Category: Anxiety

Need help? Wedding speech, business presentation, speech etc. – Hypnosis can help

Public speaking is well up amongst the top 20 in the list of common phobias. Whether it is giving a wedding speech, a business presentation at the office or to a group, anything that puts us in the spotlight can easily and instantly trigger our autonomic nervous system into fight and flight.

This response originates from the primal part of our brain and is there to save us from predators and danger when we are in the jungle. Well, we are not in the jungle now but we are in a different sort of jungle. In the actual jungle we need a system that will respond immediately and help us get to safety very quickly. The problem is, in modern life we rarely need it to operate this way.

This is a very powerful part of our autonomic nervous system and easily overpowers our logical thinking with adrenaline and cortisol. But all we want to do is deliver our speech or presentation in a calm, comfortable and easy manner? You would think it should be easy wouldn’t you?

But if we suffer from raised heartbeat, sweaty palms and weeks of worry before an event what options are there to help us?

Hypnotherapy is a powerful and favorite method that has for years, helped countless people through the ordeal of standing up in public and delivering a speech or presentation.

Our autonomic nervous system is actually designed to generate the uncomfortable responses automatically so we have time to run to safety. However using hypnosis is one of the ways we can actually begin to control this part of the system.

Using deep and comfortable relaxation while engaging the creative side of our brain helps bring more control to the logical and technical sides of our thinking. Calming the adrenaline rush and bringing down cortisol levels frees the brain to operate and perform comfortably with confidence and enjoyment. Hypnosis also helps us pinpoint any past experiences that may have contributed to how we have been responding. It also helps release these negative experiences from our system.

If you would like to know more about Hypnosis, EFT and Eye Movement Therapy and how it could help you please go to www.rogerfoxwell.co.uk or email me at rogerfoxwell.therapy@gmail.com

Hypnosis for “shy” or frequent urination problems

If you suffer from any medical issues it is important to first see your medical practitioner

Have you noticed that often the sound a tap running water makes will trigger something in your body that suddenly gives you an urge urinate? Do you find that you can’t actually urinate when other people are around you? (especially for gents in public toilets)

Often we may have “tried everything” but what can else could we do if we have frequent or “shy” urination problems? Hypnosis can help.

These experiences can often be driven by the power of unconscious suggestion. You have probably heard of Pavlov’s dogs who were trained to salivate at the sound of a bell. We all have unconscious programmes running in the back of our minds. They can be programmes we have inherited from our ancient ancestors (the sounds of streams and waterfalls ), programmes from our childhood or issues that have affected us at different times of our lives.

Whether a medical issue, a mental issue or both, this worry and embarrassment can become overwhelming, changing and affecting many parts of our life and self esteem. In these circumstances hypnotherapy really helps calm and quieten body and mind bringing more confidence plus a healthier state of relaxation in these and many other circumstances.

As we learn how to relax this helps our autonomic nervous system and the mind adjust old unconscious programmes releasing past distress and constant worry around the issue. Installing new healthier thoughts and programmes into your life will help your autonomic (automatic) nervous system support you rather than govern your everyday life.

Even if you have a physical problem, lowering the stress around this issue can help you make powerful and worthwhile changes bringing more confidence and freedom into your everyday life.

For more information on this subject or anything connected with the work I do please email rogerfoxwell.therapy@gmail.com or go to www.rogerfoxwell.co.uk and I will be happy to help you.

Meditate and change your life in less than 60 seconds a day

Do this once a day for a few days and you could soon begin to notice a magical difference in how you feel every day.

Below is the meditation and at the end there are details about the brain chemicals you will be engaging and how they powerfully work with body and mind each time you experience this meditation.

You can choose to do this in any way or at any time that suits you best. Lying down, sitting on a yoga cushion or chair etc. Below is a guide to start you off.

I might personally say each meditation word 1 – 4 times as I generate the feeling around that word. By enhancing the appropriate brain chemicals you will be bringing the power of each subtle experience into your everyday life.

First find a safe and comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed and close your eyes.

