Many people experience aches and pains in life, which can be frustrating and tiresome.  This can often make us feel a bit low and depressed. Pain can be a very subjective experience for an individual and here at Happy Head Hypnotherapy we use Solution Focused Hypnotherapy to help people who may be feeling some discomfort.

Pain sends signals into the brain where they are interpreted into uncomfortable sensations and feelings. The aim of the therapy is to interrupt the pain signal with relaxation and positive thinking techniques so the pain can then be eased. One of the main aims of each session is to focus on positivity to try to reduce the client’s stress levels. Combining positive thinking techniques and trance  (deep relaxation) can help to reduce feelings of stress which can help us to cope better when faced with some types of pain.

A relaxed positive state of mind encourages the production of serotonin, which is the naturally produced chemical that helps us cope better with life. Serotonin can interrupt pain signals being received in the brain. This is known as the ‘pain gate theory’ because the aim is to close a gate on the pain signal itself.

**Those with chronic conditions and any on -going type of pain should, if they haven't already done so, see their GP. **

Relaxation can be highly beneficial for physical as well as emotional health. Clinical studies have demonstrated that when we relax through hypnosis blood pressure is lowered, detrimental ‘stress chemicals’ are lowered, heart rate and tension throughout the body are decreased and therefore, the body is brought back into balance.

Relaxation also increases energy and focus, alleviates stress on the immune system, and can relieve aches and pains. Relaxation can also heighten problem-solving abilities and boost motivation and productivity. Best of all, with a little practice, anyone can reap these benefits.

Have you tried to stop smoking through a variety of methods with no joy? Do you find that you get stressed and give in? Whether you are a heavy or social smoker; have been smoking for a short time or for years, hypnotherapy can help you stop.

If we want to give up, we have to want to change and it will require a certain amount of motivation and willpower.

Click the link below to book a session to free yourself from smoking.

Generally there is usually an underlying reason for gaining weight and these reasons can affect the control we have on what we are eating, when we are eating and the amount that we eat. This can often lead to comfort eating which can make us gain weight.  So, how can we change this?

Under stress, the body creates cortisol, our natural stress regulating hormone. Too much, or prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream leads to, among other things, weight gain. 

Stress and worry, even in small amounts, can cause an imbalance in our appetite regulating hormones and when  these two hormones are thrown out of sync we can feel hungry when we’re not hungry, and sometimes we struggle to know when enough is enough. This can then, over time, create a negative behavioural habit.

At Happy Head Hypnotherapy we will work out whether your stress levels are too high and work on lowering them naturally in order for you to take back that control over what and when you eat, losing pounds in no time at all!

We are creatures of habit. From a very early age we learn behaviors that serve our needs and then we repeat those behaviors whenever the needs arise, developing habits. The subconscious mind, where habits form and reside, accepts the known and fears the unknown. Habits are maintained because they are familiar ways of behaving with expected consequences that serve needs.

Similarly, bad habits develop to serve legitimate needs; however, they also have negative consequences that are detrimental to health, emotional well-being, self-image, relationships, career, etc. It is in virtue of these negative consequences that such habits are deemed “bad”.

Bad habits typically form to manage stress, to overcome anxiety, and to promote relaxation. Habitual smoking, excessive drinking, abuse of drugs, and overeating are four of the primary ways that people attempt to self-medicate to feel better. Biting nails, picking at skin, hair pulling, are other habits that develop subconsciously in childhood, sometimes as a means for regaining a sense of control or to get noticed in those who feel abused or neglected. Bad habits also form as a means of self-punishment in a child who feels guilty, ashamed, or worthless.

Not all bad habits involve using physical substances or doing bodily harm. Procrastination, obsessive compulsive behavior, and chronic negative self-talk are examples of bad habits that do emotional harm and damage self-esteem, while attempting to stave off fear, prevent failure, or dissolve guilt.

Bad habits often form in early childhood but bad habits can form later in life when stress and anxiety become extreme in response to an overload of responsibility, sudden dramatic loss, tragedy, or the onset of fears and phobias.

Because the subconscious mind embraces the known and fears the unknown, it sticks with bad habits, reluctant to give them up because of the needs they are known to serve. For this reason, bad habits can be difficult to break.

Hypnotherapy is a relaxing, natural, and safe, brief-term form of therapy that enables direct and immediate influence on the subconscious mind where bad habits develop and endure if left untreated. With the help of various hypnotic tools and techniques, a client can gain more awareness of and control over their destructive impulses, while developing new behavior patterns that replace the bad habit with positive coping strategies.

Hypnotherapy has emerged as a credible, evidence-based treatment option for sufferers of PTSD.

