Glasgow Anxiety Therapy

Research by T. D. Borkovec and colleagues of Penn State University  took a look at how worry manifests itself. The founds that worries have greater feelings of tension, anxiety and apprehension, and that their focus is on the future, rather than the past or present. Of course, the future is unknowable, and worriers have a tendency to try to think about the future as a way of making it more predictable. Worries think up lots of What if.... scenarios to try to work out what might happen. The subjects of this research rated motivation, preparation for the worst, and avoidance and prevention of negative outcomes as the most typical reasons for their worry.

In this research, people who considered themselves to be worriers, felt their worries to be uncontrollable once worrying was initiated. This and other research shows that worrying consists of intrusive thoughts which pop up uninvited, rather than intrusive images (which happens with anxiety.)

The researchers assessed the ability of non-worriers and worriers to concentrate on a monotonous task after they had been asked to do some worrying for set periods.

For both worriers and non-worriers, 15 min of worry resulted in an increase in the amount of negative intrusive thoughts. Thus, even non-worriers experienced these unpleasant intrusive thoughts when they were asked to do some worrying. The process of worrying causes these unpleasant thoughts, and thus for worriers, keeps the cycle turning. Worrying makes the intrusive thoughts worse.

Worriers seem generally more pessimistic. This research shows that before the worry period, worriers reported significantly higher anxiety. depression and hostility, a lower frequency of focused attention and a greater frequency of negative thought intrusions than did non-worriers.

So worrying gets in the way of feeling good. Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy will help you get out of the habit.

We feel self-confidence when we believe that we can do the things that we need or want to do. When we believe that we can  learn new skills and achieve our goals, working hard in a wide range of areas - home, work and personal life, then this builds our self-confidence in a real and long-lasting way. This belief allows us to take on difficult challenges and persist, even in the face of frustration. So in many ways, self-confidence is built by doing stuff, by building competence. It is linked to self-esteem. Poor self-esteem, where you judge yourself harshly, can be modified in a more helpful way with cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy. The only person you have to be good enough for, but sometimes we lose this perspective.

If you want to build your self-confidence, then taking on something challenging is a good way to do it. On the way, you might find that you notice your self-talk is unkind and critical. With cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy, this self-talk can be modified to be more helpful and realistic. Setting goals and working persistently to achieve them, building your self-reliance and self-discipline on the way, build a deep and sustainable self-confidence. Instead of giving up, its about finding ways to persist. And as you build your self-confidence, your self-esteem will be given a boost too.

Take a look at the people who you consider to be confident. What do you see?  Would you say that they give up in the face of difficulties? Do they have a wide range of interests and skills? How do they spend their free time?

If you feel that your confidence or self-esteem need a boost, then cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy can help.

_A poor night`s sleep makes us miserable. And a refreshing sleep is a delight. If our sleep patterns get disordered it is easy to see how it can affect our general wellbeing, our relationships and our work.

Cognitive behavioural therapy, supported by hypnosis, works well for getting sleep patterns back to normal. There is lots of research evidence to support this. The most common problems are failure to drop off to sleep or waking early and failing to get back to sleep. This can be caused by worrying, so cognitive approaches are very effective. It can be caused by coffee or other stimulants, so a behavioural approach is useful.

Sometimes big changes in our lives can get us into new patterns which spoil our sleeping patterns. For example, you might have a lovely new husband, but he might snore, so that you can`t sleep. You might help him by some of the new equipment available, and you can help yourself by changing the way you think about the snoring. (Rather than What a dreadful noise, you can be reassured that he is still alive!)

And of course it can be all of these things, so getting a clear idea of the cause of a change in sleep pattern is essential.

For some people the boundaries between rapid eye movement sleep and non-rapid eye movement sleep get confused. This confused boundary can cause sleepwalking and sleeptalking. Late evening coffee or alcohol can cause this, but some people are predisposed to it. Hypnosis is very helpful for this.

