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Anxiety Ever felt that fluttering feeling in your stomach right before you do something you’ve never done before or something that is a little bit scary? This is your bodies way of preparing you for what is to come and keeping you on your toes, it is called Anxiety.

Do you ever feel completely overwhelmed with everything? The information overload we have in modern society can leave you feeling like you have to do ‘all of the things’

What is the difference between hypnotherapy and counselling? Which is the most successful? Which one will work best for me? These are questions that a lot of people might ask when they make a decision to get help. Often people consider counselling as the ‘real’ or ‘more authentic’ way of getting help and dismiss hypnotherapy as a ‘whacky’ alternative treatment. As I have experienced and benefitted from both in the past, I thought I’d share my experiences and discuss some of the fundamental differences. My story Before I trained to become a hypnotherapist, I had very limited experience of how it could help and what it could do. I had heard of using hypnotherapy for a couple of things – mainly giving up smoking and weight loss. I was aware of people like Paul McKenna, but I had never read any of his books. I guess you could say I’d heard about it but didn’t really understand how it worked. I was at a point in my life where I was concentrating on health and fitness and spending time a lot of time exercising and watching what I ate. However, I smoked, I loved to smoke and really enjoyed it. I had been a smoker since I was a teenager, my parents smoked, my brothers and sisters smoked. I wasn’t a heavy smoker, about 10 a day at most but I really loved those 10 cigarettes’ a day. I can’t explain it now looking back, but I did. At this time, I had a personal trainer who I worked out with. He had recently been on an NLP hypnosis course and was offering stop smoking sessions. I was one of his first sessions. The reason I finally decided to give up was not because I had stopped loving it or even that it became too expensive. I decided to give up because I was asthmatic and finding it increasingly hard to breathe without wheezing. I got to the point where this outweighed any other perceived benefits I had from smoking. I just couldn’t take not being able to breathe any more! So my trainer asked me some questions about why I smoked, when I would find it difficult not to smoke and that kind of thing. He came and did one session with me, which I remember vey little of now, but I have never even wanted a cigarette since – and it has been about 7 years Which I find completely amazing! After that, I told many people how hypnosis had helped me give up smoking and sang its praises for this reason. But I never really understood the true extent of what it could help with. I never looked into it any further. For me it had achieved its purpose and faded into the background again. Many years later due to a distressing incident I was offered counselling. I had never really had counselling before but I had heard of things like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and I watched Fraiser and understood to some extent about the ‘talking therapy’ that counselling offered. So I searched the registered directory and contacted a therapist local to me. I was a bit nervous before my first appointment, not knowing what to expect. I had chosen someone who specialised in different forms of therapy and wanted to talk through the issues I had. I have to say the experience I had was very different from what I thought it might be. the therapist helped me to challenge beliefs I had about myself as well as understand that some things were not about me they were about other people. We talked about a lot of things and not just the initial incident that had led me to her door. However I came away from these sessions feeling better and understanding myself more and feeling like I had justification to feel the way I felt and how to deal with it. Differences So back to the point of this blog, what are the differences? Well the main difference is that counselling focuses on the conscious mind and uses the idea that talking through problems and issues will lead to change in behaviour and thought patterns. Hypnotherapy on the other hand focuses very much on the unconscious part of the mind and aims to make changes on the subconscious level, which in turn affect behaviour and thought patterns Often counselling will involve talking through issues that have happened and going over the past to understand why the person feels the way they do. The therapist is an objective person not involved in the situation and can help the person see things from a different perspective. Hypnotherapy tends to be more forward-looking and works on how the person wants to feel now and in the future without discussing the incidents that happened in the past. A lot of the time hypnotherapy can bring about change without ever knowing the details of the persons past at all. People who come to see a hypnotherapist often have a specific issue in mind they want to resolve. Both therapies look to help a person process an d release emotion so they can move on and feel better in their lives, just in very different ways. The best option? So which is best? Well I don’t think there is an answer to that question because it all depends on what you want to get out of the therapy and who you are as a person. If you want to talk things through, then counselling is for you, but if you want a quick solution to a specific problem and then hypnotherapy could be an option for you. I have been amazed and the range of things that hypnotherapy can help and I have seen with my own eyes the difference that can be made in just one or two sessions. I have seen lifelong phobias disappear, stress and worry melt away. I have even had sessions myself to get rid of migraines that had been plaguing me all my life. I am by no means saying that counselling is not worthwhile, I definitely benefitted from the sessions I had and they helped me in a different way. What I am saying is that each has its place and Hypnotherapy should not be dismissed as a ‘whacky’, ‘out there’ idea. When used in a therapeutic setting Hypnosis is very powerful and can help you make some fundamental changes in your life. You are an individual and your needs a different to everyone else’s so only you know whether counselling or hypnotherapy is right for you. But I would say just consider your options and don’t assume that counselling is the only way.