In her new monthly column in the Mail on Sunday, Star of BBC's "What Not To Wear", Lisa Butcher reveals she visited a Quest-trained Cognitive Hypnotherapist to boost her confidence in front of camera. In her words,

"When I started work on What Not To Wear at the BBC, the clothes I wore were important, but that was not enough to give me the confidence I needed. I discovered a solution in cognitive hypnotherapy/ neuro-linguistic programming with the Quest Institute. I went to two sessions and that was enough to build up my strengths and deal with my anxieties."

As Quest trained Cognitive Hypnotherapists ourselves, it is great to see the approach we use reaching the stars...

If you would like to boost your confidence or self esteem, why not contact us and see how we can help.

(And if you are not in our area, why not find a Quest trained Cognitive Hypnotherapist near you...)

"At a hospital in Peterborough, Bernadine Coady, has been having routine knee surgery.

But unlike most patients, she was not given any anaesthetic - instead, the 67-year-old claimed she used self-hypnosis to control the pain.

She told surgeon Ahmed Shair of the private Orthopaedics and Spine Specialist Hospital in Cambridgeshire that she could feel only tugging and pulling.

Despite much research, nobody knows exactly how the technique works but Mrs Coady says anyone is capable of using self-hypnosis to control pain if they train their mind."

(BBC News - Monday, 7 July 2008 (Video available))

What a shining example of the power of self-hypnosis, and hats off to Bernadine, not only for doing it all on her own - but also having a film crew in the operating theatre with her every step of the way.

Hypnosis has been used as a form of pain control for centuries, but fell out of popular use when modern anaesthetics were developed. However, some progressive modern surgeons (notably Irish surgeon, Dr Jack Gibson) have continued to use it in their work. Dr Jack, now 92 (and still working!), has performed over 4000 procedures using hypnosis instead of anaesthetic.

Modern neuroscience suggests that hypnosis works the same way as an anaesthetic - by blocking or altering the way the mind processes the pain signals coming from the body. MRI scans show the physical brain activity actually changes as a person goes into self hypnosis. Unlike anaesthetic, however, Hypnosis has no side effects, and studies show that patients actually recover much faster.

From our perspective, it is great to see yet more unquestionable proof that hypnosis works - helping to dispel further the hollywood myths and stage show shenanigans that have dogged its past. The mind is a powerful thing, and hypnosis allows each one of us to tap into its full power to make change in our lives - if we will allow ourselves to do so.

The Guardian and Observer are running a two part feature on massage and relaxation this weekend, and we are listed in the section on Cognitive Hypnotherapy.

Here are some extracts from the article on Cognitive Hypnotherapy.

"Cognitive hypnotherapy provides overworked minds with the toolkit they need to fix their own stresses and strains. It is based on modern psychology and neuroscience and, don't worry, there's not a pendulum in sight ...

... In 2001, Trevor Silvester set up the Quest Institute (questinstitute.co.uk) and introduced the idea of combining hypnosis with cognitive behavioural therapy, tools from positive psychology, cognitive theory and neuro-linguistic programming...

...There's no one way to treat stress or to encourage relaxation, it all depends on the way you see things - your model of the world. As part of a session, the client is supplied with a toolkit for the mind. This enables them to use different tools to fix different mental states...

...everyone has the capacity to adopt new mental tools, and anyone can be hypnotised. The only prerequisite is to be open to the process."

As specialists in Stress, Anxiety and Panic, we can help you to deal more effectively with the strain of modern living. Whether you want to learn to relax more, break an unhelpful pattern of behaviour or find more balance and happiness in your life, we are ready to help you.

When most people think about hypnosis, it is usually Derren Brown or the hypnotist character from the Little Britain TV show that spring to mind, complete with the immortal words, “look into my eyes…”

NCH registered Cognitive Hypnotherapists, Rob & Heidi Woodgate of Gravesend based practice North Kent Hypnotherapy say that neither gives a true picture of hypnotherapy, and think that these popular misconceptions of hypnosis might actually stop people seeking help for issues that could otherwise be overcome in just a few sessions.

Rob says, “We think it’s important to bring to the public’s awareness the difference between hypnosis and hypnotherapy. It has nothing to do with ‘looking into your eyes’ and more to do with looking into your behaviour.

Hypnotherapy is most often used for psychological problems like stress, anxiety, lack of confidence and low self esteem, and can also help with weight loss, phobias and obsessions. It has also been scientifically proven to be beneficial in smoking cessation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Heidi says, “Over a decade of scientific research has shown hypnotherapy to be an effective choice for alleviating the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Hypnotherapy routinely produces positive results in over 80% of the people who use it.”

