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Hypno-Psychoanalysis for Anorexia, Bulimia and Other Eating Disorders


Photo Credit to: Nicola Oliver

What is an eating disorder?

The definition of eating disorders is ‘a range of psychological disorders characterised by abnormal or disturbed eating habits’. Most people are familiar with the disorders Anorexia and Bulimia but are less familiar with Binge Eating Disorder (without purging), Compulsive Overeating and Orthorexia (obsession with only eating certain types of healthy foods)

Anorexia: the term anorexia nervosa means ‘loss of appetite for nervous reasons’.

Physical symptoms include: rapid and dramatic weight loss; loss of menstrual periods; growth of downy hair on body; dizzy spells/fainting; muscle loss; felling cold; tiredness; dry skin and hair loss.

Behavioural symptoms could include: restrictions of food intake; counting calories; cutting out many groups of food, skipping meals, excessive exercise, withdrawal from social events and wearing lots of layers of clothing.

Psychological symptoms: inability to concentrate; mood swings; depression and anxiety around meal times.

Bulimia: the term bulimia nervosa means ‘the nervous hunger of an ox’.

Physical symptoms: swelling of the cheeks or jaw areas; discolouration/erosion of teeth; bad breath; sore throat and tiredness.

Behavioural symptoms could include: binging, purging (vomiting); use of laxatives, excessive exercise, disappearing after meals; hoarding foods; withdrawal from social outings.

Psychological symptoms: an inability to concentrate; mood swings; severe depression and extreme anxiety especially around food.

What are the dangers of eating disorders?

Anorexia has the highest death rate (20%) of any mental disorder!  Eating disorders can cause great physical damage: heart failure; extremely low blood pressure; osteoporosis; irregular bowel movements; fertility problems; kidney failure; and if bulimic, also gastric rupture; damaged stomach lining; ulcers and tooth decay.

Who gets eating disorders?

The majority of people who suffer from eating disorders are usually above average intelligence, very high achievers, perfectionists and extremely competitive.  Traditionally teenage girls were in the majority of those suffering but younger girls, older women and men are now presenting with the symptoms.

Hypno-Psychoanalysis to treat Eating Disorders

The first and most important thing to say about any eating disorder is that it is NOT about the food.  Food is the symptom of the underlying issue.  In other words, it is the tool chosen by the subconscious mind to cope with and/or deal with the feelings going on underneath.

It is all about control!    The sufferer’s intake of food may be the one and only thing in their live that they are in control of when everything else is out of control.  The initial diet or desire to lose a little weight starts off well as the person controls what they eat but then suddenly the eating disorders emerges and it controls the person.  When this happens their thoughts and feelings are no longer under their control but under the control of the disorder.

The underlying belief almost always comes down to the belief that they are not loved, that they are not good enough and they are not worth anything. Sometimes it is about not wanting to grow up!

Having a condition, having a label makes them important … a ‘somebody’. The more severe the condition and symptoms the more important they feel as their family and friends worry and do all they can to heal their son, daughter, wife, sister etc.  However, many sufferers hold on to their condition because the loss of attention and support may be too great at a psychological level.

Setanta Hypnotherapy Clinic

No two clients who come to Setanta Hypnotherapy Clinic are treated the same because no two eating disorder clients are the same. The first step is to help each client to deal with the underlying reasons behind why they are doing what they are doing.  The reasons are complex and there may be layers and layers that need peeling away,  The mainstream medical approach to treating eating disorders is first to get the patient to start eating and then to deal with the psychological causes for the disorder.  This may be a bit like putting the cart before the horse and why these disorders are so very difficult to treat successfully.

What we do is help the client to sort out the head first in order to be able and willing to eat again.  Working with clients with eating disorders takes some time.  It is not a magical therapy that suddenly makes everything alright again but given time and trust there is hope for the client who is prepared to stay in therapy and take part in the recovery process.

Call Mary at Setanta Hypnotherapy Clinic in Peel, Isle of Man on 842938 to book a free consultation to find out how I can help you.

Links to Related Articles

Addressing the Emotional Root Cause of a Condition with Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy

Hypnosis to Correct Perception

Hypnotherapy for Weight Loss

Hypno-Psychotherapy for Weight Loss

How to Lose 30 Lbs in 90 Days

Weight Loss with Hypno Gastric Band Therapy

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Not just the ‘Winter Blues’!


Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression which occurs at the same time every year.  For most people this occurs in the autumn and winter seasons as day light hours are reduced dramatically. If the depression reoccurs repeatedly for at least two years and only occurs at a particular time of year, then you could be suffering from SAD.

