Home Again? In Stressful Times Attitude Can Make the Difference

My friend and neighbor, Judy, has a houseful.  Her 2 adult children have moved home for the time being.  They are both successful and have their own apartments in different big cities but wanted to be with family for the quarantine.  Judy has decided to see this as an amazing time to bond with her kids that she might never have had (and probably will not have again).  They are all working from home during the day and spend evenings and weekends cooking together, enjoying the outdoors together and having wonderful thoughtful adult conversations together.  Judy could have had the attitude of wanting to enjoy time alone with her husband and the quiet that comes when your children have left and been angry at their decision to come home.  I think she has made a smart decision to embrace this special time with her family.

How are you reacting to what is happening in our world today?  Are you feeling anxious, stressed and overwhelmed?  I would not be surprised if you were.   Take an objective look at your situation and really think about where you are.  Are things terrible?  Could they be worse?  Or are you one of the lucky ones like Judy – able to see the positive in this crazy situation.  How can you utilize what is going on to your advantage?  Are there online classes you can take to further your career if you are not working?  How can you strengthen your family relationships even if you are not living together?  Maybe this is a time to learn yoga online or how to meditate.  It could be a time to explore taking that class for something you have always wanted to learn or planting that garden you have dreamed about.

While not minimizing the seriousness of the situation, we can “pivot” and learn new ways of being, learning and responding to stress. Hypnotherapy is all about changing your mental attitude.  If you would like some ideas on how to change how you are responding to your current situation, I am available for a free private consultation.  Please call 1-818-929-4944

From Wedding Dress to Cardiologist - Hypnotherapy and Your Healthy Weight Management Journey - Part 1

The first time a doctor told me I needed to lose weight was as I as preparing to get married.  Who doesn’t want to look great at their wedding? So I bought into his suggestion that I lose 15 pounds.  Many years later, my cardiologist insisted that I lose weight. This time it was 40 pounds and it wasn’t for looks, it was for health.  Yes, I know about the weight management journey. I’ve been there and still struggle sometimes. Safer at home has actually been good for my weight. It has kept me out of restaurants and lots of tempting delicious food.  I only buy healthy foods that are on my eating plan.  Do I occasionally stray? Of course, but by and large, I am doing better than usual.

The healthy weight management journey starts with awareness and desire. It consists of two stages, (1) losing weight to achieve your healthy goal weight and (2) adjusting your routine to maintain healthy weight management on an ongoing basis. No matter where you are in this journey, hypnotherapy can help. Here’s how it works:

Much of our eating and exercise behavior is managed by our subconscious minds which have been conditioned by parents, teachers, childhood experience and the media. Your attitude and mindset toward weight management may be significant factors holding you back from losing weight.  Or maybe your living situation is difficult; maybe you need to change from a stressful job. In hypnosis we can strengthen motivation, relieve stress and update mindset to better serve you as you make the behavior changes that will lead to successful healthy weight management.

Hypnotherapy helps with healthy weight management by changing your subconscious view of your weight.  We all have a vision in our minds of what we look like.  It may or may not be realistic.  In weight management hypnosis, we work to change that subconscious view to your goal view.  We also work to change your ideas about what you need to do to manage your weight.  We work together to find a weight loss plan that will fit with your lifestyle.

You choose an eating plan that will be best for you. We work out an exercise program specifically for you.  Exercise is an integral part of weight management.  Maybe it’s walking several days a week, maybe it’s using the trainer you’ve already paid for at the gym – we will work together to figure out what works for you.

We work out an exercise program specifically for you.  Exercise is an integral part of weight management.  Maybe it’s walking several days a week, maybe it’s using the trainer you’ve already paid for at the gym – we will work together to figure out what works for you.

Once we have established an eating plan and an exercise plan, in each subsequent session we discuss what is and what is not working for you.  If necessary, we make adjustments in your plans while monitoring how you are progressing toward your goal.

