I was out walking with a friend and her dogs the other day and I took this lovely photograph. The woods and the photograph reminded me of a poem by Robert Frost: The Road Not Taken. I have to admit I never enjoyed interpretation at school. I could never "get" the hidden meanings. I just liked to read the book or poem without having to think about what the author/poet was trying to say! I thought I would look up the Spark notes for this poem and I am not sure whether to be happy or disapointed that I understood the deeper meaning (accornding to the notes that is).
My understanding is that life presents us with different paths and we will convince ourselves that the road we take is the right path. We know we will never take the other route and years later we will defend that path with the thought it was less travelled when in reality they were both the same. However, the outcome may have been different .

Our conscious mind makes decisions based on protecting our subconscious mind. Emotions and passed experiences help us make these decisions. They are stored in our subconscious until we replace it with another thought. So when you come to those paths in the wood how will you defend your decision? Enjoy the poem and if you have any thoughts please get in touch. If you understand the poem in a different way let me know. Who is to say Spark notes or myself is right. Christine

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 

I shall be telling this with a  sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I mentioned in my last blog that I would be taking relaxation classes in September so I wanted to tell you a little bit about them. Relaxation comes in many forms to different people. It could be relaxing in a bath, reading a book, socialising with friends. However, sometimes it can be difficult to relax. We all lead busy, hectic lives trying to juggle home life with work and sometimes there can be little time for true relaxation. Every day life can give us more pressures and sometimes the smallest thing can get to us. Important things in our lives like moving house, getting married, attending iterviews, stepping out of our comfort zone can add to our tension. Being able to relax is something we can all learn. Anyone living in the East Lothian area is welcome to attend my "Deep Relaxation with self Hypnosis" this is through Adult Learning in East Lothian you can access the information and times through http://adulted.ellp.net or visit www.eastlothian.gov.uk

This course dispels the myths about hypnosis and teaches you the secrets of deep relaxation. Using progressive relaxtion techniques you will not only learn how to relax but will feel great. One of the thing you will love about this course is learning a skill you can use in every day life. Feel confident about attending interviews or being able to relax in times of stress are some of the differences you will beging to notice.

If you are interested in this or want to ask me about how hypnosis and relaxation can help you please do not hesitate to drop me an email or give me a call.

Take care
Christine

This photo was taken at Chester Cathedral and represents the circle of life. Always continuous always flowing.
For some people this can mean a tread mill and be full of fraught difficulties. For others it is a simple progression of life with ups and downs. For most of us it is a mixture of the two. Sometimes we can cope with the ups and downs that life throws at us, other times it feels as if we will never get through things.

Help can come in many forms. It can be family, friends, faith, counselling. Different things work for different people and sometimes we need to use our own positive thinking to get through the hard times. This is something that takes a lot of practice and visulisation. Through self hypnosis you can learn techniques that will help you to get through times that feel bad. Self hypnosis helps us relax and can change the way we feel about a situation.In times of stress it is very difficult to relax, this in turn can effect our sleep patterns making things feel worse and so the circle continues. With self hypnosis we can learn to relax and, therefore, get a better sleep, which helps us cope better with the situation. In September I am going to be holding a 5 week course to teach Self Hypnosis. If you are interested in learning more please contact me.
Take care.
Christine

_I was asked by a friend to do a blog about insomnia.

According to the definition in the dictionary, Insomnia: A chronic inability to fall asleep or to enjoy uninterrupted sleep.

At some point in our lives we have experienced this for a night or two and it can make us feel irritable, lethargic and emotional but to have this constantly can interfere with our day to day life. Some people adapt to the lack of sleep and patterns can occur. For example waking up at the same time every night and not being able to get back to sleep.There can be underlying problems which cause insomnia and these should be checked out by a GP and treated before giving the person sleeping tablets. Problems that can cause insomnia can range from anxiety and depression to types of medication being taken. Alcohol and drug misuse can also cause problems with sleep.Waking up at the same time every night can become imprinted behaviour, then the worry about the next day may start, or worrying about the day you have just had. Thoughts going round in your head that you can't get rid off......sound familiar?
Here are a few tips to try:
Avoid caffeine later in the day.
Avoid heavy meals late at night.
Use an eye mask or heavy curtains to block out the light.
Use ear plugs to block out sounds.
Listen to calming music before you go to bed.
Have a bath before you go to bed.

