The ‘Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale’ is a new method of measuring the public’s relationship with social networking site Facebook.

Results from a study using the scale show that women are more likely to become addicted to Facebook than men.

Do you feel the urge to use Facebook more and more? Do you feel unsettled when you can’t access Facebook? Are you trying and failing to limit your use of the site? These are just some of the questions used to determine levels of Facebook addiction. Answering ‘often’ or ‘very often’ on at least four of the criteria points to a Facebook addiction.

The scale, developed by psychologists from the University of Bergen, was used to measure the Facebook habits of 423 students in Norway.

Results showed that Facebook addicts display symptoms similar to those associated with alcoholism and drug addiction. Younger people are more likely to become dependent on Facebook than older people and women are more likely to become addicted than men.

The study also identified personality types more likely to depend on Facebook. People who suffer from anxiety or social insecurities tended to use the site more because they found it easier to communicate virtually than face-to-face. Extroverted people were also more likely to use the site regularly, due to their need for steady social interaction. Ambitious, well-organised people were less likely to become addicted to Facebook and tended only to use the site for work and networking purposes.

The study has been published in the Psychological Reports Journal.

Hypnotherapy can help with addictions. To find out more, please visit our Internet Addictions page or browse other issues in Hypnotherapy Areas. 

View and comment on the original Telegraph article. 

Health and safety in the UK is a notoriously touchy subject.

In a bid to prevent public injury and the resulting legal struggles, public areas have, over the last few decades, become increasingly and absurdly risk-free.

Children’s playgrounds are a prime example of health and safety gone mad, with a crackdown on high climbing frames and challenging activities (such as monkey-bars and rope-swings) in favour of rubberized concrete and low rubber slopes. Experts are beginning to question whether, in our attempts to keep our children safe, we are in fact depriving them of the basic life-lessons they need and raising a generation of individuals with psychological disorders.

We all have memories of skinning our knees on rough tarmac and knocking out a milk tooth or two falling from the climbing frame when we were children, but weren’t these mild injuries an important part of growing up? Experts believe children need elements of risk in day to day life in order to learn essential lessons, such as how to conquer fear and develop a sense of mastery.

Safety-first playgrounds eliminate this important sense of danger and adventure that, according to Professor David Ball of Middlesex University, can in some cases even increase the risk of more serious injury. He said: “If children and parents believe they are in an environment which is safer than it actually is, they will take more risks. An argument against softer surfacing is that children think it is safe, but because they don’t understand its properties, they overrate its performance.”

Childhood should be full of adventure, full of risk. By nature, children want to taste the unknown, they want to feel the sense of victory that comes from climbing a big tree or a craggy rock. Wrapping our children in cotton wool and plonking them in front of the telly is only depriving them of life. And what impact will this have on the future of Britain?

Research shows that the more fear and doubt we instil in our children, the more likely it is that they will grow up to develop phobias and psychopathological problems.

Are we rearing a generation of individuals who’ll eventually be too scared to venture outside before filling out a twenty-page risk assessment form?

Phobias are serious and debilitating. To find out more, and to discover how hypnotherapy may be able to help, please visit our Phobias page. 

View and comment on the original Smart Planet article.

American research shows that the longer a person spends commuting to work, the fatter they are likely to be.

The results from the research, published in the Journal of Preventative Medicine, echo findings from previous studies. Last year a Florida study showed that obesity was more prevalent among people who commuted to work by car.

The most recent study surveyed 4,300 Texans and found that those who commuted more than 15 miles to work were less likely to have time to exercise than those who lived closer to their workplaces.

The results also revealed that people who drove over 10 miles had higher blood pressure due to their sedentary lifestyles.

The American researchers were careful not to blame transport for the findings, instead choosing to take other factors in to account, such as the areas from which people were driving. Perhaps neighbourhoods more than 15 miles away were less affluent, with a lower standard of education. These factors could have an impact on the type of food people eat.

British experts, however, were less sceptical. Stephen Joseph, executive director of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Commuting by car is bound to be linked to obesity. If you commute by public transport you still have to walk to places.”

Hypnotherapy is used to help tackle a number of health problems, including obesity. Read our pages on Gastric Band Hypnotherapy and Weight Loss to find out more. 

View and comment on the original Telegraph article. 

A former fitness trainer has managed to shed 14 stone in one year after kicking his crisp addiction.

