Hypnotherapy, and the approach that I use on all the issues that affect your physical health, allow you to break the old subconscious programming and make more healthy positive choices for your future.

Physical health and mental health are strongly connected. Taking care of your physical health is scientifically shown to improve mental well-being, and vice versa. If one declines, the other can be affected too. Having a balanced diet, exercising, having good quality sleep, and stopping unhealthy habits such as smoking, excess alcohol, and drugs are some of the key physical health factors that can promote mental well-being.

We often feel ‘stuck’ in an unhelpful pattern of behaviour that continues the smoking habit. Every smoker knows the risks and negative effects of smoking – the smell, damage to their health, drain on their finances, effects on their energy, their fitness, yet they still feel compelled to smoke.

Hypnotherapy helps to break the unhelpful habit of smoking and frees yourself to have a healthier future. As soon as you stop smoking your body starts to repair and your risk of a smoking related disease is widely reduced. Your fitness and energy can increase, sense of smell and taste can return and lung function can increase by up to a third.

Most overweight people know the foods that they ‘should’ and shouldn’t eat but end up eating in the same old unhelpful ways often driven by their emotions and habits. People often eat for comfort, out of boredom or habit and find it hard to break this cycle of behaviour.

Dropping just 5 to 10% of your body weight can improve your overall health and reduce your risk for chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes. When we feel in control of our food decisions and feel more comfortable with our bodies we can increase in confidence and self esteem too.

Hypnotherapy helps to break the habits and emotions linked to foods that damage or health.

Problems with sleep are a major factor in physical and mental health. Sleep is as important to our health as eating, drinking and breathing. It allows our bodies to repair themselves and our brains to consolidate our memories and process information. Poor sleep is linked to physical problems such as a weakened immune system and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

You may have noticed a desire to eat more when you are tired and this is due to concentrations of a hormone increasing with lack of sleep that makes you feel hungry and suppressing a companion hormone that signals that you are full and satisfied.

The more we ‘try’ to sleep the more we chase sleep away. Sleep is not something we have to consciously ‘do’ so we often need to address the subconscious and the reasons why sleep alludes us.

Studies are showing more and more that a holistic approach to health – linking physical, social, emotional, and mental health – is necessary for mental well-being.

One of the areas I specialize in is Stopping Smoking and  I have devised a one session Stop Smoking programme that I have been running for many years with a very high success rate. I address the reasons why you started smoking, the reasons you have continued to smoke (be that as a stress relief, comfort, break from environment, habit etc) and then the reasons why you want to stop now.

When each session is tailored in this way and with powerful hypnotherapy suggestions each client finds it easy to leave as a non smoker. I run this programme in large companies to help staff to stop smoking too (please contact me if you think your company may be interested in this).

The Stop Smoking programme I use is one devised by Mr Terence Watts, a leading hypno/psychotherapist in his field. This programme has a 90% success rate and won the 1998 award for clinical excellence by the hypnotherapy society. With commitment and motivation to stop smoking this two hour, one off session, gives you the opportunity to leave my therapy room a non smoker.

Food represents different things to different people. Food for you could signify a craving for comfort, protection against the world or weight control – even punishment. It may be a habit, a lesson learnt to clear your plate when you were younger, or the habit of always having a dessert after your main course, even when you are full. Trauma in your life also sets off a new behaviour pattern, where food is used as a substitute for other problem areas in you life.

This can lead to over eating or stopping eating, which can lead to the eating disorders bulimia and anorexia. By uncovering what ‘drives’ your eating habits and forming positive changes in your subconscious mind, hypnosis can help you to take back control of the food in your life.

I am passionate about Weight Issues and the effects that this has on a persons confidence, self belief, health, relationships and future plans. I would help you to look more closely at the reasons why they eat certain foods and the emotions that drive these decisions. Uncovering the emotional drivers and establishing a healthier relationship with food and above all with yourself has helped hundreds of my clients to be slimmer, healthier and happier.

The term ‘eating disorder’ refers to a complex, potentially life-threatening condition, characterised by severe disturbances in eating behaviors.

Eating disorders can be seen as a way of coping with emotional distress, or as a symptom of underlying issues.

