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Monica Black
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Leading Master Clinical Hypnotherapist and NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) Practitioner, Monica Black has helped many clients regain control of their lives/health through quick fixes of hypnotherapy.
Hypnosis is similar to daydreaming or meditation, in essence an altered state of awareness thereby creating a relaxed subconscious state of mind. In this relaxed state, the subconscious is open to receiving helpful and beneficial suggestions enabling an individual to reach their desired goal.
Monica has already established herself as a prominent commentator across national and broadcast media including BBC Radio, The Sunday Times, The Daily Mail, The Express, The Observer, The Telegraph, Metro, Psychologies, Red and Woman & Home. She is also a registered member of B.A.Th.T, BBNLP, GHR, GHRC, GONLP.
Visit www.hampsteadhypnotherapy.com for more information
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RELAXATION – LET’S SLEEP ON IT |
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It’s important for us to understand that around 90% of our troubles are caused in one way or another by stress, and it’s more important to realize that the reason we handle stress badly is not really our fault.
As a species humans have evolved tremendously since our ‘cave-man’ days. However one of our few systems that haven’t evolved is our reaction to stress. When we were cave-men we were built to handle 2 stressors. ‘Stay and fight the sabar tooth tiger (and get a meal) or run away (and most probably be the meal!!!). The Fight or Flight Syndrome. Well fast-forward to the 21st century and we have stress 24/7, from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to bed. And once in bed does the stress go away? No it doesn’t. And this can result in sleepless nights, with all our worries, concerns etc. spinning out of control in our head. When we do eventually drop off to sleep it is usually a restless one.
The system that governs our stress is divided into two. Imagine it as a seesaw. When it’s even everything within us is functioning normally, but when we get stressed those stress hormones, chemicals, etc. are released into the blood stream and the seesaw goes up. When this happens certain changes take place within our bodies. Our heart beats faster, our eyes dilate, and some of our internal workings shut down such as our digestive system. You know the body is very clever, so going back to caveman days when we’re fighting the tiger, all the nutrients, chemicals, etc. needed to keep the digestive system going were diverted to those systems that are needed in the flight-flight scenario. After all when we’re fighting the tiger we’re not going to be eating a meal! Clever eh. How many of us when under stress, get indigestion, upset tummies, ulcers, etc. Then another system to shut down is the reproductive system. Again when we’re fighting or flighting we’re not going to be making babies. So again the nutrients, etc. are diverted from the reproductive system to help in the flight/flight scenario. We breathe shallowly, in our chest instead of diaphramically – from our diaphragm. When we breathe shallowly we’re not getting proper blood flow from the top of our head to the tips of our toes, the nutrients, oxygen, chemicals are not getting to where they are supposed to get to. We just can’t think straight. How many of us when stressed actually hold our head in both hands and say ‘I’m so stressed I just can’t think straight’?
Now stress is good for us. If we didn’t have stress we wouldn’t be where we are today, but too much stress is as you can see detrimental to our health and our sleep patterns. So what can we do to help us get a good night’s sleep?
We need to learn to relax. But that takes time and we just don’t have a spare 30 – 60 minutes to relax and unwind before going to sleep. In fact, if we had to do long relaxation exercises, the time frame can make us more stressed!!
However, to bring that seesaw back to even can be done in about 10 minutes while lying in or out of bed.
Place one hand on your diaphragm and the other on your chest. Where your hand is on your diaphragm imagine that there is a balloon and it’s our favorite color. Close your eyes and take a comfortable deep breath into your diaphragm. If you’re breathing properly your hand should raise slightly. Now as you breathe in see that balloon blow up, and when you breathe out slowly see the balloon deflate. After about four breaths, when you see the balloon deflate also feel all that tension deflate too, flowing out just like your breath. Do this several times allowing yourself to become calmer, and more relaxed with each out breath.
For a second exercise, with your eyes closed see in front of you a board or screen. That board (or screen) has written on it the numbers 25 down to 1. Breathing evenly, deeply and slowly count backwards from 25 to 1, crossing off each number in your mind as you say/think it. Say/think each number on your outward breath and allow yourself to become more relaxed with each number you say.
Another thing you can do to stop all those thoughts whizzing around your head is to empty your head by writing each one down. Once it’s out of your head and on paper it’s one less thing to think about which can stop you getting that restful night’s sleep. Carry a little notebook around with you. Have paper by the side of your bed so if you do suddenly have a thought you can jot it down.
Monica Black is a leading Master Clinical Hypnotherapist and NLP specialist (www.hampsteadhypnotherapy.com) and has helped many people regain control of their lives/health through quick fixes of hypnotherapy. |
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