EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS OF STRESS

In earlier posts, I have written about physical and mental symptoms of stress. Experiencing stress may also trigger a number of emotional responses including anxiety, irritability, emotional hyper-vigilance, feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope, and low self-esteem and self-worth.

Three major symptoms of stress and the anxiety it can trigger are shame, anger and depression. If you feel overwhelmed by the stressors in your life, it is easy to blame yourself. If your anxiety symptoms have affected other people’s lives, it may cause you embarrassment, guilt or shame. Some people will compare themselves to others who seem to be handling their lives so much better. The shame of not handling life better can freeze a person in their tracks and keep their minds racing well into the night.

Sometimes trying to escape from anxiety or stress overflows into negative behaviors which can affect others. Being impatient, argumentative or angry to a family member, friend or co-worker may be a way of rebelling against the underlying anxiety. The inability to control your temper, lashing out at other people or just being so prickly people are avoiding you are signals that you are not handling in a healthy manner the stressors that cause your. anxiety. If you are overreacting to situations because of the stressors in your life, this irritability is often an indication of underlying anxiety.

When anger is turned inward you may become self-critical and depressed. those with depression often feel hopeless, have little interest or pleasure in doing things, move or speak slowly so that other people have noticed and commented on it, are physically restless or have thoughts of hurting themselves or feeling the would be better off dead. If you are feeling depressed, get help. Call your medical doctor of mental health professional. There is help and if these symptoms describe you, get the help you need.

Learn more about stress and anxiety and get the tools you need to deal with the symptoms affecting your life. Go to Amazon.com and type Jennifer Johnson and THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX available in eBook, paperback and on Kindle Unlimited.

WHY DO WE NEED SLEEP

We all know that sleep is an essential function in keeping our bodies healthy, protect us from diseases and allow our body and mind to recharge. A good quality of sleep allows us to perform at our optimum, both mentally and physically.

Sleep allows our bodies to recuperate and restore energy that we lost during activity while being awake. It helps our immune systems to fight off illness. During sleep our bodies release certain hormones and enzymes that repair muscle damage and restore muscles to the best working condition.

Sleep helps mentally as well. It plays an important role in memory retention since things we learn during the day are fixed in our memory while we sleep. Our well-being is also affected by sleep.

if you are struggling to get a good night’s sleep, check out THE INSOMNIA TOOLBOX in eBook and paperback on Amazon. Get the information you need about sleep science, learn about insomnia, sleep apnea and other sleep disorders and get lots of suggestions on how to make positive changes that will improve your sleep and your life.

MENTAL SYMPTOMS OF STRESS AND ANXIETY

Last week I talked about the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety can also be exhibited in your life mentally. Not only does your body go into high alert physically when you are under stress and feel anxious, but your mind goes into fight or flight as well.

Lack of focus and concentration is a common symptom of stress and anxiety. Worrisome thoughts about things that are troubling you may repeatedly jump into your consciousness. Or your mind may feel sluggish and unable to focus clearly, Other mental symptoms of stress and anxiety include;

1) FAST THINKING which can cause problems in life situations and decisions.

2) CONSTANT WORRYING which is a negative thought pattern that will only make anxiety worse.

3) NEGATIVE SELF-TALK which can cause you to believe negative messages causing continued stress.

4) And CATASTROPHIC THINKING which is often defined as the “what ifs”. “ What if I get so anxious I can’t breathe?”, What if my heart races so fast I have a heart attack?”, “What if I die?” Catastrophic thinking triggers the fight or flight response and can be an underlying reason for anxiety.

If you are experiencing the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety in last week’s blog or these mental symptoms of stress and anxiety, check out THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX. available on Amazon in eBook or paperback and FREE in Kindle Unlimited. Get the tools you need and relieve those uncomfortable symptoms.

WANT TO GET A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP?

Are you ready to get a good night’s sleep? Are you struggling with going to sleep or staying asleep through the night? Do you want to wake up feeling rested and relaxed?

