Hypnosis and Stress Management

STRESS IS GONE - I'M BACK IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT ONCE AGAIN!

My hypnosis clients are willing to transform an unpleasant situation into a victory; they are able to release the underlying, ‘Root Cause’. They feel victorious! – Polly Humphreys, C.H.

My name is Polly Humphreys; I’m a Certified Hypnotist in High Point, NC. I specialize in Holistic Wellness, including Stress Management. I help my hypnosis clients get back in the driver’s seat and take control of their unhealthy stress. I recognize and appreciate that no situation causes stress in itself. Stress is caused by the emotional charge attached to an experience and depending on the person’s attitude, they will most likely either feel they are in control of the situation or the situation has control of them. Do you feel that stress or anxiety is running or ruining your life? If unhealthy stress is stealing or destroying your joy, peace of mind or quality of life – please understand you are not alone; like millions of individuals - you too can successfully take back control from the stressor or stressful situation and get back in the driver’s seat. The solution to a person’s stress is found on the inside, (within).

• As you read this, I believe you will learn how you or someone you know can get back in the driver’s seat of your/their life.

We are one nation under stress! I dedicate this section, “Stress Is Gone” to individuals who experience 'a great deal of stress' in their life or have pent up emotions; as long as we’re alive, we will have some form of stress. We do not need to suppress stressful feelings or let them eat at us. It is time to be proactive and learn healthy coping mechanisms. If not managed properly, pent up unmanaged stress will have a harsh effect in our lives and will also affect people we care about. Studies have shown that stress in the workplace is at an all time high and that 75 to 90 % of Americans are visiting their primary care physician yearly for stress related disorders. Americans are swallowing billions of narcotics (tranquilizers, barbiturates, amphetamines,) etc. each year to manage stress vs. utilizing stress management techniques or use positive coping skills like prayer, journaling, meditation, hypnosis, yoga, deep breathing, relaxation, exercise, etc. Keep in mind, drugs do not prevent stress, they help 'quiet' the problem; unfortunately some medical practitioners continue to treat the effect instead of the ‘Root Cause’ of the malady.

Stress is defined as "pressure, force and strain"; "a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that cause’s bodily or mental tension." Stress is the body's response to any stimulus that it experiences. I think of stress as pressures of life that we take on according to how we perceive, believe, react and cope to the particular pressure, force or strains that come our way. Internal and external demands and pressures come from various places and people:

• Family, self-talk and self-criticism, divorce, prolonged illness, lack of sleep, social, financial, work/school, responsibilities, obligations, attitudes, beliefs, and past experiences.
• These stressors may even 'hound' us in our sleep or ‘eat at us’ daily. Unmanaged non-beneficial stressors are damaging to the body. Giving thought to how internalized negative stress affects your body, you might imagine or visualize it as a faucet with a steady drip – but instead of water dripping, internal stress is dripping damaging stress hormones into your tissues. Imagine the damage done to the person that accumulates these steady little drips of stress in their body over a prolonged period of time.

Forms of Stress and How They Affect Us: Each individual is affected differently by stress and not all stress is bad.

• Healthy Positive Stress can be seen when we get married or receive a job promotion. This positive Stress can at times help us make deadlines or clean our home quickly when unexpected company is arriving. A good workout at the gym can also produce good stress. Our brain interprets whether a situation is stressful or not. Your interpretation of that stressor, will define if you think a circumstance is 'stressful' for you; you will then act on your belief. One person's stress may bring another individual gratification.
• Physical Stress arises with feeling overworked, getting lack of sleep, etc.
• Chemical Stress is seen and felt when an individual is over stimulated: too much caffeine, alcohol or nicotine.
• Thermal Stress can affect hikers and mountain climbers during outdoor activities in extreme temperatures.
• Mental Negative Stress occurs when we feel overwhelmed or feel that we are loosing control. The perfectionist or someone who is constantly 'driven' to ‘do more - do better,’ will rarely feel satisfaction as there is always something more that needs to be done or done better.
• Prolonged Negative Stress - lets take a look at some of the side effects: increased fatigue leading to illnesses - (cancer, asthma, gastrointestinal disorders, etc); poor moral or impaired judgment leading to accidents; reduced employee productivity; increased sick days used and amplified health care costs secondary to increased illness; depression, unhappiness – sadness; divorce, etc. If unhealthy stress is not managed or controlled, it takes a toll on the individual, affecting their body, mind, emotions and spirit; things seem to take a downward spiral and the person feels trapped, helpless or worse.

