TRANCE STATE AND HYPNOSIS

Many new clients that I see are very curious about hypnosis and particularly ask about the trance state - what it is and how it is experienced. Sometimes clients believe that when they are hypnotized, they will be unconscious. In actuality, people experience trance-like states all the time. When they go to a movie and get so involved with what is happening on the screen that they are no longer aware that they are in the theater, they are in a trance state.

I found that state while reading. Sometimes I can get so involved in a good book, I don’t hear someone speak or the phone ring.

Listening to music, attending a lecture, playing video games, working or playing on the computer can all trigger that “daydreamy” state of mind we call trance. A classic trance state that many people have experienced is when they are driving. “Oh, yeah. I found myself at a traffic light and didn’t remember driving the last couple of miles”, said one client. There is even the term “road hypnosis” to describe he trance state experienced by those who have driven hour after hour on interstate highways.

The only difference between those trance states and hypnosis is the way it is induced. It doesn’t make any difference whether it is induced by the extreme focus of a video game or book, the boredom of a long stretch of highway or a hypnotherapist’s induction. All can lead to trance.

Characteristics of hypnotic trance include: inner awareness, a context-free and literal understanding of words and phrases, an involvement in imagine events that can be vivid and realistic and the editing out of restrictions to abilities and responses imposed by the unconscious. A good hypnotherapy session is designed to use these characteristics of trance to full advantage.

Sometimes clients in traditional therapy are distracted and unable to focus their attention on critical issues because of defensiveness. They may spend much time consciously or unconsciously protecting their current perceptions and maintaining their commitment to the status quo.

Hypnotherapy allows the mind to go into trance state where the attention is more highly focused, In this state, that attention can focus on sensations, images or thoughts that might be ignored or denied during regular therapy. In the trance state, situations and evens can be merely observed, like an audience at the movies, rather than altered or censored.

Some real advantages occur in using hypnosis to change attitudes and states of mind. In trance, clients, can experience imagined events in very clear, realistic ways while being very relaxed. In this way, they can accept changes in belief and learning performance as if the situation had really happened. Clients will often comfortably accept statements from their hypnotherapist which might have been rejected in other therapies.

You can learn about and experience a trance state that will allow you to make real and positive changes in your life by making an appointment with a hypnotherapist. Hypnosis can help you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually to BE WELL.

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF STRESS AND ANXIETY

It is likely you have heard of the fight or flight syndrome. When a person experiences stress, the body releases adrenalin and cortisol, which causes the body to respond to a perceived threat by trying to fight which today is more likely to be verbal than physical or flee usually by avoiding the threat. A problem with the boss or a quarrel with a partner is not the same as being hunted by a tiger. But the body responds in exactly the same way.

In my book, THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX, are detailed descriptions of a dozen physical health symptoms which may be triggered by stress. It is unlikely that you will experience all of them. But you may experience some of them. They include: sleep issues including insomnia or wanting to sleep all the time, fatigue, headaches, heart palpitations, dizziness and light headedness, shortness of breath, weakness in legs, lumps in the throat or difficulty swallowing, skin flair-ups like acne, eczema and psoriasis, hot or cold flashes and chills, muscle tension and changes in appetite. All of these can also be indications of other health issues so share your concerns with a medical professional.

Stress and anxiety can also trigger mental symptoms including lack of focus and concentration, fast thinking, constant worrying, negative self-talk, and catastrophic thinking. Stress can trigger a number of emotional responses including anxiety, irritability, anger, emotional hyper-vigilance, feeling overwhelmed and being unable to cope, depression and low self-esteem and self-worth. In order to deal with the stress and anxiety, some people adopt negative behaviors that are harmful to themselves or others. Overeating, substance abuse, over-sleeping, over-use of electronics, obsessive or compulsive behavior, procrastination and being over-controlling are some of the negative behaviors sometimes triggered by stress and anxiety.

If you are experiencing physical symptoms or negative thoughts, emotions and behaviors as ways to control stress and anxiety, know there are better methods to deal with the stresses in your life. Don’t suffer. Be guided by your doctor to find the help you need. Start to build a toolbox of positive tools to make the changes you want and need to relieve your stress and anxiety.