THE INSOMNIA TOOLBOX, now available on Amazon, will provide you with tools you need to help you get a good night’s sleep. Get the information you need about science sleep, learn about insomnia, sleep apnea and many of the over one hundred sleep disorders and get lots of how-to suggestions to make positive changes that will improve your sleep. Discover the many professional services and current treatments designed by sleep centers, researchers, medical doctors and therapists.

Working for over 25 years as a board-certified clinical hypnotherapist, Jennifer Johnson, DCH, released her first book, THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX, in 2021. Now use all her sleep hygiene suggestions and record her professionally designed self-hypnosis scripts in THE INSOMNIA TOOLBOX on your cell phone to relieve your sleep issues, Listen to your own recording, go into self-hypnosis and empower yourself to go to sleep easily and quickly and awaken feeling comfortably rested and energized to start your day. You deserve a good night’s sleep!

DO YOU KNOW YOUR PHYSICAL STRESS SIGNALS?

Stress and the anxiety it causes may be experienced in many different ways. Although often people describe their anxiety as feeling “stressed out”, “down in the dumps” or just “so anxious”, there are a large number of symptoms of stress and anxiety. These symptoms can be experienced physically, mentally, emotionally and behaviorally.

Often, the first stress signals that people experience are physical symptoms. It is unlikely that you will experience all of them. Check to see if you have any of these physical responses to stress.

SLEEP PROBLEMS

FATIGUE

HEADACHES

HEART PALPITATIONS

DIZZINESS AND LIGHT-HEADEDNESS

SHORTNESS OF BREATH

WEAKNESS IN LEGS

LUMPS IN THE THROAT OR DIFFICULTY SWALLOWING

SKIN FLAIR-UPS

HOT OR COLD FLASHES AND CHILLS

MUSCLE TENSION

CHANGES IN APPETITE

Most of these symptoms are perfectly normal when understood as the body’s response to a perceived threat. To learn more about these physical stress signals and find tools for relieving them, check out my book, THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX, available on Amazon in eBook and paperback and free on Kindle Unlimited.

TRANCE STATE AND HYPNOSIS

Many new clients that I see are very curious about hypnosis and particularly ask about the trance state - what it is and how it is experienced. Sometimes clients believe that when they are hypnotized, they will be unconscious. In actuality, people experience trance-like states all the time. When they go to a movie and get so involved with what is happening on the screen that they are no longer aware that they are in the theater, they are in a trance state.

I found that state while reading. Sometimes I can get so involved in a good book, I don’t hear someone speak or the phone ring.

Listening to music, attending a lecture, playing video games, working or playing on the computer can all trigger that “daydreamy” state of mind we call trance. A classic trance state that many people have experienced is when they are driving. “Oh, yeah. I found myself at a traffic light and didn’t remember driving the last couple of miles”, said one client. There is even the term “road hypnosis” to describe he trance state experienced by those who have driven hour after hour on interstate highways.

The only difference between those trance states and hypnosis is the way it is induced. It doesn’t make any difference whether it is induced by the extreme focus of a video game or book, the boredom of a long stretch of highway or a hypnotherapist’s induction. All can lead to trance.

Characteristics of hypnotic trance include: inner awareness, a context-free and literal understanding of words and phrases, an involvement in imagine events that can be vivid and realistic and the editing out of restrictions to abilities and responses imposed by the unconscious. A good hypnotherapy session is designed to use these characteristics of trance to full advantage.

Sometimes clients in traditional therapy are distracted and unable to focus their attention on critical issues because of defensiveness. They may spend much time consciously or unconsciously protecting their current perceptions and maintaining their commitment to the status quo.

Hypnotherapy allows the mind to go into trance state where the attention is more highly focused, In this state, that attention can focus on sensations, images or thoughts that might be ignored or denied during regular therapy. In the trance state, situations and evens can be merely observed, like an audience at the movies, rather than altered or censored.

Some real advantages occur in using hypnosis to change attitudes and states of mind. In trance, clients, can experience imagined events in very clear, realistic ways while being very relaxed. In this way, they can accept changes in belief and learning performance as if the situation had really happened. Clients will often comfortably accept statements from their hypnotherapist which might have been rejected in other therapies.

