FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
QUIT SMOKING
ISSUE/QUESTION 1
How effective is hypnosis for quit smoking?
ANSWER :
Let me print out some quotes from newspapers and articles below.
a) Prince Harry has reportedly turned to hypnotherapy in his quest to quit smoking. So is he onto a good thing or wasting his trust fund? Kate Fitzpatrick reports from the UK.
Reports from the UK say that 25-year-old Harry is trying to quit his 20-cigarette-a-day habit with hypnotherapy. His guide in this latest attempt is the best-selling book Quit Smoking Now by celebrity hypnotist Paul McKenna.
McKenna famously helped TV host Ellen DeGeneres quit smoking during a filmed hypnotherapy session on her show in 2006. DeGeneres, who had smoked since she was a teenager, broke down in tears at one point and thanked McKenna afterwards, declaring that "I feel so good, I feel healthier."
Back in Harry's homeland, hypnosis is being used by sections of the police force (at taxpayers' expense) to help them stop smoking. So far 65 percent of those treated have quit, and most of the rest have cut down. "It is worth us paying half for [the hypnosis] because sickness levels have gone down," a spokesman from the West Midlands force told Britain's Mirror newspaper.
According to the Australian Hypnotherapists' Association, hypnotherapy works to "overcome the psychological addiction [to smoking]. Hypnosis allows the habit of being a smoker to be replaced with the habit of being a non-smoker."
ISSUE/QUESTION 2
A prospective client sent an email 3 days before the scheduled appointment expressing doubts regarding readiness to quit smoking.
ANSWER :
Several things spring to mind when I read your email.
1) Yes - it is normal for the 'nicotine monster' to kick up a fuss when it thinks its days are numbered. It is so common that I would say that it makes itself known in one way or another to just about everyone who decides to quit smoking. Some people even get a strong headache or feel sick on the morning of their appointment, but still turn up for the appointment anyway if they are committed and ready to give it their best effort. These people feel that nothing can derail them at that point. It may not be easy to do this - but it's not impossible either. You need to realise that generally speaking people are biologically the same and therefore you are no different from people who quit smoking successfully. You need to realise that you have the same set of 'tools' and capabilities as they do to make it happen. The difference between people is often 'psychological' , and the beliefs you have adopted as an individual as you grew up, and the learned behavior you developed over time, that is what distinguishes you from others - not the 'biology' as such. I strongly believe that what is 'constructed' can also be de-constructed (it is not inborn in other words) and there are many many examples of people who have changed their attitudes, beliefs, habits, behavior patterns etc. when they realised that those were not working for them anymore. Sometimes it's hard sometimes it's easy - but it's always possible. Hypnosis, counselling, healing or whichever method you feel drawn to can then assist you and make it possible - if that is what you have decided to do. But even hypnosis cannot 'make' a person do something they really don't want to do, don't feel compelled to do or can't see the reasons why they should do it.
2) For people who decide to quit smoking hypnosis has been found to be the most successful method out of 15 methods which were compared in a meta-analysis. But is it for you? I say that if you feel drawn to hypnosis then it's most likely the right method for you.
3) Please realise that in truth you are, at any time, just ONE SECOND away from being a non-smoker. It's the second when you decide to change, when you commit to it come rain come shine, when you decide to wear any of the short term pain (which might turn out not to be as bad as you expected or even were prepared to accept) for long term gain and health and happiness. What follows that second is just the process that needs to happen to implement your decision to change - I call this process the 'mechanics' of quit smoking. Have you ever heard of people who quit cold turkey from one moment to the next? That is the SECOND I am talking about.
4) Yes - some people quit gradually and it's an individual thing which is determined by the mix and match of all the factors present at the time. I feel there is nothing wrong with that approach, as long as the commitment to it is as strong as your commitment would be to quitting altogether. I think that this outcome is not a 'half' success with 'half' the guilt etc.- NO NO NO. To reduce your smoking to say 3 cigarettes a day is a great success in its own right and an important step in the right direction that will make it easier to quit altogether when and if you are ready. Of course - if you have real health issues requiring that you quit altogether right now, then you cannot choose to go down that path.
