How Heart Coherence can help you experience a more relaxed and balanced life

Heart Coherence Breathing Exercise

If you feel you would like more control over your heart rate Heart Coherence is a simple but very effective way to do that. You may feel your heart rate quickening up and slowing down in the different situations in your life and this is what our heart is supposed to do.

If we are stressed the body and mind can easily trigger straight into a Fight or Flight response to protect us from danger. This is our primal brain kicking in.

In modern life, we are not normally living in the actual jungle. However, we are, in effect often in a different jungle as we deal with modern-day stress and worry. This can easily put us in a physical and mental place whereby our primitive protective part becomes continually switched on. Of course, this can be very unhealthy when there is no real danger about and the stress of being in this state (and being disconnected from our ventral vagus nerve) means we cannot heal physically or emotionally.

So what can we do about this?

The science of Heart Coherence has some excellent and very simple exercises to help us connect back into a much more relaxed and healthier state physically and emotionally. Heart Coherence is based on scientific information collected from such modern medical instruments as electrocardiograms and pulse sensors. The material they measure in this instance is known as Heat Rate Variability which can be demonstrated through specific software programs.

These can tell us more about the state of both our physical and mental health but obviously, we are the ones who have to do something to make the changes we need.

One of the Heart Coherence exercises is a simple breathing pattern and you will only need 6 minutes, 3 times a day to help reset your life to a more relaxed and comfortable state physically and emotionally.

When we breathe in and out it feels like our heart is beating regularly when in fact it is an unsynchronous rhythm that accelerates on the in breath and decelerates on the out breath. In fact seen on a graph, each in and out breath also has lots of peaks and troughs and this is in fact perfectly natural.

However, as we do the simple Heart Coherence breathing exercise we will in effect be smoothing out the peaks and troughs of our breaths and the jagged ups and downs that are clearly shown on the computer readout.

All you have to do is set aside 6 minutes breathing 3 times a day

To do this sit or stand (ideally not lying unless you need to) in a quiet place, and when ready breathe in deeply for 5 seconds, (shoulders relaxed) and out for 5 seconds.

Keep each breath moving and you can time this in your head, on your mobile or on a clock keeping lips closed if possible.

Continue working your way up to 6 minutes if needed and do the exercise 3 times a day. After a week or so you will soon be aware of the positive changes you are making. If you are happy with your progress I would recommend doing this as an everyday habit.

If you use this for a week you will very likely begin to notice a positive change in your stress levels. As you breathe more deeply and easily you are getting more oxygen to your blood and the whole of your physiology will be calming itself as will your busy brain.

Of course, to achieve this state we need to practise it but it is a miniscule price to pay for relaxation, well-being and healing that will be triggered as we enter this state of heart coherence.

I recommend that you read this very short book by Dr. David O’Hare “Heart Coherence 365” which tells you all you need to know about the method and how valuable it is. At £3 52p on Kindle it is an absolute bargain and everything is explained very simply. (I have no financial interests in this book but it is fascinating to find out what is happening that we are not aware of as we breathe.

For more help with issues large or small feel free to contact me on +44 7970 218451 or email rogerfoxwell.therapy@gmail.com

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. Meditate and change your life

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.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

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

Why do New Year Resolutions often fail?

New Year Resolution

Happy New Year everybody. (January 2022)

Have you made a resolution yet? We are all definitely going to the gym every single day from now on,we are going to  stop eating those chocolate cakes and we are giving up the ciggies! Yes?

Luckily I don’t smoke and I exercise at home but.. chocolate. Hmm. See why I don’t normally make New Year Resolutions? Because like you I know how easy it is to break them and forget them.

So why do New Year Resolutions fail and why is it a smoker finds it so hard to stop doing something that they know is ruining their health and taking their hard earned money? They have probably tried to stop various times but have succumbed to temptation and soon been back to where they left off or worse. And why is it that by the end of January that daily visit to the gym is just a distant memory or those chocolate cakes that we struggled to “not buy” for three weeks seem to have magically appeared back in the cupboard?