How Our 3 Minds Affect Us:

Stored in the conscious mind is our ego and rational mind; our rational mind gets nervous if it does not understand that making good change can be favorable for us. At times it seems to have a hold over us - it seems like, we just can't do what is needed or what we really want to do. All our thoughts and emotions have a direct affect on our immune system (found in our unconscious mind). What's comforting to know is that all solutions are within our subconscious mind. Once we are honest with ourselves and accept ownership of the problem, we begin to feel in control, we handle negative stress better - we are more easily able to make needed changes that we desire. Our thoughts, emotions, and attitudes are key elements in how we age. Changing habits, behaviors, beliefs and thought processes require conscious effort and practice; this is where hypnosis comes into the picture.

Hypnosis - Life Transformation:

As a Certified Hypnotist in the greater Triad area, specializing in Holistic Hypnosis allows me to addresses each client ‘as a whole’ – (body-mind-spirit) and it allows my clients to make and maintain desired changes permanently within their powerful - subconscious mind. Via hypnosis, you are able to look at your reality (your perception - your truth), and alter how you perceive the problem, issue or person that you believe is increasing your negative stress. You can then transform your thoughts positively; (modifying your thoughts, attitudes, and perceptions that are stored in your subconscious mind). One client in particular stands out in my mind as I write these words, I heard that client describe that freeing feeling they received from our hypnosis session as, “I feel like I finally got my ‘Get out of Jail Free Card’ - it’s like I just got my freedom back.” After reading Stress is Gone, I hope you will click onto my link, FAQ to learn more about hypnosis.

Hypnosis is a wellness tool (modality) that helps cast out negative or unwanted things, thoughts, behaviors, beliefs and emotions that are not working favorably in one’s life. Hypnosis has a positive affect one’s self-acceptance and self-esteem. At Alternative Wellness & Beyond my clients feel like a winner.

From a winner's perspective, they know they are 100% responsible for making desired and necessary change in their life. They also understand that when in hypnosis, they indeed are - in the 'driver’s seat' at all times.

My clients know their outlook and attitude will 1. either contribute favorably or 2. hinder them and their outcomes. Because hypnosis helps bring an individual mental clarity; the person is able to clearly understand that if they blame their circumstances or someone, for things that have happened to them, it will take someone or something to change the problem; more than likely, that is not - going to happen. Oprah Winfrey and Joyce Myers come to my mind. One might think they are very different women. I admire both women; both had horrible things happen to them in their young lives and they each found healthy ways to successfully take back control in their lives and transform their darkness into light; hypnosis helps people do just that. Transformation is powerful!

In hypnosis, an individual is very aware of their surroundings and is fully alert at all times, they are able to talk and move, they feel safe and find it comforting - understanding they have the power; my clients always understand they can reject what they do not want. Like Oprah and Joyce, my hypnosis clients are willing to transform an unbearable situation into a victory; they are able to release the underlying, ‘Root Cause’. They feel free.

With the correct mental attitude, positive expectancy and a desire for optimistic change - the problem can immediately loose its power over them and the client is excited as he/she takes back their power from the problem.

They like the idea of getting back in the driver's seat of their life. They recapture their joy, peace of mind and quality of life.

Using my skilled, professional guidance - I assist my hypnosis clients into a peaceful trance, because their mind and body is relaxed, he/she gains rapid access to the most powerful part of their mind.