From a hypnosis point of view you can also try these techniques:
Tense and relax each muscle in your body starting from the tips of your toes to the top of your head.
Alter your breathing, as your tummy pushes out  breathe in counting to 7 and out counting to 11.
Be positive; if you wake a 2 in the morning and you get up at 7 instead of saying "oh no I've only got 5 hours left" say to yourself "oh great another 5 hours"

If any one has any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Sweet dreams.
Christine
_ 

The winter Blues! It is a month after New Year and the resolutions have gone by the way side. We are not yet out of the threat of winter and it is not quite yet spring. For a lot of people money is tight after the festivities and the news is full of cut backs and redundancies. It is not a good time for feeling up beat and happy. It is not always easy but help is at hand and changing the way we approach those feelings can help.

Here are some tips for beating those blues:

1 Make a plan of action: list the things you want to do start of with things that are achievable.
2 Break down the list into smaller steps as to how you will get there.
3 Imagine the outcome, no matter how outrageous the idea is, see it in your minds eye.
4 Never forget to dream. The subconscious mind will find a way to fullfil these dreams. It may not be tomorrow.
5 Take one day at a time and have a small goal for each day.
6 When we are feeling a bit low it is a natural tendency to cut ourselves off from our friends. Invite them over for coffee and a chat it will do you good.
And Finally:
7 Keep smiling! Even if you don't feel like it smile and it will become natural.

Take care

Christine

That time again when we make our new years resolutions and then break them! Or maybe not, perhaps once you have made them you continue through out the next year keeping them. I personally don't make new years resolutions but I do say to myself "this year I am going to do more exercise" "this year I am going to lose some weight" sound familiar? Sometimes we say to ourselves "I am going to TRY and ...." The reason I have put TRY in capitals is as soon as we say the word try, it gives our subconscious mind an escape clause, TRY = FAIL. It is not intentional. If you think of the times you have said to someone you will try and do something or they have said to you they will try and do something for you has it ever happened? The famous advert for Nike doesn't say "try and do it" it says "Just Do It"

New Year and a new you it can happen. With a combination of Hypnotherapy and NLP you can change your life, the key is YOU! You have to want to do these things lose weight, give up smoking, gain confidence. It all comes from within. If you believe you can't do something then you probably can't.

Let me tell you a story of an elephant, as a baby it is tethered to a metal chain and a stake is driven into the ground, the more it pulls the more it is unable to get away so the baby elephant stops trying. As an adult all that stops the elephant is a piece of rope and a wooden stake. This is not strong enough to keep the elephant in place but it was conditioned as a baby to believe it can't get away so it doesn't even try. I want you to think that as human beings how many times have we failed to do something because we have been conditioned to believe we can't?
If you need help with your new years resolutions why not give me a call for a chat.
All the best for 2013.
Christine

We are half way through November already! I saw the coca cola Christmas advert for the first time today so that can only mean one thing...Christmas is here! Well not quite but that's how it feels. I love Christmas but not every one feels the same way. The stress of family get togethers, the dark nights, money worries, debt, socialising or not. This is the time when stress levels become higher than normal. Sometimes we have to take a step back and put it in perspective. When you start feeling like everything is on top of you I want you to take a few minutes to relax. Sit in a chair put your hands on your lap and breathe in for the count of 7 and out for the count of 11 do this a few times and you will begin to feel alot better. 

To me Christmas is about spending time with friends and family that is more important than how much we spend on each other. So relax and enjoy the day with good food and family.
 If you dread Christmas because you are by yourself then change the emotion. 

