My website has had a lovely makeover! From now on I'll be blogging directly onto there, so you can catch up at www.lilycameronhypnotherapy.com
Thursday 16 April 2015
Thursday 12 March 2015
A Guide to Choosing a Therapist
Deciding to begin a course of therapy can be a lengthy process - admitting that things aren't quite right isn't always easy, and neither is committing to doing something about it! But when you've finally got to that point you suddenly have a whole new problem to face: How do you know which therapist is the right therapist for you?
The first thing to look out for is someone who is qualified. Don't assume that just because somebody calls themselves a counsellor or a hypnotherapist they must have the relevant qualifications - unfortunately there are some unscrupulous types about who will assume the title without gaining the foundation knowledge and accreditation first. Most therapists will state their qualifications on their website or literature (they'll have worked hard to achieve them so will be proud to show them off!), but if not don't be afraid to ask. If everything is above board they won't mind being asked and will be happy to fill you in.
Similarly, make sure that you find a therapist who is a member of a professional body, for example the BACP for counsellors, or the General Hypnotherapy Register for hypnotherapists. This means that your therapist will abide by a strict code of professional conduct, and that, in the unlikely event that you should have a complaint about your therapist, you will have someone to complain to!
These websites can be a good place to start looking for a therapist in fact, you can search the BACP for suitable counsellors here, and the General Hypnotherapy Register here. Any therapist who is a member of their professional body should also have professional insurance, another must-have, as this provides more protection for you, the client.
Next, read through some websites and social media profiles. This will give you a feel for who the therapist is, their area(s) of expertise and their approach to therapy. Don't get too drawn in by flashy websites - look for substance over style! I tend to prefer an upfront approach to stating fees so like to be able to find that on the website, a reasonable price shouldn't need to be kept quiet to draw you in. From this you can make a short list of the therapists you feel are most likely to suit you at this point.
Most therapists will offer the chance to speak with them either in person, or over the phone, and should not charge for this. Now you can begin contacting the therapists on your short list, and ask to book your free consultation. A therapist should never make you feel pressured into booking a paid for session. It's completely acceptable to say that you are taking your time in finding the right therapist for you, and that you will contact them again when you have made your decision. Do let them know even if you've decided against working with them, though, it's polite and doesn't require more than a quick email.
When you speak to, or meet with, a therapist you should be able to get a feel of whether you will want to work with them or not. Don't discount your gut instinct on this, and don't feel bad about crossing someone off your list because "something just didn't feel right". Some people just don't gel, it's not a reflection on you or on them, and you need to feel completely comfortable with your therapist.
If you can't find a therapist in your local area who you feel is just right, don't despair! Many therapists offer online therapy, via Skype or even over the phone, which means that you can access their services from anywhere in the world. This can be a real lifeline if you have mobility issues, a lack of childcare, or just want to save some time and money on travelling.
Choosing a therapist can seem like a daunting task, so I hope I've made the process a little simpler.
I'd love to hear from you, if you've got any comments or questions you can post them below or message me privately on lily@lilycameronhypnotherapy.com
Saturday 7 March 2015
Tuesday 3 March 2015
Three Steps to Stop Smoking - For Good!
We all know that smoking isn't good for you, it's hard not to, with billboards showing gory images of blocked arteries, and cancerous lungs, and stark warnings on every cigarette packet. We know it harms your lungs, your heart, your skin, we know it makes you smell, stains your teeth and nails, and costs a fortune. And yet many UK adults - 1 in 5, according to Cancer Research UK- still do it. Why?
Most smokers began as teenagers, maybe fitting in with friends, as an act of rebellion, or as a result of seeing parents smoke. As they grow older (and, perhaps, wiser!) many will reach a point where they want to stop, however by this point the habit has been formed, and they can find themselves struggling.
Nicotine is a highly addictive drug, and cigarette manufacturers have been accused of using additives to make cigarettes even more addictive. Besides the physical addiction, habits and rituals form around smoking, which can be difficult to break. Perhaps you like to have a cigarette on your coffee break at work, or after a meal. Some cite socialising, especially when alcohol is involved, as their main trigger to smoke. Most smokers will say that smoking helps them to de-stress.
