Thanks to Chantix, Quitting Smoking May Be Hazardous, Too

Written by: Debbie

Just a quick link to an interesting article.

Thanks to Chantix, Quitting Smoking May Be Hazardous, Too

I have heard incredible stories from my clients who have tried Chantix. They call me and say, “you are my last resort. I’ve tried everything! The tales of woe, including some pretty rough nightmares and other side effects from Chantix have them in totally desperation. After quitting with the help of hypnosis, I usually hear, “you should have been my first attempt. From now on, I will tell everyone about hypnosis!”

Hypnosis for smoke cessation, what a concept?

Dear Debbie,

Written by: Debbie

No, I am not writing myself a letter. Not that I am against that. In my morning journaling, I often write letters. Sometimes to God, sometimes to someone I need to get clear with (in my head) and sometimes to me (Debbie)! This time, however, I am including some questions that have been sent to me. I have been receiving questions for awhile now. Usually, I write an email back. It can be a few lines in a quick response or a missive, depending on the question, the day and my mood.

I have decided to start including some of the questions here when appropriate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Debbie

A few further thoughts of mine.

If I settle down in the way you describe I’m liable to fall asleep. Is that always so? If so, how do you waken yourself up?

How do you keep your mind concentrated on the thoughts you want? Are there any particular techniques? This is linked really to falling asleep, because when my mind wanders off, that is when I fall asleep, at least when I’m lying down!

Many of my clients are concerned that if they take the time to relax and focus they might just fall asleep. I often have clients in my office voice the same concern. I jokingly tell them, I am not that nice, they won’t be permitted to sleep. In all truth, there are times I have seen that a client would benefit from a few moments of sleep, so I do some of the work we need to do, let them go deeper into a sleep state briefly, then bring them back up for some final thoughts as they return to awareness.

If you find that you are concerned about falling asleep, perhaps it is the time of day you are practicing self hypnosis. You may want to try early morning when you feel fully rested, or just before lunch, perhaps right before dinner. You know your patterns, find a time of day when you feel most alert. Secondly, sit upright in a chair, as opposed to laying down. This will help prevent going to sleep.

I often tell my clients who listen to audios I prepare for their use at home, that if they fall asleep listening to it, they won’t hear what is said once they are asleep. However, the good news is, the last thing their subconscious heard as they fell asleep was positive and empowering and now part of their new habits, behaviors, etc!

The subconscious mind knows exactly how to wake you, if you set the intention. Remember, the number one job of the subconscious mind is to protect you. So, if finishing in, let’s say, 20 minutes is best for you, you will awaken in 20 minutes. As a precaution, use a timer at first. Set it for the amount of time you wish to dedicate to the exercise and then when it goes off, you will hear it, even if you have heard nothing else the entire time!

Allow normal thoughts to pass through your mind. If you fight them, that becomes your focus. Remember, what you resist will persist! As you allow a thought to occur and then release it, remind yourself what it is you want to accomplish, eventually, the mind will do this with ease. Perhaps a white noise machine or music without words will help. (I have music dedicated to this for both home and office.)

Hopefully these ideas will help you as you begin on your journey. On my website there is a free download for stress reduction. It is a great way to begin using self hypnosis. Go to this link, try it out and let me know what you think!

Stress Reduction Free Download

There was more to this letter, I will address the rest in another post.

For now, happy stress reducing!

IBS Relief

Written by: Debbie

It was just a little more than a year ago that I became known as the Hiccup-notist. That is, I helped a young girl overcome her hiccups of 38 days. The case made international headlines. It resulted in my working with others with similar ailments. I often refer to the individual who had severe, chronic burping for two years solid and another hiccup case, that individual suffered for four years, not to mention work I have done with sufferers of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). IBS consists of abnormal changes in the way the gut normally functions, without any detectable structural changes. IBS is diagnosed by physicians based on the symptoms described by the patient, it is one of the most common functional disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. IBS is characterized by symptoms including diarrhea, pain and bloating. The condition can seriously affect sufferers’ quality of life and finding treatment can be difficult, leading many doctors to feel they can do little to help. These symptoms are often intermittent, however they can last for years.

I have taken further training in the area of IBS, there is so much research into the effectiveness of hypnosis for this condition. Hypnosis is one of the most successful treatment approaches for chronic IBS, the response rate to treatment is 80% and better in most published studies to date. Research by Peter Whorwell, Professor of Medicine and Gastroenterology in the University of Manchester, Medical School (in the UK) and Director of the South Manchester Functional Bowel Service, has been researching the use of hypnosis for over 20 years. Whorwell is quoted as stating, “IBS is ideal for treatment with hypnosis, as there is no structural damage to the body. During the hypnotherapy, sufferers learn how to influence and gain control of their gut function, and then seem to be able to change the way the brain modulates their gut activity.” This program is done in workshops, including ten one-hour sessions. During the sessions, participants are given an explanation of how the gut works and what causes their symptoms, and then utilizes the healing power of the person’s own mind. The treatment sometimes results in improvement in other symptoms or problems such as migraine or tension headaches, along with the improvement in IBS symptoms. I will be holding workshops starting the end of June. I will post the announcement soon.

