Fear of Public Speaking

Fear of public speaking Cardiff: Definition

A fear of public speaking can be defined as a feeling of anxiety (prior to and during) any form of verbal communication given to an audience. It can also be termed as speech anxiety, presentation nerves, stage fright and glossophobia. Fear of public speaking is a form of social anxiety. 

Fear of public speaking Cardiff: Formal and Informal settings

A fear of public speaking can affect many situations both formal and informal. Most people can recognise the formal settings when you have given a talk using prepared material in school, college or your workplace. Other formal situations can include giving speeches at weddings, funerals and association meetings.A fear of public speaking in informal settings may not have previously prepared material but can have “rehearsed” content e.g. telling a joke to your peer group. Some speakers who rely heavily on scripted material can feel anxious because you are required to speak “unscripted” about you e.g. when introducing yourself at the start of a business meeting. Anxiety can also be experienced in seminars when “speaking from the heart” about a very personal issue, fearful that sensitive issues may be judged by other delegates.Stage performers can exhibit confidence as the “expert” singing or playing your instrument but you can also suffer some stage fright during specific aspects of your show. “Chatting” to the audience can seem daunting because you are making an informal connection with your audience. You don’t have your music or instrument to hide behind.For those with chronic social anxiety, the fear of drawing attention to you is enough to create a panic attack. So even giving an account of your holiday to a few members of staff in the staffroom and then finding the staffroom going quiet because everyone is “tuning in” can be traumatic.For the confident speaker, it can be difficult to appreciate what someone with chronic social anxiety suffers when when they have a fear of public speaking. 

Fear of public speaking Cardiff: Causes

With figures suggesting that a fear of public speaking is the most common fear in the world, it justifies the belief that very few people are “born” public speakers. If you are one of the minority that enjoys giving presentations, you are probably extrovert, are knowledgeable in your field of expertise and/or you have found a way of altering the perception of your fear. Any mild anxiety that you have experienced in your journey has been overcome with effective practise and by learning the necessary presentation skills.So why are some people more prone to a fear of public speaking than others? One or more of these issues could contribute to your fear.

• Personality types or traits

Anxiety - Those with general anxiety and social anxiety are more likely to have a fear of public speaking. You tend to worry and see the negative side of situations, believing that things will ultimately go wrong! You rarely get past your “what if...” scenarios. You struggle to cope with anticipatory anxiety, increasing your stress symptoms (muscular tension, loss of sleep, IBS etc.) as the presentation draws near. You then focus on these symptoms, believing them to be visible to your audience. This distracts you from giving your presentation. After the event, you deny any praise because your anxiety overwhelms your interpretation of the presentation.Perfectionism – You set excessively high standards in your presentation expecting everything to go flawlessly. You exhaust yourself trying to reach these standards and may neglect other obligations (and relationships) en route. You rarely delegate because you cannot trust the standards of another person. Any mistakes in your presentation are harshly criticised (mainly by you), causing you to double your effort next time. You then become more anxious about your ability to keep achieving perfection in the future. You are aware of how much effort the presentation took out of you in this attempt. You fail to accept external praise on your methods because the (often unobtainable) goal is all that matters.Lack of self-confidence – You distrust your own judgements and doubt your ability to achieve your goals. You tend to set low targets because you are risk aversive. You keep well inside your comfort zone because you have a fear of failure. This justifies avoiding the presentation in the first place. You are easily swayed by the opinions of others as you approach the presentation date. Rather than learning from your mistakes made during the presentation, you try to hide them because you are ashamed of them. You worry about the criticism of others but ironically, you are too embarrassed to accept their praise. Even if you did give a good presentation, you shrug-off the praise, claiming it was the work of others.Inevitably a lack of self-confidence can affect all that you do. You believe that you lack confidence in your presentation subject-matter. So rather than talking freely in your presentation, you worry that others know more than you. You believe that they will pick holes in your presentation and your lack of knowledge.Low self-esteem – Since you believe that you are not good enough, this perspective is projected into all that you think, do and say. Your presentation preparation is plagued by self-doubts; you are unsure whether the content is good enough. Your low self esteem may be directed onto parts of your body (low body esteem). Standing in front of an audience means that this part of you is in full view. It only serves to heighten your embarrassment. If you feel inferior about your voice, your anxiety will “strangle” any attempts to project it adequately.Fear of embarrassment – A fear of embarrassment belongs to the domain of social anxiety. The fear of humiliating yourself in front of your audience is your overriding worry. Your anxiety symptoms take over and become “visible” to your audience during the presentation. Amongst many symptoms, your hands shake, you become more forgetful and you “lose” your voice.