PTSD, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, consists of a series of symptoms that arise from a traumatic event which occurs in one’s life. The symptoms of PTSD usually consist of:

• Intrusive flashbacks (reliving a violent scene in your mind)
  
• Nightmares or recurrent bad dreams
  
• Anxiety disorders resulting in chronic physical pain, body tensions, teeth grinding
  
• Over reacting to situations with seemingly little control
  
• Sudden outbursts of rage or temper tantrums
  
• Unexplained fears or phobias, such as a fear of butterflies
  
• Sleep disorders
  
• Inability to relax the mind and the body
  
• Persistent stress, tension, fears
  
• Inability to concentrate, loss of memory
  

Another common thread is that certain people or situations may suddenly remind the person of the traumatic event. We call these triggers. 

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy works by reducing your stress and anxiety levels and this helps you to get back in control of your thoughts and feelings. It helps you have a more positive outlook on life which is very important as PTSD sufferers can often give themselves a hard time about feeling the way they do.

With Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy we do not focus on what has happened to you. Instead we look at ways for you to move forward, to find solutions and you will start to look forward to the future and achieving your goals.

Hypnotherapy is so effective in the treatment of all confidence issues. This includes self - confidence, social anxiety, self-esteem and self-love.

One of the most important determinants for success is self-confidence: believing in your ability to achieve that to which you aspire. No matter how hard you work, or how much intelligence, talent, knowledge, and experience you possess, if you don’t believe in yourself, if your mind is filled with self-doubt, you struggle unhappily and seldom reach your goals.

Most people experience a drop in self-confidence at some point in their lives. Going through a divorce, missing out on a big promotion at work, and causing a serious automobile accident are a few examples of situations where diminished self-confidence may result temporarily.

For some, inadequate self-confidence is an ongoing problem, and not the temporary result of a specific loss or failure. Chronic sufferers tend to muddle through their lives unfulfilled and disheartened.

It is never too late to make positive changes in yourself. The subconscious mind, where positive changes in self-confidence originate, is highly suggestible. When you gain an understanding of how it works and what it takes to make the appropriate changes, you can create more self-confidence. Hypnotherapy provides tools and techniques that specifically target, access, and nurture the subconscious mind with specific suggestions that support healthy self-confidence.

Hypnosis has been shown to be an effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in a number of clinical studies. Hypnotherapy for IBS involves progressive relaxation, and then suggestions of soothing imagery and sensations focused on the individual's symptoms.

Hypnotherapy can help with IBS, particularly if your symptoms are stress related. Often IBS can be a symptom of anxiety.

In 2018, specialists at the University Medical Centre Utrecht and other institutions in the Netherlands decided to delve deeper into the question of whether hypnotherapy can improve IBS symptoms.

The study assessed the efficacy of hypnotherapy in IBS. It is the largest study to date to look into this issue. The researchers worked with 354 participants (150 of which were aged 18–65 with IBS who had individual 45-minute hypnotherapy sessions twice per week for 6 weeks). The remaining participants tried group hypnotherapy sessions and an education based programme to help manage symptoms.

The scientists found that the people with IBS who had participated in hypnotherapy — whether individual or group-based — experienced the most satisfactory degree of symptom relief, compared with the participants in the other group. Participants who underwent hypnotherapy were still enjoying the benefits 9 months after the treatment.

"We do not know exactly how gut-directed hypnotherapy works," says lead researcher Dr. Carla Flik, "but it may change patients' mindset and internal coping mechanisms, enabling them to increase their control over autonomic body processes, such as how they process pain and modulate gut activity."

Hypnotherapy is a popular way of tackling entrenched sleep problems. It works by altering the way that the previously programmed subconscious mind has learnt to behave.

All hypnosis comes from you and it is a state we go into daily, in fact, for example, just before we fall asleep or just before we wake up. In this state, your subconscious mind is more receptive. What is your subconscious hearing at this point in your sleep?

The thing about your subconscious mind is that it will always act for your benefit, even if it doesn’t feel like that at all. Your mind thinks your sleep should be this way, so we need to tell it how you actually want it to be now.

Hypnotherapy has helped many people move on from their sleep disorder, sleep well and benefit from new improved sleep patterns. Hypnotherapy is hypnosis for positive beneficial effect. We can help you use this natural state quicker, faster and more effectively to change your subconscious so you can sleep well.

Even ‘trying’ to get to sleep can impact your chance of falling, and staying, asleep at the right time. When we ‘try’ there is an immediate assumption of failure. Just think of when you try to lose weight or try to be on time. Instead we, by using techniques to induce relaxation and guiding you to allow your subconscious minds to focus on what you actually want, thus increasing your chances of getting, and enjoying, your sleep.