Meanwhile, perhaps you recall my mention of Seth-Deborah Roth, the nurse hypnotist I had the great pleasure of meeting in Daytona. It just so happens she came upon an interview with Dr. Mayer of UCLA regarding the body mind connection and pain and IBS! Apparently, Dr. Mayer studied hypnosis in his fellowship. At any rate, here is the link to Seth-Deborah’s blog with a great interview! http://hypnotichealth.blogspot.com/

Monday Morning Musing….

Written by: Debbie

It is time for me to get back on track. I have missed posting lately, in two ways. I have missed the opportunities to post and I have missed getting my posts up and responding to the resulting comments.

I have been a bit busy, with husband, visitors and end of school year for my youngest son. Now, all of that is behind me. What happened on Friday, however, was I hit the wall. I had been saying how I needed rest, felt drained and that I was tired. Gee, how my words got the best of me. On Friday, I got home from my last session to collapse on the couch. I was asleep for the night by 8:30 p.m. I slept until 9:30 (or later) the following morning. This normally would have me up and ready to take on the world the next day. This time, (remember my words) I felt drained all day. I even took time to go to my favorite store in the world (next to a shoe store that is) Home Depot and could not muster up enthusiasm. I fell asleep in the truck (no I wasn’t driving) on the way home. Neighbors invited me over in the evening and I declined, choosing to sleep instead.

This time I told myself that I was getting better and better every moment, in every way. I repeated that I was healthy and full of energy. I fell asleep thinking of all the energy I would have and use the following day. I even imagined myself stating I feel great today as I awoke the next morning. Sunday morning I woke up feeling great, automatically, without even thinking about it my first words were, “I feel great today!”.

I rode my bike to a nearby park, where I walked the whole circumference of the park. It is a beautiful park, part shaded trees, part beach. I took time as I walked to focus on how lucky I am to have such a place so near to my home. Then I rode my bike back home.

Next, my girlfriend called and offered a ride on her boat out into the Gulf. We saw dolphins playing and enjoyed the warm waters. (I must confess, there is nothing funnier than three blondes trying to anchor a boat near an island without letting the current pull the boat and us into the shallows.) While on the boat, I took the opportunity to feel the waves, hear the birds, enjoy the warmth of the sun. I just remained in the experience of each moment. Now, I have that to take me through this week.

I went to bed last night saying how lucky I am, how healthy I am and how life is great. I awoke, filled with renewed energies, once again. Amazing how much power our words have, isn’t it?

I would like to ask you, dear readers to send me your questions regarding hypnosis, Neurolinguistic programming, positive thoughts or the power of the mind. If you have life situations where you wonder how to apply these principles, send those as well. I will do my best to answer them, or find the expert who can. If you have stories where you overcame an obstacle and want to share, I would love to share those as well.

Take a moment now and breath. Feel the breath in your lungs, filling them up with cool fresh air. As you exhale blow away any imagined stressors and remind yourself that in this moment you are safe.
Breath in the joy that is life, release negativity. Become aware of your body, how it feels in this moment. Wherever you feel discomfort, allow it to fade away. Focus on discomfort being released however release works for you.
Then relax into your breath once again. Find the most comfortable part of you and allow that comfort to become very real. Expand that comfort, spreading it through out your body.

Imagine if you could take this moment with you all day long, how much easier your day would be?

What Hypnosis Is And Is Not

Written by: Debbie

Often I am asked about hypnosis. Just this weekend with the college kids, they wanted to know all about what I do. These were bright kids. They all held majors like, math, physics and organic chemistry. Still, they thought of hypnosis the way it is presented in many movies. They thought of it as if it were mind control and very mysterious. (It is neither.)

I had a conversation with a buddy who wants to quit smoking. His wife is due with a baby soon, he has another child and he wants to be around to enjoy them. Plus, the first born is getting to the age where he will figure out why Daddy sneaks out of the house and returns smelling of smoke. This friend is well educated and well read, a bright man. Still, he mentioned concerns about hypnosis, based on misunderstandings about how he would feel and whether he would be safe.

Then I received an email from a reader of this blog, wanting to know how to use self hypnosis to improve her life. Without an understanding first of what hypnosis is and is not, it is hard for me to explain how to use it. So, today I am providing a link to my website. There is a short video my web master and I produced that explains hypnosis better. Please, if you want to learn about hypnosis, watch it, then send me your questions. Perhaps this can create a better understanding for each of my readers and a chance to learn how to make use of this powerful tool in your life.

So, here is the link:

Enjoy and let me know what questions I can answer for you!