Fear of attention – Another issue that is part of social anxiety. You fear drawing attention to yourself or being stared at by others. You worry what people think or what they might say. Standing on a “stage” has few hiding places; a tall lectern might do the trick, but just being there causes you to feel self-conscious. As a coping method, you avoid looking at your audience. Ironically, they will stare at you more because they feel excluded. Your emotions are compromised because if your audience looked outside the window during your presentation, you would think that they are disinterested or bored.Fear of rejection – A person who fears rejection is likely to have self-esteem issues and social anxiety. Your deep need for acceptance puts you in the centre of any situation. You perceive that, if an outcome is favourable, then you are confirmed as good enough. But when the outcome is adverse, then you believe that you are unworthy. It is all “personal” because you have instilled this self-limiting belief. You dismiss the learning of any skills or the opportunity to grow through practise. You may have moments when you can “de-personalise” this rejection, but it ultimately slides back to you – the person. So in situations like presenting as part of an interview, you won’t take the risk because it exposes the fear that you may not be good enough; it exposes your fear of rejection.

• Previous bad experience

You learn from your experiences. But when an experience has been disastrous, your stress/anxiety responses become firmly attached to the incident. It re-surfaces when you anticipate tackling that same situation again. So when you’ve been ordered to give a presentation to cover an absent colleague at the last moment and know very little about the subject-matter, unsurprisingly the presentation goes wrong. If you are then fired on that unfortunate performance (harsh, I know!), this trauma causes anxiety to flood you when you need to give another presentation in the future. The bad experience has left its mark on you and set up your fear of public speaking!Not all learning is directly related to the situation. A fear of confined spaces e.g. lifts, can be attached to a fear of public speaking because indirectly, it is a situation that you cannot easily get away from when you feel anxious. You feel “stuck” on stage which indirectly reminds you of being in a lift.

• Inadequate preparation

Confidence grows with the knowledge of how to do something and successful practise. So when you are taught how to prepare and deliver a presentation, the belief that you can succeed will grow. When you are given your presentation title you are more likely to “do your homework” and prepare sufficiently to achieve the desired goal. However, when you are terrified of the outcome and have been left to do your own (ineffective) preparation, it is quite reasonable for anxiety to take over and avoidance to kick in. The person who then believes that you ought to be able to give a presentation “by now”, evades any methodical preparation. Panic sets in and nothing is prepared for the big day.

• You fear your audience

You give authority to the opinions of others. You believe that others have grounds to criticise either the content of your presentation or your credibility to be presenting it. So your mind is dominated by what they are thinking rather than what you can do in your presentation. You worry about the implications of saying something controversial or simply “messing up” and making a fool of yourself. You cram in too much information fearful that it appears incomplete. It is likely that you are trying to impress your audience and are overly-focused on their reactions. But you reject any potential positive feedback. You see a room full of people that are better than you, laughing at your comedy of errors! Since you doubt your own credibility (low self esteem), you are waiting for confirmation that you don’t deserve to be on the stage.You hesitate to “know your audience” in advance, because even if they are your peers or your subordinates, they have gone the extra length to research something that you know nothing about. You are ashamed to admit that you don’t know a topic in your presentation, so you try to bluff an answer. You are waiting to be exposed as a fraud. When you know that there is a genuine expert in the audience, your anxiety is overwhelming. 

Fear of public speaking Cardiff: Do you have a fear of public speaking?

