Archive for December, 2007

Website: Visit www.iwanttoquitsmoking.com The Stop Smoking Hypnosis people.

The practice of hypnosis has been around for hundreds of years, but has recently been added to the growing list of alternative practices used in private clinics to treat ADHD. The use of hypnosis offers a more direct path, so to speak, into the mind to help make changes in deep-rooted behaviors.
Suggestive hypnotherapy is completely different from the traveling stage hypnotist performing tricks for audiences, like having a volunteer cluck like a chicken. Rather, clinical hypnosis tries to access parts of the brain that have not been available to change since they have not been addressed through traditional therapy. A more direct path is sought into the mind to help make changes in certain behaviors that affect a person with ADHD. This is achieved through narrowing the focus of concentration, facilitated by the hypnotherapist. Once this focus is narrowed, the hypnotherapist then retrains the mind to use symbols and colors to help focus the mind on concentration, memory and then action. Action being, that which is controlled through the environment.
Many people with ADHD, especially children, tend to be kinesthetic learners. Meaning, they need movement in order to learn or pay attention. Often they will be seen tapping their pencils, their hands or standing up and sitting down while listening to a teacher or the person talking to them. They are able to “absorb” information through movement or action. This can be distracting to other people. By teaching the person to focus on a symbol or a color they may use this symbol kinesthetically, in their mind, help them to focus on what they are learning. I also recommend they hold in their hand a stress ball; this allows them to kinesthetically learn without distracting others.
It is my belief that individuals with ADHD are gifted. They have the ability to multitask and often get bored doing one thing at a time. Unfortunately, we live in a world in which learning does not complement this type of mind. Instead of changing the way these special people think, hypnosis can teach them to use their innate gifts and to function in the western world.
There are many books available that provide teachers, parents and individuals with different techniques that can assist with the treatment of ADHD. Two books that I would recommend, “The Indigo Child” and “Left Brained Children in a Right Brained World.” These books can help people to better understand how those affected with ADHD can fit more comfortably into today’s society.

Kim R. Zapf MHt

Website: Visit www.iwanttoquitsmoking.com

About the Author

Awareness Institute, Director: Kim Zapf, MHt, Toledo, OH or Lambertville, MI

Visit www.iwanttoquitsmoking.com

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Panic attacks are usually brief, although the sufferer may feel that they last forever. From an emotional perspective, panic attack symptoms may include feelings of intense fear, an overwhelming sense of doom, being out of control, or a sense of unreality. The sufferer’s thoughts may race and jump about, without any logic or consistency.

Physical panic attack symptoms may include some or all of the following sensations:

Racing or pounding heart; palpitations

Difficulty breathing or tightness in the chest

Shallow, rapid breathing

A choking feeling

Severe trembling or shaking

A rapid pulse rate

Sweating

A brief body temperature rise

Chest pain

Dizziness or light-headedness

Nausea

Fear of losing control

Tingling or numbness in the extremities

A feeling of not being physically anchored.

A panic attack may leave the person feeling utterly exhausted afterward. This may be caused by the flood of adrenaline and other stress hormones released when the panic attack starts. These “fight or flight” hormones cause an enormous output of the body’s energy resources. When the attack is over, exhaustion ensues as the body tries to recover.

Many people who experience panic attack symptoms initially think they are having a heart attack. They may run to an emergency room or call an ambulance, only to be told no physical ailments have caused the intense feelings, sensations and other symptoms. Over time, the sufferer may feel as if he or she is losing his or her mind.

It is hard to overestimate the debilitating and widespread effects of these attacks. People who suffer from panic attacks often live in fear of the next attack, especially since they can be unpredictable. The attacks seem random and unwarranted and the sufferer worries they may have an attack when they are out among other people, or while driving or in other worrisome situations. Panic attack victims sometimes become reclusive or agoraphobic (afraid to leave their home); they may lose important relationships and friends. These types of coping skills arise because of the randomness of the panic attacks. The person having the panic attacks withdraws from social interaction because they fear being around other people when the panic attack starts. The fear of losing control in public and of not being able to stop the attack adds to the negative impact the panic attacks have on the person’s life.