You can learn about and experience a trance state that will allow you to make real and positive changes in your life by making an appointment with a hypnotherapist. Hypnosis can help you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually to BE WELL.

LOSE BELLY FAT WITH HYPNOSIS

    If you are carrying extra weight through the midsection and dieting doesn't seem to work, it may help to understand why it's been so hard to lose your belly fat.  Though certainly chronic overeating or lack of exercise causes for an enlarged midsection, the underlying problem may be caused by stress and anxiety. Hypnosis can help with motivation for eating control, to help you exercise regularly and to deal with the stress in your life.

     Stress affects you not only mentally and emotionally but physically as well.  When a person is stressed, chemicals are released by the brain to the adrenal glands.  The adrenals then create their own chemicals including the key adrenal problem behind belly fat, the steroid, cortisol.

     Cortisol increases appetite and keeps blood sugar levels and insulin high which causes the storage of excess blood sugars as fat in the belly.  Unfortunately, diet changes alone do not affect belly fat and often frustrate a dieter when weight loss occurs but the belly still bulges.  In fact, in many cases, fixation on diet may actually increase stress producing even more cortisol and more belly fat.

     So how do you get out of this circle of frustration?  Certainly continuing to eat healthy foods in moderate portions and moving regularly should be part of your plan to lose belly fat.  Hypnosis and self-hypnosis can also be tools to help with those goals.

     Research suggests using Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C.  Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines and trout, walnuts and flax.  Supplementation can also be done with omega-3 fish oil supplements.  Be aware that fish oil has a blood thinner action.  So check with your doctor before using the supplement especially if you already take blood thinners.

    In addition, eat vitamin C rich foods which can help with stress and belly fat.  Studies have shown that adrenal glands register vitamin C deficiency as a stress problem and increase cortisol output.  Fruits such as peaches, oranges and strawberries are excellent sources of vitamin C.  Vegetables including sweet red pepper, broccoli, tomatoes and cauliflower also are rich sources of vitamin C.  Supplementing with Vitamin C is also an easy option especially if you are not good about eating your fruits and vegetables.

 But when you are eating right and moving more, what else can you do? Hypnosis and self-hypnosis can be valuable in dealing with the underlying problem of stress.  Hypnosis can help you create new tools to motivate you to build better self-care and to deal with the stress in your life by learning to control anxiety and trigger relaxation. Learn more about how to control stress and anxiety including the use of self-hypnosis scripts to record in THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX available on Amazon in eBook or paperback. Lose that belly fat by making healthy changes and stopping the cycle of stress, cortisol production and belly fat.  Feel better, look good and BE WELL.  

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF STRESS AND ANXIETY

It is likely you have heard of the fight or flight syndrome. When a person experiences stress, the body releases adrenalin and cortisol, which causes the body to respond to a perceived threat by trying to fight which today is more likely to be verbal than physical or flee usually by avoiding the threat. A problem with the boss or a quarrel with a partner is not the same as being hunted by a tiger. But the body responds in exactly the same way.

In my book, THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX, are detailed descriptions of a dozen physical health symptoms which may be triggered by stress. It is unlikely that you will experience all of them. But you may experience some of them. They include: sleep issues including insomnia or wanting to sleep all the time, fatigue, headaches, heart palpitations, dizziness and light headedness, shortness of breath, weakness in legs, lumps in the throat or difficulty swallowing, skin flair-ups like acne, eczema and psoriasis, hot or cold flashes and chills, muscle tension and changes in appetite. All of these can also be indications of other health issues so share your concerns with a medical professional.

Stress and anxiety can also trigger mental symptoms including lack of focus and concentration, fast thinking, constant worrying, negative self-talk, and catastrophic thinking. Stress can trigger a number of emotional responses including anxiety, irritability, anger, emotional hyper-vigilance, feeling overwhelmed and being unable to cope, depression and low self-esteem and self-worth. In order to deal with the stress and anxiety, some people adopt negative behaviors that are harmful to themselves or others. Overeating, substance abuse, over-sleeping, over-use of electronics, obsessive or compulsive behavior, procrastination and being over-controlling are some of the negative behaviors sometimes triggered by stress and anxiety.