One of the biggest reasons is that if we only use our conscious mind to make the change then we are missing out on a very important part of our mind that can help us make these changes easier, quicker and permanently. (And we all want it sorted quicker and easier don’t we?) The part that we are probably not using is our unconscious creative mind.

The unconscious creative sounds a bit scary or strange doesn’t it but in fact you have an unconscious creative mind that you are using all the time. If you want to get a newspaper you will start by creating a picture of the newspaper shop in your mind (think about it, it’s there already isn’t it?). Otherwise you would not be able to get there or even know you wanted a newspaper. Your unconscious mind is in charge of a massive proportion of the information you are experiencing every moment in your daily life which leaves you free to get on with making the everyday decisions that we all make in our lives. For instance which TV programme do I want to watch!

So here are a few answers to questions that you may have been asking yourself about hypnosis, and connecting with the unconscious mind to help you make effective and powerful change.

Question: So how can I engage that part of me and use it to make change?

Answer: There are lots of different ways and going into a trance (if you are in trance you are in hypnosis) is one of the most powerful.

Question: How do I go into a trance?

Answer: Just close your eyes right now and imagine a very relaxing and pleasant picture or feeling. There you are; do that and you have already engaged the alpha waves in your brain which are a sign that you are slipping into a daydream or trance. We are doing it all the time.

Question: Hypnosis? Won’t I be doing something that puts me under someone else’s control?

Answer: No, hypnosis is a natural state and we are all in various states of trance during the day. Hypnosis is just a method of utilising and channeling that experience in a way that works for you. You will create your own particular creative experience to make the change. Some people will use pictures, some sounds, some feelings or a mixture of all three. The therapist is just there to help guide the client into their own modality of creating change.

Question: Is it really that simple?

Answer: Yes. It certainly can be as many of my clients will testify. However it is important when making this change (or any other change you want) to have the firm decision that you really intend it to work and will do whatever is required to achieve your aim. Once that mindset is in place then it really does not matter whether you think you have very little willpower or that you never managed to achieve your goal before. Your unconscious creative mind is your real powerhouse of change.

If you would like more information or to book an appointment then please call or email me and I will be very happy to help.

Relax with this Simple, Powerful, Rapid Self Hypnosis Sequence

 Disclaimer. Only use in a safe place, not when driving or operating anything that requires your full attention.

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Having an easy and quick way to relax, whether in bed or during the day, is invaluable for our physical and mental health. This sequence is designed to help anyone relax the body and allow the mind to follow.  Self Hypnosis

You can use it to get into a positive creative state and give yourself affirmations, or just enjoy a calm relaxing state for however long you want.

To begin find a comfortable place sitting or lying down and take a few moments to settle yourself.

Close your eyes

Start by quietly paying attention to your breathing for a few moments. Then begin relaxing the body in the order below or in any way that suits you.

I put it together in this order so each group of two has a connection with each other and with the next group.

You may like to run through the order in your head a few times to become familiar with it.

Hands and Feet

Toes and Fingers

Forearms and Lower legs 

Head and Shoulders

Chest and Heart

Abdomen and Hips

Then with each group, saying to yourself simple phrases such as:

My hands and feet “are relaxing”

My hands and feet “are feeling heavy”

My body is “enjoying this sense of relaxation”

My fingers and toes are “warmer and warmer”

My head and shoulders are feeling “heavier and heavier”

I am feeling more “comfortable and relaxed”

My chest “moves comfortably and easily with each breath”

My heart is “relaxing and beating comfortably”

It is safe for me to “let go completely”

OR     you can just use the word “Relax” each time

Continue with your phrases and repeat each sequence as many times as you like with whatever variations feel comfortable for you.  You can use the example phrases or make up your own relaxing phrases as you go along.

When you feel comfortably relaxed you can just continue to enjoy how you feel or use some appropriate positive affirmations for your creative mind to work on.