1/ Say to yourself the word LOVE.

As you silently say the word LOVE think of someone you love, a pet, a feeling you love or any pleasant healthy thoughts and experiences around love. As you do this notice how those thoughts expand into a positive and pleasant feeling in your and mind and body

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

2/ Now say to yourself the word JOY.

As you say the word JOY generate a feeling around that word of times and experiences when you felt joyful. You might notice a subtle smile forming on the lips lips telling you how your body and mind are responding

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

3/ Now the word to say to yourself is COMPASSION.

Say it a few times as you experience how this word makes you feel. Your body is generating the brain chemicals related to thoughts and feelings of compassion. Compassion for yourself and others. A feeling of closeness even with all of life and the universe. This is totally open for you to explore in the safest and best way for you.

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4/ Now for the word GRATITUDE.

Combine the word GRATITUDE with a feeling you get when you could feel grateful for things in your life. Gratitude for friends, your life and anything that connects a healthy feeling with that word. If you don’t feel quite ready for any of these feelings just let your mind imagine how you will feel as you continue to gently allow yourself to reconnect with them.

When you are ready open your eyes, coming back into full conscious awareness taking with you the relaxation and pleasant feelings you have just generated for yourself for the rest of the day.

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Here is a guide to the brain chemicals each word connects with and the powerful feelings these words can evoke in body and mind.

LOVE generates OXYTOCIN in the body. Oxytocin is often called the “cuddle chemical” or the “LOVE Hormone” It helps us tone our vagus nerve. (If you are not familiar with the “vagus nerve” I would recommend Googling it) Toning our vagus nerve helps positively influence our social behaviour and emotions reducing stress and anxiety and helping us feel safe and calm.

JOY generates the pleasure chemical DOPAMINE. This will give us a sense of satisfaction helping us feel happier and excited and stimulated. Joy also stimulates more oxytocin helping us build better relationships with other human beings

COMPASSION helps boosts our brain chemicals oxytocin, dopamine and also serotonin. Serotonin stabilises mood and when we have compassion for ourselves and others we feel more fulfilled and comfortable in our lives.

GRATITUDE releases more dopamine and also endorphins. Gratitude helps us focus positively and feel grateful. It can improve our sleep and help with anxiety and depression. The word Gratitude helps rewire the brain to be happy.

If you would like to know more about how my unique work using Hypnosis, EFT, Eye Movement Therapy and much more could help you in your life just email

rogerfoxwell.therapy@gmail.com or go to www.rogerfoxwell.co.uk

Is Dyslexia just fear and stress?

No, dyslexia is not just fear and stress however fear and stress are a large part of the issue. If fear and stress and past trauma are left unresolved the stress and psychological damage of dyslexia will be left lodged deeply in the mind and the body. This will then be consistently blocking attempts to help resolve the issue.

There are different levels of dyslexia as well as different forms. Fortunately there are many ways to help people with dyslexia improve their reading and writing skills with many well qualified clinicians with the appropriate skills to help.

Now a hypnotherapist is not necessarily versed in the various forms of dyslexia and available scientific treatments but one thing hypnotherapy can do is help clear past trauma and stress. The skills of a good professional hypnotherapist can significantly help clients relax and control their stress issues. Clients come to see me with many different issues and along with dyslexic clients regularly make more progress in two or three sessions than they have in their lifetime. How? By learning how to control their own autonomic (automatic) nervous system when in states of stress.

This helps dyslexic clients gain so much more control over their mental processes, confidence and clarity of thinking. I have seen quite remarkable changes in clients in their 50’s, who have just about managed to negotiate their lives with this almost crippling issue to university students whose whole process and speed of learning was significantly uprated in just two sessions within a fortnight.

How is this the case? In my experience as a therapist virtually all the issues I help clients with start with unresolved stress and trauma. Our logical prefrontal cortex will be overpowered every time by our mammal brain which is continually looking out for danger.

This part of our brain is literally 4 times stronger than our logical thinking brain (the prefrontal cortex). It’s primary purpose was to keep us safe when our ancestors were living in the jungle. And once it kicks in we will either revert to Fight or Flight, or Freeze mode.

