Waterford Hypnosis Blog: 2014

Wednesday, 3 December 2014

E Cigarettes: Switching one habit for another

E cigarettes seem to be all the latest rage. They are really turning into big business with a new shop opening up in Waterford earlier this year. I remember late last year the first time I actually seen someone smoking an e-cigarette in a pub and I could not understand why the barman was allowing it. I even thought maybe the smoking ban was lifted! But alas, to my relief, a friend then informed me that it was only someone ‘blowing vapour’. However, I lost count of the amount of people that pulled out this plastic stick and started pulling out of it. So are ‘e-cigs’ a solution to all smokers problems? In this blog post I will be taking a look.

E-Cigarettes: One habit for another?

E-cigarettes are now been marketed as effective smoking cessation devices. But are they really? I have many concerns about them. The latest studies indicate e-cigs do cause damage to the lungs, as scientists from the University of Athens, Greece reported: “We found e-cigarettes can cause immediate harm after smoking the device. More research is needed to understand whether this harm also has lasting effects in the long-term”. Another study carried out in France, found that e-cigs contain carcinogenic chemicals that make some as harmful as normal tobacco. They reported that: “We detected a significant quantity of carcinogenic molecules in the vapour of these cigarettes. In three models out of ten the levels of the carcinogenic compound formaldehyde come close to those of a conventional cigarette. The highly toxic molecule ‘acrolein’ was also detected in the vapours of e-cigarettes, sometimes at levels even higher than in traditional cigarettes”.1

Health experts in Japan also discovered high levels of chemicals including formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in the vapour produced by several types of e-cigarette liquid.2 As recently as August 2014 the World Health Organisation (WHO) called on governments to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, warning they pose a 'serious threat' to unborn babies and young people.3

Hypnosis will help you escape from smokeland

In my opinion, even if e-cigarettes are not as harmful as ‘regular’ cigarettes, at the end of the day, less of a bad thing just kills you slower and worse you’re still left with a habit. The difference with using hypnosis to stop smoking in comparison to other strategies is that all other strategies suggest that you ‘need’ something (i.e. e-cigs, gum, patches, etc.) ‘outside of yourself’ to stop smoking. In other words you can’t do it yourself. Hypnosis on the other hand, empowers you with the right thought process, belief and mind set to enable you to stop smoking easily.

There are many advantages to using Hypnotherapy to stop smoking Vs E-cigarettes:

1. You are not replacing one habit with another.
2. You learn to control your thoughts; emotions and feelings which will benefit many other aspects of your life, e.g. stress reduction.
3. It promotes health and well-being and is completely safe.
4. You will be equipped with the tools and mind set to stop smoking permanently.
5. It is much cheaper. E-cigarettes, while cheaper than regular cigarettes are still an ongoing expense.
6. Stopping smoking using hypnosis is much more rewarding and you will feel a much greater ‘sense of achievement’.
7. With hypnosis you can experience a reduction and/or elimination of cravings.
8. The ‘Success Rates’ are much higher for Hypnotherapy in comparison to all other methods of stopping smoking.4

Experience little or no cravings with hypnosis

In my two session stop smoking program, I teach strategies that help people accomplish their goals. I empower people to replace any feelings of ‘craving’; ‘crises’ and/or ‘stress’ with calm and serenity. For people that are coming into see me for stopping smoking, one of the actions I require of them, is to ‘not smoke for four hours before the session’. This means that usually people enter into my office with a huge ‘craving’, but within one minute of the session, an amazing ‘transformation moment’ happens when I help the client get rid of that feeling of the craving. Once you can control your thoughts, emotions and feelings, it is the easy to break the old habit and form a new habit of just ‘breathing fresh air’. You will be able to break those old connections to smoking by simply bringing yourself into a 'resources state' at any time you wish. Through hypnosis you can develop new neural pathways in your brain, and literally train yourself to be free from the habit. Say good riddance to bad rubbish NOW ..... without any gadgets! You can do it! I hope you enjoyed this blog, please pass onto any of your smoker friends who may benefit. Until next time, stay safe!

