Talking hypnotherapy 2

As I know I have probably put off a lot of my male followers with talk of women's issues (!) I'd like to turn a little to the experience I am having with the hypnotherapy training. I am now in my 7th month of training and have finally been let loose on the public (well just those willing to have a free 'case study' series of sessions with me). I am having good results already, even with people I already know - which is supposed to reduce your objectivity. Just knowing what questions to ask and then using the appropriate techniques; mindfulness exposure, swish pattern(an NLP technique), the Dickens pattern, etc seems to reveal so much about our underlying thoughts, associations and beliefs.

People who have been working with me are already seeing changes in their behaviour in a very positive direction. I don't want to brag just to acknowledge how powerful this is - even after 2 or 3 sessions things are being revealed which have been long hidden.
I am quick to point out this is not a failure of willpower or intellect on the part of those who are undergoing treatment with me. It is just that these beliefs are very well disguised under layers of rationalisation; 'I want to go out but it's probably not worth it (underlying belief ; I am at risk/insecure if I leave home). 'I need chocolate' (belief; it makes me feel nurtured and loved which I am missing), I can't give in to my partner's demands (belief; if I give in it makes me weak). These are the things that drive us. It's remarkable how uncovering the hidden reason for our behaviour changes the way we perceive them. The first step to change is awareness and that I guess is what hypnosis does quicker than anything.

I have decided to launch my new therapy business (including hypnotherapy) with the name Alchemy therapies www.alchemytherapies.co.uk. This is not finished yet - I need a new logo and obviously content but the process has begun (all done now, Ed). I am hoping to launch in July with some cut-price offers between now and then while I am still training. I will keep my Facebook page Patricia Worby Holistic Health posted with updates.

Supplements, scans and dental amalgam - warning women's issues!

Had my scan this week to assess how my detox (supplement and herb) routine is going. The results were not too bad . The largest fibroid is 7 x 6 x 6 cm which, although large enough to be felt by me is definitely less than it was the first time I had scan 2 years ago. Of course some of that is due to the operation I had (a UAE) but I feel sure that the herbs I am using (from a protocol developed by Amanda Leto, and with some amendments by Marilyn Glenville). I take about 12 per day including P-cleanse (to rid the body or parasites, NAC, Serrapeptase, Inositol and Choline, a special women's multi that includes maca, agnus castus, red clover, sasparilla as well as vitamins A, E. I am also dosing high on Spirulina and Chlorella (for inducing alkalinity and detoxing heavy metals), low acidity Vitamin C (magnesium citrate) as well as my normal omega-3's and stuff. however, after 5 weeks I now feel a bit jaded by the constant pill taking. I want to continue of course but it's a pain having to get them out each morning and remembering to take them. I'm being honest here.

I want to do the juice cleanse but it's so cold at the moment I can't face it. It's due to warm up a bit next week so hopefully I can at least do one day. I find I lack motivation which is hard as i know it'll be good for me and tell other people to do this but again it's tough sometimes when your body feels like hibernating.

I went to a new dentist last week to ask about removal of dental amalgam (which I am sure is contributing to my problems - mercury seems to depress the thyroid as well as liver function which I am know is compromised in fibroid conditions). There is also a new book which I downloaded yesterday which talks about the OAT axis - oestrogen, the adrenals and the thyroid. I knew instinctively there was a link but now I know why. I do recommend it; it's called 'OAT balance' by Dr Michael Lam and the Kindle version is available for download for 77p. That's right. But it's only a chapter of his book it turns out so in reality that's probably the right price.. Very interesting.
so many women have these problems and they are never told what they can do about it. My sonographer at the hospital was a lovely black woman who, although she was gentle and kind, knew nothing about why fibroids occur, or how you can treat them naturally. So, I ended up telling her about it and the fact that black women are 5x more likely than white women to get them. It is a statistical fact that 90% of African-American women in the US have a hysterectomy by the time they are 60. That's right that's almost all of them. This is licenced mutilation. I will say no more.