The good news is that nicotine, whilst definitely addictive, is pretty short lived. 48 hours after your last cigarette there will be NO nicotine remaining in your body, so you are no longer physically addicted to smoking. Congratulations! You've done the hard part and it only took two days! All that's left now is to break the habit. This can be a stumbling block for many would-be quitters, and while there are any number of nicotine replacement products on the market, no-one has yet invented one that mimics those rituals that become a part of someone's daily life.
So how does anyone manage to quit? Follow these three steps, and you'll be well on your way!
1. Think of a really good reason
Despite knowing the health risks, many people find it difficult to quit for that reason alone - we tend to see ourselves as invincible, more so the younger we are, and just don't truly believe that lung cancer or heart disease could ever happen to us. If this sounds like you then look around you and figure out your own personal priorities.
If you're a parent you'll know that children learn from what they see us do, not from what we say, so telling your children not to smoke while being a smoker yourself is unlikely to have much impact. So your priority may be to be a strong role model for your kids. Or maybe you worry that you won't be around to see them grow up, or to play with your grandchildren.
Maybe you've noticed those tell tale wrinkles begin to appear around your mouth, and want to give your skin a better chance of staying healthy and smooth. Perhaps you're the last in your social group to quit, and are sick of huddling outside the pub or restaurant while everyone else socialises in the warmth.
Maybe you're noticing the strain on your wallet and have had enough of literally burning your hard earned cash, you'd like to spend it on something a little more enjoyable.
Your reasons are personal, but whatever they are, they are worth quitting for, for good! When you've identified your reasons for stopping make sure you write them down, this helps to cement your intention and reinforce to yourself why you're doing this.
2. Shake up your Routine
So you've identified your excellent reasons for giving up, you've written them down and stuck them on your fridge (and in your handbag, and wallet, and on the dashboard of your car, and your bathroom mirror) and you've marked a big red X on the calendar - your first day of being smoke free for life.
They say that proper planning prevents poor performance, and quitting smoking is no exception. Now is the time to begin your preparation for quitting, and breaking those little rituals and habits is a great place to start. Did you always have a cigarette with your morning coffee? Wait and have it half an hour later instead. You'll enjoy the taste of your coffee more, and won't have to contend with the association of "coffee = cigarette" when you give up. Did you have a favourite bench to sit on and smoke outside work, maybe with a great view, or a warm sunny spot? Have your cigarette round the corner instead (by the bins, or in that chilly alcove, somewhere it's not particularly pleasant to be!), then you can enjoy your lovely view with some fresh air. Did you stay loyal to a particular brand for years? Choose a different one, switch from ready made to rolling tobacco, or vice versa, anything to begin to break that familiar routine.
3. Ask for Help!
Look at the most successful people you can think of. Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Stephen Hawkings, Beyonce, none of these people got to where they did by themselves. Sure, nowadays they have hordes of employees, but in the early days they asked for help, they called in favours, they let people know that they needed support. If they all needed help, why would you be any different?
Some people say they don't want to let people know they're planning to quit in case they fail and lose face. I say those people are planning to fail! Assume you will quit, after all, you have your great reasons, you've put the work in to prepare yourself, so why wouldn't you succeed? Maybe you've tried before and ended up smoking again. That was then, this is now - forget about the past and focus on your smoke free future! Tell EVERYONE.
Maybe your partner is a non-smoker and has wanted you to give up for ages, or perhaps they haven't chosen to become a non-smoker yet, but are supportive of your quitting. Whatever your situation, let them know what you need from them. That might be gentle reminders, or acknowledgements of your success, or perhaps you just need to know you can talk to them if you want to. Be open, and don't expect them to be mind readers.
Ask your friends to be supportive. If they can't do this - and it can be difficult if they still smoke, your quitting highlights what they perhaps feel they should be doing - then ask them to respect what you're doing and just avoid the subject. Your true friends will do this, and you might just inspire them to give up too!
Professional help can be invaluable in achieving your goal. Try to do it with willpower alone and your chances of success are low, according to New Scientist hypnotherapy is the most effective method of quitting. Hypnotherapy works with your subconcious to change your thought processes, and break those old associations and habits for good, unlike willpower which doesn't address the underlying cause, or nicotine replacement which simply ensures that you continue to be physically addicted to a drug.
