Insomnia and Sleepless Nights – How to Gain Freedom from Lack of Sleep
If you are reading this you are probably already too familiar with insomnia and sleepless nights. Experts believe that one in three of us suffer from insomnia or sleep related problems at some stage in our lives. According to the “Truth About Sleep BBC Documentary” we are sleeping almost 2 hours less than we were 60 years ago. 40% of the population are actually getting less than 6 hours sleep per night.
Sleep is a much studied subject and countless researchers and physicians worldwide continue to study the negative affects of lack of sleep. Stanford University state that there are over 100 different types of sleep disorders ranging from difficulty sleeping at night to problems with excessive daytime sleepiness.
When peoples’ lives are greatly affected by sleep deprivation and they just want to know what they can do about it so that they can get to sleep naturally.
What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is defined as a difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, waking up too early, or not getting restful, restorative sleep.
Acute insomnia is defined as insomnia that lasts a few weeks and is usually the result of emotional or physical stress or anxiety.
Chronic insomnia is defined as difficulty sleeping for at least 3 nights a week or more for more that 1 month and is often associated with medical or psychological disorders.
How Does Lack of Sleep Affect Your Health?
Everybody has a broken night’s sleep every now and then but when it happens more often it may be affecting your overall health.
Symptoms of insomnia include lack of energy, problems with memory or concentration, daytime sleepiness, impairments to attention and memory, poor performance and problems with family due to irritability. Lack of sleep alters a person’s mood and can predispose then to anxiety, depression and other mood related disorders.
There is lots of evidence to show that lack of sleep can also contribute to weight gain and type 2 diabetes, as people reach for carbohydrate and sweet foods as their glucose levels have been affected by lack of sleep.
Our thoughts, feelings and beliefs about sleep play an important role in getting a comfortable nights sleep. Whether you lie awake worrying about the future or ruminating about the past everyone can learn the skill of stilling the mind. If reoccurring dreams keep you awake, then perhaps your mind is trying to resolve something that therapy can further facilitate.
Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy for Insomnia and Sleep Related Problems
There’s lots of evidence supporting hypnotherapy and psychotherapy is one of the most effective ways of treating insomnia and sleep related problems. The word hypnosis is from the Greek god of sleep and is effective in training the mind and body to relax deeply. The treatment for insomnia includes the use of therapeutic interventions to establish and ultimately ease the conscious or subconscious reasons why you may like awake at night.
“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?”
– Ernest Hemingway
Poor sleep, insomnia and sleep related problems can have a huge impact on your health and wellbeing, leaving you feeling exhausted and worn-out. If you are not getting adequate or restorative sleep and would like to find out how hypnotherapy and psychotherapy can help, please give me a call.
Hypnotherapy for Children
It is extremely distressing to witness your child experiencing something difficult whether it is anxiety, bedwetting, bullying, social anxiety, a traumatic event, exam stress, fear of flying or indeed grief following the loss of a loved one. Parents often do not know where to turn to find appropriate help. Hypnotherapy can provide solutions to some of the most challenging issues that children may experience. Hypnosis has long demonstrated its effectiveness in facilitating approaches used in psychotherapy.
Children respond exceptionally well to hypnotherapy. Their creative imaginations, love of magic and ability to be in the present moment allows them to engage fully in therapy. Children are naturally open to new ideas and experiences and can make remarkable progress relatively quickly. They can overcome fears, release emotions and break habits much more easily than adults.
How does Hypnotherapy Work with Children?
The focus of the treatment will be established at the outset, clarifying the presenting problem and how hypnotherapy can help. Sessions are unique to each child and the therapeutic techniques and strategies used will be specific to the child’s problem, age and stage of social and cognitive development.
Parents are invited to remain present with their child throughout the duration of the session. In the case of older children and adolescents consent is required before treatment can begin. It is really important that your child feels safe and secure during therapy and that they are speaking to someone that they can trust.
Thankfully, younger children do not have the same misconceptions about hypnosis that adults have learned
from performing hypnotherapists on TV, therefore they respond readily and make progress.
Your child’s imagination, curiosity and sense of adventure will be used in order to desensitise fears and overcome difficulties. They can release unwanted emotion and overcome negative experiences. Metaphorical stories, drawings, visualisations, games and other tools may also be used.
The hypnotherapy sessions for children are approximately one hour long. A good indication of the number of sessions needed can be given based on assessment of each child on their initial visit.