Thus, we have the vicious circle aspect of panic attacks: the fear of panic attacks leads to anxiety about the possibility of a panic attack occurring randomly, which can lead to a full-blown panic attack. Often patients cannot lead normal lives and end up on disability, unable to maintain a job. The panic attacks and panic attack symptoms literally control their lives.

How can hypnosis help with panic attacks and panic attack symptoms? The key reason hypnosis can help with panic attacks is that fears, anxieties, and, in fact, all emotions, originate in the subconscious. The subconscious also controls involuntary physical functions, such as heart beat, respiration, etc. Hypnosis works in the realm of the subconscious. Therefore, the good news is that the subconscious mind can be retrained to reinterpret both fear responses and panic-inducing situations. There is a good chance that the person can use his mind to eventually free himself from panic attacks completely.

A hypnotherapist will usually take multiple approaches to working with a panic attack sufferer.* For example, the person may be taught physical and mental relaxation techniques (important for calming the racing heart and other physical panic attack symptoms), self-hypnosis, visualization, and guided imagery to use when he or she feels a panic attack approaching. The panic attack sufferer may be taught how to reinterpret sensations and feelings so that the early stages of the panic attack do not escalate and become “full-blown.”

Deep, focused breathing techniques may be taught by the hypnotherapist. Breathing techniques are a deceptively simple way to help panic attacks. Not only does focused deep breathing help distract the person’s mind from the fear, but it also has a powerful subconscious effect. We usually think of breathing as a totally automatic process. But when we bring our attention to our breathing, we can easily change the pace and depth of our breathing. This sends the subconscious a reassuring and powerful message: “You are in control. You can control this panic attack.” Further, deep breathing can help reverse the effects of shallow, rapid, panicked breathing. It can increase oxygen flow to the brain, which can help restore calm, logical thought processes.

Hypnosis techniques may also focus on reassuring the subconscious mind that it is safe to release the fear and/or anxiety. Panic attacks may arise from a part of the subconscious that believes it is keeping the person “safe” by sending them the message to panic. In other words, some part of the subconscious may think it senses danger or it may simply want the person to be alert to danger. So it sends messages to the person’s conscious mind regarding extreme fear, doom, etc. to insure that the person is “paying attention.” This part of the subconscious needs to feel reassured that the person has other ways of remaining safe, cautious, etc. Then it can be persuaded to release the fear response. To accomplish this goal, the hypnotherapist may use complementary therapies such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), which is a form of “waking hypnosis” or “conversational hypnosis.”

Sometimes, a small amount of emotional relief can by given to the panic attack sufferer by simply explaining that his panic attack symptoms are not “crazy,” “insane,” or “irrational.” Instead, the symptoms seem “rational” from the perspective of that part of his subconscious that wants him to be alert to danger and ultimately safe. Once the person understands the problem at a deeper level he or she may begin to feel that he or she is not “going crazy.” This is one small step in the journey back to emotional wellness.

It should be emphasized that it may take multiple hypnosis sessions for the panic attack sufferer to feel some relief. Over time, he or she will begin to feel more in control and empowered to stop a panic attack and its accompanying symptoms before they become overwhelming and/or debilitating. Eventually, he or she may be able to completely eliminate panic attacks.

*Hypnosis is not a substitute for medical, pharmaceutical or mental health treatment of panic attacks. Rather, hypnosis provides a wonderful complement to standard “talk therapy” (psychotherapy, etc.) and medical/psychiatric approaches to panic attacks. Hypnosis works with doctors and mental health practitioners, not against them. Do not discontinue medical, pharmaceutical and/or mental health treatment for your panic attacks when you begin hypnotherapy.
About the Author

Loretta Sernekos, Ph.D., is a Certified Hypnotherapist in private practice in Cherry Hill, NJ and Philadelphia, PA. You can visit her hypnosis practice website at http://www.sghypnosis.com for more information and audio podcasts. For additional hypnosis information and articles, visit http://www.hypnosisgateway.com.

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