Being apprehensive or nervous before and during a presentation is quite normal. If you give presentations on a regular basis, then it’s likely that you have overcome any acute anxiety symptoms. So what qualifies as a fear of public speaking? Firstly, you will have significant levels of anticipatory anxiety that dominate your life weeks before the presentation:• You are preoccupied with what you believe will go “wrong” on the presentation day. • You appear slightly detached, “daydreaming” about your worries. • Sleep is often disrupted and the quality of sleep can be restless. • You become more reliant on comforts e.g. food or alcohol. • Ritualistic habits dominate as you try to distract your mind from the anxiety. • You divert any practical attempts to work on the presentation by completing unimportant routine activities (procrastination). • You seek avoidance strategies to ease your anxiety e.g. delegate to a subordinate member of staff, postpone the date, feign illness etc. • Anxiety symptoms (see below) develop in moderate levels leading up to the presentation.You have a fear of public speaking if, close to the presentation day and throughout the presentation itself, you suffer with one or more of the following stress/anxiety symptoms at an acute level:

• Blushing • IBS • Panic attacks affecting your pacing (tendency to rush) • Profuse sweating • Tachycardia (fast heartbeat) • Uncontrollable shaking • Stammering • Difficulty breathing (hyperventilating) • Dry mouth • Memory loss • Muscular tension particularly around the vocal cords affecting your speech. • Nausea • Feeling faint • Increased frequency of habits (fidgeting) • Feeling claustrophobic (confined to the stage) 

Treating your fear of public speaking

These are some common methods of treating your fear of public speaking and controlling the anxiety that inhibits you:• Self help methods - These involve gradually building up your confidence and skills giving presentations in “safe” situations. When starting, consider your ideal topic, audience and location where you can decide the conditions. In this chosen situation, making a mistake would be trivial. Think of it as a practise of a practise. For some of you it might literally start in front of the mirror.Public speaking tips can guide you through your early stages of learning.• Join a public speaking class – If your company is unable to give you training in public speaking, then you can learn the art from a public speaking trainer in a classroom setting. Public speaking skills are taught in groups and you will gradually build up to giving a presentation at the end of the course. If you are encouraged by other people going through the same experience as you, then a public speaking class could help your presentation skills.• Treat your anxiety through your GP – Anxiety can be debilitating. When anxiety affects your ability to communicate, then controlling it is essential for a fear of public speaking. Discuss with your GP how anxiety can be treated with medication. Depending on the severity of your anxiety, your GP may also be able to arrange counselling or CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). 

How can hypnotherapy help you fear of public speaking?

Hypnotherapy can be an effective way of treating your fear of public speaking in a number of ways:• Control your anxiety – Hypnotherapy is a natural treatment. Once you have learnt relaxation techniques in the form of self-hypnosis, they can help you cope with your anticipatory anxiety. You can learn to utilise them during your presentation to reduce your anxiety symptoms listed above. When used strategically, they can also moderate the pace of your dialogue and assist with your voice projection.Hypnotherapy relaxation techniques can help you to appreciate how much your symptoms are part of an anxious cycle perpetuated by you own emotional state. By controlling your anxiety, you can develop your presentation skills without your mind being preoccupied with your symptoms.• Identify unconscious causes of your anxiety - The negative stored experiences in your mind can be indirectly associated to your presentations. These create spontaneous anxiety symptoms e.g. previously embarrassing yourself by falling over when you were in a crowd can be negatively stored as “crowds = anxiety and embarrassment”. You didn’t give a presentation in that past situation, but now you are anxious when giving a presentation because your mind is triggering the “crowds” link.When you are unable to identify why you are struggling with presentations, you will continue to create random anxiety symptoms until you can identify these causal events and releasing the negative emotion from then. Regression hypnotherapy can be used to facilitate this process.• Reframe direct past traumas – Past traumas caused when you have previously given presentations are the negative building blocks that pull your mind into your stressed awareness. Your mind stores these adverse experiences in an attempt to keep you safe from experiencing yet another trauma. Hypnotherapy techniques can be used to reframe the meaning of those traumas reducing your anxiety symptoms in your fear of public speaking.

