Learning from 2009

As the few remaining days of 2009 tick by, I wonder how this year, and the last decade will be viewed by history. I wonder how history will view world events; view our country, our politicians, and our society? I wonder if we will be brave enough to look at ourselves and what we have and haven’t done.

Time will tell, I hope our leaders will learn from it. I hope we as individuals will learn from our past too, because it is only by remembering our past actions and our inaction that we can feel sure footed enough going into our future. As long as we learn from the mistakes, and avoid them in the future, as long as we build on the positive times, we can move into the next year and decade better than we leave this one.

Those of us who take an interest in the news headlines and look a little deeper, will not be surprised that our society is going to have some testing times over the coming few years. Economically we can expect hardships, those who are hoping to avoid those hardships will, in the main be disappointed, for only a small percentage of individuals will be untouched by the pending economic storm.

For the rest of us, it will be a case of heads down and hard work. We will need to develop innovative products and services for our businesses to survive. We will have to learn self development methods to meet the challenges which will inevitable be faced, and we will have to take responsibility for our selves.

None of the above however is beyond us; we are more than capable of meeting the economic storm which is gathering. We have done so in the past, and we will do so again. On a personal level, I developed my IBS Audio Program 100 because there was a real need for it, and the many other programs I have developed over the years were developed because there is a real need for them. Some of them I hope will be used to help us to rise to the challenges to come. Dealing with the disappointments and negative emotions of being made redundant is an obvious example. Developing greater confidence and self esteem will be necessary for many people. Dealing with anxiety should be high on the to do list too. For those who struggle with irritable bowel syndrome IBS and its physical and emotional symptoms may well find the symptoms become worse during stressful times and events and considering new options of choice may be needed.

Every day of my working life I meet and work with people who are prepared to learn, to let go of old negative thought patterns, who invest in their own self development, learning to meet challenges in their every day lives and relationships.

Meeting the challenges of highly stressful events at work, and out of work, I work with people who have chosen to take responsibility for them selves, and to help themselves to live a happier, more comfortable and more balanced life.

Some of them come from difficult backgrounds and up bringing, others just setting out on life, in their teens and early twenties but all of them exhibit one thing, a common thread through them all, and that is one of an inner strength, an inner resource which has helped them to over come, sometimes even the word survive is not to strong for some of their journeys, but that strength is there, and they have chosen to use it to help them to move on, to something better, and invariably they are successful, because they know and realise that they can do, and be better, than they are when we first meet.

And that same strength I believe is in each and every one of us. I believe that each and every one of us, regardless of background can achieve more, if we first identify the need and desire to move on, and then act upon it. Finding what we need to help us to move on, identify what we want to achieve and then find the help, in whatever form to help us be more balanced and productive human beings.

So when we see the headlines in the papers and on the news in the coming months, let us remind ourselves that headlines sell papers, and grab attention, but let us remember that we can choose to be victors or victims, we can choose to wait and see, or we can choose to go out and grab what we want, and as long are we are not scared of hard work, and don’t always expect a quick fix, if we have patience, but also a drive to move on, then we can look forward to something better.

I see the possibilities very day with patients, and receive emails from people using my programs who have trusted themselves to make a difference. And usually it all starts by acknowledging the past, and learning from it, and then moving on in a different way to create a better life for themselves and their families, and therefore a better future too. And this often ripples out and touches those around them too.

My hope for 2010 and beyond is that we use what we have learned from the past, to map a better, brighter future for ourselves and society in general.

2010 New Year, New Hope?

What do you expect 2010 to bring you and those you love?

Are you one of those people who simply ‘go with the flow’ and believes you just have to put up with whatever life throws at you? Or are you someone who decides what you want and goes out and gets it?

Which ever type of personality you are, both individual types have the ability to achieve what you want to achieve?

The secret, if it is a secret is to simply believe what you want is achievable, learn the skills needed to help you on your journey and go for your goal.
If you are out of work for example, do something to help yourself stand out from the crowd, to make yourself a more attractive selection to a new employer. Consider becoming self employed, can you adapt a hobby or pass time into a business venture? What do you need to help yourself in the job market?

My audio program ‘Laid Off, Move On’ for those made jobless through redundancy is perhaps something for you to consider.

What impact would it make on your CV and in your job interview if you could say:
“You realised, while unemployed you had to stand out from the crowd, to become a better proposition to a new employer, and so you invested in yourself (both in time and money) by learning about releasing negative thought patterns and destructive self limiting beliefs related to being unemployed, so you could concentrate better, become more confident in your abilities recognising that you are valuable and that you have retained those skills and talents and experience”.

How would that sound, especially if this investment in yourself reduced the time it took for you to be trained in your new role, integrating more quickly, learning new policy and procedures more readily, and generally having no baggage from the previous period of joblessness, helping you to be a more rounded and balanced individual.