At goal, we celebrate the new you and then continue the journey by adjusting your eating and exercise plan to maintain healthy weight management on an ongoing basis.

If this is something you might want to tackle at this time, please call me for a private consultation.

To Dream or Not to Dream - The Why and How of Vision Boards

Everything is created twice – first in the mind and then in reality.”  Robin Sharma

I created the vision board above in August, 2018. So many things on that board have already come true! I visited Corfu in 2019 and it looked just like the picture on the top left.  I got 2 new gray sofas and chairs.  I spend time at the beach each week.  I cleaned out much of my house.  I had the best year ever in my business.

Ever wonder why vision boards actually work?  They help you to create what you want in your mind so that you can create it in reality.  I can’t tell you how many times people have said to me, “All those things I put on my vision board came true…”  If you are not sure where you are going, give yourself permission to explore where you might end up.  Why not take some time and focus on your dream?

Supplies you will need include a large poster board, any size, color or shape will work, magazines with good pictures, scissors, glue and your imagination.

To start:  Close your eyes, take a few moments and count backwards from ten to zero to calm and center yourself.  When you get to zero, picture or imagine where you want to be in one year.  This will be the vision on your vision board.  Go through the magazines and cut out pictures and words and phrases that resonate with you.  Don’t worry about where they will go right now, just collect lots of cutouts.

When you have a good supply of pictures and words, start arranging them on the poster board.  Take a look at how the items are arranged and start to paste them to the board.  Be creative, this is just for you and your future.  You might have different sections on your board, personal, business, etc. or one big vision.

Once you have completed your vision board, the next step is to find a place to display it where you can see it every day and let it guide your subconscious mind toward your dream.

An alternative to a physical vision board is creating one on your computer (with Canva or Pinterest) and using it as a screensaver. I’m old school. I like to be able to hang the vision board on my wall and look at it as the year progresses.

I hope this encourages you to consider taking some time to be creative right now.  I know I will be doing a vision board soon.

If you would like some encouragement, call me for a free private consultation. I am ready to work with you online. You can reach out today.

Duck Tape and Margaritas-Ways to Cope with Overwhelm

We binge watched Sweet Magnolias last weekend and one of the characters said she couldn’t possibly do anything else, she was “holding it together with duck tape and margaritas.”  I don’t know about you but some days that’s exactly how I feel.  This is a challenging time for all of us with all of the external issues that are going on AND THEN we each have our private struggles that we may not even share with others.  When will I see my extended family?  Will I get my job back?  What will my job look like when I get it back?  What is happening in my industry? When can I see my doctor in the office again?   When can I travel again?

With all of this going on, it is very easy to become overwhelmed.  I have found that this is a great time to become more mindful of what you are thinking and how you are programming your mind each day.  The following may help:

1.      Go for a walk.  Being out in the fresh air is healthy and will make you feel good.

2.      Watch less news.  30-60 minutes a day is plenty of time to get all the relevant items.

3.      Begin a gratitude practice.  Every evening write down at least 3 things you are grateful for.

4.      Each morning write down 3 things you can accomplish that day that will give you a feeling of completion.

5.      Get a free zoom account and set up Happy Hours with different friends each day.  Personal connection is very important to our sanity.

6.      Begin an affirmation practice.  Set goals for yourself, write them down and focus on them during the day.

We will get through this together.  Reach out to friends and family and connect.  I’m here for you if you want to talk.  No appointment necessary.

Wear the Bathing Suit-Embrace Your Body As You Move Toward Your Goal

On vacation with my family in Corfu, Greece, we visited a beautiful secluded small beach.  It was warm – much warmer than I am used to in California – and everyone else was enjoying the shade umbrellas on the beach and swimming in the quiet water when it got hot.  I wasn’t;  I was sitting in my very warm capris and top, sweating. 

I didn’t like the way I looked in a bathing suit so I had left it at home.  Not a good idea.  I thought that someone’s possible negative opinion of how I looked was more important than enjoying a lovely afternoon with my family.  I was too hot and uncomfortable to really enjoy the outing while everyone else was having a great time.  What did I learn that afternoon? 