Many people suffering from SAD  experience all or some of the following symptoms : decreased energy, lack of enthusiasm, decreased or increased appetite, insomnia or hypersomnia, lack of concentration,  loss of pleasure in activities you once enjoyed, thoughts of suicide or death, social isolation  or anxiety.  People affected by SAD often crave carbohydrate foods which make them feel even more sluggish so the vicious cycle continues.

SAD, like any major depression, can be very debilitating and often requires professional treatment to alleviate the symptoms.  Hypnotherapy can play an enormous part in reducing the anxiety and symptoms related to this condition.  At Setanta Hypnotherapy Clinic we use both Analytical Hypnotherapy and Suggestion Therapy to enable our clients to free themselves from this annual cycle of depression.  Analytical Hypnotherapy allows the client to get to the emotional root cause of the condition, why you have this in the first place and others do not!  Suggestion Therapy is very effective because when you experience something under hypnosis your mind reacts as if this very thing is real.  Therefore, you can imagine that you are experiencing daylight, sunshine, warmth from the sun and feel the benefits as if it were a warm sunny Summer’s day.

We have successfully treated many clients here at the Setanta Hypnotherapy Clinic in Peel who have suffered from SAD.  Those people are now living normal, happy, joyful lives all through the year whatever the season. So don’t just brush off this condition as just the ‘winter blues’ that you have to put up with on a yearly basis.  Why not enjoy today and every day to the full!

For more information please call us on Tel: 01624 842938 to book a Free Consultation.


Links to Related

Hypno-Psychotherapy And The Treatment of Clinical Depression

Teenage Depression

Analytical Hypnotherapy

Panic Attacks

Video Explaining SAD

Teenage Depression


Sometimes it is difficult to spot the difference between an unhappy, moody teenager and a depressed teenager. With so much upheaval what with peer pressure, exam pressure, relationships with family members, opposite sex, same sex, not to mention all those hormones causing havoc resulting in huge mood swings.

However, findings show that one in eight teenager exhibit some symptoms of teen depression. If left this depression may turn into a more serious debilitating condition. Help is out there though and the earlier you seek that help for your child the better!

Some of the symptoms to look out for are:

  • Sadness, anxiety or a feeling of hopelessness
  • Apathy
  • Pains in head or tummy
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
  • Self consciousness about body
  • Difficulty making decisions
  • Excessive or inappropriate guilt
  • Loss of appetite or overeating
  • Irresponsible behaviour e.g. playing truant, stealing, forgetting chores
  • Staying awake at night and sleeping late during the day
  • Drop in grades
  • Excessive use of alcohol or drugs
  • Preoccupation with death and dying
  • Staying in bedroom for hours after school

Not every child presents with every symptom but if you can mark some of those listed above maybe it is time to check out what is going on with your son/daughter.

The first step is to contact your GP and arrange for a psychological check up for your child.  You will be better informed then which help would best suit your child.

At Setanta Hypnotherapy Clinic we have noticed an increase in the numbers of teenagers who are coming for help suffering from teen depression.  We offer a Free Initial Consultation for parents and teen to assess the conditions and to ascertain the therapy best suited for the individual child.  For many, many teens the results are very positive as we empower them to take control back, to release themselves from the cycle of negative thoughts which result in negative feelings.  We work with their GP who is the primary carer and if medication is prescribed the client continues to take it until told otherwise by his doctor.  However, the therapy we provide gets to the root cause of the problem which not only gives the client the tools to let go of these all consuming negative thoughts/ feelings once and for all and live life as it should be lived … each day a gift to be enjoyed!

Link to Setanta Hypnotherapy Clinic website

Link to Related Articles:

Taming the Monkey Mind

Hypno-Psychotherapy and the Treatment of Clinical Depression

Addressing the Emotional Root Cause of a Condition with Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy

Hypnotherapy to Treat Sleeping Disorders

Addressing the Emotional Root Cause of a Condition with Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy


Body Identification

From my own personal experience and from what people have told me most of us see our bodies when we think about ourselves.  This gives weight to the idea that people identify with their bodies.  It is also more common for people to identify with a picture of their bodies they make up in their heads than to identify with the body as it is.  Many people see themselves as older, younger, heavier, lighter, bigger or smaller than they really are and it is the image they hold of themselves that influences how they feel about themselves.