Another plus for your new employer would be reducing the time spent managing or over-seeing you in your new job role, not only making you productive more quickly, but also reducing the dilution of existing resources within the new company, returning the individual training you to full productivity more quickly, this is a definite win-win situation for your, your employer and your future and loved ones.

And at least something to consider! If you have found this useful, visit my Hypnotes section of writings which may help to inspire you, or at least give you ‘food for thought’.

Visit my site Healthy Audio

2010 the begining of the Decade of Anxiety

One newspaper article today has called the next decade ‘the decade of anxiety’. With the continuing demands and pressures which most ordinary individuals have been facing through much of last year, all of this year, and with the same or worse to look forward to over the next few years it might be a fair comment.

But, I really do hope that we don’t talk ourselves into even more doom and gloom, we seem to have done a good job of doing that when the recession was looming, all the headlines of doom and gloom, the widely off the mark projected deaths due to swine flu which fortunately were drastically reduced when level headedness returned, all contributed to high levels of anxiety in the general population.

However it is fair to say the next few years will be difficult for most of us, anxiety will be running high, especially if interest rates start to rise in the spring as predicted. Unemployment rates are also not expected to get any better in the next 12-18 months, even if the UK comes out of recession soon.

So I can see the foundations of the statement of the decade of anxiety, but one thing the writer did not mention is what we can do for ourselves. We can help our selves, we don’t have to simply sit by and let circumstances over take us. For those who do feel anxious help is available though my Anxiety Audio Program 120, a major self help anxiety treatment program.

For those that are jobless, the first step to getting back into employment or self employment is to acknowledge the negative and harmful emotions that are so often associated to being laid off, if these are not acknowledged there is a risk of secondary or causal depression to creep in, sabotaging recovery and ability to move one. My Laid Off, Move On program was developed specifically to help in such situations.

For many, whether employed or not, confidence and self esteem are often affected by circumstances at home, in the work place or due to economic or social circumstances. Without confidence and self esteem life can be difficult, self limiting and self sabotaging. See my confidence and self esteem program to help you structure a new or re-learned approach to developing your confidence again.

2010 will be full of opportunity as well as some challenges and it is for each and every one of us to embrace the opportunities, and equip ourselves with the skills to enhance our already existing talents, gifts and knowledge to help us overcome or get around the challenges.

Whatever you do this Christmas, I wish you peace and happiness and good health and prosperity in the New Year.

Hypnotherapy & Cancer workshop

After a very busy couple of weeks my feet have finally touched the ground again and I felt had to write about my visit to Swansea on the weekend of 5 / 6 December to deliver my workshop on working with cancer patients. A workshop for hypnotherapists in practice who want to know more about the benefits and uses of hypnotherapy with cancer patients.

At the request of Alan & Bridgette of Zodiac Therapy of Swansea
I re-visited them again after a trip in the summer when I delivered a workshop on the benefits and uses of hypnotherapy with Irritable Bowel Syndrome patients.

The feedback from attendees has been welcome and positive, and I look forward to my visits again in Swansea in 2010 (see Zodiac Therapy website) for cancer and IBS workshops. If you can't make it to Swansea see my site for information

Watch out for my new workshop on IBS in Children and also practice development.
To all those who attended the workshop many thanks for your kind words.

IBS in Children

During November Healthy audio Limited are offering 15% discount on their IBS Audio Program 60 for children.

The program was developed by myself, and follows the proven Ongoing Progressive session Induction Method (OPSIM) which I developed for the acclaimed IBS Audio Program 100 for adults.

Researchers are recognising hypnosis for IBS in children is just as beneficial, though many doctors prefer not use the word hypnosis which is a little strange since the word Hypnosis was a term first used by James Braid, a Scottish Physician in approx 1842!

This Hypnosis Audio Program is suitable for ages 8-13 years, it has an informational summary for parental / guardian listening, two introductory tracks for the child and six interlinked sessions, and has an accompanying booklet including listening schedule, check list, progress log and other relevant information.

IBS in Children is a troublesome distressing condition, for both child and parent. For those with children suffering with IBS you don't have to be told this! For those parents who have not considered hypnotherapy for the IBS condition then I hope the information on my website gives you hope, and whether or not you decide to use my program or seek out a therapist who has worked in this field, I wish you and your child well.

Emotional aspects of Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS

For the last few weeks I have been working with a team of videographers to produce my first You Tube video. I decided to do this because I feel it is important that people with IBS recognise the emotional impact IBS has on their well being, just as well as they identify the physical symptoms.

I passionately believe that until and unless IBS sufferers recognise that IBS has this dual impact on their lives they will find it hard to break free of IBS. Each day in my practice I explain this important facet of IBS, and literally all are unaware of it. It is part of the IBS condition largely ignored or unrecognised by the medical community.

In fact only recently a report was produced by a well known research establishment that finally acknowledges the importance emotions play in IBS, and how they have to be addressed if the sufferer is to obtain relief from their IBS. Fortunately the IBS Audio Program 100 has been explaining this to its users for the last 11 years!