HYPNOSIS FOR LACK OF SLEEP AND OBESITY

When THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX was published in November of 2021, I asked followers what the next TOOLBOX book should be about. Phobias, self-esteem, weight loss were common suggestions. But the number one issue that people suggested was sleep disorders. Common complaints mentioned insomnia, sleep apnea, jet lag and restless leg syndrome. Did you know there are over 100 different sleep disorders that are keeping many of us awake?

So while I am writing THE SLEEP DISORDER TOOLBOX, I will occasionally post a blog on how lack of sleep is affecting our lives. Today’s post reflects how a sleep disorder can affect your waist line.

  According to a study of 1,615 adults by researchers at the University of Leeds, UK published in PLOS ONE,  lack of sleep puts you at greater risk for obesity.  The researchers found that not getting enough sleep was also associated with reduced levels of the "good" cholesterol, HDL, which can help protect you from heart disease.  It's good to know hypnosis can be a valuable tool in dealing with lack of sleep and insomnia.

    If your waist size is expanding, look at your sleep habits.  The study's researchers compared the amount of sleep with waist measurements.  The findings indicated people who slept on average six hours per night had measurements 1.2 inches greater than those who slept nine hours per night.

   If you are struggling with not getting enough sleep or an expanding waistline, call a hypnotherapist to help you sleep better and longer and lose inches around your waist.  Use hypnotherapy to BE WELL.

Medical Uses for Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis is well-accepted in the medical community. Many highly regarded hospitals and medical centers have hypnotherapy departments. The Mayo and Cleveland Clinics have web sites where you can learn more about hypnosis, hypnotherapy and their programs for pain control, hot flashes, cancer treatment side effects, behavior changes such as insomnia, overeating, bed-wetting and smoking and mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress, phobias and anxiety.

HYPNOSIS FOR ANXIETY AND TO LESSEN DEMENTIA RISK

   If you experience high anxiety regularly, you have a higher risk of developing dementia.  Andrew J. Petkus, a PhD research associate at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, reported on a 28 year study of people who reported experiencing high anxiety.  Those people were found to have a 48% higher risk of developing dementia than those who reported low levels of anxiety.

    The researchers noted that chronic anxiety is a precursor to higher levels of stress hormones.  In turn, those hormones can damage the parts of the brain involved with memory.  If you suffer from chronic anxiety, get help.  Your first step is to talk to your doctor about the right treatment for you which may include psychotherapy, anti-anxiety medications or alternative therapies such as acupuncture and herbal treatments.

    Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to treat chronic anxiety either as a stand-alone treatment or as an adjunct therapy to medication or psychotherapy. Self-hypnosis can also be useful in dealing with anxiety. I released THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX by Jennifer Johnson on Amazon in November 2020 which includes self-hypnosis scripts you can read and make your own recordings to lessen your anxiety and dementia risk.

RELIEVE ANXIETY AND REDUCE STROKE RISK WITH HYPNOSIS

   Anxiety is not only uncomfortable for a person suffering its symptoms.  It also can cause significant health risks  According to the National Comorbidity Survey as many as one in four of the men and women in the United States may experience an anxiety disorder ranging from a phobia to panic attacks to long-term chronic anxiety such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

    Most people have a general awareness of symptoms of anxiety disorders which may include over-whelming fear, avoidance of certain places or situations, worry about situations, avoidance of situations, having sleep problems in falling or staying asleep and fear of losing control.  It's good to know that early recognition and treatment including hypnosis can prevent much suffering from anxiety.

   Research in an over 22-year study of 6,000 adults reported by Maya Lambiase, PhD,  and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pittsburgh, indicates that people with high levels of anxiety were 33% more likely to have strokes than those with low levels. It is believed that anxiety caused higher levels of stress hormones, elevated heart rate and high blood pressure.  In addition, smoking and physical inactivity which were identified as anxiety-related behaviors may have raised the risk for strokes.

   The good news is that there are treatments which can help including medications and cognitive-behavioral therapy.  Self-help techniques such as breathing exercises, avoiding caffeine and quitting smoking can also be of value.  In my own hypnotherapy practice, I often worked on referral from psychotherapists for anxiety.  As an adjunct to the therapists own work, I did one to a few sessions of hypnotherapy to reinforce their work and support the self-help techniques.  