• Visualise your peak performance – You have probably been told to “think positively” by many people. But when anxiety and a history of past traumas shape your awareness, it can be difficult to visualise what you want to achieve. In hypnosis, your mind can readily accept suggestions and positive imagery. This can help focus your mind towards your goal and give your mind an imagined experience of a presentation that has gone well.• Change negative beliefs about yourself and presentations – Some of the causes of your fear of public speaking (listed above) can be quite deep rooted and self-limiting. You may view some these causes as overwhelming “facts”. By analysing these negative beliefs, they can be treated so that your mind can be more receptive to accepting positive suggestions. When these changes are reinforced with practise of your presentation skills, it can accelerate your potential to speak in public. 

Fear of public speaking: summary

Overcoming your fear of public speaking doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a determined and courageous decision to want to develop skills in the face of anxiety. By finding a “safe” audience to practise with, your confidence can grow as you learn to master your skills. Be prepared to make mistakes and persevere. Train your mind to role-play any character that deflects the attention away from you.Hypnotherapy can assist your fear of public speaking on many levels. As a qualified and experienced teacher/trainer and clinical hypnotherapist, I can help you develop your presentation skills and reduce your anxiety associated with your fear of public speaking. 

For further information on treating your fear of public speaking in Cardiff and presentation anxiety in Cardiff, contact Richard J D’Souza Hypnotherapy Cardiff

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

IBS Cardiff

IBS: What is it?

IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome) is a common functional gut disorder. It is diagnosed after doctors have excluded other serious organic diseases. More common amongst women, IBS can develop from young teenage and adulthood.

 

What causes it?

The exact causes of IBS are unknown. Following a food-related illness, the sensitivity of the gut canbe increased. This can affect your body’s ability to digest food and can increase your awareness of pain in the digestive tract. Stress and anxiety create chemical (adrenaline) changes that interfere with digestive functioning increasing some of the symptoms. 

What are the common symptoms?

Irritable bowel syndrome is characterised by bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, flatulence and pain/cramps. Some of these symptoms can be made worse after eating food or eating certain foods that the IBS sufferer believes is exacerbating the condition. 

IBS: Living with IBS symptoms

Having treated many Irritable bowel syndrome patients using hypnotherapy, IBS sufferers have a lifestyle that is preoccupied with the need to go to the toilet. It can undermine their self-confidence.At home:In the home, Irritable bowel syndrome sufferers can feel more relaxed because you have access to your own toilet and your family are (usually) sympathetic to your condition. The number of flare-ups can be greatly reduced because there is general acceptance in the home. However, you can still be preoccupied with the urgent need to go to the toilet during “peak times” especially if the house has guests.Having gone to the toilet, you constantly feel that your bowels are not completely empty and that you have to go to the toilet again. You can also pass mucus when emptying your bowels.In your desperation, you can mistakenly blame the food as a cause of your IBS symptoms particularly when under stress. The IBS diet can then be severely restricted, depriving you of essential nutrients. This may cause other health issues when dealt with subjectively.Leaving the house:Stress and anxiety can make the IBS symptoms worse particularly when leaving the house. The proximity of the toilet is a constant worry, “toilet watching” for reassurance. Certain modes of transport e.g. public transport are usually avoided if possible. Suitable toilets are landmarked on a known journey, in case the toilet is needed. Unknown journeys or journeys where stopping the vehicle when required can be problematic e.g. motorways. There can be a feeling of claustrophobia.Having arrived at a destination, social anxiety can add to the agony. “What will they think?” is a question that you would rather not consider. If visiting somebody’s house there is the embarrassment of “messing up” their toilet. The time that you might be absent and smell of the faeces (with nervous diarrhoea) further adds to IBS sufferer’s predicament. An air freshener is an essential item when flying.Some Irritable bowel syndrome sufferers prefer to meet in a public place to disguise these issues. There is some relief from being able to hide in larger public toilets. It’s no wonder that IBS sufferers can feel housebound (agoraphobic) in an attempt to control your feeling of embarrassment associated with your condition.Formal situations:The constant preoccupation with one’s bowel movements can make certain formal situations unbearable to manage. Even a family occasion with a fixed schedule can be a worry e.g. a wedding, not wanting to disturb the procession.Work meetings can keep the IBS sufferer distracted about when the meeting will finish in case the toilet is needed. Claustrophobia can develop in these situations, feeling trapped within your own anxiety. Interviews and exams tend to be stressful events in themselves. Anticipatory anxiety can keep the Irritable bowel syndrome sufferer “toilet bound” leading up to the big events.Claustrophobia is again an issue in venues with formal seating e.g. cinema. An aisle seat is needed in case of the need to leave the cinema. When the cinema is full and a centre seat allocated, it can be difficult to concentrate on the film.

