Blog It!

Great Hypnotherapist! Highly skilled Reiki Practitioner! Pretty good cook if I say so myself, all round lovely person, and now, moderately competent at tweakifying my Blog from bog standard to something  that doesn't look as though it has been cobbled together by a five year old...
 I am particularly proud of my swimming fish! What do you think? Any suggestions for further improvements gratefully received.
The thing is, I know that there are many things about the Digital Age that will always remain a mystery to me, but I do try to improve - even though it take me hours to do the things that others can do  in minutes. And it is so easy to get it wrong. I still get confused between My Wall and My Profile on Facebook, and worry about who can see what, but what a great sense of achievement there is when a new skill is gained or a difficulty overcome.
Perhaps it's an age thing? My daughter shakes her head with pity when I stumble through trying to explain what I want to do on the computer, and does a fair imitation of my crude attempts to text. I'm actually quite pleased with myself on the texting front, particularly as I have recently discovered that there is a Template option for replies.
As a new recruit to the world of blogging one of my earliest mistakes is very evident in that I have 2 blogs called Anne Stagg Hypnotherapy - this one, and the one that I created when I didn't know the difference between New Blog  and New Post...

There is a very true saying which goes something like, "If you always do what you have always done, you will always get the same results..."

I know that for my business to grow I  need to market it using a range of strategies. I know that a few years ago it would have been enough to use posters, business cards, letters of introduction, and personal contacts, but time has moved on and  Social Media is the  key to succcess. I want to use Social Media to promote my Clinical Hypnotherapy and Reiki skills so I have had to do something different; I have had to step outside of my comfort zone.

When did you last step outside of your comfort zone? If there is something about your life that you don't like, the only way that it will change is if you do something about it.

50 days Without Chocolate...

I have been 50 days without chocolate, toffee and Haribos - and for anyone who knows  me, that is a tremendous achievement!
 I  grew up in very poor circumstances - we had a very meagre existence - but one thing we did have, was access to a very good market with not one, but two brilliant sweet stalls selling all manner of sweet, chewy special treats.  My mum would go out shopping and come back with sweets for myself and my brother - and if we were upset or ill, had a trip to the dentist or the doctor, we would be rewarded with sweets.
Even today, when I am ill and return from the GP my natural inclination is to stop at the Village Shop and buy something sweet, to"make me feel better" or  " because I deserve it".
As a Clinical Hypnotherapist, I know that chocolate and sugar addictions are very common and often the root cause of weight problems, not to mention life threatening conditions such as diabetes. Many people know that they will need help and support to overcome these addictions, but the idea of giving up something so lovely can be a step too far. It is easier to make up excuses than to make a lifestyle change.
When I was first training  as a Clinical Hypnotherapist I also took a short course in EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). EFT is a therapy which involves tapping on the meridians of the body ( principally on the face and hand) whilst making positive statements about a problem or perceived problem.  I remember that a group of us all tapped for our addiction to chocolate; it took about 10 minutes in total and I didn't touch chocolate again for something like 8-9 months.
This time I have combined EFT with self hypnosis. I have set myself the challenge of having a chocolate free 2012 and so far, so good. 
It really is quite difficult to explain  my new relationship with chocolate, toffee and Haribos. Whereas before Christmas I was regularly eating a couple of bars of chocolate  or a whole bag of toffees ( Morrisons own brand chocolate eclairs being amongst my favourites) per day, I now have no interest in eating them. I do not crave the taste or the texture. The smell has no effect on me whatsoever. I find it easy to say no thanks when offered sweets and feel only disinterest when I am around them.
What I have noticed is that my tastebuds are recovering,  so that I enjoy the sweetness of fruits again; mandarins and strawberries have easily replaced the chocolate eclairs.  I have also noticed a difference in my skin and general energy levels.
The EFT, combined with self hypnosis,  have worked perfectly for me and I would recommend this to anyone who wishes to disassociate themselves from chocolate or any other food issue.
 Visit my website http://www.annestagghypnotherapy.co.uk/ for details of how to contact me.