If you are experiencing physical symptoms or negative thoughts, emotions and behaviors as ways to control stress and anxiety, know there are better methods to deal with the stresses in your life. Don’t suffer. Be guided by your doctor to find the help you need. Start to build a toolbox of positive tools to make the changes you want and need to relieve your stress and anxiety.

HYPNOSIS FOR LACK OF SLEEP AND OBESITY

When THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX was published in November of 2021, I asked followers what the next TOOLBOX book should be about. Phobias, self-esteem, weight loss were common suggestions. But the number one issue that people suggested was sleep disorders. Common complaints mentioned insomnia, sleep apnea, jet lag and restless leg syndrome. Did you know there are over 100 different sleep disorders that are keeping many of us awake?

So while I am writing THE SLEEP DISORDER TOOLBOX, I will occasionally post a blog on how lack of sleep is affecting our lives. Today’s post reflects how a sleep disorder can affect your waist line.

  According to a study of 1,615 adults by researchers at the University of Leeds, UK published in PLOS ONE,  lack of sleep puts you at greater risk for obesity.  The researchers found that not getting enough sleep was also associated with reduced levels of the "good" cholesterol, HDL, which can help protect you from heart disease.  It's good to know hypnosis can be a valuable tool in dealing with lack of sleep and insomnia.

    If your waist size is expanding, look at your sleep habits.  The study's researchers compared the amount of sleep with waist measurements.  The findings indicated people who slept on average six hours per night had measurements 1.2 inches greater than those who slept nine hours per night.

   If you are struggling with not getting enough sleep or an expanding waistline, call a hypnotherapist to help you sleep better and longer and lose inches around your waist.  Use hypnotherapy to BE WELL.

AMERICAN STRESS IS SPIKING

According to a new survey from the American Psychological Association, Americans are feeling more and more anxious. “Over 80% of Americans said inflation and issues related to invasion of Ukraine are significant sources of stress”, revealed Vaile Wright, senior director of health care innovation at the association. She went on to say that “Typically, our highest levels of stress have been in the mid 60s, so hitting, for example 87(%) for inflation as a source of stress is truly astounding.”

This survey was reported on NPR’s ALL THINGS CONSIDERED on March 10., 2022. After two years of the pandemic, a volatile stock market affected by the war in Ukraine, continued increases at the gas pump due to high oil prices, it is little surprise that Americans are anxious. Wright explained that, “This is the highest number of people who have ever reported feeling stressed about any issue in the 15 years this survey has been conducted.”

The survey also found that almost two-thirds of the respondents felt their lives had been permanently changed by the pandemic. Wright reflected that, “The survey revealed widespread grief, sense of loss, continual hardships for vulnerable populations, including communities of color.” Besides the fear of contracting or a family member contracting the latest variant of Covid 19, concern about the economy and personal finances was also high. Stress from this issue was reported by 65% of respondents.

Unfortunately, people are making unhealthy choices to cope with the stress. Two of the most common coping techniques reported in the survey were an increase in the consumption of alcohol and overeating. Nearly 25% of those responding reported drinking more alcohol while almost 60% said they experienced undesired weight gain. Since stress can impact how people eat in different ways there was dramatic change whether they ate less due to stress with the loss of an average of 27 pounds or they ate more with an average gain of 26 pounds.

Relationships were also affected by the stress being experienced at this time. Relationships under strain or ending were reported by 58% of respondents in the survey. Different views of the pandemic including mask-wearing, cancelling events or gatherings over worry about spreading Covid, vaccines, have affected social relationships at the personal and civic levels.

“We know stress can lead to physical consequences, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertensions, “ noted Wright. “Emotionally, it can lead to things like depression, anxiety disorders, difficulty sleeping, which we’ve seen in the survey as well.”

