Latest Event Updates
1 Method YOU Need to know to Banish Your Sleep Problems for Good
I come across many people who have problems sleeping, either getting to sleep or staying asleep. For some it’s an over active mind at bedtime, for others it is pain, anxiety or in some cases the belief that they can no longer have a good nights sleep. Some struggle to get off to sleep while others wake in the night and can’t get back to sleep.
Whatever the reason for your lack of sleep there is a good technique I know which I wanted to share. It gives you something to focus on which is inconsistent with thinking, planning, or feeling anxious, etc. and is known as the 3-2-1 technique.
The goal of the 3-2-1 technique is to give you something interesting to focus your attention on and experience as your mind slows down. It is really simple and works like this:
First, just listen for three things and count them. Any three things that you hear: maybe the sound of your breathing – “one”; or maybe a sound of the heating cooling down— “two”; or maybe the sound of your skin against the sheet — “three”. These are just examples and you can use any three things you hear. They can even be the same thing. Just listen for, hear, and then count three things. It’s that simple.
Next, feel three things. Any three things. The feeling of the sheet against the skin — “one”; An interesting tingling sensation in the limbs— “two”; Cool or maybe warm air on the face — “three”; It does not matter what they are. Any three things will do. They can be different or the same. Just feel them and count them,1,2,3.
And then, see three things in your minds eye. Just let them appear, on their own. A rose — “one”; A blue sky— “two”; maybe a beach — “three”; Now after you have seen the third thing, go back and repeat the process but do it for two thing, so hear two things, and count them in the mind. Then feel two things. Then see two things. Then repeat for one thing, hear one thing, feel one thing, and see one thing.
If you’re still awake start again. You will lose count as your mind is experiencing what it hears, feels, and sees and begins to drift to sleep. So hear, feel and see three things, then two things, then one thing and then go back to three until you drift into or back into a peaceful sleep.
Sleep well 🙂
Other Relevant Blogs:
Healing Body and Spirit Together – I love Meghan’s attitude to sleep.
Rob Wolf’s Blog – has an excellent post by Kevin Cann regarding the dangers of sleep deprivation.
The Nutritional building blocks you need to understand to help you in your recovery from ME/CFS
Aside Posted on Updated on
When I was recovering from ME, nutrition played an important part in my journey back to health. Although what I did was trial and error and without the knowledge that Pete and I have since accumulated over the years, the focus on nutrition I adopted when ill and through my recovery has stayed with me now I am back to full health.
I would like to share with you some of the nutritional building blocks I put into place during my journey and also what we have learnt along the way. We cover this topic much more fully on our workshops in which you will get a comprehensive understanding on how to adapt your diet to maximise its health benefits, but the information here will go a long way to help you gain an overview of the importance of good nutrition and how it can help you support your body whilst you recover.
Nutrition plays two parts in helping you break the cycle of ill health. A good understanding of nutrition is important firstly to help you avoid foods that put additional stress on your system when your stress hormones are already on overdrive and secondly by teaching you how to support your body’s own ability to heal and thrive.
When your body is already fighting illness it needs nutritive foods to aid it in its recovery. There are some foods which rather than healing the body, put additional stress on the body and it is these foods that we should be ideally avoiding or at least reducing our consumption of (drastically!). Nutritional stressors include stimulants such as alcohol and caffeine, highly processed foods such as cakes, ready meals etc, sugar, refined grains such as white flour, products and white rice and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame; foods that put your body into a state of stress and toxicity. Moving away from such foods will give your body a better chance of focusing on healing, rather than having to digest and process foods which put a further load on an already compromised system.
The second aspect of nutrition which is vital is to include foods which are nutritious and support our health and recovery. To get right down to basics, the starting point should be a focus on our cells. Our body is made up of trillions of cells which can be thought of as the building blocks of our body. Cells are the fundamental units of life the bricks from which all your tissues and organs are made. If your cells cannot operate efficiently, the functioning of your tissues and organs, which are built of your cells, will become compromised and ill health and dis-ease can follow. It is therefore imperative to keep your cells nutritionally supported so that your body can heal and thrive.
For your cells to carry out their functions in supporting your body’s health and healing there are certain things the cells need for optimal health. To maintain cell health the cells need a variety of amino acids, essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins and crucially also water. The best way to ensure that you provide the cells with their nutritional requirements is to drink 2 litres of filtered water a day (water, not tea, coffee etc!) and eat a balanced wholefood diet incorporating lots of fresh vegetables and fruit (ideally organic).