    With treatment from physicians, cognitive-behavioral therapists and hypnotherapists, anxiety can be relieved and your health risk of strokes caused by anxiety can be eliminated.  Get the help you need.  Hypnosis can help you to feel better and BE WELL. 

DEPRESSION TRAPS AT THE HOLIDAYS (Copy)

     "It's the most wonderful time of the year" sing the carolers.  But for many people, the holidays from Thanksgiving till New Year can be cause for depression.  The holidays are times of high expectations, jammed calendars and memories of the past.  All of these things can trigger depression which can cause behaviors that may make things worse.

    Every year many people put great stress on themselves by trying to create "the perfect" holiday. There are homes to be decorated, food to be prepared, gifts to be bought and wrapped and people to be entertained. Trying to do this while still maintaining work schedules, school schedules and regular homelife can be overwhelming.  As time to the big day gets closer and closer, a feeling of failure can trigger depression.

    Because people are busy, some important self-caretaking can be dropped. The time demands and the darkness outside may have regular exercisers dropping their routine. Exercise increases levels of the mood-boosting brain chemicals, serotonin and dopamine.  When people don't exercise they lose those helpful chemicals. Then there are all the food choices to be made around the holidays.  Most of us do not usually have six dozen fat and sweet cookies sitting on the table year round.  Gaining weight through the holidays is typical and can be depressing.  In addition, we tend to eat more sugar.  Sugar is a substance which will originally elevate mood, but then comes the sugar crash and depresses the mood. 

     As depression begins to occur, many people try to relieve the anxiety that comes with depression by drinking alcohol. This self-medication may be a temporary fix for depression but soon causes more harm than good as it interferes with sleep, depresses the central nervous system and may interact with any antidepresants being taken. While some people drink, other people begin to withdraw from family and friends.  Social withdrawal will in actuality increase depression.

    So avoid the depression traps of overeating, self-medicating with alcohol, food or sugar or social withdrawal.  Hypnotherapy can be a great tool to help you deal with the stresses and depression traps of the holidays.  BE WELL and have a happy holiday season.

RETIREMENT DAY JUNE 30, 2020

In January of 1994, I opened my hypnotherapy office in Fairfax, Virginia. On June 30, 2020, I officially retired. I am extremely grateful to all those who helped make those years productive and satisfying ones. I would like to thank the numerous medical doctors and mental health professionals who referred clients and, particularly, all those who came to me and shared a part of their life with me. Over the years, I wrote blog posts on many of the issues I worked with describing how hypnotherapy could be a valuable tool to make many positive changes. Although I am no longer practicing, I am leaving the blog posts available. So if you are researching using hypnosis for a particular issue, you could use these posts as a resource. Remember smart people use tools. Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool. Thanks. Best regards, Jennifer

UPDATE ON REOPENING AFTER COVID 19

Hope all of my followers are well and staying safe during the pandemic. Today, May 13, 2020, Virginia has begun a partial reopening of businesses. But here in Fairfax County and the Greater DC area, our Covid numbers are still high. Fairfax County is still closed for all but essential services such as medical and grocery stores. There are indications that the County may have restricted re-openings by June 1. I truly appreciate all those who have reached out to check on me and see when I will reopen. As soon as we are allowed to reopen, I will call all those who have left their number to schedule an appointment. In the meantime, stay safe!

USES OF HYPNOSIS

Sometimes prospective clients call me expressing an interest in hypnosis without being sure what kind of issues it can help with. As I have mentioned in other blog posts, hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness similar to daydreaming, meditation and other relaxation techniques or even driving on autopilot. Hypnotherapy involves using hypnosis for a goal beyond relaxation to focus concentration on an issue in the client’s life.

Hypnosis has a long history of therapeutic use going back to the “sleep healing” of ancient Greece. It was used in the fourteenth through mid-nineteenth centuries for what practitioners called a “mind cure” Through and after the world wars of the twentieth century, hypnotherapy was used as a treatment for what was then called battle fatigue and is now called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the later twentieth century, hypnotherapy became popular for habit modification such as quitting smoking and overeating.