Feelings Dictate the Chemical Balance

Our feelings determine the chemical balance in our bodies.  The body simply obeys the mind that commands it.  When we feel anxious, fearful and under stress the chemicals released into the blood stream prepare us to fight or escape.  The chemicals in our blood keep us on high alert but it is our feelings that cause those chemicals to be released in the first place.  Prescribed medication seeks to adjust the chemical balance in order to address anxiety; depression and stress where as Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy address the feelings that cause the conditions like depression, anxiety and stress.

An Effective Alternative to Medication

It is how we feel about ourselves that determines our well being so wouldn’t you think that people would seek to address their feelings in order to resolve a problem caused by them.  The emphasis for years has been on the treatment of conditions like depression using prescribed medication but fortunately this is now changing.  More and more doctors are referring their patients to government approved Hypnotherapists because they are realising that long term use of medication is not answer.

Permanent Solution

When choosing a therapist to address conditions such as depression, anxiety and insomnia it is important you ask if s/he addresses the emotional root cause.  Not to do so would be like putting a plaster or an open wound – it just wouldn’t hold!

For more information about the therapy we provide please visit our website or call Xavier or Mary Nathan at Setanta Hypnotherapy Clinic in Peel, on 01624 842938 to book a Free Initial Consultation.

Video by Xavier and Mary Nathan Explaining Hypno-Psychotherapy

Links to Related Articles:

Analytical Hypnotherapy

Addiction Linked to Suppressed Emotions

A Holistic Approach to Stress and the Human Condition

Hypno-Psychotherapy And The Treatment of Clinical Depression

This is Your Life


Depressed

If you are someone wondering why everyone else seems to be having such a great life and nothing ever seems to work out well for you then you are probably feeling down as you read this.

You probably sigh a lot, feel frustrated at work and your relationships with friends and loved ones are strained. You probably also feel tired even after a night’s sleep and find it hard to get up in the morning.

Your body posture is telling the world that you are feeling down and your facial expression betrays how you are feeling inside.

Your inner dialogue is always critical, judgemental and keeps going round in circles. You don’t notice people who pass you in the street or in the corridors at work. You don’t notice the beauty of nature all around you because you are stuck inside your head a slave to a mindset that keeps you where you are.

You probably try to make yourself feel better by eating, drinking, working or spending money. You may feel good for a while but you find that no activity results in any permanent change. Activity will only stop the ruminating for a short period and then you are back again inside your head with the thoughts that bring you down and cause you to feel depressed.

Getting Out Of Your Head

Milton Erickson, a famous Psychiatrist and Hypnotherapist once treated a patient who was suffering with depression by telling him to count the chimney pots on his way home after his hypnotherapy session. The patient did as Milton Erickson instructed and did feel a lot better when he arrived home. This very simple intervention on the part of Erickson was a deliberate technique employed to change the patient’s mind and in so doing change how he felt. Instead of looking down as he normally did he looked up to count the chimney pots. Instead of sitting alone at home ruminating inside his head he was out meeting people and getting good quality exercise.

By forcing his patient to get out of his head and be present he had broken a spell and this is exactly what happens every time we deliberately get out of our heads and engage with the present. It is by being fully in the present unfettered by our depressing ruminations that we regain the power to choose what to think and in doing so we choose how to feel.

Hypnotherapy to reclaim the Power to Choose

Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool reclaiming the power to choose what to think and how to feel. By learning how to deliberately suspend the critical chatter that keeps us stuck inside our heads we regain our personal power and self confidence. By regularly practising self hypnosis it becomes easier and easier to take charge of your thoughts and once again become the director of the movie called This is Your Life!

If you would like to know more about the therapy Mary and I provide here at Setanta Hypnotherapy Clinic in Peel, Isle of Man please call us on 842938 to arrange to meet for an informal chat. We also provide a wide range of high quality audio products from our  Downloads Page that we have produced for our own clients and which you could use effectively in the comfort of your own home to initiate those changes you desire in your life.

Hypnotherapy to Correct Self Perception

Related Articles

Use Hypnotherapy to believe what you want … if you dare!

Hypnosis and First Impressions

Taming the Monkey Mind

As A Man Thinketh

Hypnosis and First Impressions


First Impressions

Once we form an impression of someone or something it is hard to change that impression.  If you were frightened by a dog when you were young then the likelihood is that you will have formed the impression that dogs are scary.  Logically you know that all dogs cannot be the same as the dog that frightened you but logic has nothing to do with feelings.  It is how you feel about dogs that governs your attitude and behaviour around dogs and these feelings are as a result of the impression you formed about dogs when you first came across them.

In much the same way people have formed an impression of Hypnosis based on how it was portrayed to them when they first came across it.  Most people seem to be influenced by the image of the hypnotist on the stage putting people under their spell and making them do foolish things to entertain an audience.

