Podcast 29: How to overcome flying phobia with hypnotherapy

Today I'll be briefly talking about

• Pteromerhanophobia – flying phobia
• Why and how some people experience this type of phobia
• And my 5 top tips to help you overcome this type of phobia which includes how you can use hypnotherapy to make your next flight more enjoyable.

There will also, as usual be a free audio at the end of this podcast that you can enjoy, keep and come back to time and time again.

This week's podcast is part of a mini series which started with episode 26 where I talked about anxiety, in episode 27 Overcome phobias with hypnotherapy I looked at general overview of phobias.

If you have a fear of flying you'll probably already know a lot of the information in this podcast so we'll take a general overlook of the fear.

It's a very common fear, one I'm contacted about quite often, especially this time of year and towards summer when people are thinking about going on holiday.

As with all fears and phobias it might be one of many different parts that might be triggering the response you have so figuring out what your triggers are will help you feel more in control of the response. Is it the

• sound
• the feeling of the plane moving
• is it the height
• the takeoff or landing
• banking
• being enclosed for a long period
• feeling like things are out of your control
• was there a triggering event or trauma?

You can let the fear rule you, how often do you even need to fly? That's fine if you never want to leave the country, or you're happy to take the train or a boat everywhere, but what opportunities will you miss by not being able to fly? Will it affect your career? Your social life? If it doesn't impact on you now, will it later?

How will your life improve once you've rid yourself of the fear? Imagine yourself flying with ease, enjoying the experience. Would you

• Travel more
• Visit friends or family
• Improve your career potential

I'm sure you can think of other ways your life will be improved once you are able to enjoy flying.

LISTEN TO THIS WEEK'S PODCAST FOR MY 5 TOP TIPS TO HELP YOU OVERCOME PHOBIAS WITH HYPNOTHERAPY.

Today's hypnotherapy audio will include a technique that will help you visualise a successful and enjoyable flight.

There are many techniques that we can use to help you overcome phobias so if you find you need more help visit www.altptherapies.co.uk to have a bespoke recording made for you with your challenges in mind.

You can also contact me today on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

Podcast 28: How to overcome dentist phobia with hypnotherapy

Today I'll be briefly talking about

• Odontophobia – dentist phobia
• Why and how some people experience this type of phobia
• And my 5 top tips to help you overcome this type of phobia which includes how you can use hypnotherapy to make your next dentist appointment more enjoyable.

There will also, as usual be a free audio at the end of this podcast that you can enjoy, keep and come back to time and time again.

This week's podcast is part of a mini series which started with episode 26 where I talked about anxiety, in the last episode Overcome phobias with hypnotherapy I looked at general overview of phobias.

The NHS website states that 1 in 4 people dread going to the dentist, if you are one of those who go cold at the thought of the dentist this podcast is for you.

You might have had a bad experience or felt a build up of negative feelings around the dentist. Perhaps you've heard a horror story or been influenced by horror movies. However you have got to this point you can be assured that this type of phobia can be conquered and you can visit the dentist and have the teeth you deserve.

Fears and phobias can be experienced in many different ways maybe it's the sound of the dentist or the smell. You might even find just the thought of the dentist is enough to bring you out in a cold sweat. Commonly people who are in a state of fear or phobia experience

• Anxiety or fear
• Feel hot all over
• Heart beats faster
• Might feel sick
• Palms feel sweaty
• Or even have a panic attack
• Have an overwhelming urge to get away from the trigger

The benefits of going to the dentist regularly include

• Having strong, healthy teeth
• Being in control of your body
• Less risk of dentures or lost teeth later in life
• Lowered risk of complicated procedures

Today's hypnotherapy audio includes techniques you can use to reduce your anxiety and build resources that'll make visiting the dentist more enjoyable.

There are many techniques that we can use to help you overcome phobias so if you

Podcast 27: Overcome phobias with hypnotherapy. Today I'll be briefly talking about

• What a phobia is
• Why we experience fears and phobias
• And my 5 top tips to overcoming phobias including how you can use hypnotherapy to change your phobic reactions.

