Latest Hypnotherapy News

Seasons greetings from everyone at the Brighton & Hove Hypnotherapy practice and EasyStop stop smoking centres. We are closed over the festive period and will be open for business on 2nd January.

As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift.

If you suffer from Agoraphobia you may have seen a TV programme on Channel 4 this week called ‘House of Agoraphobics’ and witnessed what was billed as ‘a ground breaking treatment’. I’m not sure what was ‘ground breaking’ about it. A combination of Cognitive behaviour therapy and exposure is hardly new. The results appeared mixed and there was no follow-up months after treatment, so we don’t know how effective it was.

When you ask someone to jump in at the ‘deep end’ of a swimming pool before they have learnt how to swim one of two things tend to happen. You panic and become traumatised and never want to go swimming again (This happened to me in my childhood and i developed a fear of going out of my depth) or your survival mechanism ‘kicks in’ in a positive way because you expect to float to the service naturally.

In my opinion, the 2 main elements missing from the treatment were a lack of attention to the emotional part of the brain, which in all 3 cases appeared to have been traumatised many years ago. All of the therapy appeared to be directed towards the rational part of the brain which was constantly being challenged by the therapists. I believe that their rational brain knew that their thoughts were irrational. Unfortunately the emotional part of the brain was overriding the rational part. Another key element missing was a structured strategy for coping/dealing with panic-attacks. There are some simple and easy to learn techniques that can turn anxiety and panic into a more relaxed state.

If you want to know more about how we can help Agoraphobics or any kind of phobia call 01273 509793 now.

The Government has now announced ‘D’ day for the ban on smoking in public places which is 1 July 2007.

For non smokers who enjoy a drink in the pub it means a smoke free atmosphere and a healthier environment for staff working in the leisure industry. For smokers it means staying at home, smoking outside the pub or perhaps deciding to quit and join the ranks of non smokers.

Since the government originally announced there was to be a smoking ban there has been a noticeable drop in the number of people seeking help from smoking cessation services. We believe that many smokers have decided to ‘put off’ stopping smoking until just before the ban comes into force. This is what happened in Scotland earlier this year. The ban was introduced in March and in the 3 months prior the number of people seeking help doubled.

So if you are considering quitting next year and you need help you might want to consider taking the plunge in the first 3 months of 2007 in order to avoid joining a waiting list!

Beer mats linking smoking with the deadly radioactivity that killed the former Russian spy, have been condemned as “appalling bad taste”.

The harsh words come from a Newton Abbot publican who was delivered a batch of the anti-smoking mats with the question on the front: “What is polonium?” The answer to be found on the reverse is: “A radioactive chemical found in nuclear power stations and in cigarette smoke.”Polonium 210 is also the substance strongly suspected of poisoning Alexander Litvinenko, the ex Russian security officer, in London. It is 250 billion times deadlier than cyanide.

Kevin O’Connor, of the Swan Inn in Highweek Street, was stunned at the mats.
“It is really insensitive to say the least when polonium appears to have been used to kill this poor man.
“My customers were equally shocked, and the mats went straight into the bin.
“I realise they must have been produced some months ago, but releasing them at such a time seems really crass. This could backfire badly on the anti-smoking campaign.”

The Where There’s Smoke There’s Poison beer mats were produced by Cancer Research UK, with funding from the Department of Health.

Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ lobby group Forest, declared: “Cancer Research has shot itself in the foot. The timing of this campaign is not just offensive, it’s in appalling bad taste.

“I’m amazed nobody thought better of it, and pulled the plug.

“I’m sure most smokers will take the warning with a pinch of salt, but if Cancer Research is prepared to resort to this level of scare-mongering, some people may question whether it’s a charity worth supporting.

“How much lower are they going to go before they understand enough is enough?”

Professor Alex Markham, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “We apologise for any distress caused by the campaign.

“Polonium 210 is one of the chemicals featured to raise awareness of the 69 known cancer causing chemicals found in cigarette smoke.

“Our Smoke is Poison campaign was planned many months ago. Tens of thousands of people in the UK die every year as a result of smoking.

“Our campaign is designed to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking, and save some of those many lives.”

Ken Huggins - Director / Company Secretary
EasyStop (UK) Ltd