Once an impression like this had been formed in the mind of a person you can understand why it might then be difficult for them to see hypnosis as a tool for healing in the clinical setting.  In this regard stage hypnosis had given an impression that then closes the door to the minds of many to the power to heal.

Misconceptions

Even the word hypnosis conjures up feelings and impressions that could not be further from the truth.  If you see a person slumped over and seeming to be under the control of a hypnotist on stage it is no wonder that you would then come to the conclusion that hypnosis renders you vulnerable.  You might have formed the impression that in hypnosis the hypnotist can make you do anything and this is a scary prospect for most people.  This is why only the volunteers who are inclined to be exhibitionists are chosen by the hypnotist and that is the first stage of the elaborate illusion created by the stage entertainer in partnership with, a more than willing to please, volunteer.

In reality, hypnosis is a state of relaxation. In the state of hypnosis you suspend the part of you that would otherwise prevent you from entertaining ideas other than the ones you hold firmly to, including your belief in your own illness.  However, in hypnosis you would not accept any suggestions given to you that might go against your own moral or ethical principles.  In the clinical setting you are given suggestions while in hypnosis to get you to question your belief in your own illness. It is only in changing your mind about your illness that any change can take place, and this is where hypnosis is very effective.

Suggestion Therapy

Simply giving people suggestions to get better is not always the most effective approach.  Therapists, like Paul McKenna, who advocate this approach, give the impression that it is the therapist who is the one in control and who is seen as a kind “Miracle Worker”!  When the therapist then makes claims to the effect he can cure you and you see him in this light on TV shows and newspaper articles and in books how could you not form the impression that the therapist is the one in control and once again you are like the volunteer on stage.

The kind of therapy used by Paul McKenna is Suggestion Therapy and though it can be very effective it does not always work.

Hypno-Psychotherapy or Analytical Hypnotherapy

Here at Setanta Hypnotherapy Clinic in Peel, Isle of Man, Mary and I use a combination of Hypnosis and Psychotherapy which is also referred to as Hypno-Psychotherapy or Analytical Hypnotherapy to treat Depression, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Insomnia and any condition with at an emotional root cause. When an emotional root cause is not an obvious reason for the condition, like Smoking, Phobias, some Weight Loss and working with children, we then use Suggestion Therapy.

For most conditions we have found that unless the cause of the condition is discovered and dealt with at the subconscious level the condition was not resolved. We have treated many people over the years who had been originally treated by therapists using only Suggestion Therapy and we found that though in some cases the original symptoms were alleviated or even disappeared they were almost always replaced by new and in some cases more severe symptoms.

An opportunity for personal development

If you would look upon your symptoms as opportunities for personal development then understanding the reasons behind your problems would make more sense and the journey of healing becomes a fulfilling experience, more a challenge than a chore.

First impressions can be misleading and especially when made about alternative options to heal yourself. Hypnosis with Psychotherapy is an effective option and its ethical humane approach makes it a therapy that is growing in popularity among medical doctors who no longer see long term medication as a satisfactory solution.

Hypnotherapy to Correct Self Perception Video

Links to Related Articles

Hypnosis to Correct Perception

Analytical Hypnotherapy

An Holistic Approach to Stress and the Human Condition

Hypnosis with Psychotherapy is a Remedy for Healing

Hypnotherapy to Treat Sleeping Disorders


The most common problems we treat

As Hypnotherapists in Private Practice here at Setanta Hypnotherapy Clinic in Peel, Isle of Man my wife Mary and I have treated many people who have come to us for a very wide variety of problems. Anxiety, Depression and Insomnia being by far the most common conditions we have been asked to treat.

Last port of call

We found that very often the three conditions are linked in that someone who finds it difficult to sleep at night often exhibits symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. Most people who come to us have tried everything and we are usually their last hope. We see this as a positive because by the time they arrive to us they have tried everything that focusses on the symptoms so when we suggest that it is time to treat the person they are more open to this.

Smoke alarm

We often use the analogy of people wanting to turn off a smoke alarm because they can’t bear the noise and we suggest that just turning off the alarm does not put out the fire. We explain that every symptom has an emotional root cause in the subconscious. If a person can’t sleep then there must a very good reason but the problem is that the reason is not available to the conscious mind. We guide people to access the subconscious to bring the underlying root cause of their problem to their conscious awareness so that they can then address the problem and in effect put out the fire. Once the fire is out the alarm goes off.