There will also be a free hypnotherapy audio at the end of this podcast that you can enjoy, keep and come back to time and time again.

In episode 26 I talked about anxiety and how you can manage this with hypnotherapy. This week's podcast follows on from this so please go back and listen for more information on anxiety.

A phobia is an overwhelming and debilitating fear of an object, place, situation, feeling or an animal.

Phobias are more exaggerated than fears. A fear might make you feel a bit anxious where a phobia can become so severe that a person might begin to organise their whole life around an exaggerated or unrealistic sense of danger about a situation, an object, an animal or a bodily function.

This can be very restrictive and can cause a lot of unnecessary anxiety.

Phobias usually build up over time but can also follow a traumatic event. The severity of a phobia can vary dramatically. If you're only faced with your trigger very rarely it might not affect your everyday life too much. Or you might be debilitated by the fear for a large part of your life and plan your life around the phobia.

You might feel

• Dizzy or light headed
• You might start to sweat
• Might feel sick or feel a churning in your stomach
• Might experience heart palpitations
• Or shortness of breath
• You can also experience shaking or the start of an upset stomach

These are instantaneous and you might feel you have no control of these responses. This is where cognitive therapy can help you change the reactions you have to triggers and take control over your reactions to the world around you.

This reaction can be attached to many different scenarios and this is why there are so many different phobias we can experience. From the more common fears and phobias like

• Spiders or insects
• Buttons
• Clowns
• Heights
• Water
• Animals
• The dentist or medical examinations

To the less common phobias like

• Small holes
• Stickers
• Knees
• Numbers

These are all more specific phobias which are centred around a situation, an object, bodily function, animal or an activity.

Phobias can also be more complex which tend to be more limiting and usually develop during adulthood. Complex phobias are commonly associated with deep rooted fear or anxiety about a particular situation or circumstance such as agoraphobia or social phobia. This type of phobia might take a longer therapy plan to overcome because there are so many triggers that need addressing.

Listen to this week's podcast for my 5 top tips to help you overcome phobias.

Today's hypnotherapy audio includes techniques you can use to reduce your response to your trigger and find new ways to overcome phobias.

There are many techniques that we can use to help you improve your mornings so if you find you need more help visit www.altptherapies.co.uk to have a bespoke recording made for you with your challenges in mind.

You can also contact me today on facebook or twitter.

Podcast 26: Overcome anxiety with hypnotherapy. Today I'll be briefly talking about

• Back to school stress
• The different challenges you might face
• And my 5 top tips to help you control anxiety including how you can use hypnotherapy to reduce anxiety

There will also be a free hypnotherapy audio at the end of this podcast that you can enjoy, keep and come back to time and time again.

In episode 15 I looked at stress and how you can manage this with hypnotherapy and I'd highly recommend listening to this as it will give you more information on how stress affect us and the other challenges that stress and anxiety can create within us. I also don't want to repeat all of the info from that podcast so please, go back and have a listen after this podcast!

Anxiety is a by product of stress, that old saying there's no smoke without fire well, there's definitely no anxiety without stress.

You might experience

• Racing thoughts
• Rapid heartbeat
• Sweaty palms
• Blushing
• Tightness in your throat
• A churning in your stomach

This can be an easily ignored challenge at first but can progress into more damaging symptoms such as

• Headaches
• I.B.S symptoms
• Chest pains
• Short temper
• Nausea
• Loss of sex drive
• Low motivations
• Insomnia

Do you experience

• Specific worry
• Generalised worry
• Fears or phobias which stop you from living the life you want
• Panic attacks
• O.C.D
• Unwanted habits such as nail biting, hair pulling or eating, picking your skin, biting your lips

Anyone can experience anxiety, from the smallest child to the oldest pensioner. Anxiety is very subjective, one person's fear is another's excitement. This can change day to day or minute by minute depending on the situation and how you're feeling.