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is something we often associate with military personnel, however you don't have to have seen active service to be affected by PTSD. Recent reports show that Dr's and other healthcare workers are experiencing these symptoms after the traumatic experience of the 2020 Covid 19 pandemic. Nadia Whittome Britain’s youngest MP at 23 is also currently taking a leave of absence due to PTSD. So, what is it? In it's simplest terms it is a mental health disorder that can affect anyone who has experienced or witnessed a severe trauma. While it was first noticed in veterans and sometimes referred to as 'shell shock' or 'combat trauma', as I mentioned earlier it is not only veterans who suffer from it. PTSD symptoms may develop immediately after the traumatic event but can also occur weeks, months or years afterwards. Not everyone who has experienced a traumatic event will suffer from PTSD, but this does not mean that those who do have a specific weakness or are less mentally stable, in fact there is no specific reason why this is and medical experts have yet to come to any conclusion on this. There are also different types of PTSD • Delayed onset PTSD If symptoms occur more than 6 months after the trauma this is known as 'Delayed onset PTSD' • Complex PTSD If you repeatedly experienced trauma especially at a young age or it lasted for a long time, this is referred to as 'complex PTSD'. Complex PTSD could be caused by childhood abuse or neglect, ongoing domestic violence or abuse, repeatedly witnessing violence or abuse, being forced or manipulated into prostitution, torture, kidnapping slavery or being a prisoner of war. Complex PTSD is relatively new as a diagnosis and can sometimes be confused with Borderline Personality Disorder as a lot of the symptoms are the same. • Birth trauma This is when PTSD develops after a traumatic experience during childbirth - such as difficult, long and painful delivery, unplanned caesarean section or other shocking, unexpected experience during birth What are the symptoms of PTSD? PTSD has many different symptoms and can affect people differently. There may be any or all of the following: Flashbacks or reliving events - feeling like the trauma is happening right now Nightmares Pain Nausea Sweating Trembling Constant negative thoughts about the experience Feelings of guilt or shame Repetitive and distressing images or sensations Avoidance - anything that reminds you of the trauma Emotional numbing - trying not to feel anything at all Hyper arousal -feeling anxious and find it difficult to relax, constantly on edge Often these symptoms, if left unchecked can lead to other mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, addiction and suicide. Getting treatment is essential. Research suggests that around 3 in 100 people may develop PTSD at some point in their life. Of course, it is natural to experience some symptoms after experiencing or witnessing a trauma but if these persist for more than 4 weeks or you have particularly troublesome symptoms then you may be suffering from PTSD. Overcoming the stigma As with all mental health disorders there is often a stigma attached to a diagnosis of PTSD. This can be especially true in areas such as the military, where a 'man up' 'or get over it' attitude can be prevalent, in fact a recent study (Iversen at al, 2011) found that military personnel (both serving and ex) were more likely to report internalised stigma and barriers to psychological care compared to those with non PTSD mental health problems. This stigma can stop people asking for the help they need so it is absolutely critical that we work to remove this. If you think someone might be suffering from PTSD then look out for Behavioural changes - taking time off work Mood changes anger or irritability Give the person time to talk, give them a sympathetic ear and ask them questions. Support them, be there for them, recommend asking for treatment or help but don't force them. People suffering from PTSD may not seem like the person you know and love, but they are just experiencing a difficult mental health issue and you should try not to take distance, irritability or angry behaviour personally. It is OK for you to ask for help as well as living with someone going through this experience can be hard. there is a lot of support out there. Here are some useful links that will provide more information on PTSD and how to live with. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/ptsd-in-military-veterans.htm https://www.verywellmind.com/stress-from-caring-for-someone-with-ptsd-2797408 https://support.veteransgateway.org.uk/app/answers/detail/a_id/724/~/mental-health-q%26a-for-veterans%2C-spouses-and-dependants Most importantly remember, there is no shame in PTSD. None of us know how we will react or process trauma. We are all different and our brains work differently. Asking for help is NEVER a weakness. There are specific techniques that can be used in Hypnotherapy to help you process trauma and overcome PTSD. If you would like to discuss these further, then don’t hesitate to get in touch  References Iversen AC, van Staden L, Hughes JH, Greenberg N, Hotopf M, Rona RJ, et al. The stigma of mental health problems and other barriers to care in the UK Armed Forces. BMC Health Serv Res. 2011;11(1):31