Tim Maude Hypnotherapy

Author: Tim

  • Ground Control to Major Tom

    Ground Control to Major Tom

    If you are as old as me, you might just remember the song “Space Oddity” by David Bowie. Major Tom is an astronaut whose spaceship goes wrong, and instead of panicking when he can’t do anything, he just looks down at planet Earth and admires the blue colour that he can see.

    The song starts, “Ground Control to Major Tom”, and it this ground control that I want to talk about today.

    Grounding is a useful technique to learn if you suffer from panic attacks. During a panic attack, the primitive part of your brain takes over and puts you into a full blown fight-or-flight mode – even though there is nothing dangerous around. When you are in full fight-or-flight mode, the primitive part of the brain starts to close down anything that is not associated with fighting or running – including the thinking part of your brain. You literally start to find it difficult to think. This loss of control can be very frightening.

    There are various techniques you can learn to do that help you regain control and make the experience less frightening. These are known as “grounding”. They don’t immediately remove the panic attack, but they do shorten its intensity and duration.

    5-4-3-2-1 Senses

    The idea is that you look, feel, listen etc around you and name things out loud (if possible, or just in your head if not)

    Name 5 things you can see e.g. “Tree, car, man, road, sky”
    Name 4 things you can feel e.g. “Wall, hand, nose, shirt”
    Name 3 things you can hear e.g. “Car engine, people talking, someone laughing”
    Name 2 things you can smell e.g. “Car exhaust, perfume”
    Name 1 thing you can taste e.g. “Saliva”

    You can repeat this as often as you need to.

    Explain the panic attack to yourself

    Just talk to yourself (again, out loud if possible, but if not, then just in your own head). Tell yourself what is going on, for example:

    “I am having a panic attack. A lot of people have panic attacks. It is just the fight-or-flight part of my brain getting things wrong, because it is not an intelligent part of the brain – it is very primitive. The panic attack will last a short while and then everything will return to normal. When I return to normal very soon now, I will be able to get on with my everyday life.”

    Play the Alphabet Game

    The alphabet game is all about naming countries, animals, towns, foodstuffs, or any other category, starting with A, then B and so on. For example if you chose the category of countries, you might say:

    “Albania, Belgium, Canada, D – I can’t think of anything beginning with D, Egypt, Finland …”

    And you can see that if you can’t think of anything for one letter – just move on.

    And finally

    The point about grounding is that you do something to regain control of the thinking part of your brain. If you do suffer from panic attacks, it is worth choosing one of these methods and practising at a time when you do Not have a panic attack. When you get used to the technique, it will be so much easier to put into practice when your detect a panic attack creeping up on you.

    In the song “Space Oddity”, Major Tom’s spaceship goes wrong and he cannot do anything. His response is a classic grounding technique – he looked at the Earth and noticed the colours he could see there.

    If you cannot manage your anxiety on your own, you may like to consider getting help. In my clinic in Fleet, I help people with anxiety. I use solution-focused hypnotherapy to help them get back in control of their lives and get rid of the unwanted symptoms.

    References

    https://genius.com/David-bowie-space-oddity-lyrics
    https://keepingwellncl.nhs.uk/resource/grounding-techniques/
    Photo by SpaceX on Unsplash

  • Anxiety Relief Through Journaling

    Anxiety Relief Through Journaling

    Somehow, writing down your thoughts seems to calm anxiety. The practice, known as journaling, of writing down thoughts, feelings, lists, gratitudes and other things has been shown in a number of studies to relieve anxiety.

    What is journaling?

    Journaling is simply the practice of taking a few minutes out each day to write things about your life – how your are feeling, what your are doing, what your plans are, what your are pleased about and so on. There is no set formula for what you should write … just write something every day.

    Is it the same as keeping a diary?

    Well … yes and no … traditionally, you write down in a diary what you did during the day, and maybe your thoughts and feelings about what has happened. Samuel Pepys and Queen Victoria are well-known historical diarist whose actions and thoughts are recorded for prosperity. Neither of them thought that they would ever be published, so they are both very open about their feelings. And that is what works best.

    A journal is not intended to be read by anyone else. By keeping it personal to you, you can be honest and say what you feel. You don’t have to be concerned that your journal has neat writing, or spelt correctly, or even makes sense. You can just write what ever comes into your head.

    How does it help with anxiety?

    I have not been able to find any scientific explanation of how it works – it just does! There have been scientific studies demonstrating that journaling for a month (say) improves mental health in most people in a way that is measurable. Somehow, writing things down seems to clarify things in your mind. May it is a cathartic process (that is, in the same way that sharing your problems with someone seems to relieve the stress of it all). We don’t know. All that we do know is that it works.

    How do I start journaling?