This can be because of a large stress, such as an exam or after a series of small stresses that build up. It is common to be unaware when we are anxious or stressed, we can change this by being more aware of our behaviours when we are anxious and noticing the signs when anxiety starts to creep in and begin to affect our lives.

Anxiety can be because of

• Abuse or victimisation
• The death of a loved one
• Personal relationships
• Work or not working
• Interview or promotion
• Public speaking
• Performance
• Athletes
• Animals - spiders, dogs, rats, insects are all common
• Social situations, with friends or strangers

What other situations can you think of that you might feel anxious about?

Anxiety isn't just a negative state, this can help us progress in life and strive for our goals. We use anxiety for entertainment when we watch scary movies, go on roller coaster rides and play scary computer games.

Things that make us anxious can be seen as something to avoid or something to conquer. How could your life be improved just by using this simple thought change?

Listen to this week's podcast for my 5 top tips to help you overcome morning routine stress.

Today's hypnotherapy audio includes techniques you can use to reduce anxiety and release old negative habits to make room from new more helpful habits. There are many techniques that we can use to help you improve your mornings so if you find you need more help visit www.altptherapies.co.uk to have a bespoke recording made for you with your challenges in mind.

Podcast 25: Overcome morning routine stress with hypnotherapy. Today I'll be briefly talking about

• Back to school stress
• The different challenges you might face
• And my 5 top tips to help you overcome any unwanted feelings during the school run, including how you can use hypnotherapy to manage your back to school stress and make your mornings more enjoyable.

There will also be a free hypnotherapy audio at the end of this podcast that you can enjoy, keep and come back to time and time again.

At the beginning of the school holidays I spoke about how to overcome summer holiday stress so now the kids have gone back to school it seems like a great time to talk about how to overcome morning routine stress.

There are some common challenges most parents face in the morning which include

• Not eating breakfast
• Arguing they want the TV on
• Not getting dressed or washed when you ask
• Not brushing their teeth properly
• Lost lunch bag
• Can't find the book bag
• Can't find their shoes
• How many times do you have to ask them to put their shoes on?
• You might be anxious about your child going to school
• Miss them when they're gone
• And you might have anxiety about them growing up
• And like me, you might have promised yourself you won't get stressed on the school run!

People feel the effects of stress in different ways, do you find yourself feeling

• Frustrated
• Short tempered
• Sadness
• Guilt
• Overwhelmed
• Out of your depth
• Depressed
• And can even feel like you've been abandoned

Listen to this week's podcast for my 5 top tips to help you overcome morning routine stress.

Today's podcast will also include a technique you can use to release any unwanted feelings and overcome morning routine stress. There are many techniques that we can use to help you improve your mornings so if you find you need more help visit www.altptherapies.co.uk to have a bespoke recording made for you with your challenges in mind.

Podcast 24: Keep healthy with hypnotherapy. Today I'll be briefly talking about

• Keeping healthy
• Why we experience random illness
• And my 5 top tips to keeping healthy including how you can use hypnotherapy to boost your immune system and fight off any random illnesses.

There will also be a free hypnotherapy audio at the end of this podcast that you can enjoy, keep and come back to time and time again.

When I talk about feeling healthy in this podcast I'm referring to your usual state and illness as those pesky colds, coughs and other bugs we catch from time to time, especially as the weather starts to cool down over the next few weeks.

These illnesses could be a bacterial infection, which is caused by bacteria, or a viral infection which is caused by a virus. Each of these types of infection can cause fever or irritability so it can make it difficult to figure out where you got sick. Both types of infection are spread in basically the same way.

When we pick up an illness it can leave us feeling pretty wiped out. You might feel

• A bit sick
• Loss of appetite
• Going from hot to cold
• Having a high temperature
• Feeling achy all over
• Experiencing headaches
• Feeling tired or lethargic
• Feeling tightness in your chest or even experiencing a cough or sore throat

You might also worry you're neglecting your loved ones or underperforming at work which can lead to guilt or disappointment in yourself because you need to take time to rest and recover from your minor illness.