In fight or flight we are literally thrown into a full defensive state of cortisol and adrenaline. This is required to prevent us from getting killed. Although that state will help us flee from a tiger it is definitely not going to help our brain access fine motor skills and clarity of thinking. On top of that the whole system might go into in freeze (where we are in effect feigning dead) in the hope that the predator will exit the chase and leave us alone. At this point we have no access to any higher thinking process whatsoever.

Yes, these are the basic responses we needed in the jungle and they are extremely powerful. But unless we can begin to take some control over our own autonomic nervous system we will forever be bounced around with no degree of control over the outcome.

This is why I help clients with Dyslexia and many other issues take back control over their own thoughts and feelings in what were very uncomfortable situations. This is the first step in moving forward and once more accessing our logical and organised thinking processes.

For more information please contact me at rogerfoxwell.therapy@gmail.com or visit

www.rogerfoxwell.co.uk

“Look Up” and change your life

If you are a Snoopy fan, and I doubt there are many of us that aren’t, one of my favorites is a picture of Snoopy, head raised towards the sky with the words “keep looking up…that’s the secret of life”.

This is so true on all levels. When we look up we are opening our panoramic vision and when we open our panoramic vision we are engaging our parasympathetic nervous system. This switches our nervous system over from a closed, guarded body and mind state to an open and relaxed state of safety.

One thing we never have to worry about is whether or not our fight and flight will kick in whenever we need it. That part of us is hardwired into the system and is always ready to protect us if, and when we need it. The problem comes when we want to move easily between our relaxation state, into fight and flight, and then back again. Our primal brain will easily override our logical thinking cortex which explains why it is very hard to THINK our way out of these negative thinking and experiences.

However the simple change from physically looking down to actually looking up will trigger a whole chain of neurons and brain chemicals that will instantly take us closer to the state of relaxed awareness we would like to be in most of the day.

By consciously triggering this “looking up” and engaging your panoramic vision you will literally be tuning into a lighter, brighter more engaged part of yourself. You will be changing billions of neurons and connections with one simple adjustment.

According to Peter Grunwald’s excellent book EYEBODY 60% of the brain is involved in visual processing. This means our eye movements are continually connecting with virtually every part of our body and mind.

So, to make subtle and powerful changes in your daily life just –

“LOOK UP”

For more information on my therapy work using Hypnosis, Emotional Freedom Technique, Eye Movement Reprocessing with remarkably simple but empowering techniques to help reprogramme your life please visit my website

www.rogerfoxwell.co.uk

How to release negative thoughts and feelings?

Tapping on your 3rd eye to help release negative thoughts and feelings

Here is a surprisingly effective and quick way to release negativity, intrusive thoughts and uncomfortable feelings.

So let’s get into it right away.

First, think of something that has been worrying you or irritating you (nothing too serious) and notice how it makes you feel. Perhaps a little tense, butterflies in your stomach, an uncomfortable uneasiness?

Just become a little more aware of that feeling for a few seconds

Now place a couple of fingers gently on the centre of your forehead. (Another option for the 3rd eye is slightly above the gap between both eyebrows.)

Tap gently for a few moments thinking about the issue.

As you tap engage your peripheral vision so you are aware of a wider range of vision around you even though you are still keeping your eyes relaxed and ahead as you tap. As you do this notice any subtle changes in your thinking and maybe a release or slowing in your breathing.

Now take your hand down and notice how your abdomen feels. Notice any difference in your feelings about that thought. It may have gone or just diminished in intensity.

Try this wherever and whenever is appropriate, any time day or night. It really is effective and so simple

When the 3rd eye is blocked we can feel stressed, confused and disconnected.

When the 3rd eye is open we will feel a healthier emotional balance plus feelings of safety and security within ourselves and around others.

If you are not familiar with the chakras the 3rd Eye is the 6th of 7 chakras found in the Indian chakra energy system. This system dates back at least to 1500BC and there is plenty of information on the internet if you would like to find out more.