1. Embrace my body -- even though like many women I’d like to lose 25 pounds. 

2. No one cares how someone else’s (my) body looks.  They are way more concerned with how they look.

3. If I’m really unhappy with my weight – get off my tush and do something about it.

Hypnotherapy can help you release excess weight if that is your goal.  You can train your mind to permanently achieve and affirm your personal healthy weight goal.  Here’s a recent testimonial from a client:

“I started hypnosis in May 2019 after losing approximately 3.8 pounds per month since the beginning of the year.  By the end of November 2019 I had lost 50 pounds more, which is the fastest weight loss I've ever experienced. With Cinda’s help I was able to lose more weight per month than on my own."

One potential challenge to effective weight management is yo-yo dieting, which can occur when your subconscious is not comfortable with your new goal weight.  You reach your target and then your mind rebels and helps you to regain that weight. Healthy weight management is a great application for hypnosis.   An affirmation cementing in your goal weight can change your subconscious so that when you get to your goal, you are comfortable and able to maintain that weight.

If weight release is your goal, please contact me for a free private consultation.

Sleepless in Socal - Pandemic Insomnia

She was going to school full-time, working full-time and was a single mom to 2 toddlers. She very carefully trained herself to get by on 2-3 hours of sleep per night. She was constantly in a state of stress and anxiety.

Eventually, she finished her degree, got a better job, and met a great guy.  Now she had time to sleep, but she was so well trained, she could only sleep 2-3 hours a night.  She wanted to be more rested, calm and relaxed. We worked on her bedtime ritual, adjusted her sleep environment so she was sleeping in a dark, quiet place. Soon she began enjoying a peaceful, refreshing, full night’s sleep on the same schedule as her family.

We are all under a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety during this pandemic. One of the best ways to counteract all that negativity is to take care of yourself. That begins with getting a good night’s sleep. Ever notice how everything looks better in the morning? That’s because your body and mind are more rested. With a good night’s sleep, your individual cells get rejuvenated and your conscious mind gets cleared. This can be compared to a computer re-boot – a necessary task to help your computer run better
and faster.

So what can you do if you have trouble getting a good 8 hours of sleep
every night? 

• Be consistent – start your bedtime ritual at the same time every night, do the same things and get into bed at the same time.  Your mind and body can be trained to expect sleep at the same time every night and you will sleep better and easier.

• Sleep in a cool dark room.  Limit outside light and computer light.  An eye mask can be a lifesaver.

• Limit caffeine and alcohol to 2 hours before bed. Stop drinking caffeinated beverages 6-8 hours before bed. While alcohol appears to relax you for a while, it causes stimulation after the first hour and this can interfere with good sleep.

• Limit eating to 2 hours prior to bed. If your stomach is digesting food, it is not ready for good sleep. 

• Keep electronics out of the bedroom. TV and computers should be off or in a different room while you are sleeping. Your bed should be for sleeping (and related activities) only. It’s probably OK to be unplugged for 8 hours each night.

These suggestions may help you improve your sleep. Many clients are also helped through hypnotherapy. I am ready to work with you online. You can reach out today.

Hypnotherapy & Back Pain

Chronic back pain reared its ugly head last week after I spent 6-8 hours on zoom for 5 consecutive days. I’m just not used to sitting in one position staring at my computer screen for so long. In office sessions with hypnotherapy clients, we sit in comfortable chairs and are able to move around easily. At home, in isolation, what can you do if you have a similar problem? I knew that my discomfort (hypnotherapists don’t like to call it pain) was a condition that I had experienced before. I used the techniques below to mitigate the discomfort. Anyone can use these techniques at home or working with your hypnotherapist online. If you have questions, please contact me.