James Quinn, from Irvine, Scotland, ballooned to 27 stone after exchanging his job as a fitness instructor for a managerial position at a video rental shop.

The father of four soon fell into bad eating habits, consuming on average four burgers with fried eggs and bacon, along with a whole loaf of bread, two litres of fizzy pop, numerous biscuits and 20 packets of crisps – every day.

“It got to the point where I couldn’t walk up the flight of stairs to get to class. I think it would have killed me,” he said.

The 44-year old explained how he would buy giant multi-packs of crisps and eat them all.

However, when doctors told him he was at risk of a premature death, Quinn decided to regain control over his body.

He joined a local slimming club and began an exercise regime. By cutting out crisps, he managed to shed over half his body weight in just 12 months. Now he weighs 13st 10lbs and no longer has to take blood pressure tablets.

The grandfather of one hopes to continue losing weight and now believes crisps ‘taste like cardboard’.

Hypnotherapy is an effective tool for altering thought patterns and fighting food addictions. To find out more, please visit our Food Addiction page. 

View and comment on the original Daily Record article. 

250 million pages of pornography make up around one-third of all web traffic. Most porn sites don’t require a password, card details, or proof of age. In two or three exploratory clicks, anyone can have immediate access to millions of graphic and often violent sexual images and videos.

In fact, 12% of five to seven year olds and 16% of eight to 17-year-olds have unintentionally stumbled across porn while using the Internet.

The advent of personal laptops and smart phones makes it even easier for sexually curious youngsters to actively seek online porn and although many experts believe this kind of exploration is a healthy introduction to sex for adolescents, there is no denying that the Internet has a darker side.

19-year-old Edward first started watching porn when he was 13. He and his classmates would come into school and exchange new porn images and videos they had discovered the night before, just like Pokémon cards. Recalling the effect the exposure had on him, Edward said: “It had a massive effect on the way I thought about sex and has been hugely detrimental to my perception of what a relationship is supposed to be like.”

For many young people, pornography offers a much desired porthole into the mysterious world of sex; but when it is the only porthole, it can start to create problems. Pornography is theatrical, exaggerated and unrealistic. It sets certain expectations and instils certain ideas about gender roles. What will the outcome be of a generation reared to believe that anal sex, threesomes and bondage are all normal parts of having a relationship?

Feedback from counselling charity Relate show that more and more people are seeking help for porn addiction because it ruins their real-life relationships.

Although experts have talked about banning or heightening restrictions on Internet porn, most agree that the key lies in education. Parents are advised to be open with their children about sex and pornography – young people will always be curious about it. As long as they have a wholesome understanding of love and sex and are given the space to explore their sexuality, pornography should not be a problem.

To find out more and how hypnotherapy can help, please visit our Sex Addiction page.

View and comment on the original Independent article. 

According to the results of a recent study carried out in Sweden, the art of hypnosis could provide a level of relief to thos

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a condition responsible for causing stomach cramps, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea and is currently one of the most common digestive disorders in existence today.

According to estimates between 10 and 20 per cent of individuals experience IBS at some point during their lives, so any cost effective viable solutions would be welcomed by both sufferers and the medical community alike.

Many experts have long since championed hypnotherapy as a treatment option for the condition, but a lack of concrete evidence left many feeling skeptical about this mind over matter treatment.

However, two new recent studies carried out in Sweden have revealed that a high percentage of patients showed a reduction in their IBS symptoms after undergoing hypnotherapy treatment.

The studies in question where carried out by researchers at the University of Gothenburg and involved 346 patients. The results showed that the treatment that patients underwent alleviated symptoms by 40%, with results lasting for an entire year. Furthermore, the study also led to an improvement in quality of life for those who were involved.

According to Professor Peter Whorwell from the University of Manchester School of Medicine, the new studies corroborate his own findings. Speaking to BootsWebMD the professor, who has been studying IBS for 25 years said: “These studies confirm accumulating evidence that hypnotherapy is an effective treatment for patients with irritable bowel syndrome and that its effects are sustained in the long term.”

He also went onto say that the treatment could help patients on multiple levels, both physiologically and psychologically: “Hypnosis relaxes you and reduces your anxiety but we’ve done studies over the years showing that hypnotherapy has a direct effect physiologically. There are studies that show it reduces acid secretion. It reduces the hypersensitivity that IBS patients have. It reduces the contractions in the gut.” He said.

