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While being unwell is an unpleasant experience for everyone, for those living with emetophobia, vomiting is a terrifying, horrific ordeal they will go to extreme lengths to avoid the risk.

Natalie Timotheou, a 30-year-old suffering a phobia of being sick would resort to harsh measures in order to reduce the risk. She would eat only plain, dry food in small portions and avoid long car journeys. Her life was completely controlled by fear, until she found hypnotherapy.

While Timotheou had developed a complicated relationship with food during her childhood, it wasn’t until adulthood that the anxieties intensified. Divorce, being a single parent and work-related stress started to take its toll. Despite only vomiting twice in ten years, the fear escalated. The fear of vomit had developed to a fear of what might happen if she became unwell.

She became so fearful of falling ill that she would only eat small portions. Her BMI fell; she would eat only dry food and had to...

There are many reasons why people look to hypnotherapy. They may have heard success stories, seen it in the news or researched hypnotherapy online.

Here are three reasons why it may work for you:

It can be highly effective and transformative.

When we have a problem, most of us know what needs to be done to address the situation. For example, if we want to lose weight, we know that we need to cut down on the comfort eating, or when we want to quit smoking and live a healthier life, it should be as simple as not smoking, but it never is that easy.

Often the “I should” and “I shouldn’t” mantras you tell yourself can only take you so far. Your willpower weakens and however conscious you are of your choice, it can be difficult to follow your own rules. Hypnotherapy can help the mind confront this lack of willpower through engaging the subconscious.

It can be a quick treatment option.

A common question when...

Prof Paul Gringras believes that the blue light that keeps people awake should automatically be filtered out.

Prof Gringras, working at London’s Evelina Children’s Hospital, says each new model that’s released is “bluer and brighter”.

He stated that the tablet and phone manufacturers need to show more “responsibility”.

As the nights draw in, our bodies begin to produce melatonin – the sleep hormone – that helps us drift off.

According to the doctor, particular wavelengths of light (at the blue-green end of the spectrum) can disturb the system.

He was part of a study that looked into the light emitted by the devices in Frontiers in Public Health.

The report concluded that there is a definite trend that each new devices wants to be brighter, larger, emit more blue light and have an increased level of contrast.

The professor of children’s sleep medicine said: “That is great for use in the day, but awful for use at...

Stress and anxiety are two of the most common concerns in today’s society. Many factors have been blamed for this, from our inability to switch off from work to an increased reliance on technology. Whatever the cause, experts agree that incorporating relaxation into our daily lives is key.

When we are relaxed, our bodies and minds are free from stress and tension. Regular relaxation helps to reduce our overall stress levels, helping to avoid the negative implications increased stress has on our physical and mental health.

There are many techniques available to help us relax, from colouring books and mindfulness meditation to breathing techniques and physical practices like yoga. So, how does hypnotherapy fit into all of this?

Hypnotherapy for relaxation works on several levels. Firstly, a hypnotherapist will use specialist techniques to bring you to a state of deep relaxation. This alone on a regular basis is beneficial. Whilst under hypnosis, the...

When asked, ‘what do you do when you rest?’ you might say watch TV, browse the Internet, or even do some gardening. Is this really resting though? And how important is it to rest?

More and more of us are becoming aware of how much activity we do in a day, with self-monitoring becoming the norm. As a nation, we are becoming increasingly interested in the concept of rest, with some companies implementing annual leave policies that allow unlimited staff holiday.

Recently the world’s biggest survey of resting habits began. Called the Rest Test, it is hoped that we will get to understand what rest means to us and the purpose it serves. The survey is being carried out by Hubbub – a collective of artists, social scientists, humanities researchers, broadcasters, scientists and mental health experts in residence at Wellcome Collection (London-based charitable foundation investigating the links between art, medicine and life).

Psychologist Claudia...

Many jobs these days involve computer work, and that tends to mean sitting at a desk for long periods of time. Combine this with office treats like biscuits, birthday cake and ‘Friday doughnuts’ and this can be a recipe for disaster for your waistline.

Creating habits to stay active is important for your health. Lack of activity is linked to a variety of health complaints, including obesity. Take a look below for some tips to cultivate healthy habits.

Create a non-food pick-me-up

When we hit a mental wall or energy slump at work it is easy to reach out for food to perk ourselves up. Usually though, we’re not really hungry and the food we reach for is sugar-laden and full of empty calories. Try to create a non-food pick-me-up instead. This could be reading something creative, getting out into nature or writing in a journal. Doing something creative and non-work related will help you be more productive at work without relying on...

Now the clocks have gone back, the nights are getting longer, darker and colder. Understandably this can make many of us feel a little bit glum. For some however, the change in season signals a deeper shift to depression.

Seasonal affective disorder, commonly known as SAD, is a form of depression that affects people in the winter months.

The cause is unknown, however it is believed to be linked to reduced sunlight and how this affects the brain’s melatonin and serotonin levels.

Serotonin is known as the ‘happy’ chemical. Serotonin levels drop when the days get shorter, while melatonin levels (the chemical that helps us sleep) rise. In some people, this combination leads to depression.

There are various symptoms of SAD, including:

• persistent low mood
• loss of pleasure/interest in everyday activities
• tearfulness
• loss of libido
• feeling less sociable
• low...