11th March 2015 is National No Smoking Day. Why not join the other proud quitters and make this year the one you finally give up?
Book onto my two session Stop Smoking course before March 11th 2015 and receive a 50% discount!
I'd love to hear from you, if you've got any comments or questions you can post them below or message me privately on lily@lilycameronhypnotherapy.com
Sunday 22 February 2015
Why I Won't Help You Diet
One of the first things I say when I'm asked about hypnotherapy for weight management is: If you're looking for a diet, you've come to the wrong place!
Often the response is a sigh of relief, though there's sometimes a hint of confusion there, too. Which isn't surprising when you consider that diets are being sold to us from just about every angle you can think of. Why eat plain old yoghurt when you could eat DIET yoghurt? Planning on a holiday this summer? You'll need to DIET so you can wear a bikini! Want to be thinner, happier, more successful? All you need to do is DIET! If you believe what you hear in the media, a diet can fix just about anything. Children as young as 6 are dieting, and the average UK woman embarks on 16 diets throughout her lifetime. Open a woman's magazine and there will almost always be a new diet to try, with recipes for 100 calorie meals, and pictures of the celebrities you could look like if only you stick to this regime (forget about the expensive clothes and make up, the stylists, and the airbrushing - it's all about the diet).
Something is wrong here.
The diet industry in the UK is worth £2 BILLION, so it's no wonder dieting is marketed so aggressively. And it's no wonder that diets don't actually work. If they did, the industry would collapse - we'd all just go on one diet, lose weight, become healthier, happier, and never need to diet again. And that wouldn't sell many diet books, special low-calorie "milkshakes", or weight loss videos.
Instead, diets are designed to be a short term solution. Yes, if you eat nothing but cabbage soup, cut out entire food groups, or spend X days per week starving yourself, then you will lose weight. However, the vast majority of diets are so restrictive that you will not be able to keep this up for the rest of your life. You'll become so frustrated at the lack of variety, or simply so hungry, that you'll HAVE to "give up". Your body, which is programmed to protect you from famine, will be so grateful for every morsel that you'll quickly regain anything you may have lost, and more. Not only do you end up as heavy, or heavier, you're also left with the feeling of guilt and failure that comes from "giving up" yet another diet. We're told that diets make us thin, when they're really more likely to make us overweight, and much less happy than when we started.
So, yeah, I don't do diets. I don't do weight loss, either, not really. If the only reason you're coming to see me is to lose a certain amount of weight then, sorry, but I can't really get on board with that. Not only do I feel that prioritising weight loss over every other aspect of your life is a fast track to madness, I know that it's just not sustainable. Sooner or later, no matter how dedicated to weight loss you are, something will happen that's just more important - and that's exactly as it should be! And so, while you're enjoying your holiday, or focusing on your career, or moving house, or a dealing with a family illness, or any other life event that is just more important than losing weight, you will ditch that diet and your weight will yo-yo straight back up.
There has to be more to it than that.
But if you have health problems, if you can't keep up with your children, if you're struggling with motivation or body image or self esteem, if you want to respect your body with more nourishing foods, if you'd love to make movement a part of your life, if you're sick of the diets... THAT is what I do!
I won't help you get thin, but I will help you respect and honour your body.
I will help you tackle cravings by giving your body what it really needs.
I will help you make choices that help your body and mind, rather than harm them.
I will help you eat because you're hungry, not because you're bored, or sad, or lonely, or angry (and I'll help you deal with all of those things without using food!).
I will help you make movement enjoyable, not a chore.
I will help you move away from viewing food as a punishment or a reward.
I will help you increase your self esteem and confidence, and improve your body image until you love your body no matter what size it happens to be.
And most of all, I will help you say "NO!" to diets.
And if those changes mean that your body naturally shifts to the weight and shape that it's most healthy and comfortable at, then so be it.
I will help you gain energy and vitality, improve your physical health and fitness, and give your mental health a boost as well. I don't want to talk about "losing weight" - I prefer to focus on what you can gain!