If you need help to deal with the stresses in your life, go to the home page of this blog and click on Anxiety in the categories offered in the right hand corner of the page. It will take you to several articles on what you can do to relieve stress.. Or check out my book THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX available on Amazon in eBook or paperback.

Medical Uses for Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis is well-accepted in the medical community. Many highly regarded hospitals and medical centers have hypnotherapy departments. The Mayo and Cleveland Clinics have web sites where you can learn more about hypnosis, hypnotherapy and their programs for pain control, hot flashes, cancer treatment side effects, behavior changes such as insomnia, overeating, bed-wetting and smoking and mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress, phobias and anxiety.

HYPNOSIS CAN HELP YOUR SHYNESS OR SOCIAL PHOBIA

   Do you struggle with making friends?  Do you have a hard time in maintaining friendships? Do you identify yourself as being shy?  Do you work from home and rarely interact with other people in person?  How isolated are you?  Hypnosis can help you to come out of the house and out of your shell.

    There are a number of reasons people struggle with shyness.  People perceive their world and place in it in different ways.  Researchers have found that even babies have different temperaments.  Some infants reach out to be held while others cry or crawl away.  Some preschoolers race into the school and never look back.  While others have great difficulty leaving their parents.

    Your basic temperament will determine your need for social contact.  Our lifestyles also can make it difficult to make and maintain friendships.  Some jobs require constant moves with demands for learning new skills and setting up a new home.  There is little time or energy for making new friends.  As people move and old friends also move, even close friendships may be hard to maintain. Isolation can become so familiar, people may no longer even make the effort to try to meet new people.  

     For many people, the combination of natural shyness and particular circumstance can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness.  Studies have shown that this isolation from others can lead to a predisposition to illness.

       Social phobia is an anxiety disorder which may be described as extreme shyness. Psychologist Richard Heimberg defined social phobia s "shyness gone wild.  It cuts people off from the good things of life - social interaction, love."

  If you recognize yourself in this description, know that hypnosis can be a valuable tool to help you overcome the fears and anxieties that keep you from developing and maintaining friendships and enjoying social interaction with others. You can also learn self-hypnosis in my book, THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX. You can even make your own-self-hypnosis recordings on your cell phone which you can listen to while relaxing. THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX is available on AMAZON on eBook or paperback.

HYPNOSIS FOR ANXIETY AND TO LESSEN DEMENTIA RISK

   If you experience high anxiety regularly, you have a higher risk of developing dementia.  Andrew J. Petkus, a PhD research associate at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, reported on a 28 year study of people who reported experiencing high anxiety.  Those people were found to have a 48% higher risk of developing dementia than those who reported low levels of anxiety.

    The researchers noted that chronic anxiety is a precursor to higher levels of stress hormones.  In turn, those hormones can damage the parts of the brain involved with memory.  If you suffer from chronic anxiety, get help.  Your first step is to talk to your doctor about the right treatment for you which may include psychotherapy, anti-anxiety medications or alternative therapies such as acupuncture and herbal treatments.

    Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to treat chronic anxiety either as a stand-alone treatment or as an adjunct therapy to medication or psychotherapy. Self-hypnosis can also be useful in dealing with anxiety. I released THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX by Jennifer Johnson on Amazon in November 2020 which includes self-hypnosis scripts you can read and make your own recordings to lessen your anxiety and dementia risk.

RELIEVE ANXIETY AND REDUCE STROKE RISK WITH HYPNOSIS

   Anxiety is not only uncomfortable for a person suffering its symptoms.  It also can cause significant health risks  According to the National Comorbidity Survey as many as one in four of the men and women in the United States may experience an anxiety disorder ranging from a phobia to panic attacks to long-term chronic anxiety such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

    Most people have a general awareness of symptoms of anxiety disorders which may include over-whelming fear, avoidance of certain places or situations, worry about situations, avoidance of situations, having sleep problems in falling or staying asleep and fear of losing control.  It's good to know that early recognition and treatment including hypnosis can prevent much suffering from anxiety.