There are a number of rare sleep problems. Most of us experience a sort of paralysis when asleep, so that our bodies feel heavy and it can take a while after we have woken up for our bodies to wake. Where this paralysis does not occur, acting out dreams can sometimes happen. This is a medical condition and doctor`s advice should be sought.

The cycle of worrying is clearly demonstrated with insomnia. If sleep has been difficult, then we can lie in bed and worry that we won't sleep, so we don`t. And the cycle can continue for weeks, even years. Chronic sleep problems can lead to anxiety and depression, so it is well worth getting treatment.

A recent report in The Lancet records that cognitive behavioural therapy works better than drugs for a long-term result. I use CBT with hypnosis, as this speeds the process along. Sadly, although CBT has been shown to be effective, drugs are cheaper. As the Lancet notes, as well as face-to-face therapy, online therapy is very effective. My DIY page gives a number of  links to free-of-charge excellent websites. I work by phone and email as well as face-to-face. For some people this works best. Guided CBT with hypnosis a pleasant experience. You will be feeling significantly better after just a few sessions. And you will know if it suits you after just one.

We worry about all sorts of things. In this area, we tend to be very creative. We worry about blushing or the shape of our noses. We fear that we will make a fool of ourselves in front of our friends or colleagues if we are asked to speak. We get anxious about going to the loo, or not finding a loo. And all of these worries, and more besides, interfere with our lives, and make us unhappy. Even worse, we get into the habit of worrying, so that all these unpleasant thoughts are the first that pop into our minds and overwhelm the good experiences. Worrying like this can damage our self-esteem and self-confidence, making us unwilling to take on new challenges and this takes a lot of the fun out of our lives.

In all of these cases and many more, cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy works fast and effectively and therefore offers terrific value for money. Why not give it a try. You have nothing to lose but your worries!

The Princes Trust recently reported that children like structure. And lack of structure is damaging to their future success and wellbeing.

The fourth annual Prince`s Trust Youth Index reveals how one in ten young people feel that while they were growing up they  "lacked structure and direction".

Structure included a set bedtime. Children do fight against this, but parents can be encouraged to persist, because children with lower level grades at school were more than twice as likely to make this claim (26%). This increases to 39% per cent among those who left school with fewer than five A*-C grades at GCSE.

Young people with poorer grades are also twice as likely as their peers to claim that they did not have regular meal times (30% compared with 14%). We seem to have got out of the habit of having tea at a set time each day. If everyone knows when the meal is going to be ready, then people will be encouraged to be available at mealtimes.

Martina Milburn, chief executive of youth charity The Prince’s Trust, says "The absence of structure and routine in a young life can have a devastating impact. Without the right support, directionless teenagers can become lost young adults – unconfident, under-qualified and unemployed.” So lack of structure damages the self-confidence and self-esteem of young people, setting them up to achieve less in later life, and find life a struggle.

Children learn things without realising it. A meal on the table at a set time demonstrates planning in action, demonstrates an element of control over one`s life, it encourages a sort of community activity and teamwork.

Young adults without the ability to make deadlines, stick to routines can become unhappy adults. I recall that as a child I thought routine was boring. But now I think that it keeps us mentally healthy. If you have no structure in the day, nothing planned, what is the point of getting out of bed?

So this applies to adults too. I generally recommend setting a fixed time for getting up every day. The next thing is to ensure that we have something interesting to do to fill the time!

Most of us blush. But those of us who feel sensitive about it, think that they blush more than the rest of us. Research by Mulkens demonstrates that it is our concern about blushing that makes us feel we blush more. We tend to blush when we feel under scrutiny, when unwanted attention is focused on us, when we feel we have done something foolish and even worse, when someone mentions that they can see we are blushing! It can damage our self-esteem if we feel people are judging us harshly.

There are some positive aspects to blushing. It demonstrates that we have some sense of shame and are not excessively aggressive. It shows that we want to meet the social norms which keep us all working together without too much stress and tension.