You can do this in bed to help get to sleep either on your back or on your side. I also like to use it to  practise lying still. Being able to lie quietly if you have trouble sleeping will help a lot and if you feel you want to move it is a good idea to do so slowly. The brain is constantly wanting to be “on the move” but that doesn’t help us when we want to relax.

Then you can either continue into sleep or when you are ready give yourself the signal “My eyes are opening and I return to full conscious waking awareness”.

Open your eyes, wide awake.

I hope you enjoy this and do contact me if you would like to know more about my work.

 

 rogerfoxwell.therapy@gmail.com    www.rogerfoxwell.co.uk

 

Why it’s hard to lose weight only using will power and what you can do about it

Weight Loss

Hypnosis – Emotional Freedom Technique – NLP

It takes a lot of energy and continued vigilance to use the conscious mind to help with weight loss, and the chances for long term success are, as we all know, not good. Dieting is notorious for being able to achieve short term results but not necessarily so good for the long term. Counting calories is difficult and it is hard work to keep the momentum going.

Although making any worthwhile change is likely to need some will power finding the most efficient and successful option is especially important for weight control.

Hypnosis is a favourite way to change old habits and replace them with new healthy ones. However we have to know how to engage the brain chemicals we want and disengage the ones we don’t want.

Sounds complicated but with the right information it can be done. Serotonin, Dopamine, Endorphins and Oxytocin are all “feel good chemicals” being constantly triggered in the body. We just aren’t always consciously aware when they are operating and how to make them work to our advantage.

Dopamine gives us a “feel good” hit. But what we don’t always have is a buffer to first check if this is a healthy dopamine fix or just a short term gain? The question we must ask is am I going to enjoy that hit in a healthy way or am I just fuelling an addiction? Our brains are wired to look for dopamine hits but our brains are not always listening to our cognitive thinking process. We need to be able to weigh up whether something is healthy for us or not and be able to act on that information.

By eating that chocolate or doughnut when we feel sad, disappointed or bored we have been getting our shot of dopamine. But that is a fake hit that literally will continually need feeding. And unfortunately it will be followed by regret and an unpleasant shot of cortisol that tells us we have failed again.

The key is knowing how to recognise these “feel good chemicals” (feelings) and be able to respond appropriately by using them to our advantage. If we can do this then we will start to have some control over our unconscious thinking processes and achieve much better results.

Hypnosis, EFT and NLP are great tools to help us engage in this sort of work. They help our mind and body coordinate and connect so we can make powerful unconscious changes. This does not mean that we just close our eyes and it all happens. An important part of exploring these good feelings is our own engagement in the process.

So knowing how to engage your happy chemicals you will be able to engage your will power. This will really help you achieve the results you have been looking for. Knowing how to use these brain chemicals in the best way for your personal health and satisfaction will help you make more of the healthy choices you deserve.

The PROBLEM with Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

The problem with Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

Is there a problem with hypnosis and hypnotherapy? Not at all, as long as it is done ethically.

The problem in our mind comes when we muddle hypnotherapy up with what we see on television and with stage hypnosis. A short clip of someone resolving an issue on television or YouTube is just that. It’s short, and it is a only a clip. So we are not privy to the actual work done backstage and the time and the techniques used to elicit trance.

Hypnosis is a remarkable tool that gives a skilled hypnotherapist the opportunity to help clients make rapid and lasting change. However there are many other tools a hypnotherapist must have if they want to work with the wide range of issues that clients bring to their office.

Another factor equally important is the client. The client is not just someone who is going to be told what to do and how to feel. Like anything we learn in life it involves the active participation of both therapist and client. To get the most from a hypnotherapy session we must be willing and ready to engage in the process.

Watching from the comfort of our armchair as a hypnotist taps a line of participants on the shoulder and says “sleep” can be very entertaining as one by one heads nod forward and they are put into trance. But this is stage hypnosis not hypnotherapy and only about 1 in 10 people are able to reach that state as rapidly as we see on stage. Even on stage as a third of the audience run forward to be “hypnotised” most will be sent back to their seats. A skilled hypnotist knows instantly the ones who will naturally and rapidly respond to their commands.

