Sleep it Off? Central Sensitization Syndrome

Most of us don't need research studies and reams of statistics from the hallowed halls of academia to convince us that sleep is important to your physical and emotional well being.

Poor sleep quality is known to be a factor in the weakening of the immune system, the onset of obesity and a host of other ills.

Recently I have been hearing more about a lack of sleep playing a role in chronic pain by what is called Central Sensitization Syndrome (C.S.S.).

When sleep deprived you can actually become more sensitive to pain. Being depressed, anxious or pessimistic is also thought to increase C.S.S.

Quite often chronic pain cases are puzzling to medical professionals because the level of suffering seems way out of proportion to any detectable physical injury or trauma.

Theories about C.S.S. suggest that it is taking place in the brain and central nervous system rather than where the pain or discomfort is perceived. It is known that the central nervous system has a kind of "gatekeeper" function that blocks or allows stimuli into your consciousness. With C.S.S. that gate seems to open wider and stays open.

I would not be surprised if C.S.S. also plays a role in tinnitus, i.e. "is it actually louder today or does it just seem that way?" Many of my hypnosis clients have reported a definite link between stress, fatigue and the perceived volume of the tinnitus.

What this tells us is that in addition to your standard medical care, its very important for you to RELAX intentionally and often if you have an ongoing health challenge such as chronic pain, tinnitus or irritable bowel syndrome.

I recently put together an audio program that utilizes hypnotic suggestion, ambient music and binaural ocean sounds to improve sleep quality. It is an mp3 file that you can listen to on your computer, upload to your mobile device or make a CD copy from it. Use the secure link below to download your copy.

You: Better Sleep mp3 $2.97

P.S. - Below is a link to a really good article that makes a case for using a very gentle approach with physical interventions such as massage, stretching, etc, if you are struggling with chronic pain.

https://www.painscience.com/articles/central-sensitization.php

Hypnosis for Insomnia: New Audio Program

I just posted a new video on You Tube entitled "You Better Sleep!" Its a self-hypnosis session you can use prior to bedtime if stress, tension and anxiety have been interfering with your quality of sleep.

The audio is lifted from the track of the same name in my Creative Calm Self-Hypnosis Library which you can download a CD Baby (it will be on iTunes and Amazon shortly as well.)

Never use this audio program while driving or performing any other activity that requires you full waking attention.

If stress and tension are an ongoing problem for you, it might be a good idea to consider a series of private sessions with a professional hypnotist like myself as well. A free, 30 minute Hypnotic Strategy Session is available if you are curious, learn more by Clicking Here.

So here is the video, enjoy!

Smoking and "Freedom"?

Its coming up on the 4th of July, America's celebration of it's Declaration of Independence and the belief that people deserve to be free. The notion that you have a right to self-determination is deeply ingrained in the American psyche.

Over the past couple of decades there has been some grumbling about smoker's "rights" being trampled upon by the ever increasing restrictions on when and where a person may smoke in public. Even though as a professional hypnotist I experience great joy in helping people let go of the smoking habit, to some degree I do appreciate that concern. No one really likes being told what to do.

It seems to be a situation where the rights of the individual are being weighed against the a) the effects of second hand smoke on people who chose to be smoke-free and b) the overall cost to society when it comes to the medical costs of treating totally preventable smoking related illnesses-which are astronomical.

Yet I do have some problems with the idea that a smoker is truly "free." Is it freedom when:

• You feel the need to light up even when you don't want to?
• That people persist with that habit even after being diagnosed with heart or lung ailments caused by smoking?
• That a pack a day cigarette habit costs around $3,000 a year during a lingering recession?
• That when and where you can smoke has to be considered before you decide to do something or travel somewhere?

An interesting historical factoid: the advertising executive who made smoking "fashionable"  for American women during the early 20th century, Edward Bernays, was Sigmund Freud's nephew!

Prior to his efforts smoking was not seen as a particularly feminine activity and was shunned by most women.

So the tobacco industry hired Bernays to increase their market share among the fairer sex. He arranged to have female celebrities of the day photographed smoking in public. Pretty young women were hired to hand out cigarettes at public events.

However his most effective ploy was to dub cigarettes "freedom sticks" to play up to the sentiments of the growing women's equality movement.

Unfortunately this public relations campaign was a whopping success and countless thousands of American women were condemned to preventable illnesses and early deaths.