Now even if all this sounds very strange the 7 chakras, which start at the base of the spine, closely follow the path of the vagus nerve and when we balance our vagus nerve in a healthy way (which is an important part of my work with clients) it aligns with the healthy benefits of balancing our chakras. So in one way or another they are both working to help balance the same body/mind systems.

Please feel free to contact me on rogerfoxwell.therapy@gmail.com for more information about my work and how I may be able to help you using Hypnotherapy, NLP, EFT, and a range of empowering healing modalities.

Hot Water bottle for adrenal release and relax

Hot water bottle/ Heated pad for tension and adrenal release/relax

In this post I will be giving a few pointers on how important it is to be aware of what our adrenal glands are doing. How we treat our adrenals can have an important bearing on our health.

A major part of the work the adrenals do is to regulate our metabolism, our immune system, stress response and blood pressure. Hot water bottle

When the adrenals are over stimulated for long periods of time we can suffer from fatigue, thinning hair, low sex drive, high blood pressure, anxiety, depression and more. So if we have spent our lives in a high state of stress as many of my clients have, the adrenals will have been relentlessly working on full throttle 24 hours a day.

There are many ways to reduce stress, and as a professional hypnotherapist, in my experience one of the very best and effective ways to do this is hypnosis. However, just one modality will not necessarily cure everything because both the body and mind are interconnected. So to do any worthwhile healing we should also work on the physical aspects as well.

An extremely simple (and comfortable) way to help your tired adrenals relax is to place a hot water bottle or warmed pad on your back while sitting or in bed.

Remember if your adrenals have been switched on flat out for many years just giving them some warmth and respite may be just what they need to help you start your programme of healing and relaxation.

Just by placing the hot water bottle roughly in line with the lowest part of the front ribs should help quieten the flight and fight response and pave the way to getting the whole system into a healthy state of balance.

This post should not be taken as a medical guide. Always consult your medical provider.

Focus your attention and stop those Negative Thoughts in their Tracks

Negative thinking is a primal programme hard wired for us to look out for danger in the jungle. If we were in the jungle and not looking out for danger 24 hrs a day we wouldn’t be there for very long would we!

However we’re not in the jungle now BUT we are in a different jungle. A jungle that is often throwing stress and anxiety at us all day long.

This everyday barrage of worry and panic is extremely bad for us both physically and mentally.

So how can we change this without having to spend five years on the psychotherapist’s couch?

…………………………

When it’s safe and convenient to do try this

Just begin walking around your room in a circle looking at the floor, head down and letting your mind wander with the usual nonsense and rubbish that seems to be washing around in our heads most days.

As you do this notice what sort of thoughts and feelings are bouncing around in your head. Ask yourself are they of any real any value? Notice your body posture.

Now, stop where you are for a few seconds and lift your head up a little. Set your eyes looking ahead with a little more focus than you might normally have while noticing your eyebrows slightly lifting at same time.

Continue to do another couple of circuits and become aware of the changes in your body, feelings and thoughts.

Where are the negative thoughts??

Most likely virtually gone!!

You have focused your attention in a different place and with a different energy.

This is very subtle but very powerful and all you have to do is just “check in” and put this into practise every now then during the day.

It will soon become automatic and you will find the old pattern of constant negative thoughts becoming much quieter. This will leave you free to experience an easy natural everyday relaxation and a much more positive focus in your life.

Isn’t that what we are all looking for?

If you would like to find out more about how I offer clients, online & one to one, remarkably simple but powerfully effective ways to help positively change their lives for ever please visit:

www.rogerfoxwell.co.uk Hypnotherapy, EFT, Eye Movement Change work, NLP, Holistic counselling

Negative Thoughts

SMILE

What happens to the brain and body when we smile?

What happens to anxiety and stress when we smile?

When we smile we instantly generate a happy flood of “feel good” brain chemicals. Neuropeptides that relieve stress and anxiety, neurotransmitters such as serotonin (an antidepressant) and endorphins that are pain relievers are all instantly activated, giving the whole body and mind a quick, smiley happy workout! Smile Lady

And these are just a few of the positive changes the body makes for us.