Children’s Issues Treated in Hypnotherapy
Parents seek hypnotherapy and psychotherapy for their children in order to solve cognitive, emotional and behavioural issues. Below is a summary of the treatments available. If you have a query about something that is not listed, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Anger
Bedwetting (Enuresis)
Behavioural Problems
Bullying
Confidence Issues
Depression
Exams Stress
Encopresis
Exam Nerves
Fears
Low Self-Esteem
Nail Biting
Nervousness
Night Terrors
Obsessive Thoughts and Compulsive Actions
Panic Attacks
Performance Anxiety
Phobias
Post-Traumatc Stress
Self-Harm
Separation Anxiety
Shyness
Speech Issues
Sleeping Difficulties
Thumb Sucking
Tics and Habits
Trauma
Weight Issues
Dream Interpretation: What does your Dream Mean?
Modern research continuously proves that dreams contain fundamentally meaningful information. They can illustrate the hidden meaning of one’s unconscious thoughts, drives and desires which brings awareness, insight and even premonition.
The best and most accurate method for unravelling the true meaning of dreams is for the dreamer to re-experience the dream in hypnosis and explore what the subconscious mind is conveying. If you dream regularly or have reoccurring dreams and would like to explore their meaning in hypnosis contact me for an appointment today.
How OCD Interferes with Daily Living
If you suffer with obsessive compulsive disorder, you are familiar with intrusive anxiety causing thoughts. What is most disturbing about these unwanted thoughts is the lack of control you have over them. These negative automatic thoughts create anxiety, which in turn compels a behaviour to relieve that anxiety. Unfortunately the relief gained from the behaviour is short-lived and so the cycle continues as shown in the diagram below.
Obsessions generally begin with intrusive thoughts that cause anxiety and in order for the person to feel a sense of safety or relief they are compelled to perform a behaviour i.e. a compulsion.
About 1 in 50 people or 2-3% of the population suffer with OCD. It affects men and women equally and usually begins before the age of 25.
Many celebrities have helped people seek treatment by discussing the implications of living with OCD and how it can interfere with everyday activities, commitments and relationships.
From Obsessive Hoarding to Compulsive Hand Washing
OCD is characterised by obsessions or compulsions or both. OCD can take many different forms and are broadly categorised into obsessions and compulsions as follows:
Categories of Obsessions:
- Aggressive obsessions – unwanted urges of causing harm
- Contaminations obsessions – fears that people or objects may be contaminated
- Sexual obsessions – unwanted sexual thoughts or fears about sexual orientation
- Hoarding/saving – obsessive collection and retention of materials
- Religious obsessions – intrusive religious blasphemous thoughts or compulsive praying
- Need for symmetry or exactness
- Somatic obsessions – including hypochondria or body appearance
Categories of Compulsions:
- Washing and cleaning – excessive hand washing, showering, cleaning
- Checking – preventing dangers, checking and rechecking locks and appliances
- Repeating rituals – unwanted urges to repeat specific behaviours
- Counting – doing something or checking something a specific number of times
- Ordering and arranging – having specific rules about the way things should be
- Mental rituals or other forms of counting and checking
Hypnotherapy and psychotherapy is an effective treatment available for those suffering with the debilitating effects of anxiety related OCD. The aim of the approach used in hypno-psychotherapy is to address the cause of the anxiety and to interrupt the continual looping that is overriding the brain’s frontal thinking cortex. This looping referred to is shown in the circular diagram. For more information and booking contact me, Sinead Duffy, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist at my clinic in Monaghan town.
Manage Exam Stress with Hypnotherapy
Stress and anxiety levels are naturally higher at exam times. The worry, dread and fear of failure can take hold months before exams affecting study and sleep. Some stress is quite normal and can often help students stay motivated and attentive. However, too much stress can be unhelpful and negatively affect attention and memory. Students can find it more difficult to concentrate, retain and recall information. Research has shown that stress and anxiety impacts exam performance and has a negative effect on results.
With a calm mind you can improve concentration and memory to give the best and most effective exam performance.
Hypnotherapy has helped many students manage exam stress and perform at their best.
A well prepared mind is an effective one. For the best results, allow time for preparation and practice. Do not delay book your session today.
Gain Freedom from Social Anxiety
It is normal to want to make a good impression in social settings and some level of anxiety is quite natural. However, if you excessively fear being negatively evaluated, humiliated or embarrassed in social situations then you may well be experiencing social anxiety.
People who suffer with social anxiety want to avoid circumstances that could make then feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. On a physical level they may be sweating, blushing or trembling. Quite often they would rather be anywhere than a social gathering.