Now if you wish to continue smoking, that is your business. However, if you would like to declare your independence from that dirty, dangerous and expensive habit, I am here to help.

A free, confidential phone consultation is available, call (732) 714-7040.

P.S. I have totally free stop smoking e-course for you if you would like to learn more. It shares little known secrets of becoming a healthy non-smoker for life. Just click on the link below, enter your email address and you are good to go.

http://eepurl.com/0Vd91

Tinnitus and the Gatekeeper

Its been long accepted that there are similarities between tinnitus and phantom limb pain in that they both involve having a sensory experience that is generated from within.

Phantom limb pain is where an amputee continues to feel unpleasant feelings in a missing limb although obviously the lost body part cannot be producing the signal. Its believed that the part of the brain that used to process information from say the arm or leg produces its own sensations since it no longer receiving external stimuli.

With tinnitus, the ringing or buzzing isn't actually a sound (a vibration in the air) but instead is being generated from within the nervous system. In many but not all instances tinnitus results from hearing loss. In these cases it is like phantom limb pain: the decrease in stimulation from external sources causes the part of the brain that processes sound to produce its own signal.

Yet another set of neurological processes may be coming into play. It appears that tinnitus may also result from a deficit in a region of the brain known as the ventral medial pre-frontal cortex (VMPC)

The function of the VMPC is to act as a form of gatekeeper that keeps certain stimuli from entering a person's consciousness so it is not overwhelmed. For example, under normal circumstances it keeps you from being aware of the sounds of  your heartbeat and breathing.

Another brain structure, the basal ganglia, is also involved with these kinds of gatekeeper functions and may also have a role in the experience of tinnitus.

These findings may someday lead to an effective pharmaceutical or surgical treatment of tinnitus, although that hasn't happened as of yet.

In the interim, there are interventions that can improve your quality of life. These include:

• Sound masking therapy supervised by an audiologist who specializes in helping tinnitus patients. 
• Psychiatric treatment in cases where severe depression and anxiety are present.
• Training in self-hypnosis and mindfulness meditation. There is a definite link between stress levels and the subjective volume of tinnitus.

I teach a wide variety of mind/body healing techniques to my clients with tinnitus as it gives them a sense of control in a situation that can often seem hopeless.

If you would like to learn more, I am here to help. A free, confidential phone consultation is available, call (732) 714-7040.

Reference for this article: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/science-july-dec13-tinnitus_11-06/

Hypnosis for Insomnia: You, Better Sleep!

Its an interesting paradox, many people think hypnosis involves being asleep. Actually it doesn't as you aret quite awake for the entire experience. However, hypnosis can help you to get a better night's sleep.

Insomnia or sleeplessness can be the symptom of an underlying physical problem, which is why it is wise to consult with a physician if it is persistent or accompanied by other physical symptoms to make sure you are OK.

Most of the time though difficulty in falling or staying sleep relates to unresolved mental tension, where the thoughts, concerns and worries of the day keep running through the mind and keep you awake.

In these sort of cases mainstream physicians will often give their patients prescription sleep aids. Although these drugs can be helpful in the short term, they do not address the underlying source of the problem and most carry a risk of addiction and other side effects.

There are two broad categories of human response and behavior: conscious and unconscious. For example, you could scratch your nose right now or get up and walk around and those would be conscious activities you can do on purpose.

However, sleep is not something you can "make" happen. In fact, you may have discovered that trying to force sleep tends to make you become more awake. The name for this effect is called "paradoxical intention" where conscious effort makes a situation worse.

What you can do is learn how to create the mental and physical relaxation that allows sleep to happen all on its own.

There are a number of techniques involving guided imagery, hypnotic suggestion and mindfulness meditation that you can learn from a professional hypnotist that can help you to improve your sleep quality.

If you would like to learn more a free, confidential phone consultation is available, call (732) 714-7040. Sweet dreams!

P.S. I have an mp3 on improving sleep in my Creative Calm Self-Hypnosis Library, you can learn more and download at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hypnotistjamesmalone

Full Confession: I Have a Record!

I've been wanting to tell my readers that I have a record for quite some time, but it has taken me awhile to complete it. (What kind of record did you think I had?)