So this video gives the viewer some insight into the importance of how the emotions are drained and the impact that has on the individual and their every day life.

The IBS Audio Program 100 for adults carries a fuller and deeper explanation, but I believe, and hope this video will at least bring an awareness of the importance of the emotional impact IBS has on their life.

Anxiety Treatment Hypnosis

Late last week I received a wonderful email from a

user of my Anxiety Treatment hypnosis program. I was delighted with this feedback which captures, what I wanted to achieve when I developed the program. The user as you will read below has not yet completed the program, but I suspect she can look forward to more benefits.

Hi Mike, Just wanted to say thanks for the anxiety programme I am really enjoying it and find I can really relate to all the things you say! Although not yet finished it I thought I would send an update. I found the resource libraries very good and explanations you give are an excellent description of the way it sometimes feels! Basically it feels as though the whole programme was written for me personally! When I get my dizzy spells I just think to myself its only anxiety its just a thought! I have made some positive progress feeling a lot more confidant
On the whole I am feeling pretty good still have bad days but they are just that days as opposed to weeks. Thanks again ~Laura B Cheshire England

I think it is important for all those who are anxious and see no way out of their anxiety feelings to understand that there are options. I suspect this program will be used as a last resort by many users, this was the case with my IBS Audio Program 100 in the early days. For some it is difficult to understand how just listening to a CD can help. (This program is 6 CDs, or MP3 download, contains 2 resource library tracks, 2 familiarisation tracks, 10 interlinked sessions, a listening schedule, symptoms check list and other relevant information for the user.

The very short answer I give people when I am asked about this is as follows.

It's really quite simple, each and every thought creates a physical response, so if you change the thought you change the response. If you change the thought of expectation you change the response too. If you choose to think differently life too can be different.

So anyone who is suffering with anxiety and panic attacks,

1st: remember reading this,

2nd: bookmark my site, and

3rd: when the time is right (there is no hard sell on my site. Ever!) consider using it as

it might be the best thing you did to help yourself.

Irritable bowel Syndrome IBS in children

Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS is a common motility problem of the digestive system. Research often cites the number of lost working days, social impact and other examples of how IBS blights the lives of sufferers. Many report in fact the majority reports are relating to the impact of IBS in adults, but what about children who have irritable bowel syndrome, what is their story?

Some 10 years ago I released the IBS Audio Program 100 for adults, as I was one of the first to recognise the emotional impact this condition has on the IBS sufferer, now it appears others in the field of gastroenterology are more fully recognising the importance emotions play in compounding the IBS condition.

But what about IBS in our children? What about the fear and unknowing this condition brings to our children, in addition to the physical aspects of the condition? What about the missed days at school, what about the social impact and the missed days from work for parents or guardians?

In 2008 I was delighted to receive a local business innovation and research award for my work in paediatric IBS and the program I developed the IBS Audio Program 60 for children

For the ages of 8 – 13 years this audio program has interlinked sessions using imagery and suggestion to help reduce the physical symptoms and of course the emotional symptoms of this condition.

With a parental CD and listening schedule included for support, guidance and understanding this program is like its adult version, leading the way, quietly but effectively.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS ~ save money

The IBS Audio Program 100 is the leading home IBS treatment program of its kind, developed for irritable bowel syndrome sufferers and has been available since 1998.

Now we have some 'nearly new stock', this is stock which has come back in from trade fairs or shows or for a number of other reasons.

IMPORTANTLY they are not seconds, they have never been used, and the packaging is intact too. We call them nearly new, because they have been out of our offices, and have been logged back into secondary stock.

To find out more click the link above or click here.

There has never been a better time to get this program. Stock is limited however.

Also on our IBS pages you will find lots of information to help you understand IBS too. Don't let this troublesome condition blight your life any longer.

Retirement phobia & bad dreams

I worked with a lovely lady recently who had a couple of problems, one of bad dreams; the other was a phobia of retiring. She has been a high flying professional business lady, self employed and had built a successful business with an equally impressive reputation. I will let Wendy Edwards tell her story.

Please click her to see and hear her story

The reason I have posted this is to show hypnotherapy is a treatment option that is often overlooked. However the types of problems it can help with is as wide and diverse as we are individuals.

People think of hypnosis for smoking and weight loss. Many people know of my work treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) personally and through the successful IBS Audio Program 100 along with anxiety and breast cancer recover. But as Wendy attests the more unusual problems can be helped too.

Redundancy and being laid off

The news reports state more job losses, but the spin on the news is that the UK figures were not as bad as expected. This is no comfort for those who have been laid off redundant or for those who face the prospect of redundancy in the future.