Fibro update

2nd week of restricted diet and special herbs and supplements. Though I will admit I broke my no gluten rule today by having a biscuit! Never mind, I know better than to berate myself. It's ok. generally I'm sticking to the diet 80% of the time and that's pretty good. i had salad for lunch with soup and an oat based muesli for breakfast. I am now drinking my Roibos (redbush) tea and contemplating the fact that my period this month was virtually pain free and I have already lost weight - 3 pounds to be exact. I feel fitter, my belly has gone down a bit too.

I know one of my clients was suprised that I am so honest in my blog writing about my personal health issues but goodness me if i can't write it here where can I? Women are so programmed to be silent about their problems especially if it's to do with their reproductive bits.. I am writing this so you know you can make changes and fairly quickly. The diet includes lots of alkalising drinks - lemon juice in water first thing in the morning - you can follow that up with apple cider vinegar too if you like. Plus plenty of green veg - I had seaweed in my stir fry yesterday! In addition to my normal supplement regime of Omega-3 and Vitamin D and a high quality multi-vit mineral (I like the brand Nutri-women) I am also taking DIM (di-indle methionine from cruciferous veg), Serrapeptase (from silkworkms), Ginkgo biloba (for energy), Agnus castus (good for hormonal issues), NAD (N-acetyl cysteine) to help liver detoxification, my thryroid gland concentrate, Choline and Inositol (for blood sugar control). Plus some drops of dandelion and milkthisle tincture, black cohosh and my vitamin drink Floradix. This is a heavy course of supplements but for 3 months, with the cleansing and liver packing and epsom salt footbaths it's doable. The goal is to lose a bit more weight, reduce my bloating and give me my power back. While I wait to hear when my appointment for a scan is - probably 6 weeks I have been told.

I got all of this off the website http://amandaleto.com/. Though I then found the information much cheaper and on a UK site of Dr Marilyn Glenville http://www.naturalhealthpractice.com/Understanding_Fibroids_E-book_P10C399.cfm. I haven't downloaded this one yet but i will. At just under £8 (compared the the £30 I paid for the other one) it's a bargain. Probably linked to her supplements though..
The message is - you can make a change to yourself. you only have to know how.
I didn't understand fibroids at all - I thought it was just bad luck or genetics but I now see my lifestyle has been a big factor. I have upped my exercise and cut down my sugar intake as well as including lots of raw foods. It all helps. Anyhow will update again when I hear.

Women's problems

Well, life as they say happens while you're busy doing something else.
I have been very busy doing my studying (for hypnotherapy) and looking into treating Thyroid and Adrenal dysfunction which is going to be very useful for treating clients who come to me with unspecified depression, auto-immune dysfunction and chronic fatigue symptoms. In fact I was getting quite excited about my discoveries which I periodically publish on my Facebook health page; Patricia Worby Holistic Health.
Then to complete my marking of the end of winter (we hope shortly!) I went on a lovely spa package and spent some considerable time detoxing in a Far- Infra-Red Sauna (very different to steam saunas which I don't tolerate very well). I felt fabulous after that.

However a few days later I started to wonder if I was putting on weight again around my abdomen. I went to the docs last Friday and she had a prod around and confirmed what I thought; that despite having a successful embolisation procedure for fibroids two years ago, they have returned! I wasn't surprised but I was shocked. My diet is reasonably good, I exercise, I take supplements and I think, anyway that I am taking steps to conquer my anxiety (with hypnotherapy practice). However, I was very traumatised by the news - especially as it means I have to go through the rounds of scans and consultants again. Almost instantly my symptoms got much, much worse (as if my body is reading my mind). I had pain and swelling and felt exhausted. I now think that my organs of elimination (gut, skin, lungs, etc are too clogged to allow the detoxing that I did to be eliminated in the body and therefore they are reabsorbed and stored in a non-life-threatening organ - the uterus!). This is the body's way of trying to minismise the damage.. it is not trying to attack me.