However virtually anyone can go into trance. In fact it would be difficult to operate in our daily life if we couldn’t. We are all experiencing different trances throughout the day. Driving, socialising, watching TV are all forms of trance that help us enter and engage appropriately with each experience we are in at any given moment.

Hypnotherapy is a two lane highway where client and therapist work alongside each other to help achieve the client’s goals. This work is a process of connecting new empowering and positive neural pathways just like learning any skills. We practise any skill not just with our muscles but with our mind.

Your mind, given the right keys to release the changes you are looking for, already has that knowledge and it is available to you now.

Building Confidence and Self Esteem with Hypnosis

Self Esteem

Hypnosis can really help you regain confidence

There are many books and YouTube videos out there showing different ways and strategies to help build your confidence and self esteem with many useful tips to help deal with issues such as these. A book or video can only take us so far since making changes without releasing past experiences and causes that got us into that position are likely to block us from the next step. We will know all about how we want to feel but very likely find that there is a “road block” keeping us from putting all the changes into action.

We have different therapies and modalities available to us to help us make the changes we are looking for but in my point of view we don’t necessarily need to spend five years on the psychotherapist’s couch trying to resolve past experiences and issues.

Now this is not to say that this type of therapy is not valuable and many people find it useful to talk about their past to help clear the present. However even if we do spend that amount of time working on our past we would have no hope of discovering every little issue, disappointment and trauma that occurred along the way in our lives. We may have clear recollection of certain incidents from our past that could have been significant but some of our issues will have been passed down through our parents DNA, their parents DNA and all the experiences we had when young.

Having said that, there is a part of us that knows all about every one of these experiences and that is our unconscious mind. Often called the creative unconscious the creative unconscious is the part of us that knows how to let go of any unconscious material that may be restricting how to create the confident and comfortable self that we know we could be.

Hypnosis, in the form of hypnotherapy is one of the quickest, safest and most effective ways to make empowering and deep change safely and rapidly. (This is not to be confused with stage hypnosis which uses the hypnotic part of the mind but obviously not the therapy work)

The changes we are looking for are in our imagination as are the blocks that have been keeping us disconnected from them. If I want to go to the shop I need to make a picture in my mind of what the shop looks, I need to roughly imagine the route I will take otherwise I would never get past the front door!

With hypnosis you have the opportunity to open up that route and replace the “road blocks” with more of the feelings and experiences that you know you deserve to bring into your life.

And this is why Hypnotherapy and working with a qualified and expert practitioner is a safe, powerful and rapid therapy that helps many, many people achieve so much more in their lives every day.

And if you would like to sample the experience of relaxation and trance you can try my –

Now Simply Relax – Deep Relaxation Video on YouTube

I hope you enjoy it

Life Coaching and Hypnotherapy

Therapist

Is a Therapist a Life Coach and is a Life Coach a Therapist?

Well yes and no.

A Therapist will need therapy credentials to be able to set up their practice and a Life Coach will presumably have been through certain training before setting up their practice.

The more I have developed my Hypnotherapy practice and brought in various other trance based modalities the more I realise how much EVERYTHING COUNTS. For instance if I am working with a business client who feels nervous giving a presentation then one of the many things I need to offer that client are tools to manage their anxiety otherwise all their valuable work could be overwhelmed by their fear of public speaking. On the other hand if I am a Life Coach helping a business client feel comfortable in these situations they also will require to offer, for example voice projection and presentation tools. And so here we begin to see that success for the client is supported by both the coaching aspect and the therapy aspect of their treatment.

When I continued to bring in more techniques and tools that covered more eventualities the results began to speak for themselves.

So I found myself joining tools for life coaching and tools for therapy together. As they say, “you only get one chance to make a good impression” whether it is interviewing for a job or speaking to a few hundred people in a packed auditorium. To grasp that opportunity how much better to have a powerful selection of tools, coaching and therapy, that cover as many eventualities as possible.

