It has been happening all through lockdown.  We have been gripped with the decluttering bug.  Friends and neighbours have been turning out lofts and watching videos on Youtube explaining how and why we need to declutter.

It is true we are all guilty of keeping odds and ends just in case they will be useful one day.  Empty tins that get filled with buttons and screws that we collect and this last year has been a good time to throw stuff away and make space in our lives.

There is however another side to clutter. Recently I moved house. I like many have been shocked at the junk I have kept over the years and there have been many trips to the tip in the weeks before the move.

I have a large old cupboard that belonged to my grandmother and after much soul searching decided that yes I would take it with me and find space for it in the new house.  I have been surprised it has fitted in well almost as if it belongs here and I am pleased that I decided it had to stay.

Last week my eldest granddaughter came over to help me empty boxes and we decided to put the stuff back in the centre part of the cupboard which has a glass door and is laughingly known as my cabinet of curiosities.  The things in there range from buttons off a uniform, old coins, tiny elephants (given to my mother on her wedding day by her great aunt for good luck) and a whole multitude of other bits and pieces of no intrinsic value.

As we put them back I realised that each had a story to tell not just the tiny elephants and with my granddaughter we shared the stories about why these things had been kept.  At the end of the afternoon my granddaughter said I want a cabinet of curiosities one day and I felt glad that I still had a home for grannies cupboard, and the clutter that is in it.

Another bundle of clutter that has joined me on my move as some of the cards and things that my children and now grandchildren made at school for special occasions.  When my sister died a few years ago and sadly her only daughter had to clear her belongings she told me that it made her sad that her mother hadn’t kept a single card or picture from her days at school

Her mother had proudly displayed her graduation picture but she had found nothing even in the corner of a drawer that brought back memories of when she made that for her mother.  My sister had moved around a great deal and I am sure it was just the necessities of moving that had caused her to be so ruthless. I know she loved her daughter and was proud of her.  Sometimes we need to remember that what we call clutter can have memories attached.

Most families bring out a box of Christmas decorations that have been handed down over the years and share memories of when they were bought or made.  A old neighbour of mine used to throw away her decorations every year and next year had a new theme on her christmas tree.  My box of decorations goes back generations and every year like Grannie’s cupboard brings back memories even if some of them are now too tatty to come out of the box.

So if you are planning to declutter, remember that sometimes that tatty bit of junk may mean something to someone one day.

I have worked as a hypnotherapist in Leatherhead and London and I also teach hypnotherapy and train new hypnotherapists. I offer a full range of services including weight loss, stop smoking and treatment for phobias online via Zoom. Please get in touch to find out more.

Giving birth is one of the most beautiful events that we as humans get to experience. Yet even when we are aware of its magic, the idea of giving birth is often met with dread. Find out how hypnobirthing can help overcome this.

Having a baby is recognized as an excruciating, laborious task. Still, it is so obviously worth it that moms around the world are willing to put their minds and bodies through fits of intense pain and tension, and healthcare providers are there to quickly offer pain-relieving drugs.

But what if, during labour, your mind and body was so relaxed that you felt significantly less pain and tension? What if birth was something you looked forward to rather than feared? A more stress-free natural birth is entirely possible, and it begins with hypnotherapy.

What is Hypnobirthing?

Created by hypnotherapist and Harvard University Ford Foundation fellow Marie Mongan, hypnobirthing takes a more holistic approach to childbirth. Hypnobirthing, sometimes known as ‘birth hypnotherapy,’ is a form of self-hypnosis that keeps the mother calm, focused, relaxed, and positive while giving birth.

The result? Healthy women, in-touch with their hormones and breathing, experiencing a beautiful birth with reduced pain and tension. Celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, The Duchess of Cambridge, and Fearne Cotton have talked about the positive, euphoric, and entrancing experience of hypnobirthing. The Duchess of Cambridge proudly used hypnobirthing methods to prepare for Prince Louis’s birth, such as visualizing the birth that she wanted and practising her breathing.

Using deep breathing techniques, visualisation, positive affirmations, guidance from their partners, and comfortable labour measures, women can train their brains to go into a deep state of focus and relaxation.