Citations:

1 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249784.php
2 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2851665/High-levels-toxin-e-cigarettes-cigarettes.html
3 http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/who-calls-for-ban-on-e-cigarettes-for-minors-1.19082464

4 Studies on the Effectiveness of Hypnosis for Smoking Cessation. (2009, April 8). Retrieved from http://johnmongiovi.com

My name is Trevor Eivers and I am based in Waterford, Ireland. I am a Certified Consulting Hypnotist (since 2010) with the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH), which is the largest hypnosis body in the world with over 14,000 members in 83 different countries worldwide. I am also a Certified NLP practitioner. I love my job in which I help everyday people with everyday issues. Contact me at 086-8211677 or check me out online at waterford-hypnosis.com or Facebook at : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trevor-Eivers-Hypnosis/177881245578285

Wednesday, 26 November 2014

Stress and Hypnosis Part 5 - Healing and Restoration

A very warm welcome to final and last installment of my series 'Stress and Hypnosis'. In the previous installments I have discussed the dangers of stress, especially 'chronic stress' and why it is commonly referred to as the 'silent killer'; the mind body connection, i.e. how thoughts, feelings and emotions automatically signal neurological reactions in the body; and lastly have discussed ways to take control over that process permanently, through the use of techniques such as 'self-hypnosis' and 'mindfulness'. In this final part I will pull it all together and show you how you can take steps to heal and restore your mental and physical health and walk into the future empowered.

Mind body medicine is an evidence based way of reducing stress. In other words your mind can influence and even heal your body, and using hypnosis can help with that process. Friedemann Schaub, M.D. Ph.D., wrote: "Our body is able to identify and eliminate effectively toxins, germs and even cancer cells on a daily basis. Our bodies can reconstitute damaged cells or repair impaired functions in powerful and creative ways, with no or minimal side effects. The discovery of neruotransmitters provide some insights into how the mind-body connection works. Neurotransmitters, small proteins, are released in response to thoughts, beliefs and feelings and directly impact and control the function of our cells. This mind-body healing can only function properly when all parts are in alignment with each other ('Homeostatic Balance'). However negative emotions, inner conflicts and and limiting beliefs are common factors, which prevent us from utilizing this enormous potential to heal and restore".

According to University of Michigan researchers, just thinking that a medicine will relieve pain is enough to prompt the brain to release it's own natural painkillers, and soothe painful sensations - Jon-Kar Zubieta

A large number of studies have demonstrated that our negative thoughts and emotions and the resulting stress, play a significant role in the development of heart diseases, chronic pain, autoimmune diseases and even cancer. On the other hand self empowered positive thinking, a self empowered attitude and optimistic beliefs stimulate and enhance the healing process. Hypnosis is a powerful way to remove these blocks and fast track accelerated and profound change, healing and self empowerment. Because hypnosis works with the subconscious mind, we can identify and address the deeper root causes of our problems and effect profound change on the mental, emotional and physical level.

However even though everything I say in the above paragraph is true, there is another vital step - learning skills like self hypnosis and mindfulness is so important to ensure change is permanent. If you can look at these techniques like the practice a music student does everyday to perfect their skill. When I hypnotize my clients I am teaching them a skill of an instrument within them. My clients learn the technique but must go home and practice every day. If the music student does not practice, they will return knowing little of what they learned in their first lesson. They know that in order to become good musicians, they must practice to build up that subconscious 'muscle memory'. This is the reason self hypnosis works. There is a great phrase that sums it up: "Give a person a fish and they eat for a day; but teach them to fish and they eat for life".