Social anxiety disrupts normal life and can have a debilitating effect on the person involved. People can feel anxious before social situations, uncomfortable throughout and conclude them with negative thoughts of being judged. These fears of rejection lead to loss of self-worth and low self-esteem.
Hypnotherapy together with psychotherapy is highly effective in helping people overcome social anxiety. Using proven techniques you can overcome unwanted feelings of anxiety so that you can enjoy life more, build new relationships and develop your potential.
Phobias: How to Easily Overcome Excessive Fears and Phobias with Hypnotherapy
A phobia is an irrational fear of a particular thing or situation which can have devastating and debilitating consequences for the person involved. The physical reactions vary from mild to intense and include sweaty palms, erratic heartbeat, nausea, increased muscle tension, shortness of breath, blurred vision and fainting. Fears and phobias may be the product of past traumas, accumulated stresses or a series of negative experiences.
Some phobias are Simple Phobias and others are considered to be Complex Phobias. Simple phobias are usually isolated and tend to be specific e.g. fear of flying. These phobias are often fully resolved very quickly with hypnotherapy.
In the case of complex phobias, often the presenting phobia is not the real concern, its the underlying unresolved issues that must be addressed. The interesting thing about phobias is that the relationship of the phobia and the cause may not seem logical. For example, who would think that if a brother locked a sister in a cuppord that he she would grow up and present with fear of flying. The cause of the phobia is usually unconscious, therefore only an intervention which operates at an unconscious level can solve it i.e. therapy that is conducted hypnosis.
Top 10 Phobias
Here are a list of the top 10 most frequently experienced phobias listed on the ABC Newspage.
- Social phobias: excessive fear of social situations
- Agoraphobia: fear of open spaces
- Acrophobia: fear of heights
- Pteromerhanophobia: fear of flying
- Claustrophobia: fear of enclosed spaces
- Entomophobia: fear of insects
- Ophidiophobia: fear of snakes
- Cynophobia: fear of dogs
- Astraphobia: fear of storms
- Trypanophobia: fear of needles
The most commonly treated phobias in my therapy room are social phobia, fear of flying, fear of enclosed spaces and fear of needles, Although not listed on the top ten I have treated people with driving phobia. Thankfully fear of snakes is not a problem here in Ireland, however I have treated excessive fears and phobias of spiders, mice and birds.
Regardless of what phobia affects your life, there is no need to suffer. Hypno-psychotherapy is highly successful in treating irrational fears and phobias. If you want to find out more, please contact me today.
Many issues can be helped using suggestion hypnotherapy, however when when thoughts and feelings are beyond a person’s control, it is essential to do Analytical Hypnotherapy.
Analytical hypnotherapy is a powerful, in-depth, therapeutic approach that can be used in order to resolve innermost conflict, trauma and distress.
This type of therapy takes a person to the deepest levels of their mind in order to draw out what may be leaving them feeling debilitated or inhibiting their personal growth.
Analytical Hypnotherapy is also known as Hypno-Analysis or Hypno-Analytical Therapy. Just in the same way as the principle of cause and effect works, analytical hypnotherapy works from the premise that every symptom has an underlying cause. For example when people experience anxiety or panic attacks, they are triggering a feeling from their childhood. Those who experience intense anxiety while public speaking they may be triggering a time when they previously felt humiliated in public.
Once the cause of the presenting symptom is identified, the emotional experience can be understood and addressed with multiple therapeutic methods. It has been proven to be effective with even the most stubborn of symptoms.
Analytical hypnotherapy is a powerful, in-depth, therapeutic approach that can be used in order to resolve the most stubborn of symptoms a person may have.
“Hypnoanalysis enables the therapist to locate the sources of inner conflicts, and this is the best technique I know for getting to the root of causes quickly.” –Dave Elman
Birth Calmly with Hypnobirthing
Women the world over are seeking out hypnobirthing to facilitate a calm and natural birth. By practising simple and specific hypnosis techniques during pregnancy, you can release fear and anxiety, and build confidence in yourself and your body’s ability to give birth naturally. When you are physically and mentally relaxed during labour you can have much more manageable child birthing experience.
With the help of hypnobirthing, you can:
- Enjoy deep sleep during pregnancy
- Reduce the need for pain relief
- Shorten labour times
- Learn the deep hypnotic relaxation techniques
- Release fears and anxiety of the birthing process
- Build confidence in your own ability to birth naturally
- Calmly connect with the natural birthing process
- Connect with your body’s innate wisdom
Contact Sinead Duffy to book your hypnobirthing sessions.