Some people are looking for coaching to help them and some are looking for therapy to help them. Yet Hypnosis, Life Coaching and Therapy can begin to easily and fluidly become one and the same thing. Trance is a state of Hypnosis and Life Coaching is a form of therapy. Hypnosis is a state of trance and therapy is a form of Life Coaching.

Everything overlaps and extending one’s skills in overlapping areas will help give clients more information and power to develop the changes they are looking for.

Some people will be looking for a Life Coach and some for a Hypnotherapist but where does one end and the other begin. The titles may be different but the real differences are more likely to be in the personalities and specialties of each practitioner.

So the best advice is first look for recommendations you can trust. Engage your intuition to help you get the best match for you and your issue whether a Therapist, Hypnotherapist or Life Coach.

Or perhaps you would like all three?

HYPNOSIS and what really happens in a hypnotherapy session

Hypnotherapy Session

So you’ve been watching videos and television clips of hypnotists at work and with a command to “SLEEP” or a tug of the arm the person in front of them flops down on the couch, becomes totally rooted to the spot or they completely forget their name.

Amazing, you think to yourself. If I go see a hypnotherapist I could have my smoking habit, my anxiety and my phobia sorted by lunchtime and I will be a new person!

Does it really happen like this?

Well yes and no.

Yes, I have clients who after we have been working in a session for a while who, for a few moments, can’t remember what their issue was. However this means the issue is now not in the forefront of their mind so we are making good progress. Or some who are already drifting into a trance as we continue talking. I may at that part of the session have to reorient them “back into the room” since that may not be the best moment for that particular state to engage. Or later, after doing a deep body relax they quite probably feel so comfortable that they might not want to open their eyes. I will then suggest they take their time “as they come back into the room.”

What is happening? We will be engaging certain states of mind that will have been appropriately introduced depending on what we are working on. Sometimes a client may only be in “eyes closed” for few moments during a full session. But we will be choosing the trance just as you unconsciously are choosing your own trance as you read this post or when you drive your car.

I remember a client telling me he didn’t think he had been hypnotised so I asked him “and what did I say?” Looking a bit perplexed he said “I don’t know”.

Hypnosis or trance is happening all the time within us. Even the organising of the words in this post are designed to attract the attention in a way that helps draw you and your imagination into the story. To facilitate change we must harness the creative and cognitive parts of our mind to work together. This skill will help us achieve the changes and goals in life we are looking for.

The job of the hypnotherapist is to give clients the tools that they can use to enable them to engage their own inner knowledge and “arrange their own story” in the very best way they can for the future.

And, by the way, enjoy the process at the same time.

Hypnosis, Mind Coaching, Performance Enhancement and Life

Hypnosis

 

Hypnosis EFT and NLP can help enhance your sport, your life and your career

Tennis star Johanna Konta has come back from a slump in her performance and is looking in very good form for the 2019 Wimbledon tournament.

So what is it that has been influencing this resurgence in her form? An important part of the answer seems to be that working with her new Mind Coach, Lorenzo Beltrame, is helping get her game back on track.

Sadly her previous mind coach Juan Coto died at the end of 2016, aged just 47, and from that time Konta’s results began to gradually decline until  Beltrame took up the mantle which has coincided with her latest upsurge in form.

The vast majority of sports people these days take very seriously the fact that working on the mental side of the game can make a tremendous difference to results. I work regularly with sports and performing arts clients, professional and amateur but also, a large number of my clients see me to help deal with their daily life issues of anxiety, stress, depression and confidence etc.

Interestingly I have found more and more that there really is not as much difference as one might think between the techniques and strategies we need to perform in a sporting context as the techniques and strategies we need to perform to our best in actual life situations. There are just three words that the brain is evaluating at all times that govern how comfortable we feel not, only on the big stage but in our everyday life.

Those three words are “am I safe”.

If you can turn “am I safe” into “I am safe”, whether you are on the tennis court at Wimbledon or in your everyday life the payback can be immense. 

There are many empowering and fascinating ways to do this and if you would like more information about how you could make the changes in your life you deserve please feel free to contact me.