Linda McEnaney

How hypnotherapy can help you to increase confidence, overcome fears and anxiety and perform at your best.

Why is public speaking so challenging?

The fear of public speaking, known as Glossophobia is a common social phobia.  It is estimated that 75% of the population is affected to some degree.  This lack of confidence and fear may result in you feeling anything from a slight nervousness to intense fear or even panic attacks. Physically you may feel sick, shaky, with clammy hands and your voice may shake too.  Some individuals blush uncontrollably or feel like they can’t speak.  You just want to get out of the situation as soon as possible.

These reactions are due to the ‘fight, flight, freeze’ anxiety response, where your brain sees the experience as a threat, and wants to keep you safe. If public speaking is something you rarely do, it can seem even more of a threat and we can see it as a terrifying event.

Confidence – The feeling of knowing you can do something or handle a situation well, even if it is challenging

It is common to negatively forecast what might happen, ‘what if I say something wrong?, ‘what if they’re judging me?’ ‘What if I can’t get my words out?’. Our brains come up with so many different ‘what if’ scenarios, which in reality won’t happen.  What happens in our imagination feels very real.  Even thinking about the situation and how it might go can cause us to have those dreaded physical feelings!.

It doesn’t have to be like this.  I have helped many people to improve their confidence and overcome their fears.

Case Study – Confidence for business owner presenting at an event

Recently I worked with a business owner who recognised that her fear of public speaking was holding her back to promote and grow her business.  She wanted to be able to present and talk about what she does with confidence. To share the passion she feels for the business and how it can help others.

In our sessions together we –

• Focused on positives – what’s going well as this encourages more of the positive behaviour
• Discussed why our brain reacts the way it does when feels fear or a ‘threat’ and what we can do about it.
• Focused on small steps to gain control and confidence
• Included some tools and techniques that can be used at any time (confidence anchor and breathing techniques)
• Ended each session with relaxing hypnosis. This is enhanced by using the provided audio at home. 

The client was taught the confidence anchor technique which can be used discretely at anytime. Additionally we did a ‘reframe’ of the upcoming event including the planned presentation.  This reframe allows the client to imagine the event and experience under hypnosis how they want to be feeling.  If the client wants to be feeling calm, confident and in control, this is what the brain expects to feel when they actually experience the event.

Within a few weeks the client was prepared and confident in time for the event. Armed with tools and techniques to be used at any time they want in the future too.  The text below is taken from their testimonial (with permission).

Client Testimonial – public speaking

I was extremely nervous and constantly avoided public speaking and presentations for fear of things going wrong, looking incompetent and being judged. I knew I needed help to overcome the problem if I wanted to succeed in promoting my business, so I approached Linda for help.

I had a few 1-1 online sessions and she instantly put me at ease with her friendly and down to earth personality. She was empathetic and professional and helped me overcome my fears and phobias with hypnotherapy sessions that were calming, relaxing and above all enabled me to overcome my fears, by boosting my confidence and self belief. I was able to present to a small audience, something I had avoided doing for years, due to past bad experiences and judgements, but Linda helped me to move on and put them behind me. Linda explained in detail why we have these anxieties and why and how our brain reacts to them.

Whether you want to present at an event or work meeting, give a relaxed wedding speech, be your best at a job interview or enjoy social events or parties, this positive, future focused process can help you.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help you to find your inner strength and resilience. If you improve your confidence and overcome your fears, what will you be able to do?

‘Confidence is your reward for overcoming fear’

 

Sleep really is is a Super Power! 

The importance of a good night’s sleep can not be underestimated! A good night’s sleep is so important for our overall health and wellbeing.  We need to sleep to be able to be mentally alert, feel rested, fight infection and feel calm, confident & in control.

When we feel stressed or anxious, from our busy work schedules, family life or just coping with life’s ups & downs, our sleep is often the first thing that suffers, which then leads us to feel even more stressed and overwhelmed.  

There is no single definitive reason why we sleep, however the latest research confirms that there are some really important processes which take place when we do sleep, including consolidating memory and learning and ‘cleaning up’ our brains after all the busy activity in the day.

There are various phases which we cycle through during our time asleep.  The brain normally reduces stress levels during part of our sleep cycle called Rapid Eye Movement, or REM sleep. During this phase, brain activity is similar to when we are awake.

It is during our REM sleep phase when most dreams happen.  The full purpose of dreaming is not known, however it is believed to be when our brains process and make sense of the events of the day.  REM is also important for emotional processing and brain development.

Unfortunately REM is limited to 20 – 25 % of our sleep pattern, so if there is a lot of perceived stress in your life, then you quickly use up the REM, and, as a result, you may find that you wake up and struggle to return to sleep. REM is often the sleep phase which is ‘sacrificed’ if you have disturbed sleep, and as such you don’t wake up feeling refreshed.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy – How can it help?

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy  helps by reducing your stress and allowing good restful sleep to return, especially improving your time spent in ‘REM sleep’.  This helps you get a good night’s sleep, to wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day!

Hypnotherapy is named after ‘Hypnos’ the Greek god of sleep, as in a therapy session we use hypnosis and this state of deep of relaxation so your subconscious is responsive to positive suggestions.