Your cells need a full spectrum of vitamins to enable them to produce energy and fight free radicals. B vitamins are important here. Additionally, as your cells are protected by a membrane which relies on a good supply of healthy fats, it is important that your diet includes fats such as omega 3 to ensure that the outer membranes of your cells are strong and healthy.
Your immune system will also need help through nutrition during the time of healing and recovery. Antioxidants including vitamins C and E are important here so including foods high in these vitamins is often beneficial.
During my recovery my focus was on organic foods with lots of vegetables and fruits, often blended into smoothies or juiced which were easily digested and did not overburden the body. I personally also took supplements in the form of Vitamin D and Co-Q10 having read studies suggesting that they may also be beneficial in supporting the body when it is fighting ME.
This has been a bit of a whistle-stop tour through a few nutritional building blocks which I hope you have found useful. If you feel that you would like to learn more about how nutrition can help you, do please sign up for our FREE webinar series which goes into more detail on this topic and others to help you on your road to recovery.
Best Wishes
3 Common Mistakes Women with CFS make that Keep them Stuck Feeling Exhausted all the Time & Frustrated about the Future
I really hope you will choose to register for this FREE webinar now because I must say I’m truly excited about what I am offering and I trust you will find it very useful to listen to and watch.
Discover what keeps you ill and the initial steps you can take right away to help you maximise your potential for health. It is a new improved format for us and the emphasis is on value value value! Some of the tips I will be giving away were part of our full programme that cost over £800. Now they will be free for those that login on the night. The best part is that you will be able to use some of those tips right away.
I also plan to offer free downloads to help get you started. Feedback for those downloads has included the words ‘fantastic’ and ‘amazing’ so be sure to download them yourself.
We (my wife Debbie while brining up our daughter, is still active behind the scenes ) have continually modified and improved the programmes we offer to those with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome (PVFS), Adrenal Fatigue etc. I guess it is part of our nature, as professional teachers reflection is an important process, teachers are always reflecting on what has worked and what could be done better. We have approached our work with people like you in the same way. Our programmes have helped many people and with experience and reflection they have become better and better. What if it helped you too?
We have moved some elements of the programme into a webinar format, some of them FREE, so that you can begin to understand better how we can help you, and most people who suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndr
ome (CFS), Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome (PVFS), Adrenal Fatigue etc. There will also be one day workshops where you can experience the benefits of sharing a healing journey with others and of course there will still be the option of doing everything in one go at a residential venue if you prefer.
Just imagine being in more control of your symptoms, if you like that idea invest an hour or more on the 26th and register now.
Please share the event so as many people as possible will benefit.
The Lightning Process
Lots of people ask me how our programmes compare with the Lightning Process, so I will give a brief overview of my understanding of that process.
The Lightning Process is often d
one by those with physical conditions who understand that the mind and body are linked. This is a scientifically well known fact that is often completely overlooked. There is a HUGE body of growing knowledge and evidence that shows how the stress response impacts us physically. I’m talking about the 1400 chemical reactions that take place when we encounter stressful stimuli that change the way our body functions. Most of that change is harmful long term and certainly reduces your bodies ability to heal and recover from a lot of conditions.
In essence the Lightning Process was developed to teach people how to break the cycle of unhelpful thoughts eg stress (or any other unhelpful thinking patterns) and trigger a more resource state that facilitates the body’s natural ability to heal. It is a training programme teaching you techniques to use rather than something that is done to you. As with most skills it relies on regular and consistent use of the techniques for you to gain the full benefits. You need to give it 100% to get the benefits, but that is the same with most things. Even medication can be less effective if you don’t believe it will help you. That is another scientific fact often overlooked.
The Lightning Process was developed by a chap called Phil Parker and at least initially was based on the techniques from of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). After developing the process he turning it into a business training others to be facilitators. Many people find the process so life changing that they choose to train and offer the process to others. Phil seems like a fairly astute businessman and has created almost a franchise approach.
I have come across many people that have found the Lightning Process life changing and worth the money. In my opinion the techniques are useful in certain circumstances and I have taught similar approach to many people. However, we have also had clients who have previously done the Lightning Process and then lost faith in what was taught. The people that we have worked with complained of little ongoing support, no understanding of why they were doing the techniques or why sometimes it just did not seem to help them. Many Lightning Process practitioners only seem to do the Lightning Process and perhaps lack a deeper understanding of how to help people. As with Doctors there are good ones and bad ones out there.
The Lighting Programme is only going to be beneficial for those with unhelpful thoughts and beliefs about their condition, because those thoughts potentially mess up your body’s ability to heal itself. We all have that ability and it is well documented. I have also heard of trainers who seem to think that people will magically become physically fit after their programme. By fit I mean able to walk every day and perform physical tasks from being chronically ill. Muscles and physical stamina do not work like that, they do need to be regained gently and slowly.