   Research in an over 22-year study of 6,000 adults reported by Maya Lambiase, PhD,  and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pittsburgh, indicates that people with high levels of anxiety were 33% more likely to have strokes than those with low levels. It is believed that anxiety caused higher levels of stress hormones, elevated heart rate and high blood pressure.  In addition, smoking and physical inactivity which were identified as anxiety-related behaviors may have raised the risk for strokes.

   The good news is that there are treatments which can help including medications and cognitive-behavioral therapy.  Self-help techniques such as breathing exercises, avoiding caffeine and quitting smoking can also be of value.  In my own hypnotherapy practice, I often worked on referral from psychotherapists for anxiety.  As an adjunct to the therapists own work, I did one to a few sessions of hypnotherapy to reinforce their work and support the self-help techniques.  

    With treatment from physicians, cognitive-behavioral therapists and hypnotherapists, anxiety can be relieved and your health risk of strokes caused by anxiety can be eliminated.  Get the help you need.  Hypnosis can help you to feel better and BE WELL. 

DEPRESSION TRAPS AT THE HOLIDAYS (Copy)

     "It's the most wonderful time of the year" sing the carolers.  But for many people, the holidays from Thanksgiving till New Year can be cause for depression.  The holidays are times of high expectations, jammed calendars and memories of the past.  All of these things can trigger depression which can cause behaviors that may make things worse.

    Every year many people put great stress on themselves by trying to create "the perfect" holiday. There are homes to be decorated, food to be prepared, gifts to be bought and wrapped and people to be entertained. Trying to do this while still maintaining work schedules, school schedules and regular homelife can be overwhelming.  As time to the big day gets closer and closer, a feeling of failure can trigger depression.

    Because people are busy, some important self-caretaking can be dropped. The time demands and the darkness outside may have regular exercisers dropping their routine. Exercise increases levels of the mood-boosting brain chemicals, serotonin and dopamine.  When people don't exercise they lose those helpful chemicals. Then there are all the food choices to be made around the holidays.  Most of us do not usually have six dozen fat and sweet cookies sitting on the table year round.  Gaining weight through the holidays is typical and can be depressing.  In addition, we tend to eat more sugar.  Sugar is a substance which will originally elevate mood, but then comes the sugar crash and depresses the mood. 

     As depression begins to occur, many people try to relieve the anxiety that comes with depression by drinking alcohol. This self-medication may be a temporary fix for depression but soon causes more harm than good as it interferes with sleep, depresses the central nervous system and may interact with any antidepresants being taken. While some people drink, other people begin to withdraw from family and friends.  Social withdrawal will in actuality increase depression.

    So avoid the depression traps of overeating, self-medicating with alcohol, food or sugar or social withdrawal.  Hypnotherapy can be a great tool to help you deal with the stresses and depression traps of the holidays.  BE WELL and have a happy holiday season.

RETIREMENT DAY JUNE 30, 2020

In January of 1994, I opened my hypnotherapy office in Fairfax, Virginia. On June 30, 2020, I officially retired. I am extremely grateful to all those who helped make those years productive and satisfying ones. I would like to thank the numerous medical doctors and mental health professionals who referred clients and, particularly, all those who came to me and shared a part of their life with me. Over the years, I wrote blog posts on many of the issues I worked with describing how hypnotherapy could be a valuable tool to make many positive changes. Although I am no longer practicing, I am leaving the blog posts available. So if you are researching using hypnosis for a particular issue, you could use these posts as a resource. Remember smart people use tools. Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool. Thanks. Best regards, Jennifer

UPDATE ON REOPENING MY OFFICE

Thank you to all those who have called or emailed asking for the day I will choose to reopen my office. Like many of you, I am anxious to get back to work. Those living in Northern Virginia know we just moved to Stage 1 of reopening Friday, May 28. While I am waiting to insure as much safety as possible for my clients and myself, I have been trying to prepare. Furniture has been moved for maximum separation in office space. I am waiting to have a touch thermometer delivered and I am developing protocols suggested by the CDC and professional organizations to keep us all safe. In the meantime, know I look forward to seeing you soon. Stay safe!!

