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...

Hypnosis for IBS Research Project: Volunteers Needed

Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS is a condition that affects millions of Americans and is marked by persistent digestive tract symptoms such as cramps, constipation, diarrhea and feelings of unfinished bowel movements.

IBS is considered a "functional" condition in that while the symptoms are quite real, there is no known physical cause for it such as infection, lesions, injury, etc.

Unfortunately standard medical treatment often falls short and the medications prescribed for IBS can have negative side effects.

However, research going as far back as the 1980's suggests that mind/body healing methods like self-hypnosis and mindfulness meditation can often provide significant relief of symptoms. The most often cited study was conducted in Manchester, U.K. and a review of the literature will often bring up the term, the "Manchester protocol."

(Pub Med citation below)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16316882
Although stress does not cause IBS, it does aggravate the symptoms because of the brain-gut connection.

I am currently looking for 5 or so volunteers with IBS who would be willing to experience a 7 session program based on the Manchester protocol to see if we can replicate the same positive results. Volunteers need to be:

• Formally diagnosed with IBS by a physician. I am not a medical doctor and cannot diagnose your symptoms. Rather I will be teaching you specialized stress relief techniques.
• Willing to follow the protocol which entails coming to the scheduled one-to-one sessions and carrying out the homework assignments between visits, mostly listening to training audio programs.
• Have access to an mp3 or CD player.

Confidentiality is ensured and any results shared publicly will only include identifying data such as the gender, age, duration of symptoms and degree of relief experienced amongst the volunteers.  

To discuss the possibility of your participation, please give me a call at (732) 714-7040.

Exam Nerves?

Test Anxiety Help NJ

Exam nerves or test anxiety can be a real bear to deal with. You put in the time and effort to study, complete all of your assignments, but when it comes to test time BLANK!

Over the years I have encountered many individuals who found test anxiety impaired their ability to pass important academic or professional exams, leaving them feeling stuck and frustrated. Large amounts of time, money and effort have been expended only to have a test stand in the way.

What is going on in these situations?

To begin, its helpful to consider a psychological concept known as state dependent memory which states that a memory is best recalled when a person is in the same state of consciousness as when the memory was first formed.

Situations where real or perceived danger is present activate the body's fight or flight mechanism where stress hormones such as adrenaline are released. As the name suggests this response will prepare you to run or fight but at the same time will impair your ability to think and act with care and precision.

This is why the military, law enforcement and other organizations that frequently operate under highly stressful conditions will structure their training exercises to be as realistic as possible. Its one thing to carry out a complex task in a calm environment and still another when fear and anxiety is present because of real or simulated danger.

Now with test anxiety one possibility would be to somehow make your study time as stressful as possible. But I imagine this would be kind of difficult to pull off, not to mention unpleasant!

The better option is to learn ways of manage and modulate your tension levels through hypnosis so they don't get out of hand at crunch time.

Why hypnosis?

Hypnosis deals directly with the automatic responses of the unconscious mind. Its not like you walk into an exam room and purposefully decide to get nervous.

And you may have found that logically trying to reason fear away doesn't work too well either. The subconscious mind is imaginative and emotional, so a different approach is called for.

A customized, 3 session program usually works best in these situations and the modest investment involved often makes all the difference. A free, confidential phone consultation is available, call (732) 714-7040.

Is Your Smoking Habit an Addiction?

In the group and individual smoking cessation programs I offer the discussion often includes the question as to whether cigarettes are truly "addictive."

Over the years I have come to the conclusion the answer is either yes or no and a lot hinges on how you perceive the idea of addiction.

For some addiction implies an inability to function without the drug of choice and the prospect of agonizing withdrawal symptoms if you do decide to let go of the habit.

This does hold true for many people who have a heavy narcotic habit and with some hardcore alcoholics-withdrawal in these cases may need medical intervention in order to be done safely.

On this count cigarette smoking is not addictive. As far as I know, no one has ever died for nicotine withdrawal. Next time you see your doctor ask if he or she has ever admitted someone to the hospital due to complications related to smoking cessation . Chances are you will get a puzzled look and the response of "no."

Any temporary physical or emotional symptoms experienced when you stop smoking are harmless and will pass soon enough if you don't light up again.