Hypnotherapy can really help with insomnia and sleep issues – I have helped clients who came to me with long term sleep issues, and found that hypnotherapy really did make a big difference.  Please take a look at the testimonial pages for details of their reviews. Improved, Restful Sleep  Overcoming Long Term Sleep Issues

Regardless of the condition you come to hypnotherapy for, most clients report improved sleep too!

What else can you try to improve your sleep? 

Alongside reducing stress through hypnotherapy, you can improve your sleep through good ‘sleep hygiene’

Both your bedroom environment and daily routine and behaviours are important.  You may find some of the points below of benefit to you.

• Have a Comfortable Mattress and Pillow
• Set a Cool Yet Comfortable Temperature
• Block Out Light or Dim Your Lights: Try to keep away from bright lights because they can hinder the production of melatonin, a hormone that the body creates to facilitate sleep.
• Drown Out Noise: Ear plugs can stop noise from keeping you awake, or Listen to a suitable relaxation audio (Every client gets access to my relaxation audio!)
• Try Calming Scents: Light smells, such as lavender may induce a calmer state of mind and help cultivate a positive space for sleep.
• Keep your routine consistent & practice healthy daily habits
• Budget 30 Minutes For Winding Down: Take advantage of whatever puts you in a state of calm such as soft music, light stretching, reading, and/or relaxation exercises.
• Unplug From Electronics: Build in a 60 minute pre-bed buffer time that is device-free.
• Try Methods of Relaxation: Instead of making falling asleep your goal, it’s often easier to focus on relaxation. Meditation, mindfulness, breathing patterns, and other relaxation techniques can put you in the right mindset for bed.
• Get Daylight Exposure: Light, especially sunlight, can encourage quality sleep.
• Be Physically Active: Regular exercise can make it easier to sleep at night.
• Don’t Smoke: Nicotine stimulates the body in ways that can disrupt sleep.
• Reduce Alcohol Consumption: Alcohol may make it easier to fall asleep, but the effect wears off, disrupting your sleep patterns later in the night.
• Cut Down on Caffeine, especially in the Afternoon and Evening: Because it’s a stimulant, caffeine  can keep you alert, even when you want to rest.  Try caffeine free or herbal/ fruit tea alternatives.
• Don’t eat late: Eating a meal late, can mean you’re still digesting when it’s time for bed.
• Restrict In-Bed Activity: To build a link in your mind between sleep and being in bed, avoid watching TV or using electronics. 

Some of these may be beneficial to you and small steps can help.  If you have long term sleep issues, please speak to your doctor or take professional advice.

I am delighted to be giving a talk on ‘How our brains work and the importance of good sleep on our health and wellbeing’ at the wonderful ‘Land of Beds’ showroom in Helsby. http://www.landofbeds.co.uk

Attendees can also get the opportunity to experience a deep relaxation session on their wonderful comfortable beds.  The event is on the 18th January 2024 from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm.  Please see ‘workshops and classes’ tab.  It would be lovely to see you there!

Please also see the attached blog on stress and sleep from the ‘Land of Beds’ Website

https://www.landofbeds.co.uk/help-and-advice/lifestyle/how-to-tell-if-stress-is-affecting-your-sleep/

       Workshops & Classes

Clients often report improvements in areas of their lives in addition to what they originally came to hypnotherapy for.  By ‘Emptying the Stress Bucket’ through the process, clients often report being more relaxed and able to sleep better, and who doesn’t want that!

Hypnotherapy can have a great benefit not only for yourself as a client, but also wider for your family and friends. Many others notice and benefit from the ‘Ripple Effect’ as you make positive changes. 

I am delighted when I see a new client from a personal recommendation of a previous client. This is such a fantastic endorsement of what can be achieved and the impact of this process.

I love what I do and Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is so fulfilling.  When I have had a positive effect, and I am then trusted to do it for others close to a client is pretty special!.

There are lots of inspiring  quotes about  this ‘Ripple Effect’  however I especially like this excerpt by Margaret Weis –

‘Like a drop in the vast ocean, each of us causes ripples as we move through our lives.  The effects of whatever we do – insignificant as it may seem – spread out beyond us.  We may never know what far reaching impact even the simplest action might have on our fellow mortals’

This is what inspired the ‘Coda Hypnotherapy’ logo  and the website banner.

The Solution Focused approach of the ‘3Ps’ are the ‘Ripple Effect’ in action!

• Positive Thoughts
• Positive Actions
• Positive Interactions

All those small positive changes each of us do in our daily lives can have more impact on ourselves and others than we may ever know.

 

I am so excited to be launching a website as a resource for you to know about Solution Focused Hypnotherapy but more importantly what this therapy can help you with!

I am particularly passionate about mental health awareness and the impact of stress and anxiety on our everyday lives.  Whether it’s from workplace stress, having too many responsibilities to juggle, social pressures and general worries or as a result of coping with Menopause symptoms.

I have also started ‘Hypnotherapy for weight management’ classes locally as a course of 4 classes as a different approach to weight management – focusing on how small changes and the way we think, and the use of our subconscious can help with managing our weight.  I’ll post information for the next courses on the website or get in touch if you would like to find out more!  I also provide one to one sessions for weight management.

See the ‘treatments’ tab for a list of just some of the conditions I can help with – these are examples of some of the more common conditions however hypnotherapy can help with so many more.  Please get in touch through the contact form, by e-mail or phone details as provided on the website and we can discuss your next steps.