In fact I was dismayed when I tried to get help from my local member of parliament (MP), who basically didn't answer any of my emails when I wanted help regarding my 'Laid Off Move On' audio set. This audio program was developed specifically to help those individuals affected deal with the emotional aspects of redundancy, the panic, anxiety, the mood swings, the lack of confidence, the feelings of guilt, self blame and much more. I simply wanted some guidance how to move on with this Audio CD set.

However not only were my emails ignored, our publicist's phone calls were not returned either. We are deciding how to respond to this, perhaps the answer is to just go to the national press and let them know about this apathy, but is there any news there given the public perception of most of our elected representatives at present?

Personally I find it beyond belief that a representative of the people is choosing to ignore the people, especially at these difficult times. There is plenty of hot air and spin on what is being done, but trying to quantify it is a different thing!

The program I developed is designed to help people to come to terms emotionally with redundancy, so they have the emotional energy and belief and drive to pull themselves up, to begin to look at CV preparation, to help them to a place where they can make good decisions regarding financial planning, to help them to be motivated to re-train and more.

All these are needed to help the individual and also society, but underpinning it all is the individuals own belief system and that is the foundation for growth, without it no matter how much the politicians want to make us belief they are helping, ignoring (or not even recognising it) this important aspect of individual growth, and thereby economic growth is folly. Not to mention the implications on other family members, economic costs and social costs.

I will continue to ask questions to those who are in a position to help me, and the many thousands who could benefit from this program, but I no longer expect any answers from the obvious areas.
However I do live in hope. And I do belief, despite the seeming apathy from some quarters, eventually I will be heard, since the message I have for the redundant jobless is too important to be ignored.

An Aid to Emotional Recovery After Breast Cancer

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, I thought it right to give a gentle reminder of my CD program entitled ‘An Aid to Emotional Recovery After Breast Cancer’.

An Aid to Emotional Recovery after Breast Cancer© is a recording with a difference; Different because it was developed, recorded and piloted specifically for sufferers of breast cancer ~ women and men, and has helped many breast cancer patients over the years.

Having worked with cancer survivors for many years I identified a common thread of experience and often distress in my patients.

Simply, emotional support was either ill defined or explained to patients. This lack of knowledge and expectation often led patients to falter in their recovery, when they and everyone else expected it to continue. This recording explains why and how, and guides the listener back into recovery, gently and with sensitivity.

This audio recording is designed to help the individual emotionally during and following recovery. It is so often mentioned by recovering breast cancer patients that “people now just seem to think I am alright again”. Few people who have not gone through an emotional and physical trauma can understand the impact such occurrences have on the emotions of the individual. This audio program goes some way in helping in the all-important emotional healing which is needed before true recovery is felt and achieved.

As the title suggests, the CD (also on MP3 download) is an aid to emotional recovery. It is not an alternative to breast cancer treatment. The connection between mind and body is well known in medical circles, a positive mindset is acknowledged to aid both emotional and physical recovery.

The program has been reviewed and accepted as a suitable aid for breast cancer recovery by hospitals throughout England. Each hospital breast cancer team consisting of numerous physicians, oncologist nurses and specialists reviewed the CD before it was even considered to be recommended to patients.

Now, this program is not only available to patients via these hospitals, but to breast cancer survivors through my website as well.

It is my hope that this audio program is a start to providing additional resources in the area of emotional healing and support to those women who may not otherwise have had access to support of this kind previously.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome patients survey

Yesterday I made a post about an interesting study on IBS.
My commentary observations are below.

A revealing study entitled: International Survey of Patients With IBS: Symptom Features and Their Severity, Health Status, Treatments, and Risk Taking to Achieve Clinical Benefit has been published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology: July 2009 - Volume 43 - Issue 6.

In it, it was reported that some surveyed “IBS patients would give up 25% of their remaining life, an average of 15 years, in order to receive a treatment that would make them symptom free.” This is quite an astonishing revelation. It was also reported that a combined 14% would risk a 1/100 chance of death and/or serious and disabling side effects in exchange for elimination of symptoms .

This is an astonishing finding, and is probably a fair representation of the frustration and despair felt by a good majority of refractory (resistant to treatments) IBS patients worldwide.

It was interesting to note that even with a listing of medications as well as complementary and alternative treatments, only two mind-body approaches, meditation (5%) and relaxation (5%), were reported as being tried by only 10% of the respondents.


There was absolutely no mention of the use of gut-directed or gut-specific clinical hypnotherapy reported. Yet, there has been over twenty years of its successful use in clinical trials. How astonishing it is to know that an individual would prefer to put a potentially harmful substance in their body before considering an extremely effective treatment method that is virtually free of side-effects.

It is certainly understandable why IBS patients who have already had years taken from their lives in pain and frustration, would opt for such a extreme consideration. Society is geared for instant results. Take a pill today and feel better within a few hours. Or perhaps, take a pill or two daily, and over a few weeks, feel better.