Daytona Beach

Written by: Debbie

One of the best parts about going to the International Association of Counselors and Therapists convention was connecting names and faces. There are many of my colleagues whom I admire. Perhaps it is a posting of theirs I have read on a message board or maybe an article they have published. It is always someone who is dedicated to helping create a better understanding of hypnosis. I was able to sit in classes with some of these magnificent individuals. Then, there were those I just met in the hallways or during an event.

Seth Deborah Roth is one such individual. She is a registered nurse who has worked in oncology nursing and later became a Nurse Anesthetist . She became aware of hypnosis during her training in anesthesia. She is married to a physician. Her hypnosis training has specialized in various forms of medical hypnosis. She stated to me when we chatted, how she is a logical, analytical type individual. That is part of what I admire about her.

Meeting Seth Deborah was wonderful. She is a lady in every sense of the word. I only regret I did not have more time to spend with her. Therefore, I wanted to share her blog with you. It is excellent, she is always up to date on the latest in medical hypnosis. Perhaps you have had a question about how hypnosis is applied to these matters. Take a moment and enjoy her blog. I sure do!

http://hypnotichealth.blogspot.com/

Monday Morning Musing….

Written by: Debbie

I am home from the conference. It was wonderful and I have much to share. To be honest, first I must rest up. I spent as much time in classrooms, soaking in all the knowledge as I could. The hotel was on the beach, my room had a glorious view of the ocean. I did see amazing sunrises each morning. However, I did not take full advantage of the sea air and wonderful waves rolling up on shore as there was always one more class being offered with nuggets of wisdom, I just could not miss. I hope to share some of that in upcoming days, as well as links to the blogs and sites of some of my colleagues whom I had the pleasure of spending time with.

This morning though, I did want to share a quick story of gratitude. My neighbor and friend was heading towards Daytona Beach this past weekend as well. We thought we might share a ride, however, she decided to wait and leave Friday morning. I left for the conference on Thursday. On Sunday, as I am heading into a luncheon expecting to hear a fabulous speaker, my cell phone rang. It was my husband, letting me know that I would be hearing from my neighbor. Apparently, she had left for home early in the day. She had made a quick stop in Orlando and was preparing to get back on I-4, when her car was hit by another car. Her car was totaled, she seemed OK, just dazed and maybe whiplash.

I wasn’t able to eat lunch, I was anticipating the phone call the entire meal. When it came, she still sounded a bit confused, however, I knew she was with friends and safe. She just needed me to pick her up and drive her home. She had thought she might be able to drive her car home, fortunately her friends talked her out of trying that. Her car wasn’t safe and she wasn’t up to it.

I gave one last talk that I had been scheduled for and left immediately. (I had checked out of the hotel and packed my car up early in the morning.). When I met up with my friend, I was relieved to see her in pretty good shape, all things considered. Now, here is the thing about this amazing woman. The entire ride home, she was filled with gratitude. She was pleased her car had kept her safe, that I was going to be passing through Orlando and could drive her home, that her friends were in Orlando, able to keep her until I could get to her. On and on the list went, gratitude and more gratitude.

When we were getting near home, she mentioned how she loves the causeway into Clearwater and then head north as opposed to another more direct route home. So, I took the long way, she oohed and aahed over the water, the boats, the beauty of where we live. She kept saying how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful area. The few extra minutes on the road were so worth listening to her joy.

My friend has some challenges coming up. Her attitude is so powerful and positive, I know she will deal with everything in the best way possible. She has people to support her in her decision making process and help her through difficult moments. How coudl you help but be a friend to someone so amazing?

Friday Silliness

Written by: Debbie

So, I am in Daytona Beach and working in a business center where I cannot hear what I am playing. Let that be my first warning, as what I think I am posting might not actually be what I am posting. (I am just so excited to be online for a moment!)

Anyway, I thought about an earlier conversation I had and decided for my Friday Silliness, I would ask you, if you were to be an animal, particularly a television or movie animal, who would you be? My youngest, no doubt in my mind: Cheeta, from the Tarzan movies. My oldest, debatable, but possibly Sassy from a movie that escapes my mind now, however, he loved it as a child. My husband, best I not post that!

Me?

Watch this:

p.s. Ms. E!

Written by: Debbie

thank you, you made me cry.

Not Forgetting You

Written by: Debbie

I have been very busy with so many details, as I mentioned on Monday. Tonight, a celebration for my darling husband. He supports me in my dreams and goals for my hypnosis business. He tells the world that I am so positive sunshine emits from, oh my, I better edit that statement here. He dances with shopping carts in the grocery store. I want to celebrate him, for the joy he brings me!

Tomorrow, I am off to my convention. Although I am making presentations (three of them, what was I thinking when I agreed to that?), I am looking forward to learning and improving my skills. It is my intention to return with new inspirations to share with everyone.

In the meantime, breath, my friends. Just breath. Breath is life. Long, deep breathes, filling your lungs and slow exhales, releasing tensions and tightness. Relax and allow your life to flow. What seems major today, will simply be history tomorrow.

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