National Hypnotherapy Week is sponsored by The National Council for Hypnotherapy, who maintains the highest standards among its members and is regarded as the premier professional body in hypnotherapy within the United Kingdom.

Well, not quite - but we have renamed our practice “North Kent Hypnotherapy”.

Our practice was originally called Ghost Gum Therapy, a name we chose because it is a great metaphor for the work we do. The Ghost Gum is an Australian Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Papuana) whose name comes from the white chalky coating it secretes on its bark. By day this coating can be used to provide sun block protection. By night, it provides an eerie glow, enabling people to make their way through the dark. The branches of the Ghost Gum make excellent firewood and the leaves can be used to catch fish. With this amazing versatility, the Ghost Gum provides a great deal help and support to the native Aboriginal people.

The Ghost Gum has the ability to survive in the harshest climates of the Australian Outback by knowing how to look after itself. When the water supply is scarce, rather than dying off, the Ghost Gum cuts off the water and nutrient supply to its non-essential branches, allowing it to lose its excess baggage and thrive. In this way, by making changes and addressing those parts which are not helpful, it is always able to adapt and move forward in its life.

We decided to change to our new name because it simply says exactly what we do and where we do it - Hypnotherapy in North Kent!

The new name also compliments Heidi's brand spanking new counselling website - North Kent Counselling.

Time magazine reported this week that one billion people will die from smoking by the end of this century. According to the World Health Organisation, smoking related illness already kills a person every six seconds (that's 100 million people in the 20th century alone).

As stop smoking experts, we help people quit smoking every day. But there is a limit to the number of people that we can physically see each week, which is why we created a FREE stop smoking programme - '5 top tips to Quit Smoking'. This programme is delivered by email over a month and is designed to follow your progress as you quit.

Please let us know how you get on with it!

The crash landing of BA flight BA038 at Heathrow will no doubt have made quite a few people nervous.

And we're not just referring to the people involved, who will understandably be very shaken up. All over the country, countless people with a fear of flying will be reading and watching every piece of news on this incident they can lay their hands on.

We are pleased to announce the release of our new Weight Loss Hypnosis MP3, which will allow you to safely reprogram your mind to develop new and more helpful eating habits.

This advanced programme includes binaural beats, which will help you reach those deeply relaxed and creative states of mind more quickly, making our weight loss hypnosis mp3 so much more effective and easier to use.

• Reprogram your eating habits
• Lose weight at a safe and natural rate
• Advanced 20 minute programme for convenient listening
• Deeply relaxing
• Binaural beat technology to help your mind reach deep relaxation quickly
• Produced by professional Hypnotherapists, Rob & Heidi Woodgate
• 30 Day Money Back Guarantee

100% No Risk Guarantee

We want you to be delighted with your downloads and to tell others about them, so we offer a no quibble 30 day money back guarantee. If for any reason in the next 30 days you are not completely satisfied, just contact us and we will happily refund your money in full. No questions asked, no quibble, and no hard feelings.

So really, you have nothing to lose except that unwanted weight!

Download your copy today

Because this product is so new, we are offering it at an initial special price of £9.99, and we guarantee to hold this special low price until 31st January 2008. After that date, we reserve the right to change the offer at any time, without warning or notice, so act now and start making your new years resolution a reality right now.

As with all hypnosis products, you should never use this product whilst driving or operating machinery, or if you suffer from epliepsy. If in doubt, please consult your doctor.

We are pleased to announce that our self hypnosis mp3 for natural birth now uses binaural beats to make them even more effective.

Binaural beats are created when sounds of slightly sifferent frequencies are heard separately by each ear, and combined by the brain to create a third perceived 'sound' which is the difference between the two.

Research at educational institutions worldwide, including the Monroe Institute, has found that binaural beats cause our brainwave patterns to synchronise with the beat, allowing people to reach the deeply relaxed states of mind much more quickly and with less practice.

This technology not only helps make our self hypnosis mp3 so much more effective, but also means our programmes can be much shorter than traditional hypnosis cds, making them much more convenient to listen to each day.

Trying to cut out all thoughts of your favourite, fattening food may actually make you eat more, claims research.
Women who tried to stop thinking about chocolate ate 50% more than those who were encouraged to talk about their cravings.

This "rebound" effect could also apply to smokers, say the Hertfordshire University authors in Appetite journal.

Experts at Weight Watchers said a "varied diet" was the best way to lose weight.

Dr James Erskine, who led the project, recruited 134 students who were asked to either suppress all thoughts about chocolate, or talk about how much they liked it.

They were then asked to choose from two brands of chocolate, believing that it was this choice that was being recorded by the researchers.

However, the quantity they ate was recorded instead.

Women who had tried to suppress their cravings ate on average eight chocolates, while those who had talked freely about it ate five.