Today hypnotherapy is gaining a wider acceptance in working with mental, emotional and physical healing. Dr, Andrew Weil has noted, “In general, I believe that no condition is out of bounds for trying hypnotherapy on.” I often see clients on referral from their psychotherapist for a session of hypnotherapy as an adjunct therapy to their work to deal with anxiety and depression. Studies have found that hypnotherapy is particularly useful for those suffering dermatological and gastrointestinal problems. This makes sense as the skin and gut are areas of the body which often express stress. Pain management, erectile dysfunction when no known organic cause is shown, preparing for surgery, and easing the side effects of chemotherapy are other ways hypnotherapy is being used at this time.

If you are interested in exploring hypnotherapy, ask for a referral from your doctor or mental health practitioner. It is important to find someone you feel comfortable with. I offer a free consultation to every client that would like to learn more. I tell all clients that two things are necessary for hypnosis to be a viable option for change. 1) They have to be open to making a change. I can’t make them do anything they don’t want to do, and 2) They have to feel comfortable with the person they are working with.

If for any reason, you do not feel comfortable with the hypnotherapist. Leave and find another therapist. Listen to your gut. A good hypnotherapist can help you to harness your mind-body skills to BE WELL.

HYPNOSIS FOR EXERCISE MOTIVATION

Are you trying to lose weight, boost your mood, get into physically better shape or get your heart beating faster? For those goals, nothing beats exercise. A study done in the U.K. reviewed several years of health research and found that 30 minutes of exercise on most days decreases the risk of depression, heart disease, obesity, certain cancers and type 2 diabetes.

Have you been thinking about starting to exercise? Is thinking as far as you have gone in actually getting started? Hypnosis can be used as a great motivator to get you going.

When you come to a hypnotherapist for exercise motivation, it helps to have thought clearly about what you hope to achieve in a session. Plan in advance what type of exercise you want to do. Make your goals as specific as possible. Rather than thinking, “I need to exercise’, think “I will walk four mornings a week from 9:00 till 9:30.”

Think about where you are going to do exercise, if you enjoy nature, your goal may be to walk in the park or on a nature trail. If you don’t like to get too cold or too hot, grab a mile in the mall. Most morning the mall is still relatively empty.

Set goals for distance. if you walk at a brisk pace for 15 minutes, you should have walked about one mile. A pedometer or electronic device like a Fit Bit or an app on your phone are great ways to keep track of your distance. One mile is about 2,000 steps. Health experts recommend 10, 000 steps a day.

Another tool to use keeping you moving is to keep track of your progress. Writing down weight lifted, reps repeated or miles walked in a log or updating your app can keep track of movement. Draw a happy face on your calendar when you have completed your exercise time. The reason children like gold stars is that they are motivating!

Working with your hypnotherapist you can design an exercise program that meets your needs and schedule. Whether your exercise goals include going to the gym, home equipment or videos, be clear about them so your hypnotherapist can incorporate those specific suggestions into your hypnosis session.

If you are ready to get moving and just need some motivation, hypnosis helps!

HYPNOSIS FOR PHYSICAL PROBLEMS

Sometimes people call asking if hypnosis can be used for a physical problems. My answer is always the same - “sometimes”. I tell prospective clients to see their general practitioner who will diagnose and perhaps refer them on to a specialist. Hypnotherapists are rarely medical doctors and should not be the first way to deal with a health problem. However, hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool in the tool box in dealing with a medical issue.

As I have mentioned before on other blog posts, I always start with a free consultation so people can understand the process and spend some time to be with me and get their questions answered. It is also a time for me to make sure that what they want from their session is an appropriate use for hypnosis.

Hypnotherapy is not a magic wand. I often tell clients that I can’t make them fly by flapping their arms no matter how much hypnosis is done. It can be a great tool in dealing with medical issues. It can be used for everything from treating chronic pain like arthritis to acute pain experienced in childbirth. You can find a whole article on medical hypnosis in another post on this blog if you are interested.

Sometimes a client presents with a medical issue I have not worked with before. Recently, a woman came to me after being diagnosed with cervical dystonia, a painful condition in which the neck muscles contract involuntarily, causing the head to twist or turn to one side. She had had multiple treatments and was still in pain and uncomfortable.

