"Come on! Come on! Start!..." The Immortal Words of John Cleese

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78b67l_yxUc

John Cleese...Fawlty Towers....hitting the car with a branch....

A very funny scene when his car stalls and he can't get it started again, at which point he starts to lose his temper!

And who of us, has not been frustrated with a piece of machinery or equipment at one time or another? Felt under pressure to do something, behave in a certain way or be something we are not? And most of us have experienced a health issue that has prevented us doing something we need or want to.

STRESS

It means so many different things to people.

In a good way it can drive us forwards to achieve what we need to achieve, to do what we need to do, or be who we need to be.

Stress is only a problem when it becomes consistent over a period of time, and/or increases beyond our (perceived) ability to cope. And even at this point, it is just the body's early warning system that something needs to change.

If we do not recognise these early warnings and just carry on, believing we have no choice, then we can begin to store problems up for ourselves. Our ability to think clearly, our emotional state and even our physical wellbeing becomes increasingly volatile, haphazard, clumsy (making mistakes, bursts of uncontrolled emotions or increase in accidents and illness).

In the next  Journey's of Discovery workshop in January, we will be looking at how we can identify our own personal stressors and what we can do about it. And over the next  few blogs, I will explore the typical reasons for stress, what happens in the body when we get stressed and the latest thinking about how to manage it for yourself.

Look for me on Twitter to see nuggets of information, Facebook for polls and links to other sites that may be of use or call me if you want help with Stress.

It doesn't much matter when you get in touch, just that you do.

Who can forget Matt Lucas’ Hypnotist character Kenny Craig and his immortal words  “Look into my eyes, look into my eyes, the eyes, the eyes, not around the eyes, don't look around my eyes, look into my eyes….you're under “

Most people’s impressions of hypnotherapy, comes from similar stage and TV shows, as well as from the idea of an old man using a pocket watch to induce a hypnotherapeutic trance.

"So what is hypnotherapy?" I am asked frequently. 

Whilst I cannot remember the first time I was hypnotised formally, I do know that the hypnotic state (also known in the trade as a trance) is one that I and many others, easily move in and out of on a regular basis during the day.

You know what I am talking about, particularly when I say have you ever found yourself having driven for several miles without being aware of doing so.

Or maybe you have been so engrossed in doing something you had no idea where the time has gone?

Perhaps you have been concentrating on what you were doing, and someone has said something that made you jump, because you have been completely unaware of what is going on around you.

This is the altered state or trance which results when a person narrows their focus of attention.

I like to close my eyes when I am hypnotised, purely  because I can focus on what is being said and to limit the distraction of everything around me, but I have seen people who prefer to keep their eyes open, only closing them once they feel comfortable to do so. 

Usually there is some form of induction, (although this is not always necessary) that helps the client relax and to get in the right state. This might be something like "And as you sit there with your eyes closed, you can begin to relax, noticing your breathing, in...and out and with each easy breath in you can begin to ...." once the client is relaxed, a Cognitive Hypnotherapist (my particular training of hypnotherapy) will then move onto the desired positive states that has been discussed with you.

They say that your mind is like a parachute - best when open, and in this instance it is true. 

Whilst your conscious mind keeps busy with what is being said (your desired state, using your words), your unconscious mind focuses on the meanings that are relevant for you and this is what makes it completely unique for you - clever eh? And this approach works for most things, more happiness, greater peace, calm, relaxation, more confidence, less stress, anxiety, as well as typical issues such as phobia's and habits etc.

To end the session, you will either be counted back into the room, or something like "and with each deep breath  you take you can feel more energised and ready to come back to the now"

Contrary to popular opinion, you are in control at all times. I have been known to open my eyes to discuss something that came up during a  session, and after having dealt with it, closed my eyes re-entering a state of relaxation.

Responses to the hypnotic state can vary from  drifting away to somewhere very lovely, to remaining conscious all the way through.

Invariably, the hypnosis may not seem long enough!

KimSearleHypnotherapy

The Night Visitor

I had found evidence of the intruder in the middle of the night.

