharmacy counter and without prescription will enable users to lose only a modest amount of excess weight.

In our heart of hearts, we all know that taking these tablets is no substitute for a healthy diet and lifestyle.

People turn to food for countless reasons – boredom, low self esteem and lack of confidence are a few examples. Clients who come to me for weight-loss therapy are often unconscious of the real reasons for their problem.

Hypnotherapy can be so beneficial because it helps individuals establish the true reason for their weight problems.

My fear is that without understanding your own personal reasons the temptation of a one tablet, quick-hit approach, is a solution doomed to failure.

Not losing weight whilst taking these tablets or piling the weight back on after stopping them, can seriously affect your mental and physical health. Feelings of failure overwhelm you and so the spiral continues.

We all know that tablets are not a replacement for knowledge and education, nor do they replace the need to take responsibility of actions and behaviours. But once you understand the reasons why you over eat, you can find the right solution that works for you.

Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming are excellent tools in balancing the conscious and the sub conscious self which is vital in helping people gain their desired body shape and weight.

To help each individual find the right solution, I’ve teamed up with professional Personal Trainer, Jane Ezra. We can offer clients a complete weight-loss package, combining both Hypnotherapy, NLP, EFT and coaching with practical physical private, one to one, gym or home based support to enable clients to lose weight and keep it off permanently.

For more details on how hypnotherapy works, please visit our website at http://www.transformationhypnotherapy.co.uk/.

For more details about Jane Ezra, visit her website at http://www.janeezrapersonaltraining.co.uk/.

Regards,
Neil

Recession Depression

The recession is causing many people to despair; ordinary people in the street are being affected by these challenging times, as well as business men and women.

We may not be in what economists would class as a Depression, but many people believe they are. I have seen the number of clients with anxiety and stress issues relating to the economic downturn increase over the last 12 months. These are people are worrying about losing their jobs, their homes and pensions. The worry and the uncertainty had triggered changes to sleeping patterns, eating patterns, headaches and nausea.

As a Hypno-Psychotherapist, I can help clients deal with some of the issues surrounding their lives. We can look at things such as how the recession has affected a client’s self esteem and their confidence or sometimes I will coach clients to take action, and help find new jobs or encourage them to find ways to help themselves.

Sometimes I will just help relieve some of the stress by using counselling and NLP techniques. I have a number of tools and techniques which my clients have found to be very useful in helping deal with their anxiety. I have listed below some hints and tips to help you.

If you think you cannot get through this difficult time on your own, it is crucial to seek help from others, e.g. friends, family, financial advisors or mental health professionals.

It is also very important to take the holistic approach to yourself in such difficult times. This means looking after your physical self as well as your mental and spiritual self. Make an effort to eat well, exercise, take walks when you need fresh air, sleep enough and do fun things that don’t cost much money.

Try not to become too negative. People often think to themselves that this or that will go wrong before it has even happened. Inevitably, when people begin to believe these things, they tend to happen.

Try to think objectively. Ask yourself the question; what is the worst that can happen and how likely is it?

Remind yourself that you can only control what you can control.

Hypnotherapy and NLP are wonderful tools to help you deal with your frame of mind. They can help motivate you, relieve stress and anxiety, as well as assist you in creating a positive mindset.

If you have any questions or queries, or would just like to enquire how I can help you, please give me a call on 0845 643 0167 in the strictest of confidence.

Remember the recession will not last forever!

Regards,
Neil