Professor Whorwell has coined the term gut-focused hypnosis for this new form of therapy. “The mantra is: you are controlling your gut, rather than your gut controlling you.” He said.

If you have been affected by IBS and you would like to find out more about how hypnotherapy may help to alleviate some of your symptoms, please visit our comprehensive fact-sheet for information. Alternatively you could contact a professional hypnotherapist to discuss this matter directly. Simply visit the homepage and use the search tool to locate a practitioner in your local area.

View and comment on the oroiginal article from BootsWebMD.

Almost two-thirds of Britons now walk for less than an hour a week, according to a study of 1000 people

35 to 44-years-olds cited uncomfortable footwear, the time it took to walk anywhere and the inconvenience of becoming hot and sweaty, as reasons for not walking enough.

Older generations were far more active then their younger peers, with most 55-64 year olds walking for more than two hours a week.

The figures have been published by pedestrian charity Living Streets, as part of the Great British Walking Challenge due to take place this May.

The campaign aims to help people take simple steps to increase the amount of time they spend walking. This includes things like getting off the bus a few stops early, parking a little further from a destination, or taking a walk on lunch breaks to relax and unwind from work.

Walking has in the past been overlooked as a beneficial activity but it is in fact one of the best forms of exercise on offer, mainly because it can be done anywhere, at any time, as well as having physical, psychological, social and financial benefits.

Chief executive Tony Armstrong said: “Getting active doesn’t have to be painful or expensive. Rather than costly gym sessions or punishing long distance runs, try stepping outside for a lunchtime stroll or getting off the bus a few stops early.”

There are a number of simple ways to overcome the problems of walking in Britain:

• buy good waterproof clothing and an umbrella
• buy some comfortable shoes
• leave extra time to reach your chosen destination
• take music and headphones to curb boredom
• incorporate walking into your spare time e.g. instead of driving to a country pub for lunch at the weekend, drive to a nearby location and hike to the pub – you will enjoy that cold drink even more!

For a few small changes, the benefits are extensive and include:

• reducing risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke
• reducing risk of cancer
• reducing risk of Alzheimer’s disease
• reduce anxiety
• reduce stress
• help depression
• lose weight
• become fitter
• save money not spent on petrol or tickets.

You are advised to walk for 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week.

If you are looking to improve your health but you don’t feel like you have the will-power to do it, a hypnotherapist may be able to help. Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool for altering patterns of thought and behaviour, which help make previously difficult tasks a lot easier. To explore ways in which hypnotherapy can help, please visit our Hypnotherapy Areas section.

View and comment on the original Telegraph article. 

Recent research has revealed that 66%* of individuals are left feeling dissatisfied and unrested after an avera

Camberley, Surrey (PRWEB) March 29, 2012

Britain is a nation full of insomniacs and problem sleepers. According to a survey carried out by Hypnotherapy Directory – an online database of qualified hypnotherapists – 66% of respondents reported feeling that they don’t get enough sleep each night, and 62% admitted to regularly fretting about being unable to drift off into the land of slumber.

In 2010 a staggering ten million sleeping pill prescriptions were said to have been handed over throughout England, yet despite the figures indicating the growing scale of this sleeping giant (or not sleeping as the case may be)– very little time and money are spent researching drug alternatives for insomnia and sleep problems.

According to Hypnotherapy Directory, 35% of website visitors use sleep medication either occasionally, frequently or all the time to help get them to sleep – amounting to over a quarter of visitors to the site.

Whilst sleep medication is currently the most common form of treatment for insomnia and sleep problems, many experts argue that such drugs could in fact be doing more harm than good.

According to researchers writing in the worlds leading medical journal The Lancet**, drugs are not – and nor should they be – the answer to the insomnia problem. Dr. Charles Morin, a professor of psychology at Laval and first author of the Lancet paper has said that the side effects of such drugs mean that they can actually create more problems than they solve.

Dramatic weight gain, elevated blood fats and an increased risk of parasomnias and tardive dyskinesia (abnormal and uncontrollable muscle movements), are just a few medication offshoots that mean looking beyond pills to find a long-term solution could be both a more practical and successful approach.

Sleep deprivation can be crippling, so it is understandable that what many sufferers seek is a quick and easy solution to the problem.