5) Knowing when to quit is important too. You need to be ready for it and willing to put in the effort. Being in the middle of a marriage break-up or any other trauma generally might not be a good time. You may need to stabilise your emotions and gain a little strength first in this case. This is something I also specialise in and could help you with. That said you also need to realise that there will never be a 'perfect' time to do something, anything, and if you really want to do it you will not let circumstances or minor irritations stop you. Only you know your whole set of circumstances so this is something only you can decide.
I hope this answer helps you to decide if now is the right time for you.
You need to be really honest with yourself - without judging yourself. If you notice that you might just be looking for a 'way out' so you don't have to make the effort, then acknowledge that and decide to be a little firmer with yourself from now on - decide to be the adult and to take charge of your life if you will. If you notice that you have real doubts because of your circumstances right now - then acknowledge that and give yourself a little more time and take the pressure off and commit right now to a date when you will look at this issue again - say after Christmas.
STRESS & HYPERTENSION
ISSUE/QUESTION
Email inquiry re whether
hypnotherapy could help with severe stress causing hypertension, elevated cholesterol
etc.
The person is in the care of other health professionals, is also using herbal
remedies and relaxation, but feels more could be done.
ANSWER:
As you know the hypertension
etc can be symptoms of something that is out of balance and not working for
you. So -yes, in hypnosis, with healing suggestions and gentle guidance, we
can influence the body to re-balance and also for your whole Being to do the
same. Stress and chronic tension can create a certain 'rigidity' where things
don't flow naturally anymore. In my healing work, using hypnosis as a starting
point, I focus a lot on re-establishing balance and flow within, and to create
the 'softness' that allows that to happen. You may just call it 'relaxation'
but it is much more. It is also about your body's natural abilities to heal
and re-establish a natural balance and energy flow. In hypnosis we are better
able to assist the body to do this. The 'critical' or 'busy' mind does not distract
you so much. In addition I would also focus on the underlying issues, or causes,
of your anguish. There is a lot of healing that can happen in the hypnotic state
during which I would assist you to access buried emotions or deeper wounds,
then to heal or transform or release them. In addition what I often discover
is that women do not honor their own divine selves enough, are natural givers
and often lose themselves in relationships. This is especially so if you are
a sensitive soul, 'feel' the world acutely, have a heightened sense of justice
and ethics etc. This is a beautiful gift, but can be experienced as a curse
earlier in life as the 'burden' of this heightened sensitivity can sometimes
become too much. We can also work with this aspect - if it applies to you.
FEAR & FEELING STUCK
ISSUE/QUESTION
Email inquiry from a woman living in fear of her abusive ex husband, having nightmares around the fear, being unable to focus, to let go and to move on with her life
ANSWER :
You must have a lot of strength because you left a violent marriage. From the words in your email I sense that you have given too much throughout your life without ever honoring your own needs or expressing your true self. I also sense that you have learned that you cannot be with someone without losing yourself. I sense that you are now drained and have nothing more to give. Is that true? Women tend to be natural givers and nurturers and there are not that many men out there who really understand this and are able to receive this great gift women give to them. Especially these 'giving' women are quite often the ones who are abused and used, they are expected to simply keep giving. But having said that - it is also up to women themselves to reclaim their power if they are in such a situation, men cannot be expected to do it for women. And in any case people will not change something that works well for them. So you must not focus on your ex-husband so much but on yourself and your own healing - which will give you strength and inner peace and clarity. I understand these issues well because they come up quite a lot, especially with women clients. In hypnosis I can assist you to 'find home to yourself', reconnect with your real self, begin to live in a way that honours you, overcome the fears that this sense of being empty create, remember your true powers, release some of the old hurts and heal some of these wounds, rebalance your body and your energy levels - and most of all help you to let go of most of that ugly GUILT, especially when I sense from your email that there is little for you to be guilty about. Of course you made mistakes too, but there's no requirement for you to be an angel either. Just to be a normal, loving, giving woman. But a woman who also honors herself.