The Creative Calm Self-Hypnosis Library consists of three hypnosis sessions that you can instantly download for use at home:

• You Better Sleep: your sleep quality has a direct bearing on your mental and physical well being. This track uses intentional relaxation and guided imagery to help you unwind and create a welcoming place for sleep.
• Fly Comfortably: the fear of flying often curtails people's travel plans. On this track a mindfulness-based approach is used to help you detach from fear along with traditional hypnotic suggestion and mental rehearsal. Can be used before and during a flight.
• Relaxation Training: imagine being able to control stress from within, rather than waiting for the outside world to change. Here we use progressive relaxation and hypnotic suggestion to control stress. Self-confidence is also addressed since this tends to inoculate a person against responding as strongly to stressful situations.

All tracks are accompanied by gentle ambient music that enhances the relaxation effect. The tracks are available for purchase singly and as an album through the link below. 

http://bit.ly/1LPZ8Xn

Hypnosis and the Fear of Flying

With summer vacation time soon arriving, many people have getaways planned. Yet some folks curtail their travel plans due to a fear of flying.

This is a problem I have worked with successfully in my hypnosis practice over the past 20 years. And you might be curious why hypnotism might be the route to take in order to become a more comfortable flier.

The fear of flying is one of those situations where the conscious mind "knows" that commercial flight is in fact the safest way to travel long distances. (Don't take my word for it, you can look up the statistics. It's way safer to fly to Florida from New Jersey than drive, not to mention much quicker.)

Yet if you personally have the fear of flying you realize that all the "logical" arguments or reassurances do little to diminish your fear response. In fact they can be a bit annoying as basically the person is calling you irrational.

I'd be willing to guess that it is highly doubtful that you developed a fear of flying through a deliberate and conscious process. Instead it is a response your learned unconsciously that became an automatic response. These types of responses are exactly what a professional hypnotist deals with.

There are various process involving hypnotic desensitization, training in self-hypnosis and mindfulness techniques that can greatly increase your comfort level when it comes to flying.

A free, confidential phone consultation is available to discuss this further, the number here is (732) 714-7040.

P.S. I will be soon releasing an mp3 audio program that deals specifically with this issue, be sure to subscribe to my Creative Calm online newsletter if you wish to be notified when it is available, you can subscribe by Clicking Here.

NJ Hypnotist James Malone on Mental Rehearsal

Numerous authorities have stated that visualizing your goals can help you achieve them. However, research by psychologist Gabrielle Oettingen indicates certain conditions have to be met as "wishful thinking" by itself is only part of the equation and can actually be counter-productive as a stand alone practice.

Simply picturing yourself as successful may be a pleasant and relaxing experience. Yet it also apparently sends a message to your subconscious mind to not put forth the necessary energy since the goal seems to be a "done deal."

What has been found to work is a process called "mental contrasting" where you a) visualize your success and then b) imagine carrying out the necessary action steps.

Let's say you wish to drop some unwanted pounds and inches. A self-hypnosis practice might involve these steps:
 -Intentionally relax the mind and body (my 7 Minutes Stress Buster mp3 will teach you this process for free) as it increases suggestibility.
-Dwell on an image of yourself at your ideal size, shape and condition, spend about 30-60 seconds with this step.
-Next, move on to a 30-60 second "movie" of the action steps you will be taking to make that happen such as healthy eating, exercising, etc.
-Count from 1 to 5 to return to everyday waking consciousness.

 Mental contrasting is one of several self-hypnosis techniques I enjoy teaching my clients. If you would like a free, confidential phone consultation, call (732) 714-7040 as I am here to help.

Stop Smoking Help in New Jersey

A short video I did on the benefits of letting go of the smoking habit. A free, private phone consultation is available if you have any questions, call (732) 714-7040.

Unhappy Cages and Addiction?

Back in the 1980's First Lady Nancy Reagan championed the cause of combating drug abuse, most famously with the mantra of "just say no."

Around that time there were a number of anti-drug commercials on TV,  including one where a rat was placed in a cage with two water bottles, one with pure water and the other laced with heavy narcotics like heroin and cocaine.

The rat quickly became addicted to the drugged water and died a short time thereafter. If only he had said no!

However Vancouver psychology professor Dr. Bruce Alexander saw something amiss with this experiment. He knew that rats are intelligent and social creatures and that placing a rat in a kind of non-stimulating solitary confinement was highly unnatural.