Fatigue at work, mood disturbances and difficulty concentrating are just a few of the milder side effects of troubled sleep, whilst at the other end of the spectrum it has been reported that individuals suffering from insomnia are five times more likely to experience anxiety and depression than the general population.

Unfortunately it would seem that the reverberating effects of sleep deprivation don’t just end there – with doctors now stating that as well as having a direct impact on our health, preoccupation with worrying about not getting enough sleep is also becoming a problem in itself.

Deep relaxation is key in the quest for sleep, and many studies have found that simply trying to sleep will potentially worsen the situation because it causes tension. Sleep hypnosis however, is aimed at helping individuals to return to more regular patterns of sleep by using specialist techniques to resolve any underlying anxiety issues whilst teaching and promoting relaxation.

Individuals who wish to look outside the use of drugs to find a lasting solution to improve the quality of their sleep may wish to consider sleep hypnosis as a treatment option.

Whilst each sleep hypnosis treatment programme will vary from client to client depending on both their own personal circumstances and the specialist areas and training of their hypnotherapist, typically treatment may involve the following:

>Deep relaxation techniques to reduce stress, anxiety and tension.
>Identifying and challenging negative beliefs about sleeping patterns.
>Replacing those negative beliefs with more positive ones through the use of hypnosis.

With various comprehensive fact-sheets about insomnia and sleep problems, and a country-wide database allowing visitors to find a suitable hypnotherapist in their local area, Hypnotherapy Directory could play an important role in finally helping individuals to get that much needed good nights sleep.

References

>*Figures based on a survey of 85 visitors to Hypnotherapy Directory
>**Morin, M, D. (2012) Chronic insomnia, Available: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(11)60750-2/abstract

According to researchers from the University of Surrey, changing the clocks to give us more hours of daylight can result in teenagers suffering from severe sleep deprivation.

Parents who have seen their teens becoming increasingly irritable and tired during the past few weeks may have been wrong to put these mood swings down to puberty.

According to scientists, teenagers sleep decreases to below six hours per night on average the week following on from the changing of the clocks for British Summer Time. A change which may take weeks to correct.

According to sleep researcher Joanne Bower, during our teenage years there is a shift in the circadian rhythm (body clock). It is the body clock that ensures things occur at roughly the same time each day, including the production of the hormone melatonin – which the body releases to help us get to sleep.

This change in the body clock means that whereas a teenager may go to bed at ten, the secretion of melatonin may not begin until midnight, meaning that until then all there is to do is lie awake in bed staring at the ceiling.

This delayed sleep effect means that it can then be extremely difficult for teens to drag themselves out of bed in the morning, and this tiredness could continue throughout the day impacting concentration and lowering mood.

“With anyone who doesn’t get enough sleep it can be quite concerning. Over the long term you can find problems with your performance, concentration, and mood. We’re lucky we are quite resilient. I think people generally do have an amazing ability to bounce back.” Said Bower.

Whilst far more research is needed to cement these findings, for now this study offers a possible explanation as to why teens may feel particularly tired during this time of year.

Unfortunately, when you begin to develop unhealthy sleeping patterns it can be difficult to find your way back into a normal and healthy bedtime routine that will leave you feeling refreshed.

Individuals who are experiencing difficulties sleeping may which to consider hypnotherapy, which works to retrain the brain to replace those negative habits with more positive ones.

For further information about hypnotherapy for insomnia or sleep disorders, please visit our separate fact-sheets.

View and comment on the original BBC News article.

According to Swedish researchers, hypnotherapy should be embraced as an effective and successful method of treatment for IBS sufferers.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, found that specialist hypnotherapy treatment alleviated IBS symptoms and remained effective in the long-term.

138 participants were treated over a period of 12 weeks and 40% reported a significant improvement that lasted for up to a year after the hypnotherapy.

Study author Magnus Simren said: “The conclusion is that hypnotherapy could reduce both the consumption of healthcare and the cost to society, and that hypnosis therefore belongs in the arsenal of treatments for IBS.”

IBS is thought to affect one third of the UK population at some point in their lives and consists of a collection of symptoms ranging from mild to severe. These symptoms include:

• abdominal pains and spasms
• constipation, diarrhoea and erratic bowel movements
• excessive wind
• bloating of the abdomen
• incontinence
• not being able to fully empty bowels.

Please use our search tool to contact a hypnotherapist.

View and comment on the original Huffington Post article.