But what happens when the pills don’t result in the patient feeling better, no matter the duration of time? I have had a few people object to allowing themselves a mere ½ hour a day to relax and passively listen to a series of different guided interlinked imagery/hypnotherapy sessions for IBS over the course of a mere 80 days for a journey to feeling better. (The IBS Audio Program 100 is structured over a 100 days which includes 80 days of listening for only ½ an hour on those days).

For a few very severe refractory IBS cases, it may take a few more days, but the reality in my world, is that the vast majority of patients greatly reduce and even eliminate symptoms within the 100 days of their entire life. There is no risk of negative side effects; there is no risk of less years of life. Yet people are willing to take such risks, and they don’t have to.

The only thing standing between the IBS patient and starting to feel better and reduce symptoms is knowledge. IBS patients it seems are just not aware of all of their options. Clinical hypnotherapy, or guided imagery specifically designed for the IBS patients, such as the IBS Audio Program 100® for Adults and Teens and the IBS Audio Program 60® for Children have shown over many years that this treatment is not only safe, it is also extremely effective for the vast majority of patients.

For the IBS sufferer, there is a big difference between being willing to shorten their life by an average of 15 years in exchange for being symptom-free and a mere 100 days to take the journey to feeling better.

A big difference. Fifteen years or 5,475 days vs. 100 days.
That’s 5,375 days difference.

All rights of the report owners acknowledged.

IBS sufferers prepared to die early for relief from symptoms

In a recent study by the respected International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) and in collaboration with the equally respected University of North Carolina (UNC) Centre for Functional GI and Motility (all rights and copyright acknowledged) it was identified that some sufferers of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) were prepared to accept a chance of death or serious and disabling side effects if offered a medication that would give them total relief of their IBS symptoms.

Respondents report on average 73 days or 20% of the year where sufferers needed to restrict their activities due to IBS. The report makes serious reading, and I welcome it, because in the report it recognises the importance of the emotional impact of IBS on the life of the sufferer as a result of years of frustration and suffering with the physical symptoms.

37% of respondents were using complementary and alternative medicine.
8% of the 1966 respondents would accept a 1 in 100 chance of death to be symptom free.
6% of the 1966 respondents would accept a 1 in 100 chance of serious and disabling side effects to be symptoms free. See the full report here

The authors have to be congratulated on the breadth and depth of the report. One of the things which pleases me most about this report is the formal recognition of the emotional importance of IBS. IBS is not simply a physical condition - it has significant emotional aspects too.

As someone who has worked with IBS patients since 1991 (and still do), I have often wondered why so many IBS patients leave their medical doctor with the feeling they have not been listened to. The IBS Audio Program 100 was designed specifically for both physical and emotional aspects of IBS, and its success for many of its users is in the structure of the program and the recognition of the emotional symptoms.

To the authors, congratulations for an excellent report which will resonate with users around the world. As a clinical hypnotherapist with more than 18 years experience of working with IBS, I hope this report will be a springboard to show at last the importance of all aspects of IBS, not just the physical impact, and for anyone willing to give up an average of 15 years of their remaining life for symptom alleviation (another statistic from the report) I would simply say it is a high price to pay, when other options may be available.

Hypnotes Column

Readers may be interested in my monthly Hypnotes column which is featured for many years in Warrington-Worldwide magazine.

Articles range from subjects such as the economic downturn to Irritable Bowel Syndrome, my IBS Audio Program 100, to adapting to change, to taking time off in recovery and many more.

I hope you enjoy them.
Regards
Michael

Redundancy

Having been made redundant in the early 80's in that recession I have a feeling and memory of what it is like to be redundant, out of work, laid off and all the other descriptors brought to this situation. None however seem to sum up what it really means.
It is not only the job that goes, it is the perception for many of reduced social standing, many find confidence and self esteem are impacted, ability and willingness to socialise are reduced. Quality of life can go down, memory and recall can be affected, emotions such as anger, guilt blame, shame, frustration, weepiness and many more besides can be experienced. For those who feel this way, consider clicking here, to read more about my Laid Off, Move On CD program set, specifically for this situation.
I wish you well, and a speedy journey back into employment.
Regards
Michael

Anxiety & Hypnosis

Anxiety / Anxious
These are those terms we use far to easily, like stress, we use that term to easily in every day life too. It, she, him, that stresses me, I feel / felt anxious all to commonly used in every day communication. Yet it is something we should be careful about doing, because these words Anxiety / Anxious / Stress, can close an individual down, stop them going out, socialising and living life to the full. Their effects can ripple out and touch the lives of partners and children, friends and work colleagues.

These conditions make life miserable, truly miserable for the sufferer, I know because I work with these conditions almost every day of my life, and have in the past experienced first hand the impact of them. And because of this, I decided to do something about it. Just as I did in the past when I decided to do something about the effects of IBS or irritable bowel syndrome and made a difference to the lives of thousands of people in the process. Just as I did when I developed the CD An Aid to Emotional Recovery After Breast Cancer. I do not find it an option to do nothing.