I explained that if she wanted to proceed, we would do one session. The least she could expect was a nice, relaxing session with similar results to a massage. She chose to do one session. Here is the e-mail I received yesterday:

“Dear Dr. Johnson,

I wanted to touch base with you regarding my neck and the session I had with you.

It absolutely did make a difference. I am 75% improved. I can drive, turn my head,

relax easier. I have used the tape twice now. (Note: In actuality, my clients record

on their cell phone) You were right, with each session I am more relaxed. I will

continue to use it and am hopeful I can stay where I am physically. I am eager to

share my experience with you with my neurologist. I will keep you posted.”

Notice she did not say she was 100% cured. She had improvement which was exciting for her.

Notice she was going back to her neurologist. This is important. Hypnotherapy is an an adjunct

therapy to the medical care of her physicians.

If you are having a health or physical problem, ask your doctor if hypnotherapy might be another

tool in your tool box.

HYPNOSIS FOR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

A sports psychologist for a U.S. Olympic team once noted that 80 to 90 percent of an Olympic athlete’s performance is in the mind. In the 1960’s in East Germany, Olympic trainers were working with athletes using hypnosis. Today hypnotherapists work with trainers and sports psychologists at the college and professional levels as well as Olympic athletes. Using your mind to improve physical performance can be of real value to you. And hypnosis is a great way of using your mind.

An issue for which clients come to see me is improving athletic performance. I have seen people who are professionals wanting to improve their performance in every sport from football to golf. Students come to see me hoping to release fears about getting hit by a ball or a tackle or improving their skills enough for a scholarship. I have worked with Olympic hopefuls in diving, swimming and gymnastics. all recognize that hypnosis can be a valuable tool to improve their skills in their chosen sport.

There are a number of different ways that hypnosis can improve athletic performance. Using visualization is a key part of such improvement. Back in 1984, Mary Lou Retton competed in the Olympics. She described her nighttime ritual of visualizing her routines. “I see myself hitting all my routines, doing everything perfectly. I imagine all the moves and go through them with the image in my mind.” She did just that in competition. Note that the hypnotherapist does not need to know a great deal about your sport, you will give her a description and the words that will be used in your session.

Thomas Tutko and Umberto Tosi in their book SPORTS PSYCHING talked of using visualization which they called “Mental Rehearsal”. In this rehearsal, you picture your goal clearly, going through a routine, shot or stroke in exactly the same pattern as you hoped to do it in competition. In this mind rehearsal, every movement is clear and positive. These mental rehearsals improve neuromuscular coordination and emotional confidence and affirmation.

Using visualization can heighten your awareness of each movement and improve your technique. It can improve your coordination, concentration and agility. As these improve, it will also increase your enjoyment of your chosen sport as it eases the pressure of competition while increasing competitiveness.

Eliminating fears, anxieties and other obstacles which can hold you back from your best athletic performance is another way to use hypnotherapy. Over the years, I have seen many clients who had an actual fear of their sport. Little-leaguers afraid of being hit by a ball, gymnasts afraid of falling offf “the” horse or equestrians afraid of falling off “a” horse are some of those issues.

But there are other fears that may stand in the way of peak performance. Sometimes the fear is of failing. Some of the children I see have been competing in their sports for much of their lives. They know the many hours and much money that has been spent to get them to the competition and the pressure and fear of failing can be enormous. Professional athletes no prime performance is necessary to stay competitive and employed.

Sometimes the fear is of moving up to the next level and fear of a stronger and more powerful competition is causing problems for the athlete. Hypnosis can be used to eliminate those fears and allow the athlete to compete and enjoy their sport.

Other emotional issues can also be addressed when they are affecting athletic performance. Besides the fears mentioned above, anger and resentment can affect all areas of life including sports. Some children and adults feel pressures from parents or coaches and respond with distractedness, lack of self-confidence or inappropriate aggressiveness. Releasing these negative fears allows room to overcome fears and pressures and to develop a winning attitude.

Occasionally, a client will call because they are experiencing a slump. Golfers talk about “losing their game”. Baseball players lose the ability to play automatically which interferes with their ability to pitch or hit the ball as they had in the past. These issues can be addressed by regressing and reconnecting back to a time when they were pitching or hitting successfully.

