Solution Focused Hypnotherapy
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Neuroplasticity
Aug 9, 2023

Neuroplasticity

I love neuroplasticity - here's some interesting stuff about it...

What is it? Well, fundamentally it's about the synapses in our brain which are the connections between one neuron another.

mountainWhen the synapse is stimulated more than once it strengthens that connection which is consequently the act of learning; thinking of a small road becoming bigger and busier eventually turning into a motorway. The more we repeat a thought or an action, the more stimulated the synapse is which then cements that behaviour in place. However, the whole point of this is that neural pathways can be broken - bad habits etc, and then new pathways can be made - reducing stress and anxiety. And there is a wonderful way of helping this process along which is the use of hypnosis. This is when the two minds (conscious and sub-conscious) come together and we are able to access the subconscious mind and help change or develop our patterns of behaviour. In this way we can reduce stress, become more flexible in our minds and then are able to achieve and accomplish so much in our lives.

Scientists have for many years believed that our formative years are a critical time of our brain development, and is predictive as to the sort of brains we will have as adults. This emphasis can be misleading that the brain's trajectory is set at a young age, and actually it is at all stages of life that the brain can change particularly in response to our experiences. So all is not lost. We can change our patterns of behaviour, we can rewire our brains, and change behaviours and thought processes etc. For example, we can stop smoking, even after many years of doing so if we wish. We can also reduce stress, anxiety, depression, fears, improve sleep (that's another blog), and then go on to do the amazing things we want to do but maybe felt we weren't good enough or able to do so….

IMG_8206_editedFive cool facts about neuroplasticity... (courtesy of the Queensland Brain Institute)

  1. Your brain has about 100 billion neurons – about as many stars as in the Milky Way galaxy - wow.
    Think what you could do with all those neurons. Each and everyone of these neurons is connected to one another by synapses. These are not fixed in place, they can change with experience and allow us to learn.

  2. Because of neuroplasticity, the brain is constantly changing in response to experience.
    Neuroplasticity is one of the brain’s most crucial resources. It helps us to continue to learn and adapt to our environment. This was key in our evolution. This plasticity can happen in many ways.... the use of synapses can change in strength (a bit like changing the volume of a conversation), while new synapses can appear or disappear. In some parts of the brain, brand new neurons can be born - rewiring our brains.

  3. Signals in your neurons can travel at the same speed as Formula 1 cars (~100 m/s or 360 km/h).
    These signals, known as action potentials, are really important as they are how neurons communicate with one another which is what makes them essential to learning, encouraging and developing new positive and constructive patterns of behaviour.

  4. Left-brain and right-brain dominance is a myth.
    I love this one - while some areas of the brain are used more than others for certain tasks, and this can be either the left or right side (for example, language processing occurs mostly on the left side), no one side of the brain is used more than the other.

  5. Your brain is hyper-efficient, running on just 20 watts of power.
    A computer needs 65–250 watts of power to run efficiently. But.... it would need 12 gigawatts - around 600 million times more power - to simulate the 100 trillion connections of the human brain in real-time!!

So..... the long and the short of it is that neuroplasticity or rewiring - is such a surprisingly easy thing to achieve. Using trance helps us to empty our stress buckets and to therefore make space for change to occur. And it's nice and relaxing too....

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Fear of flying & Anxieties: After having a difficult year I decided to try hypnotherapy with Penny and it was the best choice I have made for myself! I'm now able to live more in the moment and have a better understanding of how to cope with or even eliminate my anxieties. I also had 2 sessions dedicated to helping to reduce my phobia of flying which helped me tremendously as I was able to get on a plane again without feeling terrified! Pen is always very positive and relaxed during our sessions and always makes me feel comfortable.