1. Send healing light to the source of the pain, this can be any color that you choose and can be also be used after surgery. Sit in a quiet, dark room and imagine that you are connecting with the universe, the source of healing. Imagine that healing power coming in to your body on a beam of light. Let that light heal and relax whatever part of your body is in discomfort.

2. Imagine your discomfort on a thermometer with a scale of 1-10. The higher the number, the great the pain. Begin to imagine the number coming down as the pain decreases. Watch the number move closer and closer to 0 as you let the pain recede.

3. Enter into your inner mind and find the control room for the pain. In this room is a dial that you can use to turn down the level of pain. Again, watch the number move down toward 0.

4. Hear the pain as a discordant symphony and change the sound to music that is familiar and pleasing to you. Find the instruments that are out of tune and bring them into tune. Again, focus your imagination on finding a pleasant happy song to listen to.

5. Create an affirmation that you are healing and that you feel good. (Do not use the word “pain.”) Say and write down daily, “Every day I am getting better and better. I am discomfort free. I enjoy being active and healthy.”

   NOTE: Pain can be a signal that there is a serious medical issue that needs professional medical attention – a broken arm, a ruptured disc -- or it can be a signal that you need to slow down, focus on what is going on in your life and remember the steps that we need to do to take care of ourselves.

If discomfort or pain is something that you are dealing with, please call or text and we can discuss how I may be able to help.

Facing Challenging Times

As we learn how to deal with the challenging times ahead, it is important that you remain positive and focused on what you can do to make your life personally better. It has been shown that positive attitude helps with health and healing. To keep us all as healthy and as positive as possible, I have recorded two versions of my hypnosis induction. If you would like to try hypnosis, this is an easy way. Find a quiet, dark place to get comfortable and listen to the recording.

Each one lasts about 10 minutes. At the end, I am careful to wake you up, or “count you out” of hypnosis. There are two different recordings because we believe that introverts and extroverts have a different language in their subconscious. The subconscious mind of the introvert takes in suggestions inferentially and the extrovert’s mind likes direct suggestions. If you know which one you are, pick the correct one. If you have questions, contact me and we can figure out which one you are. Some people are a little of both and then either one will work.

Enjoy! (Disclaimer: Do not listen to the recording while driving. It is for avocational use only.)

Relaxation Recording for Extroverts by Cinda Roffman

Staying Calm and Healthy As The World Around Us Changes

Just when you think things are going along smoothly, life happens. I hope you are staying calm and healthy as the world around us changes. As you know, hypnotherapy can be a great way to deal with anxiety, including coronavirus-related anxiety. In light of the current recommendations, I am making the following suggestions to keep us all safe.

Click here to download my relaxation recording for free.

Here are some suggestions from an article by Kristin Meekhof on 8 Ways to Manage Your Coronavirus-Related Anxiety.

-Understand why you feel overwhelmed

-Take charge of how much information you’re consuming

-Develop and write down and health plan

-Continue healthy practices

-Keep in mind what you can control

-Set aside time for self-care

-Engage your mind and body in positive emotions

-Notice your inner dialogue

For now, I have shifted my practice to online sessions only. We can talk online in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Yes, online hypnotherapy does work.

If you have a session scheduled, I will be contacting you. If you are feeling stressed and would like a session to start feeling better, give me a call or text today. If you know of someone you feel could benefit from my services, consider giving them my number (818-929-4944).

Please stay safe and calm. I look forward to connecting in person when this is all behind us.

A White Coat Syndrome Story

It is a Tuesday morning. You are sitting in the waiting room of your doctor’s office. You have an appointment to discuss the lab test results from your recent annual check-up. Your blood pressure at that time was 140/90. The nurse will be measure it again just before you see the doctor this morning. How are you feeling as you wait? What do you think your blood pressure will be today?

Your name is called. You are ushered into an exam room and seated on the edge of the exam table. Nurse Megan comes in, gets your weight and measures you pulse/oxygen level. Your weight is unchanged and your pulse/ox is better than 98%. She puts a blood pressure cuff on your preferred arm and records a level of 150/95. She tells you the doctor will be with you soon, walks out and closes the exam room door. How are you feeling now? Are you calm and relaxed or maybe a bit anxious and stressed?