Almost always as a part of the hypnosis session, I will have the client picture and imagine their perfect game or meet. Using very positive words and suggestions, I have the client go through the competition in their mind, “moving perfectly, in exactly the right way”. Using the terminology of their sport, I lead them through the competition with their body, strong yet relaxed, their mind clear and focused, playing the game with strength and power.

As Bob Reese, a New York Jets trainer, once commented, “There is no guarantee that if you create a vision in will happen. There is a guarantee that if you don’t have a vision, it will never happen.” Hypnotherapy is a way of creating that vision.

Some people may think, “I can’t use hypnosis for athletic performance because I don’t play baseball or compete in gymnastics.” But hypnosis works in much the same way for other competitions as well. Whether you are on a bowling team, go to the firing range, left weights or play indoor games like chess, bridge, Scrabble or on line, you may be amazed at the results of a hypnosis session to improve your performance.

SECOND-HAND SMOKE AND THE BRAIN

If you or someone you love have been exposed to second-hand smoke, you need to be concerned about the health risks associated with that exposure. If you share your home or your life with a smoker, please have them read this to learn how secondhand smoke can affect the people they love. If they are ready to stop smoking and eliminate the risk for those they love, hypnosis can help.

Exposing others to the risks of heart disease, stroke and brain damage are three important factors to consider in making the decision to become a healthy nonsmoker.

David J. Llewellyn, PhD, a research associate with the department of public health and primary care at the University of Cambridge, England, theorizes that second-hand smoke damages the brain as well as raises the risk for heart disease and stroke based on a study of 4,809 nonsmoking adults.

The study showed that the participants with the highest levels of nicotine by-product, cotinine, were 44% more likely to show memory problems and other cognitive impairment than those with the lowest levels..

If you have not chosen to stop smoking for yourself, perhaps you will decide the risk of second-hand smoke to your loved ones including young children is important enough to stop exposing them to toxins which could affect their health. If you want to stop, hypnosis can help you protect those you love and be a healthy nonsmoker.

SECOND-HAND SMOKE AND CHILDREN

If you have been concerned about how second-hand smoke could affect your children’s health, you have a legitimate reason for that concern. Hypnotherapy can help you stop smoking and no longer worry about exposing your children to the dangers of second-hand smoke.

You may have seen the news about the possibility of laws to make it illegal to smoke in a car which is carrying young children. Some smokers believe this would infringe on the personal rights of the smoker to make choices about one’s behavior on one’s own property and consider this a civil rights issue.

The fact is that if an adult smokes in a car with a young child, that child is also smoking. Poisons from the cigarette include carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and benzene. When a child ingests these poisons through second-hand smoke, the smoke may trigger lower respiratory tract infections, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, decreased lung function and recurrent ear infections.

Allen Eskenazi, M.D., Director of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at University of Maryland Medical Center has reported that second-hand smoke is responsible for 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections each year in infants under 18 months. In addition, each year second-hand smoke is responsible for 16,000 new cases of asthma.

Your child deserves clean air and a chance at a healthy life. So do not smoke within the airspace of children. Choose the non-smoking section permanently. Better yet, become a healthy non-smoker so you no longer have to worry or feel guilty for exposing your children to the poisons in cigarettes.

If you are ready to stop smoking and if you do not want to use prescription medications with their side effects, hypnosis can be a valuable tool. Become a healthy non-smoker and you and your children can BE WELL.

HYPNOSIS FOR IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) as been described as “a panic attack of the bowels.” If you have been diagnosed with IBS or told you have colitis, spastic colon or even a “nervous stomach”, you are likely aware how much the syndrome can affect your life.

Unfortunately, IBS affects 15% to 20% of the population. In fact, one in three women suffer from Irritable Bpwel Syndrome symptoms, And these symptoms can very negatively affect a sufferer’s life. Chronic pain, uncontrolled diarrhea, fecal incontinence and dehydration can severely limit a person’s activities. In fact, it is the second most commonly cited reason for missed work days.

The first step in addressing these issues is to see your physician for a conventional medical diagnosis. It is likely if an IBS diagnosis is given that the doctor will prescribe daily medications including prednisone. But researchers have found that IBS only responds to conventional medical treatment 25% of the time.