Anxiety/Stress: I went to see Penny as I felt stuck, struggling to cope & unable to move on in life. I had 12 sessions.  I had never really done hypnosis before & really struggled to focus on the words as my mind raced everywhere. Penny reassured me it would still work - which it did. It took a couple of weeks to kick in but I really appreciated the time taken to focus on the issues & Penny's positive attitude really filtered through. Slowly my positivity increased, the overthinking eased off & my sleep improved. This allowed me to problem-solve & plan more changes to make. It was like moving a large rock - once we got it moving progress started to happen & towards the last few sessions things started to speed up. I would recommend Penny to anyone who feels overwhelmed or near a crisis point.

Pain: I had 12 hypnotherapy sessions with Penny. The hypnosis was relaxing & reviving and seemed to link with my subconscious & bring me back to positive feelings. I still use the audio which acts as a kick-start if doubts start seeping in. I also found Penny's voice calming & reassuring. I have no reservations in recommending Penny. I liked her honesty in what the therapy could offer. I have been very happy with the outcome of the hypnotherapy.

Stop Smoking: Both myself and my husband decided it was time to stop smoking. My husband had smoked 20+ a day for 35 years and I had also smoked on and off for years. We can both honestly say we have never felt better thanks to Penny, she made us feel comfortable and was very reassuring, after just one appointment we were smoke-free.  We are now looking forward to extra holidays with the money we have saved and also stress free knowing we can travel and not worry about going without a cigarette.

Stress Buster/Body Image: Pen has helped me massively increase my resilience to stress. Tasks which seemed ongoing and impossible became doable. While work may still be stressful, the speed with which I bounce back is great and has allowed me to put in boundaries, both personal and professional. It has increased my self-confidence and assertiveness and has improved my sleep patterns so much. Penny has also taken me through several weight-loss sessions from which I am feeling the benefits and feel now that I am in the right place to start an exercise regimen and take control of my fitness.

Sleep Issues: I was slightly sceptical over hypnotherapy, probably because I was frightened of being made to do something I didn't want to. But my sleeping was all over the place and I'm a constant worrier, so thought I'd give it a go - I am so pleased with how relaxed I felt and how my sleeping has improved. I feel much calmer now and can rationalise things better than before. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone with for a variety of problems or habits, and Pen's voice is greatly comforting when I listen to the recording when going to sleep. I know I can come for a top-up whenever I need to.

Public Speaking: I wanted to try hypnotherapy in order to deal with the anxiety I experience before speaking in public. My sessions with Pen have helped me reduce this in such a short amount of time it is really unbelievable how effective they’ve been. I now feel calm and focused and those waves of panic that tripped me up before talking in public have entirely gone away. I can’t stress enough how effective these sessions with Pen have been. She is calm and an intuitive listener who instantly puts you at ease. I wouldn’t think twice about recommending her sessions to anyone.

I would highly recommend Penny for helping and supporting anyone suffering with anxiety. My son Louie was suffering from panic attacks and it was heartbreaking watching him missing out on having fun with his friends because of a general fear something was going to happen. Penny was recommended to us by a friend who’s daughter was suffering from anxiety and was attending sessions with Penny to tackle this and couldn’t talk highly enough of her. So we thought it must be worth a try. Louie started having sessions with Penny and the difference was amazing, he started being more confident and less panicky and slowly started getting back to his usual happy go lucky self, which was a joy to see. I’m sure anyone who has a child, family member or friend that suffers from this realises how stressful this situation can be on a day to day basis. So get in touch with Penny, it could change your life.

From Katie's mum: "Pen, thinking just how bad she was and how far she has come! I have no doubt in my mind that if anyone else’s child is suffering then you are the person to help! We are so thankful".

Hypnotherapy.... The final piece of the puzzle that completed and transformed my life. Amazing!

I had hypnotherapy to help me with my anxiety and depression and honestly, it changed my life for the better. I was in a place where I thought there was no escape from these feelings. However, hypnotherapy turned things around for me greatly. My OCD has also died down massively and it has also helped me through the very rough time at school. I'm extremely grateful for Pen's clear and kind understanding and I strongly recommend this to anyone who is having these similar feelings as well, as it will change your life for the better.