I hope you have enjoyed this five part series as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I will leave you with a nice exercise to practice in your spare time - just make sure to do it at a time when no one or nothing will distract you. Begin by taking a few deep breaths, closing your eyes and allowing your body relax and to fall into place. Meditate for a moment. Now visualize/think about a loved one. Picture in your minds eye this loved one, life sized, brightly lit, in full colour, etc., and notice how good that feels - it is automatically relaxing. Enjoy those few moments. Next bring your focus on your resting hands and say to yourself 'My hands are warm' (repeat x 5), while focusing on your hands and notice how without you even having to try your hands become warm. (This process is commonly referred to as 'Autogenic training', and I plan to go into it in more detail in a future blog). Enjoy this feeling for a few moments and then open your eyes. Kind of cool huh? This is just a small example of how we can use or minds and thoughts to create 'positive feelings' within ourselves. Isn't it empowering to know that in fact it's just as easy to be calm and peaceful as it is to be anxious and stressed? You have the POWER to heal and restore - use it.

Thursday, 9 October 2014

Stress and Hypnosis Part 4 - Self Hypnosis for Stress

Welcome to the fourth blog in my 'Stress and Hypnosis' series. In the last blog I talked about how you can use a technique called 'mindfulness' to help control your thoughts and emotions. In this blog I will be discussing another powerful technique - 'self-hypnosis' and how it can help you to manage stress. It has been stated many times that 'all hypnosis is self-hypnosis'. It is a great way to program your mind and body in so many helpful and beneficial ways. I am going to describe how you can literally hypnotize yourself and I will also be instructing you how to form your own suggestions and use as part of your own self-hypnosis routine. Read on, because self-hypnosis has proven to be a major stress remover.

So what is self-hypnosis? Self-hypnosis enables an individual to clear their minds, physically relax their body and enter into a creative state in which positive suggestions can be made to the subconscious mind. I teach self-hypnosis as part of all the programs that I offer. The reason for this is that, once a client leaves my office, they know how to continue the hypnotic work after the session. Self-hypnosis goes right back to the 1920s, when pharmacist Emile Coue, published his book 'Self Mastery Through Conscious Autosuggestion'. His technique was to have a person focus on the conscious task of moving the fingers along a piece of string with 20 knots in it, while repeating the suggestion: "Every day in every way I am getting better and better". Since then countless methods of self-hypnosis have been developed including the one described here.

Here is a simple version of the self-hypnosis that you can practice:

1. The first step is to develop the suggestion you want to say to yourself. An example of suggestions that might work for you are: "I deserve health and happiness" or "I am calm, I am relaxed, I am in Control". Whatever the suggestion, it must be written in a positive way, be simple, believable and stated in the present tense. It is very important that you really believe what you are saying to yourself.

2. The second step actually involves placing yourself into hypnosis. To do this, sit in a comfortable chair, with your hands on your lap and your feet flat on the floor. Just be sure that your legs are not crossed. Then take 3 nice deep breaths and exhale and allow yourself to relax. Pick a spot on the wall and gaze at that spot in a vague, dreamy way, for approx., 10 seconds. Then close your eyes and mentally count back from 10 down to 1. Each time you count, imagine the number been written on a blackboard and then wiped off or dissolving into the next lowest number, until you have reached the count of 1. Then say the suggestion (sometimes referred so as 'auto-suggestion') you have chosen three times. Imagine, pretend and visualize that you are accomplishing the suggestion. See yourself as you know you will be! Remember 'what the mind conceives, the body achieves'. Each time you say the suggestion, press your finger and thumb together. Finally, silently and mentally count upward from 1 to 3 and open your eyes and go about your business feeling refreshed and relaxed. This should only take a few minutes in total, it's that simple.

It is very important to make self hypnosis part of your life - like brushing your teeth. With persistent use, self-hypnosis will condition you to think and behave positively. The best times to give suggestions to yourself are when you mind is most relaxed, such as just before you go to bed at night, when you are daydreaming or even when you are engaging in your favourite activity. Those are the time when your subconscious mind is most open to receive the suggestions. If you use self-hypnosis each evening as you are falling asleep, you will be effectively clearing out any 'mind junk' that you have collected during the day. You will also be able to remove the junk from the previous days or even years. If you happen to fall asleep while saying the suggestions, that's okay as when you go to sleep at night, you open the door naturally to your subconscious mind. The next day you'll find yourself reacting very positively to the suggestions.

