Professional Memberships

I am a registered member of various professional, reputable, world-wide organisations. Each organisation requires me to adhere to a Strict Code of Ethics. This means that I am committed to a high level of professionalism, on-going training, and supervision ensuring that my clients always receive a safe, sound therapy.

My memberships are with:

• The Association of Professional Hypnosis and Psychotherapy (APHP).
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The British National Register of Advanced Hypnotherapists (NRAH).
  
  





• The National Council of Psychotherapists (NCP).
  
  





• The UK Confederation of Hypnotherapy Organisations (UKCHO).
  
  
  

Please visit these websites if you require further details.

Therapy > Treating Anxiety and Panic Attacks

with Hypnotherapy

Do you need help overcoming Anxiety and Panic Attacks?
Are you suffering with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

Hypnotherapy could help you find permanent relief from your symptoms of stress and anxiety.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a feeling that you get when something stresses you out and you feel fearful and tense. People experience stress and anxiety in different ways and for different reasons. Prolonged periods of stress and anxiety can lead to panic attacks and other anxiety related disorders such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Depression.

What is a Panic Attack?

A panic attack is one of the most frightening symptoms of stress and anxiety. If you have never had one before it can be hard to understand what the sufferer is actually going through.

Some people say, "Suddenly for no apparent reason, my heart starts pounding, I feel dizzy, I sweat and shake and I am petrified that I will collapse, die or completely lose control."

Symptoms of a Panic Attack

During a panic attack, the person suffers an extremely high level of fear, stress and anxiety and can feel out of control. This experience usually lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes. In some cases, it may even resemble a heart attack which is why many people either call an ambulance or go to their local hospital to get checked out.

Some of the following symptoms will usually be experienced during a panic attack, particularly those highlighted:

• Palpitations (rapid, uneven or pounding heartbeat).
• Difficulty breathing including Asthma, Shallow Breathing and Hyperventilation.
• Muscle tension and pain (particularly in the throat, chest, stomach, shoulders, neck and jaw).
• Hot and cold flushes.
• Sweating.
• Tingling sensations.
• 'Pins and needles' in the hands and/or feet.
• Shaking.
• Weakness of the limbs.
• Feeling lightheaded or dizzy as if going to pass out.
• Feeling of being outside of one’s body or detached from reality.
• Dry mouth.
• Feeling of choking.
• Feelings of Nausea.
• Stomach ache and ‘butterflies’ in the stomach.
• Increased need to urinate.
• Constipation.
• Diarrhoea.
• Constant restlessness and fidgeting.
• Inability to relax, focus and concentrate on completing any simple task.
• Over-alertness including increased sensitivity to noise.
• Feeling under pressure.
• Feeling constantly frightened.
• Impulses to run and hide.
• Fear of being out of control or crazy.
• Fears of social embarrassment or failure.
• Fears of imminent fainting, collapse, heart attack or death.

When do Panic Attacks happen?

You are most likely suffer a panic attack when you are feeling tired or run down, and are consequently less well equipped to cope with the stresses and strains of daily life.

What Causes Panic Attacks?

Sometimes you may have an idea what seems to have triggered off your panic attack but another time it may appear to have come ‘completely out of the blue’. You will usually find that the major trigger is an overload of stress, worries and life events that have been playing on both your conscious and subconscious mind. Dealing with the root cause(s) is the key to overcoming your anxiety and panic attacks.

Breaking the ‘Vicious Cycle’

Physical symptoms, worrying thoughts and avoidance behaviour feed off each other and create a vicious cycle of fear and panic. Once you have had one panic attack, you are always looking out for signs of another and become hyper-vigilant. People often start to misinterpret what is happening and become even more anxious, having irrational thoughts and starting to panic about minor bodily symptoms. It is important to break this negative vicious cycle by thinking positively and seeking professional help.

Clinical Hypnotherapy

Panic Attacks occur because of faulty programming. Using Hypnotherapy we find out why your subconscious mind is switching your 'fight or flight response' on too much, and do the all important reprogramming so you can be free of your panic attacks for good.

Explaining a Panic Attack to the Non-Sufferer

Imagine that you are sitting on a train on the way home from work, when you notice a masked man get into your carriage waving a gun. Quite naturally you feel scared and panic, and your body’s natural instinctive 'fight or flight' survival response activates itself to protect you. Your heart begins to race, you start sweating and shaking and try to work out how you are going to escape this dangerous situation.

Now imagine that you are sitting on that same train experiencing those exact same feelings but there is no masked man with a gun, only other people talking, reading and minding their own business. Your mind is trying to make sense of what you are feeling and at the same time you are thinking, “I’m going mad... I’m having a heart attack... I’m going to make a fool of myself... I’m losing control... I’m going to die”. That’s how a panic attack feels.

Panic is a normal response to fear

It is important to remember that a panic attack is simply the body’s natural instinctive 'fight or flight' survival response. Imagine the physical feelings you get when you experience a near miss accident in your car. Your body automatically goes into a high state of arousal.

The Clue is in the History

This physical response goes back thousands of years to our prehistoric ancestors who had to fight or run away from wild animals in order to survive. The same reflex reaction lies at the heart of panic attacks. The difference is that although it has exactly the same physical effects, it now occurs in situations where there is no apparent danger e.g. when shopping in a supermarket, during a meeting at work or when going out with friends.

The ‘Fight or Flight’ Life-Saving Response

It is important to constantly remind yourself that although anxiety is unpleasant and can be very frightening, this life-saving response will not harm you. You will not faint, go mad or have a heart attack. Panic attacks are harmless.