It was the earlier hours of the morning, and I had needed to go to the bathroom. It was mid September and there was a light chill in the air, as I climbed out of bed and hurried to the bathroom. I noticed immediately the shadow sitting on the window sill, the dark shape resting on the various pieces of paper, just sitting there, telling me it's own story. I carefully avoided touching the evidence, not sure that I exactly wanted to let loose the potential terror of what lie beneath.

I knew straight away of course, but sometimes denial is better than knowing, so I went back to bed quietly.

The next morning I checked the window sill and noticed it was still there, taunting me and I could resist no longer!

I spoke with my daughter as soon as she awoke "What happened?" I asked. She looked at me, and shivered. " Mum" she said, " it was horrible!" She paled as she related the tale to me, " I was just going to lie down for the evening, and just as I was going to turn out the light, I saw something scurry across the bottom of my bed! I quickly turned on the light, and saw it! It was awful! It was so big, I have never seen one that size before, but it was gone before I could do anything!" I sat there beginning to understand, " go on" I said already knowing what was coming, but wanting to hear the details. "Well I couldn't go to bed then could I? Not knowing where it was. What would happen if it crawled on me? Or if I swallowed it?" OK I thought, now it was my turn to shiver, I am not phobic or overly scared of them, but I certainly I could appreciate what she was saying as if I was already there.

"So what did you do then?" I asked.

"I spent the next hour searching the whole bedroom, and I was getting to the point where I was going to come in and sleep with you, when I found it! I was so scared, that I wanted to make sure it was gone for good, so covered it up, and using the paper, I got rid of it!"

"Well that is good then, isn't it." I said, knowing how brave she had been.

" Not really" she replied, " I have spent the night waking up worried that there might be more!"

I looked at her with some sympathy, knowing that she managed her fear of spiders very well, but at night it could all seem much worse.

I looked at her and smiled " I would love to chat to you about that"

Who do you know who experiences a spider phobia or  night terrors who would like to let that go? Happy to have a chat about that :)

Picture courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Gut Wrenching Emotion

Living so close to the motorway and a major A road, the sound of sirens are an everyday part of life. As I sat working recently, I heard a siren, which only just barely made my conscious awareness. the second one made me look up to see if I could tell where they were heading, mere curiousity now,  almost a casual observer to events that were completely disconnected from me, that were happening out there, in the world beyond my immediate neighbourhood.

It was only as I notice the next siren, the 4th, 5th and 6th siren did a cold finger of dread worm its way up from my unconscious, through my body, and into my chest. I felt a clutch of fear grab at my heart, and I turned cold, as I strained to hear which direction they were headed in.

My immediate thoughts were to place all my loved ones, and friends or family, to think whether they would be on the roads or not, but it did not detract from that gut wrenching emotion that weighed heavy all the way into my chest....and only as the sirens ceased did I sense the feelings begin to subside.

This reaction, almost an abreaction, to those numerous sirens, harks back to an event barely 2 years ago when my youngest was involved in a car accident. It was close to home, and on that occasion I never heard the sirens...I was asleep. I was woken with a call and that was the beginning of my own personal nightmare, that brought death very close to my door.

Whilst the outcome for my family was a miraculous one, I can instantly be transported back to the events of that night, just by hearing multiple sirens,  feeling my insides squeezed together as I imagine the potential carnage those paramedics, police and fire crews must face.

In the world of therapy, this is what is known as a Significant Emotional Event (SEE) and is an example of an extreme form, but demonstrates just how easily, we are able to experience very strong emotions from the past as though we were back there, right now.

Phobia's are a typical type of SEE that people experience, and the beauty of Cognitive Hypnotherapy is that the emotional content can  almost be neutralised so that it no longer causes us such an issue. For many people, the time will come when they need to let go of the reactions that cause so much anxiety and stress for the body. By doing so they could find that things could be much calmer and more relaxed than they would have once believed.

Whilst I have had some help with this, I am happy to be reminded just how lucky we all were that awful night. But