Physical Interventions for Stress Relief

Professional hypnotists have long known about the mind/body connection and modern neuroscience is providing proof that your thoughts and emotions have a tangible effect on the body.

If you are a drawn into a book or movie where the main character has a twitchy fly land on their nose, chance are your nose may begin to itch too. (strange I just had to itch my nose right now as I am writing this).

This is because the subconscious mind (which controls our automatic responses) does not distinguish between a real and a vividly imagined experience.

So when we dwell on negative events from the past or project worries about the future, the body undergoes the same physical responses as if the problem was happening right now. This response is called “fight or flight” where the body releases adrenaline and other stress hormones to prepare for a do or die situation.

The problem is that if you don’t engage in vigorous physical activity at that time, the stress hormones don’t get discharged and can cause significant physical and emotional problems over time. 

Also, the short-term negative sensations they create (tight muscles, stomach upset, racing heart, etc.) can become a feedback loop that reinforces the perception that you are a naturally anxious person.

So what can be done on the physical plane to mitigate stress.

• Regular exercise within the limits of your current physical condition-consult with a physician to find out what this is, especially if you are older and/or have health challenges.
• Slow rhythmic breathing, I demonstrate the 4-7-8 breath in this video.
• Practice good posture. Slouching promotes a negative mental outlook as I describe in this article Is This Everyday Activity Getting You Down.
• Eat well:  veggies, fruits and whole grains are rich in the minerals that are needed to keep to keep your nervous system operating well. Take it easy on processed sugar and alcohol as they deplete your b-vitamins.

In addition, learning mindfulness and self-hypnosis can help as well. If you have any questions, I am here to help. A free, confidential phone consultation is available by calling (732) 714-7040.

Ch-Ch-Changes

You would have to be living under a rock this week to have not heard of the passing of musical and cultural icon David Bowie.

Like many other people in my age group, I was longtime fan of his impressive body of work, musical and otherwise. As a teenager I even got to see him on Broadway in the lead role of the Elephant Man!

Over the years the term, "chameleon-like" was often used to describe the way he regularly shifted his approach to music, fashion and persona. He truly ran the gamut, often bringing styles and influences from what was considered the fringes of society and introducing them to a more mainstream audience.

Couldn't it be said these continual transformations reflect the age we live in? Technological changes and cultural upheaval are happening at an ever increasing rate which are causing many of us to feel alienated-a frequent theme in Bowie's music.

Now there will always be some who stubbornly cling to the past, though history tells us that this is seldom wise or productive-time only moves in one direction.

A future historian may very well say we are living in  the "Age of Reinvention," where the ability to quickly adapt and change was no longer an option but became a necessity. Or as David put it in one of his earlier hits, "just going to have to be a different man. And remember, "we can be heroes, if just for one day."

Is This Everyday Activity Getting You Down?

There is an excellent chance that you are doing it right now. In fact, I would bet on it. It is an everyday activity that may be aggravating your levels of stress and pessimism. Have you guessed what it is?

In the late 1800's pioneering psychologist William James put forth the idea that if you assume the physical posture associated with a particular mental state, you will begin to experience it.

For example, if you stand or sit tall with your shoulders back and put a grin on your face, your mood will most likely brighten.

The posture associated with pessimism and sadness is best illustrated by Rodin's sculpture The Thinker (see below)

Hunched over, eyes cast downward, this is the body language of defeatism. As the body slumps forward the breathing becomes restricted and shallow, which does your health no favors.

Your body may naturally assume this pose when you are troubled. However as Dr. James pointed out over 100 years ago, its a two-way street. The posture can create the mood as well.

As you may now have guessed, the common activity I mentioned at the beginning is the time we spend looking down at our smart phones and computers.

Professionals who deal with muscular and skeletal problems such a chiropractors and physical therapists use a new term, "text neck," to describe the effect excessive slumping and a forward head posture has on the body. 

So in addition to any physical problems excessive computer and smart phone use can cause, be aware too it may be having a negative effect on your mood and mind as well.

What can be done?