The cause of each person’s condition is unique

Every person who suffers from insomnia will unearth a different root cause for the condition. In all the years I have treated people suffering from insomnia no two have ever shared the same subconscious reason for the condition. Once the cause is discovered there is usually an emotional release called an abreaction. Someone inexperienced in dealing with abreactions could panic when it happens and this can cause further complications. That is why it is very important to seek the help of an experienced and  fully qualified therapist when choosing to embark on this course of therapy.

Video Explanation of Hypnotherapy by Xavier and Mary


Links to Articles about the Hypnotherapy Xavier and Mary Provide:

Analytical Hypnotherapy

Hypno-Psychotherapy

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Link to ManxHypnosis Fan page on Facebook

Hypnosis with Psychotherapy is a Remedy for Healing


Because so may people associate hypnosis with entertainment and stage hypnosis some never realise the power of hypnosis for healing. Hypnosis continues to be used to great effect in the treatment of conditions created by the mind such as depression, panic attacks, sleeping problems, sexual difficulties, irritable bowel, overweight, lack of confidence, fears, phobias, post traumatic stress, and smoking.

People don’t deliberately set out to develop depression, panic attacks or sleeping problems. Nobodyconsciously sets out to create a weight problem or become addicted to tobacco. However these problems exist in the world and people who have these conditions feel embarrassed and even judged for having them.

People suffering from the conditions I have listed above are being controlled by programs they have stored in their subconscious. Though they consciously want to be well their subconscious does not allow it. When there is conflict between the conscious and subconscious the subconscious always wins.

People suffering from a condition they have no control over can feel helpless, ashamed and weak. Many turn to medication to alleviate the symptoms of their condition and some even can spend years taking prescribed medication to keep some handle on the symptoms. Only dealing with the symptoms is like turning off the smoke alarm in a house but not looking for the fire.

Analytical Hypnotherapy is a method of addressing the root cause of  conditions like depression, panic attack, sleeping problems, sexual difficulties, irritable bowel, overweight, lack of confidence, fears, phobias, post traumatic stress, and smoking. Analytical hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to still the conscious analytical  mind to access the subconscious and psychotherapy to help the sufferer understand the underlying root cause and release the repressed associated emotion. This is a liberating experience for anyone experiencing the treatment and ultimately restores balance and health because the power of choice is restored. While suffering from depression or smoking cigarettes people feel like slaves to their conditions. They have been robbed of the power to choose and as a consequence are unable to stick by decisions they make consciously.  Analytical Hypnotherapy restores their power of choice and gives them back their freedom. The result is a balanced life again.

Analytical Hypnotherapy is a process or  journey within to understand who you are and why you feel the way you do. The thoughts we dwell upon affect our feelings. If you keep thinking sad thoughts you will eventually feel sad and by the same token if you keep thinking happy thoughts you will eventually feel happy. This all sounds very simple but it isn’t if you  feel you don’t have the power to choose your thoughts or if you don’t even know that you have the power to choose what to think. People who are in a state of depression are constantly dwelling on thoughts that pull their feelings down. They feel down all of the time and the depressed feeling causes them to think even more depressing thoughts which creates a cycle that can only be broken when they reclaim their power of choice.

We tend to appreciate what we have when we lose it so a person in the grip of depression realises this only too well. Free will is the freedom to choose whatever you want to think but in a state of depression you are a prisoner of your feelings and you do not have the freedom to choose your thoughts. For people  to regain their freedom or free will they must let go of the feelings they keep captive in their hearts. During Analytical Hypnotherapy it is inevitable that emotion be released and this can be in the form of tears,  laughter or a sigh. Everyone is different and each person releases emotion in their own way during therapy. The feeling they report is always positive and liberating.

Once a person uncovers the underlying emotional root cause of the condition, understands it and releases the it they can’t imagine how they could ever have been other than balanced and happy. It is like they had experienced a bad dream that feels like a distant memory.I am sometimes asked at the beginning of therapy by a client if the condition will come back. I always answer if they were to burn a match can they ever get it back? Analytical Hypnotherapy  is a natural, ethical approach to healing conditions created by the mind and our success rate reflects that this holistic approach though it may take longer works and is lasting.

Recommended Reading:

Hypnotherapy by Dave Elman from Amazon.com

Hypnotherapy by Dave Elman from Amazon.co.uk

This is a practical and very comprehensive guide for the practitioner of hypnoanalysis. The author is probably the most influential practitioner and teacher in the history of modern hypnotherapy.The book is useful for people undergoing hypnotherapy because it gives a good understanding of what hypnosis is and what they can expect in therapy. This is the best book, in our opinion,  on the subject of  hypnotherapy.

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