• Eating disorders are not primarily about food
• People can and do recover
• Eating disorders can affect anyone

Eating disorders are characterised by a variety of disordered eating behaviors such as:

• Self-starvation – by fasting and/or food restriction
• Purging – by self-induced vomiting, over-exercising, or laxative abuse
• Bingeing – by consuming quantities of food beyond what the body needs to satisfy hunger

An eating disorder can be very destructive, both physically and emotionally, and people can get trapped into the destructive cycle of the eating disorder without knowing how to cope with it.

An eating disorder is not just about food and weight, but also about a person’s sense of who they are.

Treatment of an eating disorder will require attention to both the physical and the psychological/emotional aspects of the person. Treatment must always include respect for and sensitivity for the overall well-being of the person.

The distress of a person experiencing an eating disorder, whether or not it is acknowledged, may have a considerable impact on family and friends.

A person male or female who suffers from anorexic behaviour, is frequently a perfectionist at heart, and highly sensitive to the criticism of others. In addition, they may be highly able, even gifted and talented, but has a tendency to expect too much of themselves and so drives him/herself very hard. Even if they appear very well organised, they are very anxious about achieving.

People with this condition have a pre-occupation with their weight and size and a real terror of gaining weight and eating in case they get ‘fat’ even when they are very underweight. Someone with anorexia does not ‘see’ themselves as others see them, instead seeing themselves as being ‘fat’ even when they are very small and emaciated. Most sufferers of anorexia have a distorted body image, a very low level of confidence and self esteem which has an affect on their eating condition.

Most anorexics have ‘rules’ that they have put in place, like the amount of calories they are ‘allowed’ in a day, what foods to avoid and how much to have. Some anorexics purge to remove food that they have eaten or take laxatives to speed up the digestion processor take up excessive exercise to be slimmer.  All of these methods are dangerous as they can cause electrolyte imbalance and heart arrhythmia.

Anorexia often becomes a way of coping with life and demonstrating control of body weight and shape. However, ultimately the disorder itself becomes overwhelming, taking control, causing chemical changes in the body and affecting the brain. This causes distorted thinking and makes it almost impossible for the sufferer to make rational decisions.

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterised by the deliberate refusal to eat enough to maintain a normal body weight. As a result, both the body and the mind are starved of the nutrients needed for healthy, balanced functioning. Though anorexia is a serious illness which can be fatal, full recovery is possible with appropriate support and treatment.

Although the word ‘anorexia’ literally means loss of appetite, this does not accurately describe what a person experiences.

Appetite is suppressed rather than lost and an intense interest in food is retained. Self-starvation and weight loss/control represent an attempt to feel more in control of one’s life and gives the person a much needed sense of effectiveness and achievement. Restriction of food intake often begins with the gradual elimination of high calorie foods from the diet. A sudden preference for a vegetarian diet may form part of the pattern. At first, this can resemble a normal diet or lifestyle choice but the relentless drive behind the behaviour becomes more and more obvious as the disorder progresses. Other means of maintaining low body weight might include fasting, excessive exercise, self-induced vomiting, the use of laxatives, diuretics or appetite suppressants.

Anorexia nervosa can affect both males and females of all ages. It is most common amongst girls and young women. Around 10% of people with anorexia are male (see Eating Disorders in Men). Many factors combine to make any one person more vulnerable to anorexia than another and these factors vary from person to person. Anorexia is not primarily about food and weight issues or about ‘slimming’. As with all eating disorders, the psychological issues and emotional distress underlying the physical symptoms must be addressed for long-term recovery to be possible.

• Restriction of food intake.
• Intense fear of putting on weight. This fear is not lessened by weight loss.
• Preoccupation with body weight, size and shape. Self-evaluation and self-esteem become increasingly linked to these.
• Perception of body shape and size are disturbed (body image distortion). Even an obviously emaciated body is experienced as fat.
• Disruption of hormonal balance. In women and adolescent girls the menstrual cycle is upset: periods become irregular and eventually cease (amenorrhoea). In men there can be a loss of libido. In pre-pubertal children growth can be disrupted and sexual development can be delayed.