• Observe good posture habits when using your phone or computer. Make sure you are not having to hunch over and have the screen closer to eye level to keep your head and neck in good alignment. Make sure your chairs and desks are "ergonomically" correct. 
• Take frequent breaks to walk around. 
• Explore yoga type exercises that involve back bending to improve your posture.

Remember that the division between mind and body is for the most part an arbitrary one, you have to care for all aspects of your being. 

Is the Past...Past?

"Insight is the booby prize of life" -David Levy, psychologist and author

A question that comes up occasionally with prospective clients in my hypnosis counseling practice is whether we have to extensively explore their past in order for the them to achieve their goals. Is it necessary to drift back in time and "set things straight" ?

This belief comes from the field of "psychodynamic therapy."  Figures such as Sigmund Freud insisted that present problems of thought and behavior had their origin in childhood experiences, the memories of which were often repressed from conscious awareness. The process then would be to reconnect to those memories, create an awareness of how the negative patterns came to be and that once you have this knowledge in your conscious awareness, you can resolve them. In this model Insight=Healing.

However, there is little evidence that this is an effective approach and actually it has the potential for harm. One danger is the phenomena known as "false memories," where a suggestible individual begins to "remember" events that didn't happen, especially if the therapist asks leading questions. Quite a few individuals had their lives ruined by accusations made because of false memories of abuse that never took place except in the accuser's imagination.

Another pitfall to consider is that what is called "repression" may actually be a healthy coping strategy-that there can be some very good reasons to push negative memories out of conscious awareness. Ponder this: if remembering trauma was curative, post-traumatic stress (PTS) would simply heal itself quite rapidly since the person is repeatedly experiencing the upsetting event as if were happening now. PTS is really a problem of remembering too well.

So as a rule a very small percentage of my interactions with clients involve exploring the past. One exception is having them retrieve some good, empowering memories so we have some positive anchors to work with-and you would be surprised how many people seem to have repressed those!

But what if you are carrying around a lot of negative memories and imprints-what can be done?

Current thinking suggests that while you cannot alter the past, practices such as mindfulness and self-hypnosis can help you learn to live more fully in the present moment. Thanks to what is called neuroplasticity, with some persistence you can rewire patterns and associations in the brain that may be keeping you tethered to a negative past. The past does not have to determine your future!

If you have any questions, I'm here to help. Feel free to connect by calling (732) 714-7040.

Tinnitus Tragedy Considered

I came across a rather sad news story online today regarding a boat skipper from Northern Wales who committed suicide 6 days after being told his tinnitus was incurable and was offered no hope or apparent guidance on how to cope.

Described as a proud man with a strong personality, he had been struggling with tinnitus and hyper-sensitivity to sound for about 6 months.

A coroner's inquest was held and during the hearing one family member stated, "He was just told to get on with it. There was no bit of encouragement, no hope of improvement."

Although the coroner did not believe there was any malpractice involved, she did state, "...I feel very strongly that there should be a more robust and proactive approach when someone is given a prognosis in which there is no hope for cure or improvement."

Notice how the word hope is rather prominent here?

This incident may reflect a problem inherent with modern medicine where specialists deal with one specific area and tend to ignore anything that doesn't fall within their bailiwick.

Yet the whole person does need to be considered in all healing situations.  Personally I cannot think of anything more tragic than when the thoughtless and careless communication of a person in authority such as a doctor drives someone into a state of utter despair and panic.

Talk about negative hypnosis and the misuse of suggestion! Is it really any surprise this person acted as he did if he fully accepted the idea that he was a hopeless case? Makes sense in a sad sort of way.

The truth is that while it is not always possible to do something about the neurological signal that creates the unwanted sounds of tinnitus, there are plenty of strategies than can help a person learn to cope with that experience and to become less bothered by it-to regain your quality of life.

Another truth is that there is usually no magic bullet and that a number of strategies may need to be tried until you find an adequate level of relief or what is called "habituation" to the tinnitus, so this may take some time. Taking a holistic approach that includes mind/body healing methods such as self-hypnosis and mindfulness meditation can make this process more comfortable for you.