Accidents and near-misses:Some IBS sufferers have had an “accident” whilst away from home and fear repeating the situation. It can be traumatising, effecting how you handle future events to prevent a reoccurrence. Even if you have had a “near-miss”, you can develop a series of coping rituals similar to that encountered by OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) sufferers. You become preoccupied with prevention and “control”.  Inevitably, depression can be linked to long-term IBS.Toilet phobia:Some IBS patients have OCD issues with “contamination” when using public toilets. This may have been the initial trigger for the Irritable bowel syndrome. These anxiety conflicts can mean that the sufferer rarely leaves the house. Not surprisingly, when I have treated hypnotherapy patients with these anxieties, I have treated them at their home. 

IBS: Approaches to treatment

Most Irritable bowel syndrome patients will have explored a number of treatment options with various health professionals. These can include the use of prescribed medication to counter your type of IBS symptoms. Antispasmodics and antidepressants are used to alleviate cramping or pain, laxatives for constipation or anti-diarrhoeal medication is used for diarrhoea.Dietary changes can involve an objective assessment of your diet to ease related symptoms. This can mean eliminating certain problem foods where there is intolerance. Or it can involve increasing or reducing the amount of fibre in the diet. Eating habits are also reviewed to ensure you are eating at regular intervals.Lifestyle issues can also be explored where a change can influence a benefit. Light cardio-vascular exercise for example is considered helpful for the digestive system. 

IBS: Research shows that Hypnotherapy can help to treat IBS symptoms

Hypnotherapy has been used to treat Irritable bowel syndrome within the National Health Service. Professor Peter Whorwell, a consultant gastroenterologist from Manchester has been researching the use of hypnotherapy in the treatment of IBS for over 20 years. In his research using 12 sessions of Skype hypnotherapy, 40% fewer subjects had severe IBS symptoms following their Skype hypnotherapy treatment. Skype hypnotherapy was used instead of face to face hypnotherapy where travelling to the hospital was deemed as traumatic for the IBS sufferer.In other research in the use of hypnosis in the treatment of IBS, MJ Ford and A Dobbin conclude that “Hypnotherapy reduces patient anxiety and improves symptom control in the majority of patients with refractory IBS...Benefits extend well beyond symptom control and include improvements in quality of life and reduction in emotional distress.” (p. 297)In February 2008, the National Institute of Clinical Excellence, who advise the NHS on effective treatments suggested to doctors that "Referral for psychological interventions (cognitive behavioural therapy [CBT], hypnotherapy and/or psychological therapy) should be considered for people with IBS who do not respond to pharmacological treatments after 12 months" (See 1.2.3.1).  

IBS: How can hypnotherapy treat IBS?

The causes of Irritable bowel syndrome remain unknown. However, stress and anxiety are considered to exacerbate symptoms of IBS. Following your doctor or consultant’s diagnosis of stress-related IBS symptoms, hypnotherapy can then be used to treat your IBS symptoms.

Reduction of stress

When under stress, adrenaline is released and effects the functioning of the gut. Blood is diverted away from the digestive system to essential “fight or flight” responses. By combining relaxation breathing techniques that you can use for yourself, the stress responses can be reduced, allowing the gut to function in a relaxed state.Some of your lifestyle issues will also be explored to help you manage your stress in a more effective way.

Reduction of anxiety

Living with Irritable bowel syndrome symptoms (see above) can create an anxious lifestyle dominated by “toilet” worry and panic behaviour. Hypnotherapy helps you to be more receptive to suggestions. It can be used to reframe past anxious experiences that are creating your avoidance. Hypnotherapy can also help you to visualise dealing with new situations with confidence.