I would recommend making sure you are sitting in a comfortable chair (or lying on your bed) and will not be disturbed for the 5 minutes or so it takes to do the self-hypnosis. However feel free to give yourself the 'auto-suggestion' as often as you like throughout the day. Anytime something happens which is unexpected and temporarily throws you out of the 'homeostatic balance' described in part 2 of the series, take a deep breath, press your finger and thumb together, repeat your suggestion and be calm and tranquil, just like a lake without a ripple.

It can take up to three weeks for the suggestions to start working, so be patient with it and you will be amazed at the results. You will find that as your continue your self-hypnosis routine, you steadily improve in every way in which you want to improve. Using self-hypnosis will generate a state of mind that is most productive to good mental health and well being. In fact both mindfulness and self-hypnosis are two very powerful ways of managing our inbuilt 'flight or fight' stress response described in the first couple of blogs in this series. With persistent use, these techniques will help you to be more resourceful and able to cope with any situation or challenge that may arise.

I hope you enjoyed part 4 of this series on 'Stress and Hypnosis', and that you enjoy practicing the self-hypnosis method described within. Join me next time for the final part, where I will be giving loads of tips for stress reduction and summarizing the important points of the series.

Tuesday, 30 September 2014

Stress and Hypnosis Part 3 - Mindfully living in the Present Moment

Greetings from a wet and windy autumn morning in Waterford, as I sit here to write the third installment in this series I am doing about 'Stress and Hypnosis'. In the first two parts I talked about the dangers of the silent killer we call 'stress' and I explained 'chronic stress', and the effect it can have on us humans living in the 'all-go' modern world. You should now understand the 'stress response' and the effect it has on our 'physiological system' and our overall state of 'well being'. You might even be able to explain the concept of 'Homeostasis' to your friends and family :) I also discussed different ways that you can being to manage stress, which included empowering yourself by taking responsibility for and taking control of your thoughts and emotions.

In this blog post I will be discussing one of the first things I always teach my clients - 'Mindfulness' or sometimes called 'Mindfulness Meditation'. Most people living in the sometimes rat race world we live in are so busy running about that they never take the time to pay attention to their 'breath' or themselves 'in the present moment'. A bit like that gerbil on the wheel, never stopping to take a look around. How many of us are either sad and/or angry about the past or worried and/or anxious about the future? But the truth is all we have is the NOW and mindfulness is the process of living in the NOW, in control of your thoughts and emotions. Once we learn to live in the NOW and enjoy each and every moment, then those moments add up and become our lives.

Sadly however, very few of us take the time to pay attention to the moment and the now. How many times do we hear people saying on a Monday morning 'oh I wish is was Friday' .... or months before the event saying 'I wish it was Christmas'. There are times when we can wish our lives away. Since I learned about Mindfulness a few years back, I have been able to absorb each and every moment of my life. No more so than when my daughter Emma was born, I made sure to enjoy each and every moment, as I knew at that I might never have this opportunity to enjoy this again, and I was aware of how fast these moments can pass you by, when you are not paying attention.

When we are young, we think we are going to live forever and all that. But two events the last few years have really hit home to me how quickly that can be snatched away. One was when a gentleman suffering from terminal cancer came into see me. The doctors had given him just 6 months to live and by god he really appreciated 'Mindfulness'. He was not going to waste another precious moment of his life. Another event was when a friend of mines partner suddenly died of a brain hemorrhage, her life ending tragically, way too early in her mid thirties. Since that awful heartbreak my friend now tells everyone to be 'mindful' and enjoy each and every moment with your family, because that is what is important. Not worrying about silly everyday stuff like the weather, bills and even what people will think of you.