The good doctor comes in, greets you warmly, settles in his chair and pulls up your chart on his laptop. He tells you he has some good news and some concerns. Which do you want first? You opt for the good news. The good news is that all of your lab results are in normal range and your general health is very good. However, he is concerned that your blood pressure is high and the possibility that you may be developing something called persistent hypertension. He suggests that you start monitoring your blood pressure at home and schedule a follow-up appointment in about 3 months.

As you drive home from your appointment your head is full of questions. What exactly is persistent hypertension? How serious is it? Are there treatment options? Is there such a thing as non-persistent hypertension?

Google to the rescue! First you learn that persistent hypertension may be defined as when your average arterial blood pressure during a normal day, the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels, is consistently 130/80 or higher.

But then you also discover that there is a thing called White Coat Hypertension or White Coat Syndrome which is defined as a medical condition in which you experience persistent high blood pressure when you are measured at your doctor’s office or when a physician is present, but you experience normal blood pressure levels during your daily life and while in your home environment.

Next you learn that
• Hypertension progressively damages the walls of large arteries and makes the heart work harder to get blood pumped through the body.
• Modern medical treatments for persistent hypertension include diuretics and an array of drugs that aim to lower your blood pressure. Doctors also recommend lifestyle changes including diet and exercise
• White Coat Hypertension is associated with anxiety and fear of doctors and medical settings based on your past experiences and beliefs. If you are afraid to go to the doctor or dentist it can cause your blood pressure to rise when you are seeing the doctor and you may be treated unnecessarily for high blood pressure that you don’t really have.
• White Coat White syndrome can progress to persistent hypertension which causes problems that might have been avoided had you dealt with them earlier.
• Research studies have also established that Hypnosis/Hypnotherapy is effective in reducing blood pressure both in the short term and long term.

How can you fix this? Hypnotherapy can help in several ways. First, we attempt to find where the fear/belief comes from and if it is something that by reason alone can be fixed. Then we craft affirmations that encourage you to be calm and relaxed when having a medical procedure. Another technique would be for you to imagine yourself having the procedure in your imagination. Your very clever mind cannot tell the difference whether or not you are mentally rehearsing having your blood pressure taken or are actually having it taken by a doctor or nurse in a white coat.

If you would like to talk with me about your high blood pressure or have questions, please give me a call.

Self-Care in the Month of Love

When you fly and the flight attendant gives the emergency information, you are told to put your own oxygen mask on before helping others. Did you ever think why? It is because if we don’t take care of ourselves first, we cannot help others.

In our busy lives, it can be easy to forget this important rule. Parents often take their children to the doctor for yearly exams and shots, but frequently neglect their own health. Early detection can help avoid small fixable medical problems from becoming life threatening.

Statistics show that 30% of caregivers die before those they are caring for (these statistics may even be conservative). A friend of mine’s mother was suffering from ovarian cancer, her husband was her caretaker. He did not take care of himself. His entire focus was on his wife and keeping her alive as long as he could. He neglected his self-care, and didn’t go to the doctor. He died before she did.

As we enter February, the month of love, are you loving yourself first so that you can love others too? When you take a moment to look at your life today, are there changes you might want to make in your self-care thoughts and actions? Not just physically, but also emotionally.

In a recent column, Ask Amy replied to a ‘stressed out’ reader, commenting in part that “Self-care has become a buzzy phrase. It can be challenging to understand what it really means to take care of yourself.”

Making positive changes begins with your attitude toward self-care. You do not need to make these changes alone. You can seek help from someone you trust. A qualified, professional hypnotherapist can provide the tools and support you need. Please call me if you would like to talk or perhaps offer a gift to someone you know in need.