So Dr. Alexander set out with an experiment of his own. He created a kind of rodent utopia he dubbed the "Rat Park." In it the rats had companions and plenty of toys, treadmills and food they liked. They were also presented with the option of the two water bottles, drugged and pure.

In Rat Park the rats would sample the drugged water but none became addicted.

Dr. Alexander, whose area of specialty is addictions, recalled that many US soldiers who served in Vietnam developed significant drug and alcohol habits during their tours of duty as that wartime environment was extremely stressful.

There was also cheap and easy access to a wide variety of mind altering substances including opiates which are native to Southeast Asia. In fact, health authorities of the day were quite worried that America would be overwhelmed by addicted veterans when the war was over.

However the vast majority of Vietnam veterans discontinued their substance abuse when they returned home with little or no outside help. The change in their "cages," from war to returning the relative peace and tranquility of civilian life, was enough for many of them to let go of the substance abuse habit on their own.

So Dr. Alexander next did an experiment where he intentionally addicted rats by placing them in solitary just like the one in the commercial and offering them the option of the pure or drugged water.

After they were addicted he placed them in the Rat Park and soon their addictions ceased after a brief period of withdrawal. The happier environment saved them.

This "happy cage" paradigm is challenging traditional notions of addiction and recovery where the predominant beliefs have been that a) addiction is a moral failing or b) some drugs hijack the brain and its not the user's fault.

Now sometimes people do not have much control as they would like over their external environment, to make a happier cage so to speak because of economic or social factors. However, training in self-hypnosis and mindfulness meditation can help someone adapt more comfortably to whatever "cage" they are presently in.

A free, confidential phone consultation is available, call (732) 714-7040 to learn more.

Source material for this article: John Hari's  book "Chasing the Scream"

3 New Reasons for the Worried Young Epidemic?

This past week there was an article in the New York Times science section on the increased usage of mental health services at college campuses by young adults who did not fit the criteria of having an actual mental illness. Rather their quality of life is suffering significantly due to unhealthy stress levels.

It caught my attention because I have always enjoyed working with that particular age group as it is a very interesting period in a person's life and quite often learning the skills of self-hypnosis and mindfulness helps them tremendously.

I can recall that time of my life as having its own unique stresses as you are going through a transition where you are finding and creating your adult identity both personally and professionally. That and its a lot of work to get decent grades!

However, according to the article the current generation of young adults has some new aggravating factors that those of us who are a bit older did not have to contend with. These include:

• Financial worries. Not only has college become more expensive, it must be disheartening to hear about the uncertain job market they face post graduation-while saddled with a mountain of debt. 
• Parenting styles. Over the past decade or so most kids are being raised in an extremely protective way with near continual adult supervision. This does not prepare a person for the natural anxiety that occurs when you are expected to become more independent.
• Social media. There is a new acronym FOMO, short for Fear of Missing Out. Continually seeing and comparing your life with every one else's can bring about feelings of inadequacy. 

The article notes that many of the kids seeking services are not mentally ill, but they still need assistance to cope with college life. Some of the interventions include relaxation training, therapy dogs and counseling sessions.

If you or someone you know is struggling with stress and anxiety, I am here to help. A free introductory session can be arranged by calling (732) 714-7040. 

Your comments and questions are welcomed below.

Source material for this article:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/27/anxious-students-strain-college-mental-health-centers

Can Hypnosis Make Me Bark Like a Dog? Myth Busted!

Tinnitus and the Brain

I don't know if you had caught this recent story from the University of Iowa regarding tinnitus.

Apparently there was a 50 year old man who had electrodes implanted in his brain to control his epileptic seizures. This gentleman also has tinnitus and agreed to allow researchers to study his tinnitus experience using sophisticated brain imaging technology.

It was discovered that his tinnitus did not only involve the parts of the brain that process sound as was previously believed, but also the areas that process emotion, memory and attention. 

Although this research involved only a single subject, it does raise some interesting questions as to what exactly goes on in the brain to produce the sensations that are perceived to be sounds, but actually aren't.

From my perspective it seems to validate the idea that decreasing your stress levels can quite possibly make having tinnitus less bothersome and easier to ignore. 

A link to the article referenced can be read by clicking here

If you have any questions regarding how hypnosis, mindfulness meditation and other stress relief techniques can help you, a free, confidential telephone consultation is available by calling (732) 714-7040.