However, given my new knowledge as to what causes fibroids (toxic build up, nutritional deficiencies and stress) I was determined to do it differently this time. I had been sent the link for a Naturopathic Doctor in the US, Dr Akilah El who specialises in healing fibroids www.celestialhealing.com. I contacted them by email and was told I would need a copy of my latest scan if I was to have a consultation. Unfortunately my last one was a year ago so I need to get a current one to see what I'm up against. Her book and audio sound good but they are way expensive ($80 - around £52) so I carried on looking and came across another American Amanda Leto www.fibroidsmiracle.com who has done something similar but hers was more realistic at $39 - approx £25 plus VAT. Why are there no UK people doing this. Fibroids are incredibly common (see a previous post - 30 - 40% of white women - especially amongst black women where up to to 70% have them - sometimes without symptoms)

I have now downloaded that e-book and read all of its 255 pages with accompanying diet plans and stress busting tips. It's pretty good - not properly proof-read which is odd (I always wonder why people let something go out with typos in given how quickly you can check it by eye - presumably checking with a spell checker is what they did as it hasn't identifed some problems because they are real words - just not the right one). It has some inaccuracies (chlorophyll is the 'blood life of every plant' apparently - I understand what she means it's just slightly misleading - chlorophyll is a molecule similar to haemoglobin in blood - but it does not circulate - it is fixed in the leaves to make sugars - photosynthesis). I am trying to work out whether i should point these errors out to her or just leave it alone - she is after all not a scientist and I may come over all pedantic.

Anyhow I am now following the advice given there withe the diet and supplements and intend to do the 3 day juice fast over Easter. This will be hard but given my condition I have a strong impetus. I am certainly hoping to see results faster than the NHS!! Actually already (day 2 of cutting out caffeine, gluten, soya) I feel better and my abdomen has gone down considerably. I can actually feel I am detoxing - plus my guts are very clearly cleaning out (TMI). It is amazing to me that just by cutting out obvious oestrogen triggers and allergens from my diet - plus drinking lemon water three times a day I have already managed to bring my symptoms down to manageable levels. I am thrilled in fact.

I will let you know how it goes. One thing is for sure. The alternative - more tests, hysterectomy (I am sure they won't offer me embolisation again as it didn't work) are not an option I want to take. I will if I have to but let's see if this naturopathic option works well. Certainly if initial results are anything to go by I am healing already.
p.s Have found Dr Marilyn Glenville in the UK has a downloadable e-book on the subject too. see http://www.naturalhealthpractice.com/Understanding_Fibroids_E-book_P10C399.cfm?utm_source=MGwhifibroidsebookA&utm_medium=MGwebsite
Hers is a lot cheaper at £7.93. May download that one too though expect it will heavily feature her products at the Natural Health Practice..

Talking hypnotherapy

What a week this has been. Started with my hypnotherapy training (Module 3 now) in Bournemouth. 2 long days of theory and practice culminating in an assessed treatment using the Milton model of deliberate permissive language (e.g 'you may feel that...', 'I wonder if, now or in a moment, you will begin to feel x...'), This opens up the possibility for people to experience hypnosis however they want to. It takes the power away from the hypnotherapist (not like Derren Brown then!) and back to the client. Hypnosis, it seems is not magic, but simply an applied skill which uses the knowledge of how the mind creates and stores memories, emotions (which can be attached to those memories) and replays them for us whenever we encounter something familiar. This is why our subconscious emotions (many of which were learned in childhood) can be so destructive. We have no control over them and we do not even know what we are operating from..

And I was reminded of this personally too as my cat Sidney, my little companion, fell ill this week and I was struggling to cope with the notion of losing him (he stopped eating and drinking and there was a possibility he wasn't going to survive). My fear and sense of loss was so huge - even though the worst hadn't happened yet I was operating as if it was. The term 'as if' is used a lot in hypnosis communication. We ask someone to imagine something 'as if' it were happening. The subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between reality and imagination - the response will be the same. So, if I ask you, to imagine that your hand is stuck to your knee as if it was stuck with superglue, if I really get you to engage your imagination it becomes impossible to move! This is called the hand-stick routine and it is fascinating!