Now where smoking does resemble other addictions is in that once you stop it is a really crazy bad idea to think you can cheat once in awhile without relapsing.

The scenario usually entails the person rationalizing that sneaking one cigarette here and there won't hurt. However, experience shows that more often than not the ex-smoker will return to the full blown habit sooner than later. If you were a serious smoker (pack a day+ for years) controlled use is probably not an option for you, breaking free once and for all is the way to go.

So on that count smoking is like an addiction in that once you break free, don't tempt fate by cheating.

If you have any questions on how my smoking cessation program can help you to lead a healthier, cleaner and possibly longer life, please call me for a free, confidential phone consultation at (732) 714-7040.

Tinnitus Coping Tip #5-Habituation

Tinnitus Help NJ

Let me start with a story...

A number of years ago I used to have a social services job where one of my duties was to visit adult psychiatric patients who had been recently discharged from the state hospital to see if they keeping up with their aftercare arrangements.

Many of these individuals lived in the impoverished neighborhoods that border Newark airport. If you've even been there you would know that 24/7, 365 days a year there are jetliners continually landing and taking off. Not only is it loud, sometimes the planes fly so low overhead the windows and walls in their homes would actually shake!

Yet one thing I noticed soon was that for most part, the local residents barely responded to the endless cacophony.  It was just "there."

You can see the same thing going on in the outer boroughs of NYC where some parts of the subway line are elevated over the street. The screeching and rattling overhead quite often startles visitors, but the locals pay it scant attention, it's just "there."

This is all due to a natural process known as habituation-where repetitive stimuli eventually does not register as much in the conscious mind. The sounds from the airport or the subway haven't decreased, but the level of attention paid to them has.

People who successfully cope with tinnitus appear to go through the same process habituation even though the stimulus originates within the nervous system and not the external environment like an actual sound does. For these people, the sound is just "there" but not given much attention even though the neural signal that is perceived as a sound is still present.

There are a couple of factors that can interfere with habituation. These include:

• When the stimuli has a negative emotional attachment to it such as fear or anger as this can keep your attention focused on it.
• When a person is under considerable stress as this can lead to a phenomena known as Central Sensitivity Syndrome or C.S.S. where the mind's ability to filter out unpleasant sensations becomes impaired. (You can read more about C.S.S. here)

This is why stress relief practices in the form of hypnosis, mindfulness meditation, yoga and acupuncture can be helpful to people learning to cope with tinnitus.

Once you get out of constantly being in the fight or flight stress mode, your natural coping mechanism of habituation will improve.

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

Tinnitus Coping Tip #4 Can Mindfulness Help?

Tinnitus Help NJ

A lot of media attention has been given recently to the topic of mindfulness meditation as a useful intervention for stress and anxiety.

Mindfulness is a relatively simple concept but can be quite profound in its effects once you grasp it. It is defined as a state of being completely engaged in the present moment. How could this be helpful to you?

Proponents of mindfulness state that the primary source of stress is when we leave the present moment and either a) dwell on negative events from the past that cannot be changed or b) project our worries into the future, frequently called "what if" thinking.

I've encountered people with tinnitus who constantly replay the events that may have initiated the symptoms, such as,"how could I have been so stupid to go to that loud concert without my ear plugs?" Still others spend a lot of time worrying, "what if this gets worse, am I going to go crazy?"

These thoughts can be as anxiety producing as the actual ringing or buzzing itself.

Yet when you think about it, you are actually OK in the present moment as long as you are breathing. In fact the method of mindfulness meditation I teach to my hypnosis clients usually involves a focus on the breath.

Now you may be wondering though about what if you have an unpleasant symptom going on such as chronic pain or tinnitus, why would you want to be mindful then?

Part of a mindfulness practice is becoming more able to accept whatever is going on in the present moment without judgment. You learn to detach a bit and observe your thoughts and feelings rather than resisting them.

Your negative thoughts and feelings aren't really part of you, they are temporary experiences that will pass, especially if you don't energize them with your attention.

As the Buddha was quoted as saying, "our suffering arises from resisting what is."

A helpful metaphor is to think about thoughts, feelings and sensations as being like ripples in a pond rather than the pond itself.

As mentioned, mindfulness meditation is one of the techniques I teach during my hypnosis sessions along with other methods of self-hypnosis.

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