Men did not show the same effect, with the group told to talk about the snack eating more.
(BBC News, 22nd October 2007)

British singer Lily Allen has turned to hypnotherapy to help her lose weight.

Lily says the hypnotherapist reprogrammed her brain to help her enjoy healthy organic food and associate trips to the gym with feeling happy, and is said to be delighted with her new look.

"After the hypnotism, I want to go to the gym every day, otherwise I feel really bad. I just want to get more toned and healthy. I'm really good about everything at the moment - I've never been happier."

The singer, daughter of actor Keith Allen, is not the first celebrity to turn to hypnotism to lose weight - model Sophie Dahl, singer Geri Halliwell and the Duchess of York have all done so.

(Daily Mail - 6th October 2007)

Find you how you can lose weight with hypnotherapy.

We are pleased to announce that you can now learn self hypnosis and relaxation techniques for pregnancy and labour pain management in the comfort of your own home thanks to our new learn at home birth preparation programme and Self Hypnosis MP3 for Labour downloads.

Learning relaxation techniques and self hypnosis for preganancy can give you a sense of control over your mind and body, both during your pregnancy as well as helping you to manage labour pain when you are giving birth.

Whats more, research at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, Australia, where hypnosis is used for women in labour, shows it is highly effective. They found that women taught self-hypnosis reduced their need for analgesia by half, epidurals by 70 per cent, and were more than twice as likely to be satisfied with their pain management in labour compared with other women.

You can view all our birth hypnosis products here. (you will be taken to our Blissful Birth website).

A new report from the department of gastroenterology at King’s College Hospital, London, published in the British Medical Journal, highlights the fact that Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a combination of "psychological" as well as physical factors, and that psychological therapies, including hypnotherapy, can be an alternative to medication.

Excerpt from the Daily Mail:

Hypnotherapy could be the latest weapon in the fight against irritable bowel syndrome, providing benefits that last up to five years.
Conventional treatment – including antidepressant and painkilling drugs – is ineffective, according to a report which says doctors should consider offering psychological therapies.
The report says the condition may have a partial "psychological basis".
...
Small trials have found hypnotherapy was successful as a means of managing symptoms, says a report published today in the British Medical Journal.
It found patients with IBS are more likely to suffer from depression and "abnormal" behaviour patterns including anxiety.
They also display somatisation – the conversion of emotional, mental, or psychosocial problems into physical complaints.

Excerpt from BBC News:

Hypnotherapy could help people with severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), researchers say.
Doctors should consider using this and other "psychological" treatments such as antidepressants to help sufferers, King's College London experts say in the British Medical Journal.
However, a shortage of therapists could hinder this, they add.
Experts said there was growing evidence that IBS cases have psychological as well as biological elements.
...
Dr Nick Read, a psychologist and adviser to the IBS Network, said he felt that the majority of IBS patients had a psychologists element to their condition.
He said: "There's now a lot of evidence that psychological therapies can be effective, but a lot of doctors remain sceptical, and carry on treating with drugs which have side-effects, and which basically don't work.
"I work with patients with IBS trying to understand what, for each patient, lies behind the illness."

At North Kent Hypnotherapy we specialise in helping people with IBS by treating the mental aspects contributing to their condition, and it is great for us to see the results we see every day being officially validated by scientists.

Read more about our approach to IBS here.

A lovely story in the news today tells how blind adventurer, Miles Hilton-Barber, completed a journey half way around the world in his microlight. In an interview he remarked that "The only thing holding me back was five inches, the distance between my ears. Attitude is what determines altitude."

After losing his sight nearly 25 years ago, Miles decided to stop thinking about all the things he could no longer do as a blind person and instead concentrate on all the things he could do. He firmly believes that you don't need to let the past determine your future, and that every setback can bring a benefit.

His message is simple - "The only limits in our lives are those we accept ourselves."

What could YOU achieve if you thought the same way?

From Wednesday 16th May we will be relocating our practice to Sigma Beauty Salon, 153 Parrock Street, Gravesend, DA12 1ER. Click here for a map.

This exciting move puts us in prime position within Gravesend, with ample client parking in the Lord St Car Park opposite, and just a short walk from Gravesend Mainline station.

Directions From Tollgates exit of A2 by car
1) Take A227 Wrotham Road towards Gravesend
2) Just before you reach the one way system at Woodville Halls, take a right turn into Zion Place (by the Prince Albert pub).
3) From Zion Place, turn left into Windmill street and then turn immediate right into North Street (marked by a large car park sign).
4) This takes you into the big Lord Street car park. If you park near the new toilet block, Sigma Beauty is located opposite on Parrock Street.

We look forward to welcoming you to our new clinic soon!