As we grow older we are less likely to smile as much as we used to. However each time we smile we will appear more friendly and reliable and people will find us more attractive. They are also more likely to mirror our smile back to us which makes everyone feel good.

Now we don’t even have to generate a huge grin to get these benefits. Just an almost microscopic lifting of the edges of the lips will set off this natural cascade of “happy” chemicals.

And the people around us will very likely be unconsciously joining in with their own smiles.

To feel the benefits all you need to do is to engage your facial muscles with a little outward stretching of the mouth and a little pulling up of the cheek muscles.

Well you don’t need me to tell you how to do that do you!?” 😃

This is so simple and is something vitally important to our physical and mental well being. A tiny magical move that brightens up our own lives and also everyone around us.

Just “check in” with it every now and then throughout the day and enjoy the difference.

For more information on Hypnotherapy, EFT and EMDR and how I help clients achieve their goals and improve their lives please email or call and I will be very happy to discuss how I could help you .

Anxiety Covid and stress happy smile stress

HELP! Racing Heart? Panic? Anxiety? Stress? Tinnitus? Etc…..

Learn to breathe much more efficiently to help control and relieve these and other mind/body issues

Disclaimer: Always seek professional medical advice to check your state of health

The way we breathe plays a massive part in our physical and mental health and it will be very difficult to solve the above and many other issues effectively if we are not breathing correctly. The majority of clients who come to see me with stress, anxiety or panic attacks are (obviously) still breathing but not correctly! Anxiety Stress

If you watch a baby breathing you will see how easy and natural it looks. However, as we grow up, life gets in the way with a disappointment here and a knock there, and over time that continues to build up leaving us in the fight and flight state, looking for danger at every corner.

This is a heavy drain on our resources and over time wears us out, exacerbating the tension in the body and leaving us physically and mentally exhausted.

Breathing correctly is paramount to our health so here is a simple way to learn how to do it much more efficiently.

I would suggest to at first practise this lying down, soles of your feet flat on the floor, knees pointing upwards and a cushion under your head.

If we first try this sitting or standing we can become confused because the connection between brain and body has been slowly getting lost over time. Lying on the floor means we can’t move our shoulders and the brain /body can relearn the natural breathing pathways and muscular connections.

THE SEQUENCE

So, lying on the floor or bed, when you feel comfortable in this position place one hand on your abdomen and the other on your chest just below the collarbones.

Now we get to the part that seems so simple but can take a few days to get used to especially if we have been upper chest breathing and not using the lungs efficiently.

Take a slow breath in and notice what moves.

If correct you will start the breath from your belly and your lower hand will move up. If not you will be lifting the shoulders and breathing only into the upper part of the chest and only the hand on your chest will rise.

Now focus on your belly and push in and out a few times with your abdomen muscles.

Now using those muscles breathe deeply in as if all the air is going into your belly. It’s not air but the diaphragm pushing down and making more space for the lungs to fill with air.

Do this a few times to get that new sequence working.

With a little practise you won’t need to think about your abdomen muscles, they will strengthen and work simply as the diaphragm moves down and the organs move out of the way to give more space.

The next part brings the ribcage into play.

From the same position “breath half the air into the belly” and then continue to breathe in the rest of the air into the chest without raising the shoulders. Notice what is happening as the air physically fills the lungs. As the lungs expand so will the ribcage expand at which point you will feel the hand on your chest moving up with each breath.

The more you get a feel for this the more you will feel the ribcage expanding not just at the front but also through the sides and back.

Keeping your hand on your belly, experiment by moving the top hand and touch the side of your ribcage. Now as you breath in and out you will feel the ribs expand at the side of your chest.

Practise this in bed on the floor only for a minute or two each day until you get used to it but you will soon find that this sequence will become natural and you will be doing it without thinking.

I hope you find this useful and if you would like more tips on improving your lifestyle please follow me on YouTube.