Conquer Your Clutter, Procrastinate No More

I recently saw a client for hypnotherapy who needed help getting uncluttered. When friends or family were coming over she was anxious and embarrassed about her clutter. She put everything (including papers and bills) away in bags and hid them in closets so no one would know her secret. There were bags everywhere. She couldn’t find the papers she needed. She didn’t know where to begin. She actually had already begun. Asking for help is the first step.  

We outlined a plan for her:  
1. Commit to spending a certain amount of time on the project each day, set a timer and stop.
2. Get supplies needed to organize papers.  
3. Use affirmations as a way of encouragement to complete the project. 

I am happy to say she is now organized and clutter stress free when she shares her home with friends and family. Are you coming to the end of January without starting your New Year’s resolutions? This is a great time to get organized and stop procrastinating about that project you have been avoiding-whether it is cleaning your closet, your garage or tackling some personal issue.

Let’s change our New Year’s resolutions to New Year’s affirmations.  A resolution is a statement about what you would like to have happen someday. An affirmation is a positive statement reflecting what you want to do or be or have in your life.  

Sample affirmations are stated like this:
I am calm and relaxed.
I get 8 hours of sleep every night.
I wake up energized and ready to start my day.

The best time to use affirmations is to write them in longhand just before bed and read them first thing in the morning. These are the times that your subconscious is most available to you for programming. Affirmations can also be repeated silently or aloud during the day as reminders of your goals.  As you remind yourself of your goals, your actions will begin to reflect those goals. Affirmations are the best way to implement change in your life. Let’s make 2020 your best year ever. If you would like some help, please give me a call today.

Tips for a Peaceful and Joyful Holiday Season

Yes, they are here – everywhere it seems.  In the stores and in the neighborhoods as homes decorate with beautiful lights.  How to survive? Here are a few tips that may help.

1. Choose your priorities. What really is important to you for the next few weeks?  Making other people happy or having the courage to set boundaries?   Take a few minutes before things get too hectic and really look at what you want to be doing for the holidays.  

2. Take care of yourself. This will look different for each person but it starts with staying healthy, getting enough sleep, and eating sensibly.  What self-care is important to you and how can you continue it through the holidays? This may also include not being hard on yourself if you don’t achieve everything you think you should.  Set realistic goals of what you want to and can do.

3. Be realistic. What can you really expect from your family and friends?  Enjoy what you are experiencing today. The past is past and new experiences and traditions can be exciting and fun.

4. Ask for help. It’s okay to ask for help from family and friends if you are feeling overwhelmed.  They probably will be delighted to help decorate, shop, cook or even lend a sympathetic ear.

5. Breathe. We always forget to simply take a moment and take a deep breath.  Focus on why you are doing what you are doing and as you breathe in remind yourself of those reasons.

The Miracle of the Diamond Ring

A new client called recently to ask if I could help her find her lost diamond ring.  I was happy to try.  I knew that changing the client’s mindset, “I’ve lost the ring and I don’t know where it could be, I will never find it and my husband will be so mad” to a more positive one, “I know where my ring is and I will find it,” had the potential to help her find her ring.

Here is the story in her own words:

“Cinda accomplished what to me is a miracle, literally overnight.  I had never been hypnotized before and was apprehensive that it would help me with my problem.  I had removed my wedding ring before a long trip, and when I had returned, I could not remember where I had hidden it.  After three weeks of obsessive brain wracking and searching, I was discouraged and desperate.

I called Cinda and she was encouraging that hypnosis could help me. At the appointment she was compassionate and professional as she asked about my background and the circumstances of my missing wedding ring.  I relaxed and opened up to her.  Cinda thoroughly explained the process before she hypnotized me, which was a very pleasant experience. I left the appointment feeling refreshed and optimistic.

 That night before bed I did the brief tasks Cinda assigned, and then repeated them first thing the next morning.  While drinking my morning coffee, the idea of looking at a place in my closet for my ring just sort of floated into my mind. Although I had already searched that spot three times, my ring was there.  You can imagine my happiness and relief!”