                                                        Thoughts without emotions are just thoughts 

Use that day to do something nice for yourself. Make it special for you have a nice meal, watch what you want to on TV or wrap up well and go for a walk at your favourite place. If you want to stay in bed all day then it's up to you. Just look at it with positive emotions and you can change the way you feel about it. This can apply to winter blues in general
Have a Good Christmas.
Christine

Yes folks, we are coming up to the time of year that sends normal people into panic! Enforced time with the family running about trying to get everything done. Demands on your time socially as well as spending money. On top of that there is the PARTY season  how many of us have thought we should have time to drop a few dress sizes? (just so we are able to put it all back on during the festive period). Hypnosis can help lose that weight before Christmas and change your attitude towards food and your body image. Making it easier to keep the weight off during and  after. We all have will power, otherwise we would not get up in the morning, it's how we apply it that matters. Our mind is conditioned to fail at diets especially if you are like myself and been on so many. And yet if you follow a few simple rules you can lose weight:
_
Eat breakfast within half an hour of getting up, this sets up your metabolic rate for the day.

Chew each mouthful 20 times putting your knife and fork down between each mouthful

.                                                            Do NOT drink with your meal wait until you are finished

.                                                            Do not eat after 7.30pm

_If you follow these simple rules you will lose weight. Don't just take my word for it try it and see. If you want  more help then why not book a weight loss session with me. or call me for a chat about how hypnosis can help where diets have failed.
Christine   

We all wonder what makes one person more confident than another. If you look around your own group of friends there is always one that seems as if they have it all. They are confident, self assured they take risks that pay off.
The dictionary definition of confident is: belief in one's own abilities; self assurance.
How many times have we given up on ourselves because we have lacked the confidence in our own abilities? I know I have.
 How many times have we said to ourselves"If I was a stone lighter, I would be more confident" ,"If I was prettier. I would be more confident","If I were more successful, I would be more confident." Confidence is not external it is from within. We need to believe in our own self worth to gain that confidence or it does not matter how much weight we lose, how pretty we are or how successful we are we are never going to feel that confident. 

I was once told that confidence is not something that is gained we just get better at hiding our insecurites. In some ways this is true.With hypnosis we can change the negative into  believing in ourselves. The mind cannot tell the difference between imagined and reality and the subconcious mind cannot hold two opposing beliefs. If you have self doubt and lack in confidence then this has been imprinted onto the subconcious and you have continued to believe this. The mind also only accepts positive. So back to the original advice I got about confidence: If we put our insecurites to one side and concentrate on the positives the confidence will grow and those insecurities will not take up as much of our time. 

One more point, those people who we believe to be really confident have had their set backs but they have put it to one side and not let it get to them. Oscar Wilde said " We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars" 
Christine

With the exams over and the results now back, it feels like we can rest a while. That is before the next round of exams or tests are upon us. When we leave school or university we think that is the end of tests and exams but for most of us it is the beginning of new challenges. Driving tests, work related courses, vocational subjects or even courses done for pleasure which may also have tests.

Exams cause so many people to doubt themselves. "Have I learned the right subjects?" "Have I enough knowlege on the subjects I know?" "Have I studied enough?" Sound familiar? I know because I have also been there. Then when you come out of the exam and start comparing what you wrote with your friends the doubts increase until...I'VE FAILED! You are convinced until that paper comes through the door to tell you otherwise. Some people are not so lucky in that they have such a bad attack of nerves that they make themselves ill with worry and that's where hypnosis can help.

I have always used self hypnosis for exams, tests, interviews. Any situation that can cause those feelings of doubt. You know you have done the work, you have the knowledge, however, that said you are still nervous. Hypnosis relaxes the body and the mind. With the help of the hypnotherapist the subconcious believes it has already done the exam and knows there is nothing to worry about. The subconcious cannot tell the difference between imagined and reality. All it knows is it has been there before and there wasn't a problem. A little bit of nervousness is good but it doesn't have to be debilitating. Hypnosis is not magic you need to put in the work.  What hypnosis does is relax you enough to be able to recall the knowledge you have.
For those of you out there who have sat exams and got the grades you desired CONGRATULATIONS! For those of you who have more exams to take and want to be more in control talk to me about attending a one day self hypnosis course.
Next month: Confidence.
Christine x