So, I developed the Anxiety audio program 120, the largest program I have ever undertaken, and I am pleased to say it is having the desired effects on users. It is heartening too to know that making a difference to the user, will ripple out positively to those supporting the anxiety sufferer. And that has to be good.

To all those who suffer with anxiety, be aware that all things are transient, they will pass. Remember too each moment is an end and a new beginning, and that simply means just because we feel anxious one moment, doesn't mean it will remain that way.
I wish you all well
Michael

Back Again!

After a few months away form the blog, its good to be back again. In the time away many things have been happening, but somethings have to always take priority, such as customers!

I insist on maintaining service levels, and product availability, and answering emails as soon as possible. Certainly no-one should have to wait more than 6 working hours for a reply even if it is an acknowledgement we are dealing with the email. Even in our most busy times.

In addition to the normal routines, I have been optimising our site, adding new pages, overseeing the promotion of my Anxiety audio program. We have a new person with us now too, Carl, will be looking after promotion and PR so he will free me up to do other things.

I continue to work with patients on a one to one basis too, in addition to my time in Healthy Audio www.healthyaudio.com

My hypnotes column in Warrington-World-Wide continue to attract readers and comment so that is good. If you would like to look at my hypnotes selection click here www.healthyaudio.com/content/articles

Its good to be back.
Keep well

Hypnotherapy: An explanation

You may wonder how hypnosis, hypnotherapy and guided imagery can actually be of any benefit to you and help you to improve various medical or emotional conditions. Hypnosis is not stage hypnosis, nor mind control.

Hypnosis simply puts you into a normal and natural state of mind that all individuals experience many times throughout the day. It is a state of intense concentration. Experiencing hypnosis or hypnotherapy is not sleep, unconsciousness, nor mind control, it is simply an altered state of consciousness. Day dreaming for example is another altered state of consciousness, you remain alert and aware of your surroundings but your focus of attention is elsewhere.

Generally experienced as restful and relaxing, it is different to slumber. During hypnosis (the altered state of consciousness) you are aware of your surroundings, hearing sounds, smelling smells, also being aware of movements and in control of your actions. Consciousness is NOT lost, rather it becomes more selective.
It is typical to be more aware of internal processes than in the outside world’s activities and distractions. Contemporary scientific studies show trance is a natural and normal state of mind and like other states, such as alertness or pleasure, which have many different and individual components.

When a therapist uses this very same state in hypnosis to guide and assist you, this becomes therapy – hypnotherapy uses the state of hypnosis as a form of therapy – and anything the therapist says, you can accept or reject freely. Being in the state of hypnosis is not only natural, but it is voluntary, and you are able to speak, hear, and communicate if needed.

Guided imagery or visualization is one aspect of hypnotherapy where descriptions of images for you to visualize help you to work through various medical or emotional concerns either by direct suggestion or use of metaphor in the imagery. It is often said that imagery is the language of the subconcious mind. These images may not be “rational” to your conscious mind, but they are symbols that can be very powerful tools in helping to guide you to heal or improve yourself for many conditions. Other times, the therapist will give you suggestions to help you on your healing journey. Each person interprets these suggestions, or views the imagery in their own way, according to what is needed by the person at the time – you will experience the very same session differently from another individual, because your own subconscious mind knows exactly how to interpret the images or suggestions in the way that is just right and tailor-made for you.

For more about being always in control, about the brain, brain waves and more, follow the link provided.

The PR Company!

The PR Company didn’t quite reply in the way I was hoping they would! After years of researching and development of the IBS Audio Program 100, the PR Company who will remain nameless to hide their blushes, sent back the IBS Audio Program 100 unopened with a nice note on what looked like expensive letter headed papers.

Dear Mr Mahoney, Thank you for your recent communication.
Having reviewed your product; the IBS Audio Program 100, it is, it is in our opinion
unmarketable and therefore return it to you.

Thank you for contacting us,
We wish you well for the future.

Yours sincerely….

So there it was. Failure at the first hurdle! They sent it back even without even opening it, which initially hurt me, but then decided (after a few days of internal searching of where I had gone wrong!) they were wrong not me.

I had seen first hand what this condition did to the lives of people. I had learned through my research into this that my program worked. So I decide to keep going.

(And for anyone connected to that company, I can tell you, your lack of foresight, and perceived laziness did me a great favour in the long run. The program is now used by IBS sufferers in 43 countries, and from me, and the thousands it has helped. THANK YOU!)

Without that knock back, I wouldn’t have been spurred on to do more, to keep persevering, so again thank you.

Time passed and people got to know about my IBS Audio Program 100, I got great positive feedback from it. And for some considerable time I focussed on that. Then I was asked to do a follow up program for people who had done the IBS Audio Program 100 and wanted to work on other areas of their life, and so my next program was developed, Towards Inner Peace. Over the years, I did more research in more areas and subjects, until today we have 17 programs which are helping lots of people in many different ways.