    Decide how you are going to keep your journal – maybe you buy a notebook and write everything, maybe you type it into your computer, or maybe you dictate it into your phone. Whatever you are happy with. Then choose a time of day that works for you – some time that you can regularly spend a few minutes capturing your thoughts – first thing in the morning, sitting on the train on your morning commute, or maybe in the evening before you settle down – anytime will do, so long as you can do it regularly.

    What do I write?

    Again, there are no set ways of doing things – its what works for you. Here are a few ideas. Pick a couple to start with and see what works best for you:

    • What’s been good? What has happened that you’ve enjoyed, that your grateful for, or you hope might happen again.
    • How are you feeling? Write down the words that your feel best describes your mood for the day – good, bad or neutral.
    • What are you worried about? Are there things coming up that worry you? If so, what is it that your are concerned about? Write them down.
    • What are your best hopes for the next day / the week ahead / the next year? If everything were to go your way – what would life be like for you?
    • What are the things you have to do next? List down everything that you have to do in the next day or week?
    • Have you noticed any patterns in your life? Are there particular times, events, people, TV programmes, activities etc. that are happening when anxiety strikes? What do you do to relieve the anxiety? Did it work well?
    • What would you do today if you knew you couldn’t fail?

    What if I’m no good at writing?

    That doesn’t matter either. It doesn’t matter if you can’t spell, or if your writing looks bad or you can’t write sentences that flow nicely. You are not going to publish your journal. No one else if going to read it. Even you don’t have to read it (although you can if you want to).

    You can write sentences, or just a list of bullet points. You can cross things out, if you think of a better way to say it. You can scribble notes in the margins, draw pictures or draw diagrams. It’s just whatever you want.

    How long should I write for?

    Again – there is no right or wrong answer – 5 minutes, 10 minutes or half an hour maybe. Just do what feels right for you.

    And Finally

    There are lots of things you can do yourself to help with anxiety, depression and other issues – only one of which is journalling. If you cannot manage your anxiety on your own, you may like to consider getting help. In my clinic in Fleet, I help people with anxiety. I use solution-focused hypnotherapy to help them get back in control of their lives and get rid of the unwanted symptoms.

    Photo by Ashlyn Ciara on Unsplash

    References

    Medical News Today, How to Journal for Anxiety
    University of Rochester Medical Center, Journaling for Mental Health

  • A glass of wine to take the edge of it?

    A glass of wine to take the edge of it?

    Are you one of the many people who have a glass of wine or a beer after a stressful day, just to “take the edge off it”? Be warned that for those of you with anxiety, alcohol may actually make the situation worse.

    Alcohol is a depressant – this doesn’t mean that it makes you depressed; it means that the parts of your brain and body stop working as efficiently as usual. We all know that that part of your brain that puts a brake on stupid behaviour is suppressed – so you start to loose your inhibitions. After a few drinks, your ability to speak clearly and at the right volume becomes effected. And you probably know all the other things that happen to you. It’s all because alcohol winds back the functioning of some parts of the brain.

    If you drink regularly, the brain gets used to the effects of the alcohol and starts to change in order to compensate. This means that when you don’t get a drink one evening, the primitive part of your brain recognises that something is different from usual, and starts to enter the fight-or-flight mode. If you are used to having a glass of wine when you get home from work, you might notice increased tension on the day when you don’t get a drink – that’s the primitive part of the brain starting to engage.

    Alcohol also has an effect on the chemicals in the brain, in particular it decreases the production of a neurotransmitter called GABA. One of GABA’s roles is to regulate the other neurotransmitter chemical so as to decrease anxiety and other mental health issues. This is one of the reasons why alcohol can lead to emotional and mental health issues.

    Surprisingly, alcohol does not help you get a good night’s sleep. Alcohol may make you sleepy, but it acts more like a sedative than natural sleep. This means that the dreaming phase of your sleep does not work properly, particularly during the early parts of the night when the alcohol is still active in the bloodstream. As dreaming is one of the main natural ways the brain has to deal with the stresses of the day, this has a big negative impact on anxiety.

    How many drinks you have and how often is up to you. You need to make your own judgement. The take home message from this blog is simple – a glass of wine may take the edge of the stress you are under, but it will not do anything for your overall anxiety levels, and may make them worse.

    Photo by Terry Vlisidis on Unsplash

  • The News – On or Off?

    The News – On or Off?

    The world is a stressful place to be in right now. The news is full of bad stuff happening that gives rise to a huge amount of uncertainty. A recent poll by the American Psychological Association, entitled “Stress in America” reveals the impact that the pandemic has had on mental health, with an increase in stress levels as well as an increase in unhealthy coping mechanisms (such as drinking and weight gain).

    Along with the pandemic are other stressors such as worry about rising prices, concern that things are not available in shops, worry about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its possible consequences.

    I will not go into everything that the survey has turned up – because very little of it is good news.