Listen to this week's podcast for my 5 top tips to help you improve your immune system and keep healthy.

Today's podcast will also include a technique you can use to help build your immune system and keep healthy. There are many techniques that we can use to help you improve your health so if you find you need more help visit www.altptherapies.co.uk to have a bespoke recording made for you with your challenges in mind.

Podcast 23: Improve sports performance with hypnotherapy. Today I'll be briefly talking about

• How to make the most of your skills when you're playing sport
• Why some people experience performance anxiety
• And my 5 top tips to help you improve sports performance which will include information on how you can use hypnotherapy to perform with confidence.

There will also be a free hypnotherapy audio at the end of this podcast that you can enjoy, keep and come back to time and time again.

The Olympic games Rio 2016 are at the halfway mark and with another week of action to come I thought now would be a great time to talk about getting the most out of your skills and improve sports performance.

You need to train your body so you are performing at your best ability but what happens if our mind isn't part of this training regime?

I quite like the analogy of being in a boat that needs to be rowed towards your goal. One oar is training hard and making sure you keep your body fit and healthy, trying to row with just this one oar will get you some success but you'll probably just find yourself rowing in circles, never able to progress to the next level. You need to also train your mind, this is the other oar. Having both of these helps you get to where you want to be with a lot less effort than one oar alone!

Performance anxiety will affect us all differently but will be experienced by us all at some point to some degree.

This could be experienced in many different ways, it's commonly those usual symptoms of the fight or flight response

• Rapid heart beat
• Dry mouth
• Racing, unfocused thoughts or your mind can go blank
• Fear of failure or worrying you will get something wrong
• Seeing yourself perform badly
• Doubting your abilities
• Feeling sick or having an unsettled feeling in your stomach or chest

When you are at the peak of your sports performance you

• feel focused on the moment, with no negative internal chatter or any fear of your mind going blank
• feel relaxed
• feel energised and ready to compete
• calm breathing and confident body language
• feel confident in your abilities and be free of internal conflicts
• enjoy yourself and keep motivated
• free of internal conflicts
• you can see your own success

Listen to this week's podcast for my 5 top tips to help you improve your sports performance!

Today's podcast will include a technique you can use to broadly enhance your sports performance and build your confidence as an athlete. There are many techniques that we can use to help you improve sports performance so if you find you need more help visit www.altptherapies.co.uk to have a bespoke recording made for you with your challenges in mind.

Podcast 22: Overcome alopecia or hair loss with hypnotherapy. Today I'll be briefly talking about

• Stress related hair loss and alopecia
• How stress can cause hair loss
• 5 top tips to help you manage stress and also how you can use hypnotherapy to help you overcome the symptoms of alopecia

There will also be a free hypnotherapy audio at the end of this podcast that you can enjoy, keep and come back to time and time again.

There are many reasons this could be hereditary, a side effect from medication, age related pattern baldness or many other reasons so if you are experiencing hair loss it's always a good idea to speak to your GP.

We'll be focusing on stress related hair loss today but if you're losing your hair because of another reason hypnotherapy can still be helpful, if you're stressed because of the hair loss the stress could cause more hair loss so reducing stress is always a good idea!

There are a few different types of alopecia

• Alopecia areata – this is patches of baldness that are a bit bigger than a large coin.
• Alopecia totalis - all of the hair on the scalp is gone.
• Alopecia universalis - no hair on the entire body.
• Scarring alopecia - this is usually caused by complications of another condition. In this type of alopecia the hair follicle is destroyed and hair won't grow back.

It's not known exactly why some people experience hair loss but this can sometimes be triggered by stress. Alopecia is a condition that affects around one in a thousand. Even the healthiest person with no family history of hair loss can experience alopecia in some form.