• Over-activity and excessive exercising.
• Increased sensitivity to cold.
• Poor circulation.
• Bloating of stomach, fluid retention.
• Constipation and abdominal pain.
• Restlessness, inability to settle.
• Difficulty sleeping, tiredness.
• Dry, thinning hair.
• Dry, discoloured skin.
• Growth of fine, downy hair (lanugo) on the face and body resulting from the body’s efforts to keep warm.
• Loss of periods.
• Decreased interest in sex

• Low self-esteem.
• Irritability and mood swings.
• Difficulty resolving conflict.
• Social isolation.
• Difficulty coping with change and frustration.
• Inflexible ‘black or white’/ ‘right or wrong’ thinking.
• Depression.
• Obsessive and/or compulsive behaviour

• Rigid, limited diet.
• Frequent weighing.
• Excessive thinking and talking about food and related issues.
• Lying about food intake, claiming to have already eaten or to have plans to eat elsewhere.
• Chasing food around the plate, taking a long time over meals.
• Cooking for others.
• Reading and collecting recipes.
• Rituals around food and eating.
• Increased use of spices, condiments, chewing gum.
• Increased consumption of fluids.
• Episodes of bingeing or perceived overeating.
• Secret disposal of food

Most symptoms will reverse with weight gain and normalisation of diet and eating habits.

In order to deal with the effects of starvation, the body is forced to slow down all its processes and to find ways of conserving energy. The physical effects of starvation include:

• Dehydration -> risk of kidney failure.
• Muscle weakness -> risk of muscle loss.
• Tiredness and overall weakness -> risk of fainting.
• Abnormally slow heart rate and low blood pressure produces changes in the heart muscle -> risk of heart failure.
• Loss of bone density resulting in dry, brittle bones (osteoporosis) -> risk of postural problems and risk of fracture.

Starvation also affects a person’s thinking and behaviour. Poor nutrition and dehydration produce changes in brain chemistry. It is thought that these changes in brain chemistry contribute to sustain the distorted thinking, disturbed perception and obsession with food associated with anorexia. Intellectual ability can also be affected resulting in reduced concentration, poor memory, difficulties with abstract thinking, problem solving, decision making and planning. In some cases, these changes can also increase vulnerability to depression, anxiety and other psychiatric disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. If the depression is severe, there is a risk of suicide.

Other means of weight control such as self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives or diuretics and excessive exercise can also have very serious health consequences and can have a significant impact on a person’s capacity to function effectively.

Most anorexics have ‘rules’ that they have put in place, like the amount of calories they are ‘allowed’ in a day, what foods to avoid and how much to have. Some anorexics purge to remove food that they have eaten or take laxatives to speed up the digestion processor take up excessive exercise to be slimmer.  All of these methods are dangerous as they can cause electrolyte imbalance and heart arrhythmia.

Anorexia often becomes a way of coping with life and demonstrating control of body weight and shape. However, ultimately the disorder itself becomes overwhelming, taking control, causing chemical changes in the body and affecting the brain. This causes distorted thinking and makes it almost impossible for the sufferer to make rational decisions.

Hypnotherapy helps the anorexia sufferer to slowly gain a better relationship with themselves and their body image. It allows them to explore their distorted body image and over time gaining in confidence so that they feel secure and safe and are able to add a little more food into their body so that it can be strong and healthy.  I do not  rush you into making any changes you are not ready for. Hypnotherapy helps you as a person to gain in strength and confidence and to rediscover a healthy relationship with food again.

This can be a habit that you have got into, a vicious circle that started from an occasion that you couldn’t sleep, leading to a fear and expectancy to not sleep well again.

Hypnotherapy uses the natural state of hypnosis, deep relaxation and the power of suggestion to enhance your pregnancy and birth experience to allow this most magical and special time to be a relaxed and calm one.

Hypnotherapy allows you to overcome the fear and anxiety associated with pregnancy and labour, and to increase self confidence and trust in your bodies natural ability to give birth. This new way of thinking helps eliminate fear and tension which is known to lead to severe pain during the birth process.

I have personal experience in using Hypnotherapy in childbirth. Before Knowing how powerful Hypnosis could be in eliminating pain in labour, I had my first child after a 12 hour, very painful labour, where I had to have pain relief and suffered a lot of anxiety for me and for my baby.

I then learnt about using hypnosis to help in labour and used these techniques with my second child, she was born in 3 hours at home, I needed no pain relief, and was very relaxed. A much more pleasurable experience for me and my baby!!

Announcing new dates for Hypnobirthing groups! This is a wonderful way to meet new parents in your area! Group classes contain a maximum of 6 people (mums and their birth partners). There are 4 classes, each 2.5 hours long per course. Group Classes take home a Hypnobirthing manual, 5 x MP3s, professional scripts, class handouts. Private tuition is also available.