    There are lots of bad things happening in the world – locally, nationally and internationally. Dwelling on these things can really increase our stress, and really push up anxiety levels.

    Some of my clients have a very simple way of dealing with stress brought on by events in the world – they simply do not watch the news. When there are bad things happening that we have no control over, there is simply no point in worrying about them. Developing righteous anger or worrying about the bad things that are happening will simply make anxiety worse. So a simple answer is to turn off the news.

    That being said, there are also good reasons to watch the news. Some things effect us that we need to know about, and our friends and colleagues will often want to discuss what is going on.

    It’s a question of balance. You need to watch the right amount of news for you. If you are effected by it badly (getting worried, depressed or angry) – then maybe you should watch less, or even turn it off altogether. If it all rolls off you like water off a duck’s back – watch as much as you want.

    To watch or not to watch – that is the question.

    If you cannot manage your anxiety on your own, you may like to consider getting help. In my clinic in Fleet, I help people with anxiety. I use solution-focused hypnotherapy to help them get back in control of their lives and get rid of the unwanted symptoms.

    Photo by Ron Hamlin on Unsplash

  • When getting distracted is a good thing

    When getting distracted is a good thing

    How often do you find yourself supposedly getting on with some job or other, and finding yourself distracted doing something else? Maybe you have a job that you have been putting off because it’s a bit boring, and you just check your social media before you start … 2 hours later you are still on social media and have not started the job yet!

    Getting distracted is not a good thing when you have jobs to do. The brain has a natural tendency to focus on something interesting rather than doing something boring, and so distraction is often a big problem in getting boring stuff done.

    The good news is that we can use this natural tendency to stop our anxieties and worries rearing their head. Anxiety occurs in different ways in different people, and one of the most common ways is worry. We worry about the things that could go wrong, and it seems to go round and round in our heads without ever resolving itself.

    Worry is nature’s way of getting you to do something about a potential problem. If you worry about failing your exams, that worry encourages you to study more. If you worry about being late for work, it encourages you to run for the bus. Once you have done something about it – there is not need to worry. But for some people the worry continues going round and round in their heads, even though they have done everything they can.

    And that is where distraction comes in. A very simple way to regain control of a worrying mind is to distract it. Find something that absorbs you – whether it is reading a book, watching a film or going down to the gym.

    So if you worry about the car breaking down – make sure it is fully serviced and then you have done all you can. So if you find yourself worrying about it after that, just distract yourself. Do something that absorbs your brain into doing something else – whether it is doing the crossword, going out for a coffee with friends, or washing the car.

    If you cannot manage your anxiety on your own, you may like to consider getting help. In my clinic in Fleet, I help people with anxiety. I use solution-focused hypnotherapy to help them get back in control of their lives and get rid of the unwanted symptoms.

    Photo by Ethan Sexton on Unsplash

  • Don’t Think of a Pink Pineapple

    Don’t Think of a Pink Pineapple

    I see many clients in my clinic, and the first thing I ask them is, “What can I do to help?” Most clients usually start by telling all their problems – everything that is wrong with them. It could be their anxiety, their worries, their obsessions, their fears, and all their low moments.

    The next question I ask is, “So, what do you want instead?” It is this question that stumps some of my clients. They just want to get rid of the anxiety, depression, fear, anger, or whatever it is they don’t like about the way they are. But they don’t always think of how they would like to be instead. For example, if they feel anxious when they wake up, I want to know how they would like to feel when they wake up if they weren’t anxious.

    This is the first step in the change process, because it is a very simple fact that when someone thinks a lot about their fear, anxiety, anger or whatever, their brain just gets more stressed and the
    fear, anxiety, anger or whatever gets stronger.

    The brain is not good at processing negative statements. If I tell you, “Don’t think of a pink pineapple” then the first thing you think of is that pink pineapple. That is because your brain finds it difficult to process the “Don’t” part of the statement.

    So if you start to tell yourself, “I don’t want this anxiety/worry/harmful behaviour”, your brain will probably think about it some more, making it more likely to happen. And that is why it is really important to ask yourself, “What do I want instead?”

    This is the crux of all solution-focused therapies, and you can do it yourself. If there are circumstances when you have anxiety, ask yourself, “How do I want to feel in these circumstances” and then imagine yourself being like that.

    For example, if you feel anxious about answering the phone, ask yourself, “How do I want to feel when I answer the phone?” You might answer, “I want to be confident answering the phone.” You can then focus on being confident answering the phone, instead of focusing on not being anxious.

    If you cannot manage your anxiety on your own, you may like to consider getting help. In my clinic in Fleet, I help people with anxiety. I use solution-focused hypnotherapy to help them get back in control of their lives and get rid of the unwanted symptoms.

    Photo by Alex Gruber on Unsplash