The Link Between Stress and Self-Confidence?

Over the past 20 odd years I think it would be safe to say stress that could be managed better has been an underlying factor in virtually every hypnosis session I have conducted.

Whether it be overcoming limiting fears, releasing unhealthy habits such as smoking and overeating or learning to cope with life-challenging health problems, negative stress is always skulking about.

Now a completely stress-free existence is not possible and isn't really desirable either since we need a certain amount of challenges in order to feel fully alive, to have a sense of meaning and purpose.

Its also important to note that stress is not the external factors in our lives but rather our individual response to those events. That is good news because it implies we can alter our responses to those things that we cannot control.

Its been my observation from both professional and personal experience that stress turns ugly when coupled with a lack of self-confidence. Let me explain...

The stress response is frequently triggered by thoughts ("what if" thinking) rather than what is actually going on in the moment. Your subconscious mind cannot distinguish a real experience from one that is vividly imagined.

If you frequently envision disastrous scenarios that you won't be able to handle you are in a way living them in the moment.  The body then responds as if the dreaded event were actually happening.

Now what if you imagined being able to rise up and meet those same challenges with strength, intelligence and determination?

A secret of hypnotism: the same inner process that creates stress and anxiety when reversed can bring about a sense of calm and confidence. You can learn to be more resilient when faced with adversity.

A professional hypnotist can help you become the director in what has been called "The Theater of the Imagination," where you learn to take greater control of your stress responses.

A free, confidential phone consultation is available if you have any questions, call (732) 714-7040.

A Concise History of Hypnosis

The history of hypnosis is a fascinating one. Joshua Syna, a professional hypnotist from Houston, Texas, created this infographic that tells the story.

Source of this image:

http://www.houstonhypnosis.com/hypnosis-blog/history-of-hypnosis-infographic/

Are You Ready? 3 Questions to Ask

Deciding to make a healthy change in your life can be simultaneously exciting and a little scary. Although you may be tired of being burdened with a problem, you may also be concerned if you are really ready to move forward or will you fail.

Although hypnosis can sharply reduce the learning curve when it comes to creating healthy new habits, you have to be a willing, able and engaged participant in the process in order to succeed.

The three questions below can help you determine your readiness. Rate your response on a scale of 0 to 100

1) How much of a negative effect has this problem had on my life?

0................................................................. 50 ............................................................ 100
NO EFFECT                                                          EXTREMELY NEGATIVE EFFECT

2) How important is it for me to feel better?

0 ............................................................... 50 ..............................................................100
NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL                                                         VERY IMPORTANT


3) How willing am I to make solving this problem a priority in my life?

0 ............................................................. 50...............................................................100
NOT A PRIORITY                                                    EXTREMELY HIGH PRIORITY

SCORING: If you scored less than 50 on two or more scales, you may not be ready at the present moment, but this can change over time. Ask yourself, "what would it take for this issue to become a priority?"

If you scored 50 or more on two or more scales, you are most likely ready to put forth the effort required to make a healthy change. Please give me call at (732) 714-7040 for a free, confidential phone consultation so we can discuss a plan to get you where you want to be.

Reference: source material for this post was found at;

http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/

Tinnitus Coping Tip #6

Tinnitus Help NJ

Although it is often not possible to pinpoint the exact cause of someone's tinnitus, there are certain behaviors and situations that can aggravate the symptoms.

For example, most folks with tinnitus know its important to avoid prolonged exposure to loud noise and that they should use hearing protection when going to a concert or using power tools.

Another potential problem scenario is encountered during flight if your ear and Eustachian tubes cannot adjust properly to the changes in air pressure, this is known as barotrauma or airplane ear and can be quite painful.

I've encountered a number of individuals who state that their ringing or buzzing was made worse by flight. Although travel is a wonderful tonic for the body and mind, do take precautions to minimize any potential problems.