Changing Your Mindset

What negative statement do you tell yourself that if it was changed, your life would change for the better? Hypnotherapy is all about finding those thoughts/ideas/mindsets and changing them to more positive ones.  After we identify what needs to be changed, we implant the new thoughts into your subconscious through hypnosis.  You can then remind yourself of those positive thoughts over and over throughout the day to reinforce them (and replace the negative thoughts). 

Insights Into the Test Anxiety/Performance Balance

Now that the new school year is upon us, it may be time, once again, to look at the role that fears and anxiety play in your test performance, and what you can do about it..

Intensity of test anxiety varies widely among individuals. Some may experience mild stomach tension while others struggle greatly to concentrate on the exam. A little bit of nervousness may help you to do better on exams but excessive anxiety can actually interfere with test performance. 

In my practice I have found that understanding and valuing test anxiety and fear is as important as learning to relax and overcome excessive anxiety. You have probably heard of the primitive instinct that we have of flight or fight.  Way back in the cave man days, we had to be able to instantly fight or flee to save our lives.  This instinct has never left us.  Even today when we are in unfamiliar or new situations we often feel a flood of anxiety, leftover fear from when we were in the cave.  Fear has a value – originally it was to protect us but now that we don’t need it to protect us, it can be used in a positive way to help us prepare for events that are important.  It can be helpful to have some fear when getting ready for a test or important life event.  The fear or anxiety can help you focus on preparation and take things seriously.  That’s the value of anxiety/fear.  I’m going to suggest that when you feel fear or anxiety in the future, you ask yourself what is special about this event? Why am I reacting this way?  I think you will probably find that whatever it is is important and needs to be paid attention to. 

With hypnotherapy, we examine your fears and anxiety around test taking.  What are you afraid of?  What is making you anxious?  Frequently, taking about those feelings can help to alleviate them or make them more manageable.  We come up with some positive affirmations around the test that you can practice at home.  I will encourage you to “run through” the day of the test, including before and after as well as receiving the grade or score you desire.  You may practice this every night before bed as well as during the day when possible.  This helps you become comfortable with the mechanics of taking the test and seals the score you want into your subconscious.

If you would like more information about how hypnotherapy can help with test performance or other issues, please give me a call at 818-929-4944 to discuss how I can help.

Summertime Sports

"...the programming of the subconscious mind is the greatest key to victory or the surest method of defeat for the athlete, whether beginner, advanced, or professional."

-Self-Hypnosis The Key To Athletic Success, by John G. Kappas, Ph.D.

Whether you are a student beginner, a skilled amateur or a professional, whether you play an individual or a team sport, there is more to achieving excellence in your sport than the physical. The key to your success is the way in which you use your subconscious mind.

Working with a professional hypnotherapist can help you to overcome problems in learning your sport, focus your mind when you play, be more confident when you compete, and achieve your full potential each time

Hypnotherapy is a powerful, proven tool that can help you mentally prepare and perform your best. 

If you or someone you know would like to improve your game, please give me a call to discuss how I can help. Hypnotherapy tools can make those challenges easier to manage.  Let’s talk to see how I may help, give me a call at 818-929-4944.

Hypnotherapy & Change

“The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change.”  I thought I had invented this quote but it turns out it was originally said by a Greek philosopher, Heraclitus. He lived from 535 to 475 BCE.

Change has been around for a very long time.

We are always experiencing change in our lives: small changes like flowers growing and flowering or big changes like graduations and new jobs.  How we think about change can make a huge difference in our lives. My dear mother-in-law was always surprised with change. It left her in a constant state of “Oh, no, what will happen next.”  I, on the other hand, know that change is constant and I am excited to see what will change next. While it may seem like a small change, this difference in attitude can significantly affect your quality of life.

