There have been a total of 180,000 British troops who have been involved in battle in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003. During their time at battle, most of these veterans observe horrific situations that most of us would find completely unimaginable.

A survey recently conducted by ComRes on 1,006 GP’s across the UK, discovered that a mere 42% are aware of the guidelines on how to deal with post-traumatic stress, and a staggering 40% are completely unfamiliar with it. This condition is brought about by the effects of being on the front line of battle, and if not dealt with at its earliest stages, can lead to all manner of other problems, such as depression and alcoholism.

The veterans mental health charity, Combat Stress, commissioned ComRes to undertake this survey in July 2011, to try and ensure that veterans are cared for properly as they return to the UK. A total of 80% of veterans who went to Combat Stress for help, had not been given any assistance from GP’s, and were self referring to the charity.

The guidelines on post-traumatic stress are there for medics to know how to deal with veterans with the illness, and to try and improve the situation for these people. If GP’s are not clued up on this, it could have catastrophic effects for veterans, as they settle into a life away from battle.

If you are worried about stress and want to find ways to deal with it, you may want to look into hypnotherapy. To find out more about how it could help you, please visit our fact sheet for further information.

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A new book written by psychologist Dr Frances Goodhart and health journalist Lucy Atkins has revealed that though more people than ever are now surviving cancer, an increasing number of survivors are struggling with life after the disease.

Research has revealed that between 25 and 40 per cent of cancer survivors may experience some form of depression after recovering from the disease.

For some, depression may appear just after treatment but for others it may occur months or even years after.

The authors of the book (The Cancer Survivor’s Companion, published by Piatkus) believe that mood may plummet as a result of going through such a difficult physical and emotional experience and it understandably takes time to recover from that. However, they also say that expectations of life after cancer can play a huge role.

Nowadays many individuals who survive cancer tell themselves that they will live life to the fullest, making plans of all the things they want to do and achieve once they have been given the all clear. However, pressure to constantly make the most of life can become really overwhelming and can leave survivors feeling confused and very low.

In addition, the body may still be suffering physically after cancer and will take some time to recover. Survivors often struggle with mobility, pain, discomfort, swelling and generally their strength and fitness will have taken a hit. Feeling physically run down can become frustrating, preventing survivors from doing things they really want to do and making it difficult to muster up motivation.

Expectations for survivors to be all systems go as soon as they step out of the hospital are putting unnecessary pressure on those who really just need time to recover and let themselves feel the way they need to feel for a while.

If you are feeling depressed then simply making some simple lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy diet and making an effort with your appearance could help you to feel more confident.

Those who are struggling with low mood or depression may benefit from alternative and complementary therapies which are both drug and side effect free. Hypnotherapy has long since been hailed as a fantastic way to relieve depression and stress so could be really beneficial for a cancer survivor. To find out more visit our hypnotherapy fact-sheets on stress and depression for information about how it may be able to help you.

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A school in Cambridgeshire has adopted a new approach for keeping it’s staff happy and relaxed.

Fawcett Primary School in Trumpington originally introduced yoga and relaxation classes for the pupils but it is now the staff who are reaping the benefits.

Head teacher at the school Judith Osler explained that the school governors were keen for the staff’s well being to be considered, so set about investigating ways in which the school could provide a programme of treatments  to relieve the stresses and strains of school life.

The teachers are now offered the opportunity to try out taster sessions of alternative therapies including hypnotherapy and reiki. The school makes sure that each teacher has their class covered during their 20-30 minute sessions which are intended to improve general well being and relieve some of the stress and pressure of teaching.

Sarah Turner, one of the therapists who offers treatment, is a hypnotherapist. She believe hypnosis offers a different method of relaxation which helps individuals to feel energised as well as encouraging a positive attitude and helping people to achieve personal goals.

Head teacher Judith has said that the staff have found the sessions to be extremely beneficial. “The staff feel they can have a short break from their busy day to relax, enjoy the health benefits of the treatments and generally feel more valued as a workforce,” she said.

Please visit the Hypnotherapy Areas section of this site for further information.

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If you are feeling excessively stressed for whatever reason (work, children, relationships etc) then here is a great visualisation technique which you can use anywhere you are to help you feel relaxed and calm.

First of all try to find a place where you won’t be interrupted for a few minutes, close your eyes and take a few deep breathes. Inhale right down to the pit of your stomach and fill your lungs completely before exhaling all the way out, helping your muscles to unwind.

Keep up the deep breathing and as you are doing so imagine yourself walking along a stream. Try to picture the sounds and the physical feelings that would be happening such as the sound of the water and bird song, the path under your feet and the hot sun on your face and really take a moment to visualize this happening.

Now imagine you are approaching a waterfall and as you get closer you can feel the mist and moisture. When you are close enough put one of your hands into the waterfall and feel the refreshing and cool water. Then step into the waterfall and feel the water pressure as it splashes down.

Imagine now that the water is washing away the stress from the surface of your body and that the energy from the waterfall is rinsing away all the negativity of old and stagnant emotions that are no longer needed. When you look down you can see the dirty water and darkness seeping out and washing away as the waterfall continues to cleanse away the stress, anger, fear, guilt etc.