For those still suffering, hypnosis can be a valuable tool to relieve or even free the patient from symptoms. Hypnotherapy is to be used as an adjunct therapy in conjunction with your physician(s) and is not a replacement for conventional medical diagnosis and treatment. But hypnosis can help alleviate IBS symptoms or even help a sufferer become symptom free and BE WELL>

HYPNOSIS TO HELP YOU GAIN WEIGHT

Did you know that being underweight can be as dangerous as being overweight. Joel Ray, MD, associate professor at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada, reported on a study comparing adults with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18.5 with those of a normal BMI and those considered obese. The study did not include people who had chronic or terminal illness. If you are underweight, hypnotherapy can help you reach a reasonable, healthy goal weight.

A normal body mass index is between 18.5 and 24.9 Dr. Ray reported that people in the obese BMI range of 30 or above had a risk of dying that was 1.2 times higher than for those with a normal BMI while those who had a BMI of less than 18.5 were 1.8 times more likely to dies than those with a normal body mass index. In other words, being underweight carries more risk than being obese.

You can check your BMI by logging in to www.NHLBI.NIH.gov and search for the “BMI Calculator.” If you are either overweight or underweight, hypnosis can be a valuable tool to help your body have a reasonable amount of muscle mass and fat. Check your BMI and remember hypnosis can help you BE WELL.

JOHNSON HYPNOTHERAPY FACEBOOK SITE

If you are on Facebook, please check out my Johnson Hypnotherapy Facebook site. Fun memes to remind you that Hypnosis Helps.

HYPNOSIS FOR A BETTER SEX LIFE

     You may not have thought about hypnosis for improving your sex life. But clients come to see me with a variety of issues around this important aspect of their lives.  Some are dealing with physiological issues such as premature ejaculation, impotence, a lowered sex drive or inability to reach orgasm.  Others feel emotionally disconnected from their partners and no longer desire intimacy.  And many have a lifestyle that is so busy and demanding, that sex has long been put on the back burner.  If your sex life is not what you would like it to be, hypnosis can be a great tool to revive it.

    If you have a physical issue such as erectile dysfunction or lowered sex drive, don't give up.  Go to your family physician who will examine you and may give you medication or refer you to a clinic. Your physician may tell you that there seems to be no physical reason for your problem.  In that case, hypnosis may be valuable to help improve your sex life.

    Sometimes the relationship between partners becomes a battle ground.  Often, the disharmony and anger carry over into the bedroom and sex is not good or disappears completely. A marriage counselor will work on the relationship. But improving your sex life can be a part of that.  The sex act itself can produce emotional intimacy which in turn improves the relationship.  If emphasis in hypnosis is on pleasing your partner that intimacy can return quickly.

    Sexual addiction is another area of sexuality that can destroy a relationship. Some mental health professionals do not believe that sexual addiction exists.  They believe that it is actually some other emotional or psychological issue such as bipolar disorder or anxiety.  But The National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity talks to people every day who describe their out of control sexuality as destroying relationships and causing deep problems in their lives.

    Their are specialists in sex and marriage therapy.  To find a sex therapist contact the American Association of Sex Education, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) at 319-895-407 or the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) at 202-452-0109. 

   Hypnosis can be an adjunct therapy to working with a medical doctor, marriage counselor or sex therapist.  It can help you make the positive changes you need for a better sex life. 

HOW HYPNOSIS CAN HELP REDUCE RISK FOR KIDNEY STONES

     Most of us have heard of the tremendous pain that kidney stones can cause.  Whether it is continuous, throbbing pain or extremely severe spasms, no one wants to deal with them if they can be prevented.  Hypnosis can help reduce the risk for developing them by helping you get moving.

     A study of 84,225 women led by researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle reported on a way to reduce risk for kidney stones.  The study was published in JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY encouraging people to become more active.

     The researchers reported that active post-menopausal women were 16% to 31% less likely to develop kidney stones that sedentary women.  The women were followed for eight years and maximum effects were found in the most active subjects.  Best effects were found at the equivalent of four hours of light gardening, three hours a week of walking at a moderate-pace or one hour of moderate-paced jogging.

    So we have still another reason to get moving.  If you are having trouble starting or maintaining an exercise program, hypnosis can help.  Get a hypnosis session to get moving, protect yourself from the pain of kidney stones and BE WELL.