I'd love to hear from you, if you've got any comments or questions you can post them below or message me privately on lily@lilycameronhypnotherapy.com
Often the response is a sigh of relief, though there's sometimes a hint of confusion there, too. Which isn't surprising when you consider that diets are being sold to us from just about every angle you can think of. Why eat plain old yoghurt when you could eat DIET yoghurt? Planning on a holiday this summer? You'll need to DIET so you can wear a bikini! Want to be thinner, happier, more successful? All you need to do is DIET! If you believe what you hear in the media, a diet can fix just about anything. Children as young as 6 are dieting, and the average UK woman embarks on 16 diets throughout her lifetime. Open a woman's magazine and there will almost always be a new diet to try, with recipes for 100 calorie meals, and pictures of the celebrities you could look like if only you stick to this regime (forget about the expensive clothes and make up, the stylists, and the airbrushing - it's all about the diet).
Something is wrong here.
The diet industry in the UK is worth £2 BILLION, so it's no wonder dieting is marketed so aggressively. And it's no wonder that diets don't actually work. If they did, the industry would collapse - we'd all just go on one diet, lose weight, become healthier, happier, and never need to diet again. And that wouldn't sell many diet books, special low-calorie "milkshakes", or weight loss videos.
Instead, diets are designed to be a short term solution. Yes, if you eat nothing but cabbage soup, cut out entire food groups, or spend X days per week starving yourself, then you will lose weight. However, the vast majority of diets are so restrictive that you will not be able to keep this up for the rest of your life. You'll become so frustrated at the lack of variety, or simply so hungry, that you'll HAVE to "give up". Your body, which is programmed to protect you from famine, will be so grateful for every morsel that you'll quickly regain anything you may have lost, and more. Not only do you end up as heavy, or heavier, you're also left with the feeling of guilt and failure that comes from "giving up" yet another diet. We're told that diets make us thin, when they're really more likely to make us overweight, and much less happy than when we started.
So, yeah, I don't do diets. I don't do weight loss, either, not really. If the only reason you're coming to see me is to lose a certain amount of weight then, sorry, but I can't really get on board with that. Not only do I feel that prioritising weight loss over every other aspect of your life is a fast track to madness, I know that it's just not sustainable. Sooner or later, no matter how dedicated to weight loss you are, something will happen that's just more important - and that's exactly as it should be! And so, while you're enjoying your holiday, or focusing on your career, or moving house, or a dealing with a family illness, or any other life event that is just more important than losing weight, you will ditch that diet and your weight will yo-yo straight back up.
There has to be more to it than that.
But if you have health problems, if you can't keep up with your children, if you're struggling with motivation or body image or self esteem, if you want to respect your body with more nourishing foods, if you'd love to make movement a part of your life, if you're sick of the diets... THAT is what I do!
I won't help you get thin, but I will help you respect and honour your body.
I will help you tackle cravings by giving your body what it really needs.
I will help you make choices that help your body and mind, rather than harm them.
I will help you eat because you're hungry, not because you're bored, or sad, or lonely, or angry (and I'll help you deal with all of those things without using food!).
I will help you make movement enjoyable, not a chore.
I will help you move away from viewing food as a punishment or a reward.
I will help you increase your self esteem and confidence, and improve your body image until you love your body no matter what size it happens to be.
And most of all, I will help you say "NO!" to diets.
And if those changes mean that your body naturally shifts to the weight and shape that it's most healthy and comfortable at, then so be it.
I will help you gain energy and vitality, improve your physical health and fitness, and give your mental health a boost as well. I don't want to talk about "losing weight" - I prefer to focus on what you can gain!
I'd love to hear from you, if you've got any comments or questions you can post them below or message me privately on lily@lilycameronhypnotherapy.com
Thursday 12 February 2015
Hypnotherapy Made Easy
In my last post I talked about what hypnotherapy is not - so what exactly is it?
Hypnotherapy is a form of psychotherapy used to manage and treat everything from chronic pain, to pain during childbirth, phobias to habits, depression and anxiety to obsessions and addictions. In truth, it's difficult to think of an issue that hypnotherapy couldn't help with.
Hypnotherapy has gained some popularity in the media recently, with Anna Richardson becoming it's latest famous fan - even training as a hypnotherapist herself - but it's far from a modern fad. Hypnosis has been around for centuries, and though we're not entirely sure where or when it began to be used, it has been documented across ancient Greece, India and Egypt. In the 1700s Franz Anton Mesmer developed a therapy using touch and eye contact to heal various ills. The medical community of the day concluded that Mesmer's patients were healed by the power of their imagination. In other words, they were "mesmerised".