Hair loss can be difficult to cope with for men and women. Hair can be seen as our crowning glory, so losing this when you're young or at a vulnerable time in your life can really knock your confidence or self esteem. Hair loss is one thing but what about the other challenges this can cause?

• You might have avoided an activity you enjoy such as swimming or socialising because you don't want people to notice your hair loss.
• Do you worry how people will perceive you? Or if loved ones will feel the same about you?
• Have you avoided dating because you feel someone can't love you the way you are?
• Do you feel anger or resentment? Or find yourself asking "why me?"
• Do you berate yourself or blame yourself for your hair loss?
• It can also mean you style your hair differently or start to use hats or bandannas to hide your hair loss. A change in appearance can invite comments or compliments from friends and family which can make you feel more self conscious. The thing you're doing to try to take attention away from our hair can do the opposite and draw attraction to your hair.
• It can make you feel like you've lost part of your identity.

The good news is not all anxiety related hair loss is permanent. If stress and anxiety are the main reasons for your hair loss, reducing that stress or anxiety can help your hair come back. There are some people who will find their hair doesn't grow back, no matter what the root cause is but it's always helpful to use relaxation techniques to help manage your anxieties to help reduce your risk of more hair loss that is stress related and to reduce the anxiety experienced because of your hair loss.

Today's podcast will include a metaphor to encourage hair growth. There are many techniques that we can use to help you overcome hair loss so if you find you need more help visit www.altptherapies.co.uk to have a bespoke recording made for you with your challenges in mind.

Podcast 21: Overcome summer holiday stress with hypnotherapy. Today I'll be briefly talking about

• Summer holiday stress
• Some of the challenges parents face in the 6 week holiday
• The common effects of longer term stress and
• 5 top tips to overcome summer holiday stress including how you can use hypnotherapy to manage summer holiday stress.

There will also be a free hypnotherapy audio at the end of this podcast that you can enjoy, keep and come back to time and time again.

The summer holidays are here, 6 weeks of holiday for the kids which can be quite difficult to manage as an adult. Whether you work or not children can be a challenge! Juggling your responsibilities is hard enough when the kids are at school so having the kids at home can cause all kind of different challenges and more summer holiday stress.

If you work you might need to take time off or need to cover the cost of a childminder. Which is difficult if, like me, you're self employed. It can be a challenge trying to get everything done and still having the energy to spend quality time with your children. You don't want to spend the holidays stressed out or feeling overwhelmed but without effective coping strategies this is usually what happens.

What can happen if we don't manage these stresses? Prolonged stress can make us more likely to experience

• Concentration and memory problems, you can't focus when you're stressed. You don't know whether you're coming or going.
• Worrying or having anxious, racing thoughts that keep you in that stressed state. Do you worry that you're not a good enough parent or that you should be doing more with your child during the holidays? That you should have dealt with that situation better, or not shouted that time, or had more time to play, or been able to take them on holiday.

Commonly when we're stressed we feel

• Like we're irritable or have a short temper
• Feel overwhelmed, if you have more than one child to care for it might feel like you're outnumbered at times!
• General feeling of guilt, depression or a sense of unhappiness
• Feel drained and have no motivation which can then make you feel guilty and more stressed

You could also find you

• Experience sleep problems
• you might start neglecting your responsibilities or putting off things you enjoy because of low motivation. Or because you think it will be a nightmare with the kids.
• Self medicating with cigarettes, alcohol or drugs to relax. This includes prescription medications. A few drinks after a particularly stressful day won't really do you any harm but what if this is every day after the kids go to bed? Smoking can also be used as a way to get away from the family. To get 5 minutes to yourself "you can't come near me, I'm smoking" can become a way to get a few minutes to yourself but it could be taking time away from your family in future years. If you die young because of smoking was it really worth trying to get another 5 minutes of peace this way?
• Other nervous habits like nail biting, pacing, hair pulling or picking your skin which can then impact on your confidence or self esteem