As the water begins to run clear you feel yourself again but more peaceful than before with a greater sense of well being. Now it is time to step out of the waterfall and open your eyes, which should leave you felling refreshed, cleansed and optimistic.

This is a very simple technique and the more you use it to help your mind relax the easier it will become.

Original article

Researchers have found that women who have high levels of the stress-indicative enzyme stood a 12 per cent reduced chanced of conceiving during their fertile period than those who stay calm.

Though experts have believed for many years that stress has an effect on women’s likelihood of conception, this is the first evidence which actually supports the idea.

Though the difference in success rates is very small it can make a big difference to older women who are trying for a baby when their fertility is beginning to naturally decline.

Dr Cecilia Pyper, from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at Oxford University explained how women could really benefit from performing relaxation techniques, especially therapies which had been shown to improve IVF pregnancy rates.

Hypnotherapy has long since been used as a method of stress reduction, using its techniques to alter our reactions to a particular situation. If you are trying for a family and feel like stress may be effecting your chances of falling pregnant than you can find more information on how hypnotherapy can help stress here. If you would like to contact a qualified professional in your area then you can do so using the homepage of this site.

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According to recent press, in a bid to cope with the situation Gibson turned to Rick Collingwood, founder of The Australian Academy of Hypnosis.

Collingwood told RaderOnline that he gave Gibson a number of sessions for stress relief as he is currently under a huge amount of pressure. Collingwood reportedly visited Gibson’s home for an intensive 10 day treatment programme and has openly supported his client and voiced his concerns that the media have wrongly portrayed Gibson in the media. “I must say that he is a far nicer person that what is being portrayed presently in the media. It will be interesting to see the results when all of the truths are revealed during the ongoing legal saga.”

Hypnotherapy has long since been used as a method for stress relief as it focusses on changing negative behaviour and habits. If you are interested in how hypnotherapy for stress relief could help you then more information can be found here. If you would like to contact a qualified hypnotherapist in your local area please do so using the search tool located on the homepage of this site.

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The article followed a football loving male whose wife was nearing her due date, so in the interest of science he gave up his beloved Saturday matches to enrol on a hypnobirthing course with his wife.

He was surprised to find that the techniques he learnt in classes helped him to relax his wife, helping her to focus on her breathing, a skill which came in very handy whilst she was in labour.

After signing up to a Berkshire hypnobirthing course the couple joined other expectant families for a comprehensive course which was split over two days. It was during this course that the males learnt just how much of an important role they have to play in terms of practical, emotional and physical support.

Their practitioner explained to them different ways in which a gentle birth could be achieved, the rationale for hypnosis in birth and how to block out birth nightmares. The group also learned about emotional triggers and physical responses as well as being shown various images illustrating the various stages of birth and a selection of calming hypnobirths on DVD.

All of this ultimately lead to a calm and comfortable birth for the parents involved where both parties felt confident and in control to make whatever choices needed to be made for the healthy delivery of their baby.

If hypnobirthing does sound like something that could be of interest to you then you can contact a hypnotherapist in your area using the search tool located on the homepage of this site.

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Fiona and Paul are old friends, going way back to when Fiona used to read the traffic on Paul’s radio show during his DJ days. He explained how even then he was interested in personal development, but at the time many people considered it to be ‘American psycho-babble’. In order to dispel these myths Paul went about creating simple easy strategies which anyone can use in order to master their emotions, to help them to make money, to help them improve their health, to help them be more positive and motivated etc.

The new revamped book includes a DVD session for each day of the week, which is what Paul believes makes it all the more successful and relevant in a technology centric society. He explains how the DVD is now a huge component as although people often read about psychological techniques they might find it difficult to understand what to do without instruction. The DVD allows him to pop out of their T.V or computer and get them into a positive state.

Purchase Change Your Life in 7 Days from the Paul Mckenna store.

Hot flushes, sweats, sleeplessness, headaches and moodiness are to name but a few of the side effects and though Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is a route that many women take to reduce symptoms, hypnotherapy is a far more natural option that should be considered.

Hypnotherapy operates on both a conscious and unconscious level so is an excellent tool for providing beneficial mind, body treatment. Some common examples of symptoms which see an improvement using hypnotherapy include hot flushers, shivers, sweats, loss of libido, sleeplessness, dry skin, joint pain, headaches, mood swings, weight and muscle pain.

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Lindsey Smith, the human resources coordinator has noted that sickness rates increased significantly during the third and forth quarters of 2009 and the percentage of absences caused by stress, depression and mental health issues is continually increasing.

The goal for number of sick days taken per year currently stands at 9.5, but the average full time worker took 12.65 during 2009.

Workplace stress is an issue we are hearing more and more of everyday, with job loss worries bearing over many people and some employees taking responsibility for additional work it is easy to understand why Brit’s are tearing their hair out over work.

Many employees have advocated the use of hypnotherapy for reducing workplace stress as it is a fantastic way of helping individuals to understand the signs of workplace stress and how it effects performance and productivity. It then moves onto teach stress management techniques which will allow you to react to negative feedback or a tense situation in a different way by programming your unconscious mind in a slightly different way.

Contact a hypnotherapist local to you using the homepage of this site.

View the original article here.