• Because I have spent time previously gathering their vital information - I know my client's needs, problems, and desires; he/she is now ready to communicate with their inner, powerful mind.
• Given that I previously answered all their questions to their satisfaction, they feel comfortable progressing inward to make valuable changes. They feel very confident that I appreciate their needs and desires.
• In hypnosis they are able to examine and understand their deep-seated thoughts, beliefs, assumptions, emotions, and attitudes. In trance, they are able to understand their distorted views or interpretations (housed within their subconscious mind) that created unhealthy emotions, guilt, sadness, anxiousness, or perhaps even hostility. They also understand unrealistic thought patterns (if any), that may have seemed irrational to others. (In fact, former thought patterns may have caused difficulties in that person's relationships, both personal and work).

In hypnosis once a person is able to identify and understand what is no longer needed or desired by them, I help him/her change (reframe) or release any unhelpful or unhealthy patterns and habits.

• They love the idea that their previous negative perceptions causing blocking walls and barriers in their life can quickly tumble down. They say good-bye to the negative mental filters that caused distorted thinking and acting. They understand that they can create what ever they choose - in their wise and powerful, inner subconscious mind.
• Hypnosis also works excellent for the person who jumps to conclusions or anticipates hostile outcomes without having all the facts. When willing to make the necessary changes - (via hypnosis), that person can learn valuable lessons about them-self and their habit patterns. Because in hypnosis, they have access to their 'internal computer', they can understand how their actions and beliefs affect their situations and outcomes.
• Clients appreciate they can learn self-control, both mental and physical and enhance their wellbeing. They learn how to respond and adapt more successfully to their stresses and accept responsibility for their own efforts and 'baggage'. They take the credit or the blame for their accomplishments. They realize their baggage no longer serves them.

Coping Skills:

At my High Point, NC – Alternative Wellness & Beyond office, you will learn how to make adjustments in your life and discover how to cope wisely with unhealthy stress (vs. crashing in front of the television or hiding from stress). You will learn to take back the driver's seat in your life:

• Recognize unhealthy stress triggers and understand what causes unhealthy stress in your life. Identify where their stressor(s) is/are coming from. Commit to letting go of negative habits or behaviors that need to be changed to promote healthy circumstances, relationships and good feelings and emotions;
• Decide what you want to change about the nature of the stress, and determine what healthy coping strategies will work for you so that you can manage, reduce or release the problem.
• Add some form of relaxation; quiet - inner time to your day, each day; and
• Develop a plan of action and goals. Commit to consistently following through with these. Having a support person is helpful with follow through - as changing habits, behaviors, and beliefs require motivation, effort and practice.
• I teach my clients tools that can stop stress dead in its tracks and you feel like a different person. Enjoyable exercise will have an enormous healthy impact on your quality of life.

Some Benefits of Hypnosis:

• As a certified, professional skilled hypnotist, I can help you make valuable, pleasing life changes, no matter how long your issue has been present. No problem is too big – you change what you desire!
• Even though hypnosis is not relaxation, reduced stress and instant relaxation benefit your wellness; your immune system becomes strengthened because unhealthy stress is gone.
• You appreciate others more freely; your relationships are improved as you connect more easily and closely with others and you identify with other’s viewpoint more easily.
• You change your imagery and feel in control; you understand what your mind perceives you can conceive. You learn how to relax your 'chatter mind’.
• You break habits that previously set unhealthy emotions orbiting; you stop sabotaging yourself and your outcomes. You change unhealthy - undesirable habit patterns and perceptions; you reap positive outcomes.
• You recapture calmness and remain centered even in the most highly charged situations; you can learn to confront others without causing defensiveness or hostility.
• You improve your decision making skills, increase your productivity, and reduce burnout and sick days.
• You feel fantastic; your mood and energy levels are elevated. You receive joy and inner peacefulness.
• Your happiness no longer depends on others or circumstances. You enjoy laughter more; laughter is contagious - people like being with you.
• Your attention span and awareness to your surroundings is greater; you markedly reduce accidents incidence.
• Because your baggage is gone - you focus on what you want, you move with greater ease in the direction you set.

To learn how to control stress effectively, please feel free to contact me for a free educational and confidential consultation. Call Polly Humphreys, Certified Hypnotist at Alternative Wellness & Beyond @ 336-988-5750. I can help you to understand how you can take back the driver’s seat; you will soon be able to say, “Stress is gone.”

Expect and Create Success!