According to the Mayo Clinic website you should follow these tips to avoid airplane ear:

• Yawn and swallow during ascent and descent. Yawning and swallowing activate the muscles that open your Eustachian tubes. You can suck on candy or chew gum to help you swallow.
• Use the Valsalva maneuver during ascent and descent. Gently blow, as if blowing your nose, while pinching your nostrils and keeping your mouth closed. Repeat several times, especially during descent, to equalize the pressure between your ears and the airplane cabin.
• Don't sleep during takeoffs and landings. If you're awake during ascents and descents, you can do the necessary self-care techniques when you feel pressure on your ears.
• Reconsider travel plans. If possible, don't fly when you have a cold, sinus infection, nasal congestion or ear infection. If you've recently had ear surgery, talk to your doctor about when it's safe to travel.
• Use filtered earplugs. These earplugs slowly equalize the pressure against your eardrum during ascents and descents. You can purchase these at drugstores, airport gift shops or your local hearing clinic.
• Use an over-the-counter decongestant nasal spray. If you have nasal congestion, use a nasal decongestant about 30 minutes to an hour before takeoff and landing. Avoid overuse, however, because nasal decongestants taken over several days can increase congestion.
• Use oral decongestant pills cautiously. Oral decongestants may be helpful if taken 30 minutes to an hour before an airplane flight. However, if you have heart disease, a heart rhythm disorder or high blood pressure, or if you've experienced possible medication interactions, avoid taking an oral decongestant unless your doctor approves. If you're a man older than age 50, you may experience serious side effects after taking decongestants containing pseudoephedrine (Actifed, Sudafed) such as urinary retention, especially if you have an enlarged prostate. If you're pregnant, talk to your doctor before taking oral decongestants.
• Take allergy medication. If you have allergies, take your medication about an hour before your flight.

If you're prone to severe airplane ear and must fly often, your doctor may surgically place tubes in your eardrums to aid fluid drainage, ventilate your middle ear, and equalize the pressure between your outer ear and middle ear.

Reference for this article:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/airplane-ear/manage/ptc-20200663

P.S. If you would like to learn more about mind/body healing for tinnitus, please visit
http://njhypno.com/tinnitus_hypnosis_new_jersey_id109.html

Your Happy Place Pill?

A popular expression is to tell someone to go to their happy place when you want them to calm down.

Indeed, many mind/body healing processes encourage the practice of regularly focusing on the image of being in a place where you feel safe, secure and comfortable-and there is a sound reason why this is done, based on the placebo effect.

One type of placebo is where the patient's belief in a remedy creates a healing effect, rather than the drug or procedure itself. An example is giving a person a sugar pill yet telling her that it is a powerful pain killer and as a result the inert substance creates an analgesic effect.

Current research on placebos suggest that this is not simply a matter of fooling someone into believing they are well. Instead, observable biochemical changes takes place in the person's body as result of the positive belief and expectation that is present.

During clinical trials for new drugs, the standard procedure is to give half the volunteers the real drug and the others get a placebo without them knowing which group they are in. The substance being tested has to significantly outperform the placebo in order to be considered effective.

An interesting side note: in clinical trials all participants have to be told about the possibility of negative side effects such as headache or stomach upset and often people taking the placebo will experience them. This is called the nocebo effect.

Another kind of placebo is based on memory. In one famous study lab rats were given a immune suppressing drug that was delivered in a strawberry flavored syrup. Later on it was found that giving them the syrup without the actual drug also dampened the immune system-the response is believed to be an unconsciously learned behavior based on the familiar cue of the flavoring agent.

So when we study the placebo effect we begin to see an interesting interface between memory, imagination and the functioning of the mind and body.

If thoughts and memories can spur wellness (placebo) or illness (nocebo) why not intentionally game the process in your favor?

If you can intentionally draw upon your positive memories and imaginings, it is possible to mitigate the negative effects of stress and anxiety, even if you are currently in challenging circumstances.

How would you describe a happy time and place in your life? What were the sights, sounds, scents, sensations, etc.

Have trouble coming with an image like that? Then make one up out of thin air, the effect is going to pretty much be the same.

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

P.S. My audio mp3 a Hypnotic Healing Trip to the Beach can help you deeply relax if you can't make it to the beach for real this week. You can download it through the link below

Hypnotic Healing Trip to the Beach-$2.97

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...