It is very enlightening for my clients to learn about Mindfulness, because they might not have paid

attention to their breath and/or the moment before. We are breathing since the beginning of our lives and we will breathe each and every day until the end of our lives; so our breath really is the essence of our very existence. When my clients lie relaxed in my comfortable hypnotic chair, I bring their attention to their breath, the texture and temperature of their breaths as they breathe in deeply, as well as getting them to notice the gentle rise and fall of their diaphragm and chest as they relax. I even bring their attention to other things in the 'right here-right now' like the sounds of the music, the clock ticking or my voice, or even the feeling of the chair against their back or the floor underneath their feet.

The last part of 'Mindfulness' is training my clients to 'not follow' their breath' but to learn to always easily return their mind to their breath. Just like a fish swims in water - us humans have thoughts - that's what the mind does. But when we have a thought, we have two choices: 1. To attach meaning to it (the old saying 'take it to heart') - in other words to follow your thoughts and ruminate on it. For example if one of my weight control clients has a thought to 'eat a bar of chocolate'; mindfulness teaches them that that was 'Only/Just a Thought' and does NOT mean they need to go to the shop to buy that bar. Instead they learn to 'let that thought come and let it go (the average thought only last for a few seconds), and gently return their focus to their breath and staying in control.

The good news is that we always have our breaths, so therefore anyone can learn mindfulness! Sometimes negative or unhealthy thought processes can become cyclical and the more energy (meaning) you give them the more compounded they become. Mindfulness can not only break this pattern, but over time create a new positive and healthy thought pattern. Which as explained in the first two parts of this series, positive thoughts and emotions will have a powerful impact on our bodies health and well being.

I hope you have enjoyed the third part of this series. Please join me next time around when I will telling you all about Self-Hypnosis and how you can use it to continue to program your mind and body in so many healthy and beneficial ways.

My name if Trevor Eivers and I am based in Waterford, Ireland. I am a Certified Consulting Hypnotist (since 2010) with the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH), which is the largest hypnosis body in the world with over 14,000 members in 83 different countries worldwide. I am also a Certified NLP practitioner. I love my job in which I help everyday people with everyday issues. Contact me at 086-8211677 or check me out online at waterford-hypnosis.com or Facebook at : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trevor-Eivers-Hypnosis/177881245578285

Thursday, 18 September 2014

Stress and Hypnosis Part 2 - Your Stress Response and How You Can Manage It

"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another"

William James

Welcome to the second part of my blog on Stress and Hypnosis. In this blog I am going to discuss the principle of one of my favourite books 'Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers' (The Acclaimed Guide To Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and coping') by Robert Sapolsky. This will give you an understanding of stress. In the 2nd part of the blog I will be showing you what you can do about it.

The main concept of the book is that us humans are more likely to get ulcers than Zebras. Why? Because for animals like Zebras, the most upsetting things in life are 'acute physical crises'. An example would be when the Zebra gets chased down by a Lion - endangering its life. This is an extremely stressful event, that requires immediate physiological adaptations if the Zebra is going to live. That the human body's responses are brilliantly adapted for handling this sort of an emergency. However every day worries emotional problems and social disruptions, e.g. a row with a family member, losing a parking spot, paying the mortgage, etc., can lead to sustained psychological stress. And if someone spends months on having anxiety over some emotional problem (most of which will most likely never happen) this might very well lead to illness. When we sit around and worry about stressful things, we turn on the same physiological responses as that Zebra running for it's life - but they are potentially a disaster when provoked chronically.1

A large body of evidence suggests that stress related disease emerges out of the fact that we over activate our 'physiological system' that was meant to function and respond to 'acute physical emergencies', rather than worrying about mortgages, relationships, promotions, etc. In the 1930s scientist Hans Salye observed that his lab test rats had peptic ulcers, enlarged adrenal glands and shrunken immune tissues, caused by, he found out, by just chasing the rats in order to inject them. He basically discovered that if stressors go on too long they can make you sick, or at least have the potential to do so.1 The stress response (the 'flight or fight response' described in part 1 of this series) is activated, not only in response to emergencies but in expectation of them. In other words constant worrying and ruminating over ones problems = Chronic Stress.