Birth hypnotherapy gives you the tools to experience birthing in an atmosphere free of fear and tension that prevents the body’s muscles from functioning as nature intended. This state of relaxation and tranquillity will encourage endorphins, your body’s natural relaxant, to dismiss the stress hormones causing pain and constriction.

The Benefits

This natural controlled birth experience comes with a plethora of benefits, including (but not limited to) reduced pain, powerful stress-relieving techniques, feelings of empowerment and control, knowledge of your body and its natural processes, intense bonding with your partner and baby, and more.

Pain Reduction

One of the most incredible benefits of birth hypnotherapy is its ability to reduce pain during birth. According to Dr Dick-Read ‘the father of natural childbirth’, hypnotherapy helps women break out of the ‘fear-tension-pain syndrome’ that causes blood to flow away from the uterus and larger leg muscles, making labour more strenuous.

Hypnobirthing’s emphasis on hypnosis can bring a woman into a state of deep relaxation within the body, encouraging muscles to perform the way they’re meant to without limitations. Plus, hypnobirthing is a fantastic option for those women who want to have a natural birth without the use of pain medication.

The Power of the Breathing

Hypnobirthing focuses on breathing techniques that not only promote a calm and comfortable birth by triggering your parasympathetic nervous system, but these tools can also help those women who experience panic attacks and shortness of breath due to fear, nervousness, and labour pains. After birth, these techniques can stick with you to help deal with anxiety and stress and help towards a more healthy life.

Studies have shown that proper breathing, in through the nose and out through the mouth, is essential for supporting a healthy immune system, optimising the function of organs, and even aiding in digestion.

Presence in the Moment

Giving birth is a natural, magical, raw experience that can be fully understood and appreciated when the mind and body work in tandem. Women can feel empowered, knowledgeable, and prepared to give birth because they have the tools and knowledge to aid them, even when it gets tough.

Better Postpartum Experience

Women who have given birth using hypnotherapy have found the postpartum period much more manageable with reduced instances of post-natal depression, in part due to the positive decisions they made before and during delivery. Others have claimed that Hypno-birthed babies are calmer and easier going.

Hypnobirthing also strengthens the mother-baby bond as mother and child are freely immersed in natural, ecstatic birth hormones. In this state, you are free to use your own natural birthing abilities while feeling controlled, delighted, and profoundly relaxed.

Even after you give birth, you will be able to use the skills and relaxation techniques you’ve learned through hypnobirthing to find ease and serenity during times of stress and trouble.

Where to Start

For those interested in learning the art of using your own natural birthing abilities to feel calm, relaxed and enjoy the birthing experience, please contact me to arrange a free consultation to see if hypnobirthing is right for you.

As an experienced practitioner who has studied advanced hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques, I can walk you through the Hypnobirthing childbirth method. My approach to the hypnobirthing method teaches you to be in control as you call upon your body’s own natural responses. You will learn to lessen or even eliminate any pain, discomfort, or need for medication.

Even if you regularly meditate or use hypnosis, it is highly recommended that you see a Hypnobirthing specialist and take classes through them. You will gain so much more and become more prepared to give birth by listening to and following an expert’s extensive knowledge and methods.

Get in touch today to find out more.

 

People are worried and anxiety is increasing but you don’t have to do this alone. 

Counselling and hypnotherapy are still available via Skype, Facetime etc. There is still help out there, don’t be afraid to ask.

We have to become more flexible and adapt to this different way of life.  This is the same for therapy as well as other businesses.

Here at my Leatherhead clinic people are seeking treatment for on-going anxiety as well as health anxiety.  Fear about the future can weigh heavily on our minds.  

This Sunday many for the first time cannot visit their mothers or take them for the annual Mothering Sunday lunch.  You can still speak to them on the phone and if they have a smart phone or access to a tablet then it is the easiest think to set them up with Facetime.  

Perhaps a handy son, daughter or grandchild could phone and talk them through the steps involved.  Social isolation could in the end bring us closer together.

Hypnotherapy and counselling can be done on line and works well.  One of my recent Skype clients said, “I wouldn’t have coped so well with this if I hadn’t been working on my anxiety issues.”

If you are feeling stressed or anxious please don’t hesitate to contact me and I can give you help and advise on the phone or via the Internet. 

Just a thirty minute relaxation could relieve your stress.