Next Hypnotherapy

Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS

Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS
The birth of the IBS Audio Program 100

In 1991 I was visited by three women in the same week at the medical centre where I am based, all presenting with IBS, irritable bowel syndrome a common gastrointestinal condition for which there is no medical cure, nor is there any real understanding of why it develops in some individuals and not in others, but there are some excellent theories and lots of medical research still going on so the hope for a cure out of a bottle is still alive.

In that week of 1991 I saw the misery first hand this condition brings to people. I didn’t know much about the condition but in that week I had seen enough to know this was something I wanted to become involved in. I didn’t work with the three women as I didn’t know enough about it to give me confidence enough that I could help. So I started researching, I started learning lots about the IBS condition.

I saw there was research being done using hypnotherapy to help IBS sufferers, I learned about that too, and after several years I was confident I could start to write my own scripts. But I wasn’t going to do it the way I had discovered in my research of others, I believed I could do it differently, but still as (hopefully more) effectively as what was already being done.

Every IBS patient that came to me I treated for free. I explained I was learning about the condition and if they were willing, so was I. And what I did made sense, I brought a structure to the learning about getting well, I could see the difference is a short time of the majority of people I was working with, physically and emotionally there were recovering, growing, getting well and enjoying taking part in their own healing. They gave great testimonials to their friends and family and their doctors. They couldn’t believe it, I was delighted and word spread.

I saw more and more people for it, and they were going to their doctors and the doctors started to send people to me. Eventually I had to start charging for the service, nothing major but there are economics in life, I had my family to keep, by his time our daughter had arrived and was eating us out of house and home along with her brother. But even then the clients and patients still came. I knew what I had developed was important.

One day I did a home visit to a chap, I recorded his session on my portable tape recorder as I always did, and he said, you need to record this professionally. I knew no-one who did recordings professionally, I had no idea about how I would go about it, and I certainly didn’t have the money to do it. So I parked the idea, but the thought never left me.

Then a few weeks later, I saw a patient who just in passing said she played the flute, and she was going to be recorded, she had a friend who did it. I was immediately interested, I asked if I could be introduced to her friend, I was and we hit it off immediately. We shared similar beliefs had similar morals and ethics and it worked well.

I had to restructure the scripts I had done, to make them more usable for listeners, I had to make sure the listening schedule was right too. It all mattered, it had to be right.

The first recording session was a nerve rattling experience. Even the slightest outside sound could be heard, the microphone was so sensitive. The recordings were getting done, but the work was taking me away from my patients and my income. It was costing more than expected. So I raised money by getting a loan and put my home up as capital. It was a nerve wracking experience, but I was so sure I was doing the right thing.

I also then had to get patients to try the recordings I had created, to follow the schedule for 100 days and to report back to me over the next three years. By this time it was late 1997 the logistics of the duplication, packaging, delivery and fabrication has been massively underestimated. But I learned, I found people I could trust and work with through trial and error I eventually had the packaging of the program done, by today’s standards it looks quite amateurish but it was the content that mattered, and to be honest at the time it looked fine.

I was sure the program would work, the results from the trials were very pleasing, and it was time to get the word out. My first decision was to contact a big Press Release company and so my labour of love, the IBS Audio Program 100 was sent off for its first commercial critique.

Tomorrow: Disaster!

My First ~ and almost last client!

Now out of training, after all the study now it was time for the most exciting part of all, that of getting out into the real world, to make a difference, to help to heal those in need, comfort those in distress, guide those who had lost direction. My leaflets went out as inserts in the local rag, and I waited for the phone to ring, expecting a surge of calls and being in total demand.

Well not quite! It was now 1986, hypnotherapy in those days was pretty much unheard of, and it was seen as hocus-pocus, baloney and more. In fact in those early days I chose to get an answer machine, this to my friends made me a ‘Yuppie’ this may be another term unfamiliar to younger readers ~ (young upwardly-mobile professional) which was far from the truth. Little did my friends know I got the answer machine to field off the idiots who knew nothing about hypnosis and saw it as a means of doing harm, doing evil. In fact nothing could have been further from the truth. I had left a well paid job, did some serious brain testing studying to do what I had chosen to do. It was my choice to leave the comfort of a secure job, to help those in need.

They knew nothing about what I had been trained for, and what I knew was that I was not going to allow those types to concern me or worry my family. I knew I wanted to do this, and that was exactly what I was going to do. However it did provide a learning curve for me, I fell back on my training, not to be offended; some people get scared or abusive when they don’t know or understand something. So I let it go and moved on.

Eventually the phone did ring a client! Remain professional, it was exciting and I had to try and prevent that excitement getting in the way of being professional. A few days later I did a home visit. Now bearing in mind whenever I speak about a client, it will be about events over 10 years ago (this is about 23 years ago now) names and places will be changed to ensure anonymity.