WEIGHT / FOOD
ISSUE/QUESTION
1) I am constantly told different stories about what to eat or not to eat in order to shed fat and be healthy, can you tell me more.
ANSWER :
The science behind fat loss
is now pretty clear in some areas. Below I quote some recent research. However,
in a nutshell, don't eat grains, flour, sugar to lose the fat, add a little
bit of those back into diet once fat is lost.
I have some recipes and comments on this way of eating (low carb) on a link
on the home page.
1)
JAMA (This is the Journal
of the American Medical Association - it's known to be careful and conservative).
Christopher D. Gardiner et al, Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish and LEARN
Diets for Change in Weight and Related Risk Factors Among Overweight Premenopausal
Women. The A to Z Weight Loss Study. A Randomised Trial, March 7, 2007 - Vol
297, No 9.
JAMA published this study in 2007, it compared four diets and their health benefits and fat loss efficacy from a scientific and medical perspective. It compared the Atkins diet (very low carb, high protein and fat), the Zone diet (30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fats), the Dean Ornish diet (low fat, high carb) and the standard diet recommended by the Health Authorities called LEARN, based on the current food pyramid.
Over a 12 months study period the Atkins diet (low carb, high protein and high fat) came first on all counts = most fat loss, best overall health improvements ie blood fat triglycerides decreased by 30% etc.
Link
to details of this study
(sorry - yet to be added)
2)
Greene PJ, Willett W. et al , "Pilot 12 week Feeding, Weight Loss Comparison Low Fat vs Low Carbohydrate (Ketogenic) Diets",NAASO meeting Oct.13 2003, Obesity Research Sept 2003, Oral Abstract no95
In this study people were
fed the same calories(1800) but one group was eating low-fat and the other was
eating low carb. The low carb group lost more weight and lost more inches on
waist and hips than the low fat group.
HOWEVER - then the researchers added a third group - they gave another group
of low-carb eaters MORE calories (2100) and this group still lost more weight
and lost more inches than the 1800 cal group of low fat eaters.
RESULT: It's not the calories but what you eat that makes more of a difference.
My view on diets:
No diet is right for everyone and there are ‘horses for courses’.
You may need to design your own ‘diet’ based on your individual
physiology (ie your blood group and your genetics), health issues (ie some foods
aggrevate some conditions such as IBS), your aims (ie to shed excess fat or
to reduce cardiovascular problems) and your beliefs, likes and dislikes (ie
being vegetarian or not liking the feeling and taste of a lot of fat in your
food).
For example - if your aim is to shed excess bodyfat, eat initially (for 2-3
weeks) very few carbs until some fat is lost and your body has adjusted and
switched to fat burning mode (see Atkins). After that time modify the diet to
suit yourself ie by adding more fruit, starchy vegetables and limited legumes,
some low carb sweets now and then (eg cakes baked with xylitol), nuts, maybe
the odd slice of wholemeal bread here and there. I prefer to call this way of
eating ‘LOW STARCH’ and not ‘low carb’, because you
are reducing or omitting starches, grains and sugar, but not vegies, salads
and fruits. Please use real butter instead of margarine, and olive oil and nut
oils (for example macadamia oil) instead of vegetable oils - as margarine, most
processed foods and foods cooked in vegetable oils contain transfatty acids
(warped fat molecules) which are now being identified as a major contributor
to heart disease and other major ailments. So, reduce or cut out sugar, processed
foods, starches and trans-fats and feel the difference. I think it’s maybe
what you don’t eat (rather than what you do eat) that can make all the
difference. Some people suggest that low carb diets are difficult to follow
for vegetarians. If you are a vegetarian, you too could possibly benefit from
fewer starches, refined flour products, transfatty acids and from less sugar
in your diet. Note:
These are my personal experiences based on my own research and years of trial
and error. I have no formal qualifications in cooking, diet, nutrition, medicine
or biochemistry. Please consult a doctor, nutrition or diet professional if
in doubt.
more issues will be added on an ongoing basis
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