Reduction of pain, discomfort and bloating

The reduction of pain, discomfort and bloating symptoms can be related to your levels of stress and anxiety. Hypnotherapy can also use specific pain management techniques to lower your awareness of pain and cramping.Bloating and distension can be eased by relaxing muscles of the digestive tract, making it easier to expel excess gas. 

IBS: IBS gut-directed hypnotherapy

Gut-directed hypnotherapy or gut focused hypnosis is a treatment that is incorporated into the general hypnotherapy treatment.  Gut-directed hypnotherapy focuses specifically on visualisation techniques targeted at the gut’s own nervous system (Enteric nervous system). Suggestions are aimed specifically at this neural pathway which can become disrupted or overactive following acute IBS. The aim is to positively influence communication between the brain to the gut and from the gut back to the brain. In Professor Whorwell’s words, with gut directed hypnotherapy “you are controlling your gut, rather than your gut controlling you.”I have been trained to use gut-directed hypnotherapy techniques. 

For further information on treating IBS with hypnotherapy and gut-directed hypnotherapy, contact Hypnotherapy Cardiff

Hypno Band Hypnotherapy – Just another visualisation technique!

Are you thinking of trying a Hypno band hypnotherapy course to lose weight? Before you decide to book a course, read on...How many times have you seen something that is already well-established, being re-moulded with an attempt to attract a new market? At the heart of hypnotherapy is the use of visualisation techniques to create change. As a practising registered hypnotherapist, I have been a witness to several rehashed hypnotherapy treatments claiming to be the new miracle-cure on the block. Hypno band hypnotherapy is attempting to do the same thing. It is based on the principles of Gastric band surgery; an operation that restricts the amount of food you can eat by reducing the size of your stomach. Instead of the actual surgery, you can visualize the process for a fraction of the cost. You can then live your life as if your stomach has been shrunk, imagining that you have had a gastric band fitted. This is what is being promoted anyway!How does Hypno band hypnotherapy compare to a course of weight loss hypnotherapy that has been personalised by an experienced hypnotherapist? In my view, you will benefit much more because it takes into account your individual needs. All that Hypno band hypnotherapy does is offer you a costly programme of regurgitated methods, promoted under a new title.What are the problems of Hypno band hypnotherapy? 

Hypno band hypnotherapy: Is there any research?

When you see something in a newspaper or hear that a friend has benefitted from something, can this be used as factual research? No, it’s nothing more than a dramatised case study. It’s only when Hypno band hypnotherapy research is published in reputable journals e.g. European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, can any of its “long-lasting” claims be taken seriously. Until then, questions about placebo controls and randomised samples asked to any reported Hypno band hypnotherapy research are likely to be missing. There is no evidence that Hypno band hypnotherapy is any more successful than individualised weight loss hypnotherapy. So unless any recent research has surfaced, any percentage claims of success should be viewed with scepticism. 

Hypno band hypnotherapy: If the Hypno band hypnotherapy treatment is so effective, why haven’t they abandoned the gastric band surgery?

When there is a safe, effective and cheaper alternative available to something, most people will chose that option. Gastric band surgery costs at least £5000. Since the arrival of Hypno band hypnotherapy, I’m not aware of any reduction in gastric band operations. If Hypno band hypnotherapy was so effective, the NHS would reduce their surgery bill and opt for something cheaper: Hypno band hypnotherapy.Consider also that patients who qualify for gastric band surgery must have attempted and failed with other weight loss treatments. The surgery would be in decline if Hypno band hypnotherapy was proving to be an effective treatment. Is there a decline in these operations? I’m not aware of any decline. 

Hypno band hypnotherapy: Does one success story mean that everyone can rely on it?