UPDATE ON REOPENING AFTER COVID 19

Hope all of my followers are well and staying safe during the pandemic. Today, May 13, 2020, Virginia has begun a partial reopening of businesses. But here in Fairfax County and the Greater DC area, our Covid numbers are still high. Fairfax County is still closed for all but essential services such as medical and grocery stores. There are indications that the County may have restricted re-openings by June 1. I truly appreciate all those who have reached out to check on me and see when I will reopen. As soon as we are allowed to reopen, I will call all those who have left their number to schedule an appointment. In the meantime, stay safe!

USES OF HYPNOSIS

Sometimes prospective clients call me expressing an interest in hypnosis without being sure what kind of issues it can help with. As I have mentioned in other blog posts, hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness similar to daydreaming, meditation and other relaxation techniques or even driving on autopilot. Hypnotherapy involves using hypnosis for a goal beyond relaxation to focus concentration on an issue in the client’s life.

Hypnosis has a long history of therapeutic use going back to the “sleep healing” of ancient Greece. It was used in the fourteenth through mid-nineteenth centuries for what practitioners called a “mind cure” Through and after the world wars of the twentieth century, hypnotherapy was used as a treatment for what was then called battle fatigue and is now called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the later twentieth century, hypnotherapy became popular for habit modification such as quitting smoking and overeating.

Today hypnotherapy is gaining a wider acceptance in working with mental, emotional and physical healing. Dr, Andrew Weil has noted, “In general, I believe that no condition is out of bounds for trying hypnotherapy on.” I often see clients on referral from their psychotherapist for a session of hypnotherapy as an adjunct therapy to their work to deal with anxiety and depression. Studies have found that hypnotherapy is particularly useful for those suffering dermatological and gastrointestinal problems. This makes sense as the skin and gut are areas of the body which often express stress. Pain management, erectile dysfunction when no known organic cause is shown, preparing for surgery, and easing the side effects of chemotherapy are other ways hypnotherapy is being used at this time.

If you are interested in exploring hypnotherapy, ask for a referral from your doctor or mental health practitioner. It is important to find someone you feel comfortable with. I offer a free consultation to every client that would like to learn more. I tell all clients that two things are necessary for hypnosis to be a viable option for change. 1) They have to be open to making a change. I can’t make them do anything they don’t want to do, and 2) They have to feel comfortable with the person they are working with.

If for any reason, you do not feel comfortable with the hypnotherapist. Leave and find another therapist. Listen to your gut. A good hypnotherapist can help you to harness your mind-body skills to BE WELL.

QUIT CIGAR SMOKING WITH HYPNOSIS

Some smokers have a very romanticized image of cigars and cigar smoking. They may see themselves as very sophisticated like elegant men in tuxedos shown in James Bond films. Some believe that smoking cigars emphasizes masculinity like that in movies like “Wolverine” and “Iron Man” . While others associate cigars with relaxing places like out on a deck or on a boat. And some women have seen Madonna and Demi Moore puffing away on cigars and consider cigar smoking glamorous. If you are ready to give up the “romance” of cigars, hypnotherapy can help.

Unfortunately, many cigar smokers think that they are at much less risk for health problems than that caused by cigarette smokers. This is simply wrong. Cigar smokers often tell me that it is alright to smoke a cigar because they don’t inhale. Certainly most cigar smokers do not inhale in the same way cigarette smokers do. But cigar smoking is linked to cancers that develop where the smoke traveled - the lip, tongue, mouth and throat as well as the lungs. Smoking cigars also increases the risk of heart and lung disease and pancreatic and bladder cancer.

Secondhand smoke from cigars is even more dangerous than cigarette smoke. This is true for a number of reasons One reason is that cigars are bigger so they contain more tobacco. Because it takes longer to puff through a cigar, a person’s exposure time to the toxic chemicals increases. In addition, a large cigar can contain up to 200 milligrams of nicotine. This is 23 times the amount of nicotine in a typical cigarette.

For all these reasons, smoking cigars is not a good alternative to smoking cigarettes. If you are ready to set yourself free from smoking cigars, hypnosis can be a valuable tool to stop smoking permanently.