Although Mesmer coined a term which is still used widely, though usually perhaps unwittingly, it was James Braid, a Scottish surgeon, who in 1842 named the practice hypnotism, from the Greek hypnos -"sleep". Braid believed the hypnotic trance to be induced by fixation on a moving object, which invokes images of the pocket watch swinging slowly back and forth. Hypnosis was used in the American Civil War, in the absence of pain relief and anaesthesia, and again in World Wars 1 and 2, being especially successful in treating "shell shock"; and Sigmund Freud developed psychoanalysis based on his study of the practice.Hypnosis has continued to be used, both by stage hypnotists, and for therapy purposes, and thanks to celebrity hypnotists such as Derren Brown and Paul McKenna, seems to be more well known and sought after than ever before,
That's a (very) brief history, but it doesn't explain what hypnosis is actually like. I've never yet been tempted to channel Braid and swing a watch before a client's eyes, and while I will vary my approach depending on the individual client and the issue being addressed, I tend to favour sitting us both in comfy chairs, listening to some calming music, and beginning with guided relaxation. Being in a hypnotic trance is something that you probably experience daily, though you may call it "daydreaming". That strange state of mind where you appear to be awake, maybe even engaged in a repetitive task (washing dishes is my favourite daydreamy chore), and yet not really "with it", perhaps imagining your next holiday, or what you'd do if you won the lottery, or any number of scenarios more interesting than your current surroundings. And then your child calls out, or your colleague nudges you to alert you of the boss' arrival, and you jump and blink and come back to the present. You might have been vaguely aware of people around you talking but you weren't really taking it in.
Everyone experiences hypnosis differently, some people feel as though they've been deeply asleep, others remember every word I say, and still others fall somewhere in between. Just about everybody feels relaxed and refreshed afterwards, as though they've had a wonderful massage, or a revitalising afternoon nap. When you're in hypnosis your concious mind is distracted, leaving your subconcious in a highly receptive and suggestible state, which allows it to take on new ideas, and change old, unhelpful thought processes.
Because hypnotherapy works on a deeper level than other talking therapies which engage only the concious mind, it tends to be much faster. The average length of time I spend working with a client is around 4 - 6 sessions. Imagine, that's less than two months to change behaviour that may have lasted a lifetime! Happily, this means hypnotherapy can work out much cheaper than some other therapies, some of which may require commitment of a year or more.
If you feel like experiencing some of this lovely relaxation, if you're about ready to tackle those areas of your life you're not completely comfortable with, or if you're just still not entirely sure what I'm talking about, why not try hypnotherapy out for yourself?
I'd love to hear from you, if you've got any comments or questions you can post them below or message me privately on lily@lilycameronhypnotherapy.com
Hypnotherapy is a form of psychotherapy used to manage and treat everything from chronic pain, to pain during childbirth, phobias to habits, depression and anxiety to obsessions and addictions. In truth, it's difficult to think of an issue that hypnotherapy couldn't help with.
Hypnotherapy has gained some popularity in the media recently, with Anna Richardson becoming it's latest famous fan - even training as a hypnotherapist herself - but it's far from a modern fad. Hypnosis has been around for centuries, and though we're not entirely sure where or when it began to be used, it has been documented across ancient Greece, India and Egypt. In the 1700s Franz Anton Mesmer developed a therapy using touch and eye contact to heal various ills. The medical community of the day concluded that Mesmer's patients were healed by the power of their imagination. In other words, they were "mesmerised".