Hypnosis can help us manage stress and anxiety in many different ways, deep relaxation helps us cope with the day to day stress we experience. Using positive suggestion can help us change our reactions to our children and the ways they make us feel stressed. Hypnotherapy can also help you build your self esteem and confidence which will help you feel more in control when you are with the kids. You can also free yourself from habits like smoking or nail biting or other symptoms stress can cause. You can create the ideal holidays in your mind during trance, being able to see yourself succeeding will help you achieve that success. Changing your subconscious reactions to the triggers you are faced with can help you take control and respond rather than react to the pressures you face.

Today's podcast will include suggestions to help you overcome the challenges kids bring us during the summer holidays and live life with more energy. There are numerous techniques that can help you overcome summer holiday stress so if you find you need more help visit www.altptherapies.co.uk to have a bespoke recording made for you with your challenges in mind.

Podcast 20: Stop nail biting with hypnotherapy. Today I'll be briefly talking about

• Why people bite their nails
• The negative impacts this can have
• And my 5 top tips to help you stop the habit

We will also look at how you can use hypnotherapy to change your subconscious patterns and stop nail biting for good!

There will also be a free hypnotherapy audio at the end of this podcast that you can enjoy, keep and come back to time and time again.

Why do people bite their nails? Nail biting is usually a subconscious pattern that you're unaware of doing. Is it just your nails or do you chew or pick the sides of your fingers or your cuticles too?

This is usually a bad habit that kids grow out of in time, or are shamed into stopping but some people continue to bite their nails long into adulthood where it can have many different negative impacts

Are you more prone to nail biting when you're

• Bored
• Tense
• Stressed
• Anxious
• Tired
• Busy

People bite their nails for different reasons. Is it a time killer or a stress management tool? Do you get some satisfaction out of biting? Is there any reward?

There are many different negative impacts which can include

• Damage to your fingers
• Pain, discomfort and bleeding
• Shame or embarrassment
• Nail infections
• Frustration
• Illness
• Damage to your teeth

Which can cause their own added problems. Has your nail biting habit stopped you from

• Socialising with friends or not wanting to meet new people?
• Dating, do you find yourself thinking "who would want me and my manky hands"?
• Going for a promotion?
• Or held you back from doing something?
• Do you avoid situations because of the look of your fingers?
• Made you feel like a failure?

If you bite your nails as a stress management tool but the look of your hands is making you feel stressed the habit can begin to feed itself, you are caught in a downward spiral that can be difficult to break out of on your own.

How can you stop nail biting for good? You've probably tried different techniques without much success. Going cold turkey can be difficult if you're telling yourself all day "don't bite your nails, don't bite your nails" If I ask you not to think of a purple elephant you have to think of that elephant to know what you shouldn't be thinking about. It's the way our brains work so really you're telling yourself time and time again to think about nail biting. Which will erode even the strongest will-power over time and lead you back to nail biting. It's also difficult to stop with will power if you're unaware you're nail biting, if it's a subconscious pattern the damage is done before you realise what's happening.

How can you stop nail biting with hypnotherapy?

If you experienced pleasure from biting this can be changed to pleasure when you file your nails or something else you find pleasurable. We can use positive suggestions that are reinforced with repetition to change your subconscious reactions and patterns of behaviour.

You can create the success in your mind during trance, being able to see yourself succeeding will help you achieve that success.

You can learn to manage stress and anxiety, deep relaxation helps you cope with the day to day stress we experience. Hypnotherapy can also help you build your self esteem and confidence which will help you build your determination to succeed and help you get back on track if you do find yourself nail biting after you've committed to stopping.

Today's podcast includes a technique you can use to help you change the subconscious pattern of nail biting and suggestions to help build your confidence and live life with more energy. There are numerous techniques that can help you stop nail biting so if you find you need more help visit www.altptherapies.co.uk to have a bespoke recording made for you with your challenges in mind.