It’s so easy for your beliefs to be swayed to buy something when you hear a success story. How often have you bought something when you are desperate, and a friend tells you that it’s a success, only to find out that it hasn’t quite worked for you in the same way? When Hypno band hypnotherapy appears in the press, it’s easy to over-generalise that everyone can benefit by this. If only Hypno band hypnotherapy was like this. One reported incident of success can hide some essential reasons why these changes have or haven’t happened. Maybe these issues weren’t reported or they just didn’t materialise in the therapy process.Inflated expectations can be damaging. In my hypnotherapy practice, “word-of-mouth” referrals are fantastic for business. Having realistic expectations and recognising that every patient is different is also important. When a patient has made a dramatic therapeutic change and they emphasise this to their friends, the friends will enter hypnotherapy with the same inflated expectations. They demand the same outcome as their referrer and usually leave disappointed because they haven’t matched their success. 

Hypno band hypnotherapy: Regardless of visualisation, are you just being told to eat fewer calories?

When you see a newspaper headline saying that hypnosis caused a patient to lose 8 stone in weight, you would think that is was the Hypno band hypnotherapy suggestions that did this. Is it like a stage hypnosis show where participants are hypnotised and are told to imagine that they are wearing a Hypno band and from that consultation, they live their lives like a gastric band surgery patient? In a newspaper article, it reported that the patient had to follow the same intense diet as that adopted by a gastric band surgery patient. It consisted of an all-liquid diet followed by pureed foods and then solids. What was the calorific content of the liquid diet? The article failed to mention this. It’s common understanding that if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. When you are told that you must follow this diet for the Hypno band hypnotherapy to work, you will think that it must be because of the Hypno band hypnotherapy doing the job. It may just be because you have paid for two consultations and now feel committed to following a prescribed diet. 

Hypno band hypnotherapy: The article doesn’t emphasise that the Hypno band hypnotherapy was a small part of the treatment

In the newspaper article, the Hypno band hypnotherapy patient had a course of ten hypnotherapy consultations. The Hypno band hypnotherapy programme consisted of just three consultations. This suggests that there were a number of other issues that were being treated using other techniques, but this wasn’t mentioned in the article. It could be considered that Hypno band hypnotherapy was not the main focus of the treatment.Having lost eight stone during the course of hypnotherapy treatment was a fantastic achievement. Both patient and therapist deserve praise for their success. The patient will have paid between £700 and £900 pounds for the hypnotherapy course. This is still cheaper than the gastric band surgery, but was it because of the three Hypno band hypnotherapy sessions or the other personalised hypnotherapy sessions? It’s difficult to really know. 

Hypno band hypnotherapy: Do you need to visualise that you have had a Hypno band fitted?

There are numerous hypnotherapy weight loss scripts. Try Google searching them and you will findsome are written for novice hypnotherapists and some for patient’s self-hypnosis purposes. Visualising that “your stomach feels smaller and you feel satisfied and fuller on less food” is a common weight loss suggestion. It is a basic building block that helps to focus your mind towards your weight loss goal.  Added to this could be suggestions about your eating style – “slowly andconsciously” or that your “stomach has shrunk in size”. If you can visualise this then it will have the same benefit as a Hypno band hypnotherapy treatment. Putting yourself through an imagined surgeryjust isn’t necessary to create this change. 

Hypno band hypnotherapy: A good reason to doubt its effectiveness

When you have been trying to lose weight and desperation kicks-in, it’s easy to be swayed by catchy marketing phrases. It’s important to enter any therapy with a realistic expectation that requires some lifestyle changes on your part. This is the case with gastric band surgery; you must still be prepared to change your eating habits or there could be associated problems.Hypno band hypnotherapy is part of a current trend in using a medical procedure and making something “new” for the receptive public. Hypno band hypnotherapy is not being shown to be any more effective than personalised hypnotherapy courses. When it’s advertised that a condition can be treated in a specified number of consultations, it doesn’t mean that it can be treated successfully. There is not a “one treatment fits all” out there, otherwise the NHS would have adopted this method by now. When you have a personalised course of weight loss hypnotherapy it is more likely to take into account your historical relationship with food, your general emotions, current stress and habits that link with your eating patterns. It has the best opportunity to direct you to your personalised weight loss success. Abandon Hypno band hypnotherapy and lose weight with a personalised hypnotherapy course. 

For further information on choosing personalised weight loss programmes over Hypno band hypnotherapy in Cardiff, contact Hypnotherapy Cardiff