If it’s ok with you, I’d like to tell you a bit about my approach? Because my approach is rather different.
I have been teaching and coaching people most my life and I find people appreciate knowing a little about why and how things work. That understanding is beneficial because often there are set backs to your healing and knowing why can help keep you motivated. I also teach a several different techniques because some techniques are better than others for some people and some situations. I also believe ongoing support is also important and offer that via email, calls and top up sessions. The ethos behind both programmes are the same though, that the body has amazing abilities to heal given the opportunity and both programmes aim to teach you techniques that will give your body that opportunity to be as healthy as it can be. However, I also believe that to create optimal health and the potential for healing you should take nutrition, activity, connections and spirituality into account.
If you would like to know more I often run free webinars, you can see those on our CFS Recovery website or find out more about my work on my main website
3 Facts Women With Cancer are NOT told, that leave them with pain and fatigue.
FACT 1
The pain and fatigue associated with cancer and its treatment can often be reduced. The research into breast cancer shows that hypnosis reduces both pain and fatigue. The latest research*1 that included 200 patients found the reduction in fatigue lasted up to 6 months after treatment had ended. Hypnosis for reduction of pain and fatigue during cancer treatment is completely safe, does not interfere with your conventional treatment. There are also no side effects.
FACT 2
If you believe your treatment for cancer is going to go well and will help you, it is more likely to do so. Dispelling any unhelpful fears or doubts that maybe lingering in your subconscious, or even conscious mind can be hugely beneficial. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or Tapping as it is also known as is a wonderful method of changing unhelpful beliefs both at a conscious and subconscious level.
FACT 3
Being diagnosed with cancer can bring an immediate need to make lifestyle changes. This is an area where a lot of clients traditionally think of hypnosis and it certainly offers a powerful approach to making the changes you desire. This can be important to recovery. I have heard Surgeon Bernie Seigal, who is also the author of Love, Medicine and Miracles say “Be who you want to be and be where you want to be.” Having a clear vision of who you want to be can be a powerful draw to making it a reality, specially if that vision is boosted with hypnosis.
If you would like to know more please see my website Sky Blue River
*1 Randomized Controlled Trial of a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Plus Hypnosis Intervention to Control Fatigue in Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer
Journal of Clinical Oncology (13 January 2014), doi:10.1200/jco.2013.49.3437
by Guy H. Montgomery, Daniel David, Maria Kangas, et al.
What you need to know if you are worried about surgery
Being ill and in pain is bad enough, but when you are told you need and operation it can be a really worrying time. It is totally understandable, unless you are part of a surgical team, having an operation is completely new experience and one that quite naturally triggers a stress reaction in many people. Even if you are part of a surgical team, being the patient is a very different perspective.
I bumped into one such lady the other day at a local leisure centre, she has been told she needs a replacement knee, but she was saying how anxious and worried she was about the surgery and rehab. It came as quiet a surprise to her that I had worked with many people in similar situations, helping them be more relaxed before and after the surgery. It came as more of a surprise when I told her that using the techniques I taught were often linked with less post operative pain and increased healing according to many studies. Certainly several of the people I have worked with have reported recovering faster than expected and even surprising their medical team.
If you would like to know more have a look at the website or give me an call/send an email.
Just two simple techniques to GET THAT JOB you want and really THRIVE!
You may have mastered all the techniques to help with your health, but if you can’t get the job you want it can be difficult to thrive. Everyone with a chance at the job will research the company and swat on the theory, but what to do about performing well? Here are two simply techniques used by those in the know.
ONE
Visualise, visualise VISUALISE! Did I say that enough? Visualise in detail as much as you can, imagine yourself relaxed, smiling, breathing calmly from stomach. Imagine yourself in the reception area, sitting calm, in control, smiling at other candidates and those around you. Then imagine yourself answering some of the stock questions; smiling, being calm and relaxed. The more you visualise yourself calm and relaxed the more likely it is to happen. Top sports people know this and now you do too!
TWO
I came across this one on a training course by Chris Iveson at Brief, London. Chris explained he used it with his family friends before interviews and it was brilliant at improving confidence and getting jobs! So imagine for a moment you are your best friend; now ask ‘them’ what it is they like you, why are they your friend, what do they think are your strengths? Imagine what they would say. Once you think of one thing, ask “and what else?”, write down their answers, aim for as many as you can.
Now think of a colleague at work, and repeat the process with the question “what makes you a good work colleague?” Then someone who has had responsibility for you, a boss or maybe a teacher and again repeat the process with the question “what makes you a good employee/student?” Do this for as many people as you want, with questions relevant to your relationship. By this stage it should be completely obvious why you deserve that job!
