Your Axl Pic?

There was a news item a few weeks back about how Guns N' Roses vocalist Axl Rose was attempting to have unflattering pictures of himself taken down from the internet.

During the 1990's while he was fronting that famous hard rock band, Axl had the super thin physique often associated with rock stars. However, over the past decade or so he has gained a significant amount of weight.

Some individuals have used recent photos of Axl to create what are called "memes," where images and text are combined to promote some sort of message that get passed around on the internet. In his case, the memes have centered around some rather unkind "fat jokes."

Its interesting to note that weight loss efforts are frequently spurred on by either seeing a less than complimentary picture of yourself or by the prospect of an occasion where pictures will be taken such as a wedding or class reunion.

In behavioral science, this is called "away motivation"-where we move in the opposite direction of a situation that causes us pain in some way.

Away motivation can be very powerful force, but it tends to be limited in that once partial or full success has been achieved, it falls to the wayside. Another potential downside with away motivation in weight loss is that it is often shame based.

Toward motivation is when we take action in the direction of something that we want. In the case of healthy weight loss, this can be improved appearance, increased energy, better mobility and comfort, enhanced health and so on.

Now its perfectly fine if your "Axl Pic" has gotten you fired up enough to take some positive action towards a healthier lifestyle, but be sure to look at the benefits that will keep you motivated in the long run too.

A customized hypnosis program can provide you with tools that can help you achieve your healthier future.

If you ever have any questions, please feel free to connect by giving me a call at (732) 714-7040.

Trance of Terror?

At what point does stress become a problem? In any living organism stress refers to the adaptations it has to make in order to respond to changes in its inner and outer environment.

If the outside temperature drops, a living body has to generate more heat from within to stay alive. If Creature A poses a threat to Creature B,  B has to run or fight or it won't live to see another day. When you have gone awhile without food, your body sends out a hunger signal to encourage you to find food and eat and so on.

When viewed this way it becomes obvious that we are always experiencing some degree of stress by virtue of just being alive since there are always challenges going on. In nature the cycle is that a demand arises, action is taken to resolve it and balance is restored.

However, we humans differ in that we have stress and anxiety about things that haven't happened yet, better known as "what if" thinking. We can get so wound up about our worries that the physical body will actually start responding as if the thing we fear was happening right now..  This is actually a type of trance state where an imagined stimuli is experienced as real.

Over time this can wreak havoc on our physical and emotional health due to the constant bombardment of stress hormones that are being released as a result.

Now a certain degree of anxiety is actually helpful in that it keeps us alert to potential problems and motivates us to be prepared. It stimulates our uniquely human creative capacity to find solutions and motivates us to set and achieve goals. You couldn't survive in a complex, modern society without some stress and worry as we can no longer live on instincts alone.

However, when worry becomes excessive it can drain you mentally and physically and actually make you less able to solve your problems since we were not designed to be in a constant war footing and over time the rational mind starts shutting down.

Its been my observation that the most toxic type of stress response is linked to a lack of self-confidence-when your perceive the challenges you are facing are going to be more than you can handle rather than being nuisances or irritations.

Due to the rapid social changes presently going on, this level of toxic stress seems to be on the rise. We seem to be living a climate of fear and insecurity where many now harbor serious doubts about whether they will be able to meet their basic needs in the future*.

I suspect this has a direct bearing on the increase of serious addictions we are now seeing, including the opiate abuse epidemic as well as the steady rise of obesity rates. These are unhealthy coping mechanisms that have gone horribly awry.

This is where hypnosis can be such an awesome tool. First, it can show you how to get a deep state of restorative relaxation on a regular basis. This kind of break from tension can allow you to get your problem solving mojo back.

Second, you can use suggestion and imagery to convince your unconscious mind that you will be able to survive and even thrive in tough situations, restoring your sense of ease and comfort as you navigate this tricky world.

If you would like to learn more, a free, confidential phone consultation is available. Call (732) 714-7040 to get yourself on the path to feeling better again.

*The mass media is a major culprit in promoting what I call the Trance of Terror. Negativity draws attention thereby increasing their ratings and profitability. Being in a heightened state of fear also makes us more malleable to advertising and political messages. Heck, I would bet my title of Trance of Terror for this article drew your attention, did it not? Hmmm...