Of all the things for a first client I had a chap with a sexual problem! Just my luck! And yet I had been trained for such clients and was entirely professional. All the usual first meet questions were asked, I told him about hypnotherapy. A few days later I returned and was setting up my audio tapes, one for ambient music, and the other to record the session to which he would listen in between times we would meet.

As I was setting up the cassettes he excused himself saying he needed the bathroom. He came back completely starker’s! As naked as a jaybird (although jay birds aren’t naked, the origin of that phrase poses a question perhaps for the wordsmiths among you readers). I was shocked, but I hope he didn’t notice, I simply told him there was no need for it and he should get dressed. He left the room and came back suitably attired.

I felt a bit uneasy, but all was fine, after all I am over 6ft tall and trained to look after myself so no physical threat was imminent, but I remained uneasy. I had explained at the initial consultation that hypnotherapy is a process not a magic wand and that there would have to be more that one session.

During the now regular post session discussion I hold with people, he made it clear that it wasn’t hypnotherapy he wanted, it was more me he wanted! That questions not only his sanity but his eye-sight in my view! I assured him nothing more was on offer. I packed up and left, after being paid of course.

I didn’t see another client for three weeks. I was disappointed, is this how it was going to be? Is this what I had left a good job for, had left good salary and security to satisfy some lonely mans fantasy! I didn’t see any other clients for three weeks out of choice, the leaflets were doing their work, I was getting calls, but after three weeks, my wife quietly said to me “why are you letting one person ruin what you want to do, what you have trained had to do and that you have a passion for”? She was right, and from that moment I changed, I was back to it again, enthusiastic and wanting to make a difference.

At my workshops I often tell this story in more depth, but I always add, if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone, so I always warn those therapists who do home visits, especially females, be aware!

Tomorrow ~ IBS

How it all started

Welcome to my Blog.
For quite along time I have been thinking about writing my own blog and wondered what it was I would talk about. Yet anyone who knows me will be aware that I am rarely short of a word or several hundred, especially in the clinical environment.

I thought I would start this blog, by answering a question that is asked me many times, and that is, how did I get into hypnotherapy?

In the early 1980’s I was made redundant from my office job, and I already knew that I preferred working with people rather than shuffling paper. I wanted to do something productive, something really worth while, and I had inherited my mothers’ calmness and I hope some of her kindness and caring.

All around me I saw the devastation that redundancy was bringing to people, strong people reduced to tears and frightened. I had a baby son a few months old at this time, and a new mortgage so things were pretty tense. Somehow I had a calmness in me, I saw it as an opportunity to move on, to get into the caring profession, but which one and how?

One day I opened a broadsheet and saw an advert to become a clinical hypnotherapist, it struck me as different; in fact I had no idea what it was about. I sent off for some information and in due course it arrived back, I was bitten by the healing bug, just reading about it, how it could help people, how it could remove fears and dread, how hypnosis could enhance an individuals self esteem and confidence, remove physical and emotional problems, simply by talking, and as previously mentioned I could do that alright!

So to cut a long story sort, I went and took my entrance exams and passed those and then had to wait for the new course to begin. In the meantime I got a job in the computer industry, at that time I knew nothing about them, PC’s were brand new. I remember the first computer I saw, it was a single floppy machine ~ you may be to young to know what that means, but it was, as they say nowadays ‘mega’

This big box, with a big deep monitor, was attracting interest from many quarters. It was a mono screen and in those days this simple machine by today’s standards cost thousands of pounds, the software for it was limited and expensive too, yet it seemed the way things were set to go.

Soon afterwards, although now I can’t really recall exactly how soon afterwards, the duel floppy machine came in, and then wow!! a hard disk machine. A 10Mb hard disk arrived. That really got people excited.

I was pretty sure I wanted to stick with my pending training in hypnotherapy, the temptation to stay in the industry was quite high, and there were promises of lots of money if I worked hard. As it happened during some of my training and then licentiate membership I returned to the industry to earn more money.

The hypnotherapy course was looming and in a relatively short time, I had established a presence in the computer company, and the progression allowed me to ask my boss for a golden handshake, though it wasn’t called that in those days, I was leaving and wanted some money to help me though my training, I still had to live and had a family to keep and mortgage to pay. Through sheer cheek I got what I needed, the computer industry was awash with money in those days, and I had done a good job, and was recognised for it. Three cheers to my boss!

Then I started my hypnotherapy training, I loved every minute of it, I worked hard to understand and learn, I kept up, I worked harder, I wanted to be the best in the group. I was certain it was what I wanted to do, and eventually after training and in service training I got my grade and was let loose. And what a scary time that was! Now I had to apply what I had learnt, and it is fair to say, no matter how good the training was, and how structured it was, the real learning began as soon as I began seeing clients, and after my first client things could only get better!

Tomorrow ~ my first client!