Are your beliefs letting you down?
I recently sat talking to a lady who had completed a free course for people with chronic health conditions provided by the local hospital. Her opinion was summed up as “It’s ok if you believe you can think yourself healthy”. It was not the time or place to question that, but it was interesting to hear her opinions. On the face of it the course had covered many of the things we include on our courses. However, this lady had obviously discarded much of the content as it had failed to open her mind to the possibility that her thoughts do effect her health.
The lady did go on to mention that at least one member of the group seemed to have their own agenda, interrupting others when they spoke and attempting to monopolise the conversation. This of course is the draw back of free courses put on by the public health system, by their nature they are open to anyone with the relevant condition, so it becomes a matter of chance whether you get a group of like minded individuals who support and revel in each others success or a group closed or scared of the fact that their thoughts and emotions effect their physical health.
Many people argue that if a process works it does not matter whether you believe in it or not, although that opinion is dis-proven by most drug research. For a change I wont go on to talk about the placebo effect but rather tell a story often told by those with an interest in hypnotherapy. In Auo. 23, 1952 the British Medical Journal printed an article entitled “A case of -congenital ictrhyosiform erythriodermia of brocq treated by hypnosis”. The article described how Dr Mason treated a boy who he believed had an extreme case of warts using hypnosis. The warts originally covered much of the boys skin, for example it was recorded that 80% of the boys arms were covered. However, 10 days after a session of hypnosis using suggestions that the skin would heal 95% of the arm was clear. Other areas of the body responded with vary success rates too. This in itself may not have surprised Dr Mason if it had not been for the fact that the boy did not have warts but a genetic condition known as congenital ictrhyosiform erythriodermia known at the time to be ‘untreatable’.
Interestingly I have heard it said that Dr Mason went on to try and help many people with that condition with far less satisfactory results. When asked about this Dr Mason believed that his lack of success with other patients stemmed from his knowledge that he was now treating a condition known to be ‘untreatable’ and the seed of doubt that created in his mind.
I do think that is a nice story and it goes some way to explain why we think belief in the process is important. Hence we do our best to ensure that by the time you get on one of our courses you have the belief that that you can improve and the course will help.
Will Stress be found to cause Dementia?
The BBC reported recently that there would be an investigation, funded by the Alzheimer’s Society, to see how stress affects people with mild cognitive impairment or “pre-dementia”. A lot of research has been done on the link between stress and diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer and multiple sclerosis, showing that chronic stress can speed up the progression, or make the symptoms worse. So this research may add to the growing body of evidence on how chronic stress impacts on our physical bodies and is linked with many conditions.
This particular research seems to have been encouraged by a Swedish study that found the risk of dementia was about 65% higher in women who reported repeated periods of stress in middle age than in those who did not.
The slightly depressing aspect though is the amount of time all these studies take, before the ‘evidence’ is there and people actually start getting the help they need. For example in 2008 there was an article published on the work of Forensic psychologist, Dr Simon Duff and dementia consultant, Dr Dan Nightingale that suggests hypnotherapy may provide real benefits for those with dementia:
people living with dementia who had received hypnosis therapy showed an improvement in concentration, memory and socialisation compared to the other two treatment groups. Relaxation, motivation and daily living activities also improved with the use of hypnosis.
but how many know that?
Further Reading
Role of stress in dementia investigated
Hypnosis gets the green light for dementia patients
How to Face Fear with Knowledge
If it works keep doing it!
I listened to a webinar by Bernie Siegel, an American Doctor, last night while walking my dog and he made a point about holistic practitioners wasting their time trying to get people in conventional medicine to listen to them. His advice was to simply get on with helping people to heal, because eventually people will notice. This seems like good advice.
A colleague of mine helped a lady suffering from MS, her symptoms have completely gone and she has lived a normal life for several years. Each year she has a check-up appointment with her Neurologist who asks how she is. She explains she has been better since working with my collogue and the Neurologists grunts, but shows no interest at all in what happened. The lady is simply an anomaly, one of those people for whom the condition is not following the normal path.
Things do change though, if you do something that works long enough it can become part of the system. For example mindfulness that has been a Buddhist meditative practices for thousands of years has now become the in thing and part of the system in some places. Jon Kabat-Zinn has adapted the process into a non belief based meditation for stress and pain relief which is gaining more popularity.
So the Buddhist meditative practices that have been valued for health and well-being are now being accepted and more widely used because the evidence of it’s effectiveness has grown to the point that others notice it.
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