It is also important to understand the concept of 'Homeostasis' - the idea that the body has an ideal level of oxygen, acidity and temperature that it needs; and when something in the outside world (a 'Stressor') knocks you out of that homeostatic balance, the stress response is what your body does to reestablish that 'homeostatic balance'. Activated long term, the 'stress response' can be more damaging than the stressor itself and lead to the stress related diseases and complaints (described in part one of this blog series).

Okay so this is all very interesting I hear you ask, but what can I do about it? The answer is lots! Equipped with the proper knowledge and tools, you can cope with and manage both the 'Stressors' and your 'Stress Response'.

EMPOWER YOURSELF

There is hope! We can start by changing the way we cope with/manage the 'stressors' and our own 'stress responses'. Once we do this we empower ourselves in so many ways. Studies have shown that having more responsibility, a different perspective, and control in your life helps. The good news is that my Reduce Stress Hypnotherapy program covers all aspects of reducing and managing stress :)

Responsibility

Most people are struggling in their lives because they are so focused on the 'effect' and as a result they continue to place responsibility outside themselves, instead of taking responsibility for their thoughts, emotions and behaviours as the actual cause. You can reclaim responsibility for your life and once you take ownership of the fact that you are responsible for where you are now and where you go from here. This change of mindset is highly empowering because then you know you can create a new effect, that can take your life in a positive direction. If you really want to change, the mere act of booking my hypnosis program will do wonders. This is because the change has become important enough to you that you are already half way there! You have taken responsibility for your success!

A Different Perspective

It is important to find ways to view even the most stressful of situations as holding the promise of improvement. Stand back from your problems and see the bigger picture. We all can make mountains out of molehills. A change of perspective can make a big difference, and hypnosis is a great tool to help one change perspective. Hypnosis can provide a platform for that change of perspective.

Control

People who cope with stress successfully tend to seek control when it comes to current stressors, but do not try to control future events that are uncontrollable and do not try to fix things that are not broken, or control things that have already some to pass. They can do this by controlling their thoughts and emotions. Hypnosis will communicate the subconscious mind which can help to create new neural pathways to positive states and feelings of being calm, relaxed and in control, all of which will help you to cope and manage each and every 'stressor' in your life.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog and have learned a little more about Stress and Stress Management. Please join me next time for my part 3 of my series on Stress and Hypnosis when I will be going into detail of the different techniques, such as a 'Simple Breathing Exercise', 'Mindfulness', 'Self Hypnosis' and 'Anchoring', that I use as part of my hypnotherapy program, to put YOU in control of not only your 'Stressors', but your 'Stress Response'.

Citations:

Sapolsky, Robert M.., Why Zebras Donlt Get Ulcers' (The Acclaimed Guide To Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and coping') THIRD EDICTION (2004), St. Martins Griffin Publishers

Thursday, 7 August 2014

Stress and Hypnosis Part 1 - Good Stress, Bad Stress and the Dangers

Welcome to the first of a five part series on 'Stress and Hypnosis'. Over the course the series I will be having a look at the dangers of stress - especially 'continual' stress, while giving some tips and recommendations on how to manage and reduce stress. Join me over the next few blogs as I have look at why, in a five year period my 'Reduce Stress and Increase Confidence' program has become my most popular hypnosis program. In the current economic climate negative thoughts are abound caused by money, work, etc., and many stresses often result. Studies have shown that 75% to 90% of all doctor's office visits are related to stress.

The good news is that I will be showing you that everything is not outside of your control and how you can gain control of your thoughts and emotions; How hypnosis can help reduce the chances of health risks, emotionally, mentally and physically, so that you can live a fuller, a richer and a more expressive life. And finally how you can increase the effectiveness in which you cope with the stressful world that surrounds you. Even though I cannot snap my fingers and make your problems go away, I can help and show you how to be more resourceful to meet any challenge that may come your way.