Hypnotherapy is more therapy than hypnosis in my opinion. It elicits information from the client, devises a strategy to help them and then uses hypnosis to deliver the intervention. But you need all the skills of an empathetic counsellor and more to be effective. Rapport is essential in hypnosis or the client will be not willing to follow your suggestions. So, we are learning so much more than how to induce hypnosis. We are doing a full session of therapy too. Using tools such as Socratic questions e.g 'what would happen if you did?' to get the client to analyse their own thinking critically. So much of this is used in self-help books eg check out Byron Katie's 4 questions which ask you 'turn it around' but with hypnotherapy there is more evidence based guidance and a full training.

Chrysalis Effect Training

Yesterday attended a workshop organised by a company called the Chrysalis Effect - http://thechrysaliseffect.org/ run by recoverers of chronic fatigue syndrome and Fibromyalgia - which are different expressions of the same problem. The workshop was for Practitioners to learn about the radical new approach that they promote of online coaching for sufferers and team working guided by practitioners who really understand the problem and can take people through an individualised Program for recovery. As this is considered incurable by mainstream medicine it is very interesting to find people who not only believe that you can recover but are here to prove it!

They talk about the 6 stages of recovery from Phase I  (Denial) where you have many seemingly unrelated symptoms for which you will probably be seeking medical advice (headaches, fatigue, frequent infections, etc), Stage 2 (crash) - a trigger event will force the person to stop curtail their normal life - maybe a virus, an accident or a loss - this can often be months or even a few years later.  Stage 3 is where the person having tried to overcome the problem with willpower is now disheartened and very much defined by their condition - they are an 'ME sufferer' with a diagnosis and a 'treatment' regime which is largely about managing symptoms. The search for external solutions (different therapists/treatments, etc) has begun but it is very ad hoc hoppin from one therapist to the next until loss of hope sets in. This can last indefinately if you are following the conventional route 'managing' the illness with pain killers, anti-spasmodics, sleeping tablets and anti-depressants.

Phase 4 is the internal search - whereby with support and help from a trained professional you can look holistically at your lifestyle - all the elements of beliefs, values and behaviour which have got you where you are (A-type personality, driven, always giving to others, self-critical, highly sensitive but put on a good face, adrenal fatigue - stress response 'always on the go'). in this phase you are encouraged to find your connection with life again - the thing that 'akes your heart sing' and attempt to bring this back to some extent (depending of course on your capabilities), If you always wanted to write but were forced in to a desk job to pay the bills, this is a time to embark on something to do with writing - even it's only a blog or perhaps a diary. You are supported nutritionally, emotionally and physically with this gradual transition until you are able to enter Phase 5 where your symptoms have all but gone. Phase 6 - full recovery is defined as symptom free for a year.

What most impressed me about the approach is not only it's basis in holistic wellbeing not just quick fix but its multidisciplinary approach. No one practiitioner can do it all and here the model is one of collaboration with a number of related practitioners who co-refer within the framework of one leading practitioner who designs the program for the client so they know - upfront- how much it will cost, how many visits they require - who what when how much. What they get in return is a clear program that they can start from the beginning - with online training and regular support from their team of therapists to guide them on the path to recover. It's a very streamlined and targeted intervention and I am very excited byt the approach which seeks to both empower and encourage the client to heal themselves and to support the practitioners in a team rather than feeling alone and overwhelmed by the seeming impossibility of the task at hand..

To learn the full protocol I need to go on another series of training sessions lasting 6 months and costing £2500.  I haven't made up my mind yet what to do but one thing is certain. This model of collaboration and wellbeing coaching is unique in my mind - perhaps there is the equivalent in cancer care but it is very much more difficult as the conventional treatment for cancer has so much more complexity. If I do choose to go this route I would be a specialist rather than a generalist - something I have been thinking about for a long time. It is no good telling people what you use (Massage, Reiki, EFT, etc) it is results that count (I relieve your pain, and enable you to recover). If by focusing on something specific you get really good at getting results then that is what truly counts to the client.
Watch this space then for my decision..