Many brides are happy and excited to celebrate their wedding.  Some brides, however, suffer from social anxiety that can cause panic attacks.  They may fear having all eyes on them as they walk down the aisle or they may be intimidated by the hours of socializing at their reception.  Hypnotherapy can help to change how they view these events. They can visualize walking down the aisle through friends and family that are supporting them and giving them strength or they can visualize the reception as a casual party instead of a formal event.  These small changes can make their wedding a positive, happy experience.

Affirmations are an important part of making these changes in thinking.  When we tell ourselves over and over that we are moving toward something positive, it helps us achieve our goals. In my book, The Power in Affirmations, there are journal pages to write your affirmations and  I matching pages to write down what you are grateful for each day. Focusing on gratitude helps us to notice and reinforce all the positive things in our life and make them more important than the little negative things that may happen.

Since change is constant, why not learn how to embrace change in a positive way?  We all face challenges in life. Hypnotherapy tools can make those challenges easier to manage.  Let’s talk to see how I may help, give me a call at 818-929-4944.

Social Anxiety, Test Anxiety and Hypnotherapy

As the school year comes to a close, there are usually lots of fun things to do.  Senior prom, graduation parties, grad night, and summer plans to name a few. Sounds like fun, right?  Yes, if you are comfortable in a social setting and enjoy being with others. What if you are not? What if the thought of asking someone to prom is terrifying?  What if parties are scary and not fun at all? 

Hypnotherapy can help with social anxiety. We can come up with alternatives to being anxious. There are tools that I can give you to make interacting with others less scary.

This is also a good time to review your or your child’s performance on tests.  Do your grades reflect your knowledge or is there a disconnect between how much you know and your test scores?  Maybe there is something blocking you from performing as well as you could. Hypnotherapy can help. Sometimes, we have a set idea about how well we can do on tests and that is our upper limit.  In hypnosis, we can change the ideas in your subconscious about how well you can perform. I worked with a high school student failing math. He knew the material but when it came to the tests, he could not reproduce the results needed.  He had a test the next day in math. In hypnosis, I asked him to visualize getting the test back with a passing score on it. After hypnosis, I asked him what score he visualized – it was 87%. He took the test the next day and received an 87%!  He passed the class. Another high school senior I worked with improved her ACT score by several points, enabling her to get into the college of her choice. You may be surprised at your results!

Hypnotherapy can be a great tool for helping you make changes and improve your life.  If you would like to talk, please give me a call at 818-929-4944 today!

Springtime and Anxiety

Spring is everywhere this year.  The hills are covered in lush green grass and beautiful wildflowers.  Spring is a time of new beginnings and that can be positive. Sometimes, however, new and different things bring with them anxiety and stress.

Anxiety is often based on fear.  When you are anxious, you are afraid of something – failing a test, not being able to complete a job, meeting new people.  Whatever it is that you are afraid of is what makes you anxious.

Hypnotherapy can help.  First, we talk about what it is you are anxious about and figure out whether or not your anxiety/fear is something that we can deal by simply understanding the anxiety. Then we determine what tools you might need to deal with the anxiety on an ongoing basis.

Some of the tools that can help with anxiety are the ball toss or bi-lateral stimulation, heart centered breathing and focusing on peripheral vision.  It also helps to focus your breathing on your special place and the positive feeling that it gives you, your “anchor.”

Almost everyone has anxiety, let’s figure out what is causing it and give you some tools to help you deal with it.

I worked with a client for driving anxiety – she was afraid to get behind the wheel and learn how to drive.  We talked about why she had that fear and she realized that what her fear was based on probably would never happen.  She began using positive affirmations about her ability to drive and pass the driving test. She calmed herself by using her anchor. Two months later, she passed her driving test.

Oh, and, people sometimes ask me what happens when they finish working on their presenting problem.  I let them know we can work on other issues as well. After she passed her driving test, she wanted to work on letting go of 20 extra pounds from college. So, we worked on that and she released the extra weight before she drove herself across country to Nashville - where she still live and works today!

If you are experiencing any anxiety or concerns about moving forward in a positive way, hypnotherapy can provide tools to help you on your journey.