But if blushing is making you feel awkward, making you avoid going to parties or applying for jobs, then it can damage your self-confidence. What can you do to get rid of it?

It is something which is treated fairly rapidly with cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy. In just two or three sessions, you will find that you blush less often and are no longer so worried about it.

For a bit of DIY, try just saying out loud to yourself or to a colleague - Here I am blushing again! One of the things that maintains it is our wish to keep it secret. Coming out will take the sting away! And if that is not enough, come and see me!

 Anxiety appears in many forms. Whenever it comes on, whatever it is called, it is fear. It may seem extraordinary that a person may not be able walk to the end of his road, but that is the power of fear. It may be out of proportion, but it is paralysing.   But it doesn’t have to be forever. Anxiety in all forms can be treated. This text comes from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Anxiety has a purpose. It makes us more alert, more aware, more ready for action. The fight or flight hormones rush through our body, getting us ready for action. That’s very useful in the jungle. And a little bit can help if we have to give a talk to colleagues. Too much and you want to run away. That’s panic.

The good news is that you can learn how to regain control. Methods have been developed over the last 50 years or so, and proved to work. So take courage. Decide to take action. Because you can get better.

In hypnosis, you can look at the things that make you anxious and learn to respond in a different way. Because of course, anxiety triggers more anxiety. And fear of anxiety is paralysing too.

With the sort of hypnotherapy that I practice, you can expect to feel significantly better after just a few sessions, armed with some practical techniques that will last you all your life. You will rebuild your self-confidence as your anxiety recedes. Why wait?

If we think about nice things that might happen in the future, we will feel happy and relaxed. If we think about all the terrible things that might happen, then we are likely to feel low.

This is probably the most important thing to know when you are wanting to manage your anxiety.

You can try it out for yourself. Remember a time when you felt really good about yourself. Smile to yourself. How do you feel? Then think of a ghastly mistake you made in the past, and notice all the feelings. With me, it is a hot face and dry mouth, maybe with a sense of shame.

So, knowing that it is your thoughts, or your belief systems and attitudes that are making you feel this way, you can accept that if you change these, then you will change your feelings. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) was developed to deal with just this sort of problem. If you want to have a go on your own, try David Burns' book The Feelgood Handbook. Or give me a call and try some cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy.

Is that two things on your To Do List, or just one?

Stress can make you physically ill. There is lots of medical research to showing that stress, especially certain types of chronic stress, have predictable effects on the body's  defences, particularly by reducing the activity of natural killer cells.

The brain is hard-wired to the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system. The brain is in constant contact with these systems through well-defined pathways. So it is not surprising that what happens in the brain can alter host defences.

And this has important consequences for how we manage our wellbeing. If we become defeatist, seeing only the worst outcomes, then that brain-ANS-endocrine link will result in lowered immunity.

Based on the recognition of this connection, Professor Leslie G Walker (Chair of Cancer Rehabilitation) at Hull University and Director of their Institute of Rehabilitation (and a Scot previously based in Aberdeen) uses hypnotherapy to induce a positive attitude in cancer patients. He found that the use of hypnotherapy with cancer patients improved.

Sixty-three patients with Hodgkin’s disease or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma were randomised to one of three interventions: (1) training in progressive muscular relaxation and cue controlled relaxation, (2) relaxation plus hypnotherapy (direct hypnotic suggestion) or (3) standard treatment. The purpose of these was to reduce the severity and prevalence of chemotherapy side effects (nausea, vomiting and anticipatory anxiety).

37% of the patients who got the  standard treatment were still alive at the end of the trial.  50% of those offered relaxation techniques with or without hypnotherapy were still alive. The average survival of those in the standard treatment group was 74 months compared with 115 months in those offered relaxation with or without hypnotherapy.

Reducing stress makes a difference to people suffering with a serious illness. So it can help you too. Reducing stress improves your wellbeing.