Fibromyalgia, CFS and ME Recovery

Today attended the annual CAMexpo at Earl's Court in London. The usual mixed bag - some good some not so good. Luckily the first workshop I attended was a good one - run by two women who have recovered from ME  and Fibromyalgia respectively and gone ahead and set up a company to train therapists in how to help sufferers recover. They call it the Chrysalis Effect and it seems to be based on the 8 pillars of health they they feel contributes to the disease when out of balance. This is not news to me although I've not heard of it in this context.

A couple of years ago I also set up a company with a friend and we were going to sell online health and wellbeing training. We called it Intelligent Health Solutions.We had designed an online questionnaire and wellbeing training based on 7 pillars of health which were slightly different but shared some overlap.  Ours were things like hydration, nutrition, emotional health, exercise, personal responsibility, relationships etc. Our company sadly never made it off the ground but the lessons I learned from that experience are vast.. The Chrysalis Effect's 8 pillars of health relevant to fatigue syndromes (of which Fibro, CFS and ME are the most common) are; nutritional support, thyroid and adrenals, emotional health, envrionment, lifestyle and pacing, relationships, movement and life purpose. You can see the overlap very clearly. You cannot 'quick fix' your health particularly if you are already suffering from one of these conditions - it is multi-factorial and needs a multi-factorial approach.

One of the directors of Chrysalis Effect, Elaine Wilkins, has set up a not for profit support group dedicated to recovery from ME, CFS and fibromyalgia www.mecfra.org. This and the website set up by the former dentist and naturopath Alison Adams www.thenaturalrecoveryplan.com are doing similar things - showing you there is a way to recover but it is about tackling all the issues that contribute to the illness via natural means and not looking for managing the symptoms or the quick fix pill/treatmet. this one takes a complete overhaul of your life to do properly. tinkering round the edges with a few supplements and a bit of reflexology, etc aren't going to do it. She explained that eventually people stopped looking for an external solution and began to look inwards as to what patterns they had developed in life contributed to the illness. Common ones are; childhood trauma, unresolved grief (for instance she had lost a child and had gone straight back to work 3 weeks later), an A-type personality with it's perfectionism and work drive, putting everyone else first before yourself and never saying 'no'.  Finally and probably most importantly are you in the wrong life? Have you got the wrong job/relationship for your authentic self. Are you stuck doing something you don't believe in any more but are too afraid to change. Sometimes it is easier to stay ill than to tackle these issues. Elaine is now a life coach and she recognises that there are secondary gains for staying ill - if you can't have security (the illlness takes that away from you) then another of the 7 human needs is significance and the illness can give you that (see Carolyn Myss's book 'Why people don't heal' you become the sufferer and lose the person.

One other piece of good advice they gave me was 'stay away from the online support forums' as they actively seek to support the illness not the recovery and can be quite negative. This concurs with what my clients with Fibro/CFS have told me. They can take over your life and support the very thing they should be tackling. Sounds like sensible advice to me. When they tried to run a workshop to show others how they can recover they were told they could not advertise in the ME magazines as they cannot claim to 'cure' anyone. Well all they are trying to do is show how they cured themselves. It truly is amazing that groups that pupport to want to help actually hinder because they are fearful of backlash and litigation. Elaine said that even some individuals had written to them on Facebook callling them witches and saying they should do it for nothing if they really cared. The vitriol is scary.

So, along with Alison Adams (previous blog) that's two Fibro suffers who I've now come across who have recovered. They each claim to know many, many more. (Check out www.lizdyde.com for postive fibro support). So it's not incurable.. which is good news for those of my clients who suffer from it and good news for me as I want to set up a clinic whereby we can promote these ideas and offer treatments that take people away from the negative messages they receive from the NHS (e.g. 'you'll never recover') and allow natural healing. So, that's all for now - will be doing further training with them in November so will report back then.

A revolution in healing..