There are two types of stress - 'good' and 'bad' stress. Yes amazingly sometimes a small amount of stress can actually be good! This stress, called 'Eu-stress', helps us learn new things, adapt to change and engage in creative thinking. We all experience good stress on a daily basis. An example of good stress is the stress that it makes us aware of danger - yes good stress can literally save your life. 'Eu stress', pronounced YOU-stress, is a term coined by endocrinologist 'Hans Selye' who studied the impact of stress on the mind and body. Eu comes from the Greek meaning well or good and suggests that there is indeed such a thing as healthy stress.

excited, thrilled, proud, resilient, determined, fulfilled or in a state of flow. Distressing and tough circumstances can also lead us to experience healthy eustress – as we learn to cope and develop greater strength, determination and courage - See more at: http://www.thecoachingtoolscompany.com/eustress-stress-we-may-need-more-of/#sthash.9niutjBY.dpuf

Eustress, pronounced YOU-stress, is a term coined by endocrinologist Hans Selye who studied the impact of stress on the mind and body. Eu comes from the Greek meaning well or good and suggests that there is indeed such a thing as healthy stress. - See more at: http://www.thecoachingtoolscompany.com/eustress-stress-we-may-need-more-of/#sthash.9niutjBY.dpuf

However, 'bad stress' can kill you. Here is why this is so: The human bodies 'stress' reaction, "The flight or fight response" is inbuilt into us to protect us. The almost primeval instinct that thousands of years ago protected us from danger. But when it is constantly on alert, this 'continual stress' can have a severe impact on our health. Science is now coming to understand the vastly complex connection of our biology and our emotions, the endless ways in which our thoughts and feelings both reflect and influence the events in our bodies. The understanding is that extreme stress can adversely affect us. In short - stress can make you sick - and even kill you. In fact many of the damaging diseases of today can be either caused by or made far worse by stress. The long term activation of the stress response system - and the subsequent over exposure to cortisol and other stress hormones - can disrupt all of your bodies processes. There is a good reason that 'stress' is sometimes referred to as 'the silent killer'.

Here are some of the risks and dangers of bad stress:

- Stress is linked to the six leading causes of death: Heart disease, cancer, lung aliments, accidents, liver cirrhosis and suicide.

- Stress can lead to 'hair loss' - can being up to three months after a stressful event.

- Stress can lead to high blood pressure and chest pains.

- Stress alters the neuro-chemical makeup of the body. This can for example affect fertility in a female, as it effects the release of the human egg, while also causing the uterus and fallopian tubes to spasm, all of which of course affect implantation. For males, stress can lower sperm count and cause erectile dysfunction. In fact stress many account for 30% of all infertility problems.

- The stress hormone 'cortisol' causes abdominal fat to accumulate and enlarges individual fat cells, leading to what is commonly known as 'diseased fat'.

- Stress worsens (and in many cases causes) 'Irritable Bowel Syndrome' (IBS) a condition that irritates the large intestine and causes constipation, cramping and bloating.

- Stress can lead to chronic insomnia (caused by the hyper-arousal of the body's stress response system).

- Stress weakens the body's immune system.

Therefore it is essential to take steps to control your stress. As a Consulting Hypnotist I help my clients focus, programming and reinforcing healthy habits with hypnosis, so as to help reduce and prevent the harmful results stress can cause.

I really hope that you enjoyed the first part of this series and found it informational. Tune in again soon when I will be discussing how important it is to have a positive 'thought process' and how that leads to putting you in control of your feelings and emotions. I will also be showing some easy, safe and simple ways to reduce stress, that literally everyone can learn and use. Everyone can benefit by reducing and managing their 'bad' stress. My Hypnosis Stress Reduction-Confidence Building Program is 3 sessions over 3 weeks and costs 195 euros.