Although Mesmer coined a term which is still used widely, though usually perhaps unwittingly, it was James Braid, a Scottish surgeon, who in 1842 named the practice hypnotism, from the Greek hypnos -"sleep". Braid believed the hypnotic trance to be induced by fixation on a moving object, which invokes images of the pocket watch swinging slowly back and forth. Hypnosis was used in the American Civil War, in the absence of pain relief and anaesthesia, and again in World Wars 1 and 2, being especially successful in treating "shell shock"; and Sigmund Freud developed psychoanalysis based on his study of the practice.Hypnosis has continued to be used, both by stage hypnotists, and for therapy purposes, and thanks to celebrity hypnotists such as Derren Brown and Paul McKenna, seems to be more well known and sought after than ever before,
That's a (very) brief history, but it doesn't explain what hypnosis is actually like. I've never yet been tempted to channel Braid and swing a watch before a client's eyes, and while I will vary my approach depending on the individual client and the issue being addressed, I tend to favour sitting us both in comfy chairs, listening to some calming music, and beginning with guided relaxation. Being in a hypnotic trance is something that you probably experience daily, though you may call it "daydreaming". That strange state of mind where you appear to be awake, maybe even engaged in a repetitive task (washing dishes is my favourite daydreamy chore), and yet not really "with it", perhaps imagining your next holiday, or what you'd do if you won the lottery, or any number of scenarios more interesting than your current surroundings. And then your child calls out, or your colleague nudges you to alert you of the boss' arrival, and you jump and blink and come back to the present. You might have been vaguely aware of people around you talking but you weren't really taking it in.
Everyone experiences hypnosis differently, some people feel as though they've been deeply asleep, others remember every word I say, and still others fall somewhere in between. Just about everybody feels relaxed and refreshed afterwards, as though they've had a wonderful massage, or a revitalising afternoon nap. When you're in hypnosis your concious mind is distracted, leaving your subconcious in a highly receptive and suggestible state, which allows it to take on new ideas, and change old, unhelpful thought processes.
Because hypnotherapy works on a deeper level than other talking therapies which engage only the concious mind, it tends to be much faster. The average length of time I spend working with a client is around 4 - 6 sessions. Imagine, that's less than two months to change behaviour that may have lasted a lifetime! Happily, this means hypnotherapy can work out much cheaper than some other therapies, some of which may require commitment of a year or more.
If you feel like experiencing some of this lovely relaxation, if you're about ready to tackle those areas of your life you're not completely comfortable with, or if you're just still not entirely sure what I'm talking about, why not try hypnotherapy out for yourself?
I'd love to hear from you, if you've got any comments or questions you can post them below or message me privately on lily@lilycameronhypnotherapy.com
Wednesday 4 February 2015
So,Will I Cluck Like a Chicken?
When I tell people I am a hypnotherapist their responses range from interest, to confusion, to outright fear! One of the first questions I'm asked, only half joking, is usually "Would you make me cluck like a chicken?"
And the short answer is... Yes! But only if you wanted me to (so far none of my clients have, but never say never). Hypnotherapy is sometimes confused for stage hypnotism, but although both hypnotherapists and stage hypnotists use hypnosis, the similarities end there. A stage hypnotist is primarily a performer, as opposed to a therapist, and they know how to put on a good show - usually at the expense of their "hapless" volunteers!
But just how hapless are the members of the audience who so eagerly raise their hands? Well, not very, really. They either want very much to be hypnotised - they like to make people laugh, and don't mind making themselves look a little silly in the process - or they want to show up the hypnotist and are determined NOT to be hypnotised! Either way, they are self selecting. The hypnotist will perform a few tests to decide which volunteers are the most highly suggestible. This separates the "class clowns", who will comply with the hypnotist's requests, from the mischievous types who will staunchly refuse. When the hypnotist has determined who's going to play ball they will send the others back to their seats, announcing they only need X number of volunteers, leaving them with the people who are perfectly happy to cluck like a chicken, dance around on stage, and generally make a bit of a fool of themselves in the name of a good giggle.
Could they refuse, if they suddenly lost their nerve? Absolutely! When you're in a hypnotic trance you are in full control, and will be able to refuse anything you're not comfortable with, you'll be able to move if you want to, and if the fire alarm goes off, or you become so relaxed you feel like you're about to fall off your chair, you'll be able to wake yourself up, completely alert and able to move, speak and think as usual.
Hypnotherapists, who are primarily therapists as opposed to hypnotists, aren't so concerned with showy gestures and stage presence (they shouldn't be, anyway!), and any reputable hypnotherapist will make your comfort an absolute priority, reassuring you and answering any questions you might have.
In short, stage hypnotists can be a great for a fun night out, whether you're on stage doing your best chicken impression or not, but they're worlds away from hypnotherapists. So stop worrying, OK? :)
I'd love to hear from you, if you've got any comments or questions you can post them below or message me privately on lily@lilycameronhypnotherapy.com
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