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A standard therapeutic technique to improve feelings of well-being and one that is to be found in many self-help books, is to focus on our happy and successful experiences to re-train the brain. Clients are asked to do this regularly so that over time the practice changes the balance of their thoughts. It has been known for a long time that brain structure constantly changes as a result of the information flowing through it. Neuropsychologist, Rick Hanson explains that, “underlying neural activity is present in every single mental activity…….. the brain takes its shape from whatever your mind rests upon.” …

The Importance of 10 – 20 seconds Read More »

Focusing on what makes us happy, not what makes us unhappy, positive psychology has become part of most people’s thinking. A foundational assertion is that happiness is not the result of luck or your genes but a state that can be cultivated by practising certain thought patterns. So, here are three techniques from the field that we have found to be most useful ourselves and with many of our clients. Savour pleasurable experiences (We have written about this before and it is worth repeating again and again) by going over them in your imagination, enhancing them and re-creating the feelings. …

The Greatest Gift Read More »

You’ve all heard of the placebo effect which is, in essence, the healing power of positive belief.  Less well-known, however, is the nocebo effect, the opposite side of the coin.  As the name suggests the nocebo effect describes any case where a negative frame of mind has an adverse effect on our health and well-being. Research has shown that the nocebo effect can reverse the body’s response to medical treatment from positive to negative.  There are many such stories in the medical literature and some doctors think that more attention should be paid to it. Thirty four college students developed …

The Nocebo Effect Read More »

The behavioural pattern known as “people pleasing” or compliance is one we see in the the therapy room frequently. Almost everybody enjoys pleasing others as part of our social interaction, but when we defer to the wishes of others and bend over backwards to accommodate them whilst denying our own wants and needs, our lives can become unmanageable and we are left feeling resentful and overwhelmed. Some of us allow the need to please to compromise our relationships, health and well-being. If you often say “yes” when you want to say “no”; worry excessively about hurting others’ feelings; have an …

People Pleasing Read More »

We’ve been enjoying the books of neuro-scientist Andrew Newberg and business and personal development coach, Mark Robert Wladman, in particular, “Words Can Change your Brain”. An astonishing discovery is that even a single negative statement increases brain activity by releasing dozens of stress producing hormones and neurotransmitters. The functioning of the brain is consequently interrupted especially with regard to logic, reason and language. Conversely, positive words and thought drive the motivational centres of the brain into action and they help us to have greater control over our emotions.  Research shows that if you practise staying relaxed and repetitively focus on …

The Power of Words Read More »

Although Energy psychology and particularly the techniques of EFT and TFT, are gaining more and more media attention, meridian tapping seems like an odd, suspect, “out there” therapy to most people who come across it for the first time.  Let’s face it, it is still considered strange by many converts who have benefited hugely from using the techniques. After all, it makes no sense to tap on your body in particular places to bring about changes in states of mind and symptoms! Before the maturing of neuroscience there was no acceptable hypothesis of how acupoint tapping works, even though the …

Why Tap? Read More »

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. Dalai Lama You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. Buddha Jay Rayner has been on TV and radio recently promoting The Claire Rayner Scholarship for the study of Compassion in Nursing and Midwifery Care at Huddersfield University.  In her role as Chief Executive of the Patients Association, Claire Rayner campaigned for care and compassion in all health matters.  She was disturbed by what she saw as routine neglect in some hospital geriatric units. It may …

Be Kind to yourself Read More »

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” William James STRESSED? PHONE HOME! Stress is part of all our daily lives and it is estimated that six million days of sick leave in the UK are related to stress  each year.  Recently researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison looked at the effects that contact with mothers can have on the stress levels of their daughters.  The sample was fairly small and the age of the daughters between 7 and 12 but the study showed that in all cases contact with mum before and after …

Stress Relief Read More »

“Make the best of where you are and do your best to line up your Energy from where you are, because any bit of struggle or any bit of regret only holds your cork under the water and doesn’t allow you to connect with the Energy that would allow anything to improve”. Abraham Hicks “The Secret”, EFT, and Hypnosis The movie “The Secret” which came out in 2006 has probably done more to inform people all over the world about the Law of Attraction than any other single medium.  The film is a series of interviews with those in the …

The Law Of Attraction, EFT & Hypnosis Read More »

We have been thinking back to previous Christmas times and some of the common themes we hear from clients at this time or year.  Many are anxious about the holiday season because of family reunions and the potential for arguments and tension. There was a survey just before Christmas last year claiming that families argue for an average of 7 hours over Christmas and the first argument will be early on Christmas Day, 9.55am to be precise! We know that the media is full of advice about how to make the holiday season enjoyable each year and we’re adding our …

“I’m RIGHT: They’re WRONG” Read More »