Probably the most important idea you can take away from this tragedy is this: never, ever, under any circumstances, let anyone take your hope from you!

And if you have thoughts about harming yourself, you have to call the appropriate emergency services in your community without hesitation-no debate on this point.

Please feel free to connect if you have any questions, I'm here to help!

Source article: http://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/155661/deganwy-boat-skipper-leapt-to-his-death-after-being-told-there-was-no-cure-for-his-tinnitus.aspx

Is Hypnosis Real?

"I don't believe hypnosis is real," huffs the smirking, uber-skeptical guy, "I only go with established scientific facts and I think its all just a farce for the hopelessly gullible."

Over the years I have encountered a number of such individuals and get the impression that they derive a certain smug satisfaction out of being a buzz-kill! Yet in the past decade enough cutting edge research has been done in neuroscience that pretty much shuts down the argument that hypnosis is somehow fake.

Of particular note is an article published by Stanford University "Research supports the notion that hypnosis can alter perception" that details how modern brain imaging techniques prove that the same areas of the brain "light up" when someone is actually performing a given visual task or when a hypnotized person is asked to imagine it.

This type of research involves the use of PET scans, which can provide real time data on the the blood flow to particular regions of the brain. This increase or decrease of blood flow to those structures indicate whether they are becoming more or less active.

In other studies it has been shown that while hypnotized volunteers and a control group both showed activity in the somatosensory cortex (which processes physical sensations) when exposed to a painful stimuli, the activity of the anterior cingulate cortex (which modulates suffering-the emotional response) decreased in those who received suggestions related to pain reduction.

In the 1700's Ben Franklin sat on a French panel that was investigating the controversial healing claims of Franz Anton Mesmer, considered one of the founding fathers of what we now call hypnosis. Mesmer maintained his powers stemmed from what he described as  "animal magnetism" -a mysterious force that he was able to channel into his patients to cure their ills.

In the course of the inquiry Franklin came  to disagree with this explanation and eventually concluded that the healing effects were due to something going on in the patient's imagination. Flash forward 200 years and neuroscience not only agrees with this but proves that just because something is imagined, it doesn't mean its not real!

Hypnosis has been around in one form or another for thousands of years for a reason, it works. Its just nice that science is catching up and validating its effectiveness. Never underestimate what your mind can create, whether it be for good or ill. What would you like to create?

Do feel free to connect if you have any questions, I'm here to help! The office telephone number here is (732) 714-7040.

P.S. If you find this sort of thing interesting, do sign up for my free online Mind/Body Healing Course. 

Extraordinary Healing, Ordinary Miracle- A Review

Extraordinary Healing, Ordinary Miracle: Choosing WellBeing Over Fighting Cancer by Patricia French Crilly, R.N. is a rather remarkable book that details the author's triumph over invasive ovarian cancer while eschewing the standard post-surgery protocol of chemo and radiation therapy.

An intriguing tale to start with, what it made it even a more fascinating read for me is that I have been lucky enough to know the author for over 10 years due to our both being members of the same organization for professional hypnotists here in New Jersey.

Nurse Crilly, as her friends often call her, begins with how being treated for a relatively minor injury eventually led to the diagnosis of a major health challenge- one that often leads to people becoming frozen in fear and pessimism.

Of particular interest to me as a professional hypnotist was her perspective on how traditional healthcare settings deliver a staggering volume of negative suggestions to people who are in a very vulnerable place in their life's journey.

Unfortunately there are still many who do not buy into the idea that the mind has a tangible impact on the health on the body, although hopefully this book will help to change that.

Due to her training in hypnosis and other natural healing arts, she was able to avoid getting stuck in a negative mindset and was able to plot her way into a place that she calls WellBeing.

She also gives considerable credit to the team of healers she assembled around herself, both allopathic and alternative, that facilitated her healing process.

I also suspect her legendary sense of humor (abundantly shared in these pages) was also played no small part in her getting well again.

I give this book my highest recommendation as the information it contains can be invaluable if you or someone care faces a life-changing health problem.