The Simple Things in Life

When did you last stop to appreciate the simple things in life?
 Nowadays so many people seem quite willing to spend a small fortune in the pursuit of happiness, when there is so much already in their lives which could fulfill their needs.gs in life,
The next time you feel stressed, fed up, at a loss, frustrated, beyond help... take some time to take stock and count your blessings.
Perhaps you could take a long deep bath, rather than an invigorating power shower?
Switch off the TV and listen to some music instead.
Dig out the box of photos  and wallow in nostalgia for a while.
The simple fact  is that some people spend all their life in pursuit of happiness when what makes them happy is right there under their nose.
For me, a walk around the garden gives the time for quiet contemplation. It's amazing how noticing new growth on shrubs or seeing the tiniest tip of a leaf poking through the soil cheers my soul. As I mentally plan the gardening jobs everything else seems to fall in to place. Cost?  Not a penny.
It is well documented that animals bring great joy and have been used successfully  for years in therapy. Smply stroking or talking to a pet soothes the soul.
No garden and no pet? Invest in a good old fashioned lava lamp and switch the lights down low. As the lamp warms up and the contents become more fluid, just let you eyes gaze in to the swirling mass of colour. You will find that tension flows away.
In hypnotherapy I often take clients through a process of getting rid of worries/ insecurities/ things that they feel are preventing them having the life they desire. You could try a version of this for yourself:

• Sit quietly for a while with a pen and pad
• Write words and phrases or draw simple symbols  which represent your worries and concerns
•  Put each one on a seperate piece of paper
• Now you destroy each one. If you have the luxury of a coal fire then take each piece of paper, say out loud what that paper represents, and throw it into the fire.
• Alternatively, if you have a shredder then go through the same process, or rip each sheet in to as many pieces as possible, put it into a bag and put it out into the dustbin.

Simple but effective.

For more information on the benefits of  hypnotherapy please visit http://www.annestagghypnotherapy.co.uk/

Smoking Cessation: Dying for a fag.

I had a really good look at a cigarette pack just a few days ago, when a client attending for Smoking Cessation, brought along a pack to use as part of the therapy session. The pack itself was a metallic colour suggesting sleek sophistication; being "adult" etc. It was simply decorated with an image, abe simple text box edged in black for "Smoking kills", and a Contents panel listing just 3 chemicals, as opposed to the hundreds...

As a non-smoker I found the image chosen to be quite shocking: a loaded syringe with the contents coloured white and brown just like a cigarette - a clear image, in my mind, associating cigarettes with hard drug taking. The message with it gave the advice "..., don't start", but putting it on the pack of cigarettes was always going to fail as the audience reading it would already be smokers.
So why do smokers start and then get hooked so quickly?

Well, no-one is born a smoker - it is a learned habit, often started as a teenager and heavily influenced by the peer group.  Once hooked it becomes difficult to stop, because it becomes part of normal behaviour and can often be the key to being accepted ( and we all know how important it is for teenagers to be  part of a group). It is a social prop to give confidence or to provide something to keep hands occupied in a new or difficult situation.

The shocking image and stark statement "Smoking Kills" had absolutely no impact on my client, and yet he could tell me all about the dangers of smoking, and he knew the financial implications of his habit. In his head he just did not associate what he was doing, with what the cigarettes were doing to him.

Hypnotherapy is highly effective for smoking cessation, as the therapist spends a significant amount of the session building rapport with the client, listening to their language patterns and noting information which could be useful in the therapy session.  Of course it is possible to buy hypno tapes for smoking cessation, but as everyone is different, these tapes take a very broad approach and lack the specific detail that makes the therapy unique to the client.

If you, or someone you know, is ready to return to being a non-smoker, but need help and support, then please visit my website for details and contact me via the Contact Page, my email, by text or by phonecall.

Within a day your body will start to rebuild itself and the health benefits will just keep on going.

Remember that you were not born a smoker - so why would you want to die as one?