Unfortunately, feeling peaceful and calm may not be a mainstay of your diet these days–especially if you’re dealing with financial pressures, health challenges, aging parents, or rebellious kids.
In my case, a stressful situation that I recently experienced erupted when a hot water pipe broke, causing a leak that was located underneath the concrete foundation of my house. Oi vey, not fun!
So, when you feel stressed, how do you respond? You might find yourself reaching for…
a) Another glass of wine
b) A cigarette
c) Super salty, deep-fried snacks
d) Excessive sweets (notice that “desserts” is “stressed” spelled backwards)
e) All of the above
Now, since joys and sorrows are both a normal part of life, it can be helpful to develop healthy “self-care tools” to navigate the inevitable stressful times.
One self-care tool that I find difficult to get along without is self-hypnosis. When I’m unable to sleep, one of my most effective relaxation techniques is practicing self-hypnosis. I teach many of my clients how to use self-hypnosis to overcome insomnia and get a good night’s sleep.
Now, let’s get real here. When many of you hear the term hypnosis, you think about the eerie mind-control scenarios from Hollywood’s depictions. Or, if you’ve seen stage hypnosis, then you probably think of a guy with a pendulum telling you to quack like a duck. So let me share with you that stage hypnosis is for entertainment, whereas hypnotherapy is a powerful tool for personal growth and positive transformation.
What is Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is a way to relax and calm your mind, body, and emotions in order to enter a focused state, where challenges and unhealthy habits can be explored. Because the imagination is activated, hypnotherapy is sometimes called “guided imagery.”
It might help to think of your mind as consisting of two parts—the conscious and the unconscious. Your conscious mind operates within your awareness and on a surface level, whereas your unconscious mind operates outside of your conscious awareness and below the surface.
Hypnotherapy addresses challenges and behaviors at a deep, unconscious level—below the surface—to explore issues from the inside out. And just so you know, many of my clients, after completing their first hypnotherapy sessions, express surprise at how inspiring their hypnotherapy experiences were.
What is a Positive Suggestion?
A positive suggestion is a positive statement that relates to a goal. When someone is in a deeply relaxed state during hypnotherapy, his or her unconscious mind can become open and receptive to positive suggestions. A positive suggestion is often the opposite of the self-defeating behavior that the person wants to change.
For example, when clients come to see me with a goal to lose weight, they are often receptive to these positive suggestions:
• You savor juicy fresh fruits and colorful vegetables.
• You feel satisfied after eating small portions during meals.
• You enjoy moving and exercising—and it feels great!
Finally, consider adding self-hypnosis to your “self-care toolkit.” Learn how self-hypnosis assists people to take breaks from their hectic daily routines—to stop pushing, to let go, and cultivate peacefulness…from the inside out.
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Save the Date: Attend Trina’s workshop for women and men— Managing Emotional and Compulsive Eating—at John Muir Women’s Health Center in Walnut Creek: Wednesday, Oct 16, 6:30-8:30 pm. Cost: $40 (Includes Weight Loss: 2-CD set). Seats are limited—register today for this inspiring workshop: (925) 941-7900 option 3. For more info, go to www.TrinaSwerdlow.com & click on “Private Sessions & Workshops.”
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Trina Swerdlow, BFA, CCHT, is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, an artist, and the author and illustrator of Stress Reduction Journal: Meditate and Journal Your Way to Better Health. Trina has a private practice in downtown Danville. You can reach her at: (925) 285.5759, or info@TrinaSwerdlow.com.
Certified Clinical Hypnotherapy services in California can be alternative or complementary to licensed healing arts, such as psychotherapy.
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