Have you thought about what you'd like to change or accomplish in 2019?  More than a New Years resolution, thinking in a more concrete way about how you'd like to plan your year.
Year's seem to go by faster as we get older don't they? We often arrive in December wondering where the time has gone and lamenting that we don't have a sense of accomplishment.
An important aspect of creating change that matters to you is establishing healthy boundaries.  For some people this is a new endeavor, however it's never to late to begin.
The table below gives a good illustration of healthy boundaries vs. unhealthy boundaries.  Many of my clients feel a little unsure of their own identity when they first come to see me, this is not at all unusual.  We forget that we can draw upon our own experience and values to create  our sense of self, and that we are all a work in progress.  Nobody is set in stone, none of us are the same as we were 10 years ago and we will be different again in 10 years time.
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Our Goals can extend beyond 2019, we can for example set 1 year, 5 year and 10 year goals then for each category decide what weekly and monthly actions we will take to move ourselves towards achieving those goals.
Whether you'd like to change a habit, save more,  travel more, laugh more  - whatever it may be, it pays to create a plan.

• What do you want more of in life? 
• What would you like to phase out?
• Would you like to be fitter?  What is your daily plan and how will you measure your increase in fitness?
• Do you need to save more money?  What is your  budget? have you worked out your expenses vs income?  Go through your expenses for the last quarter and work out where you can make savings.  (often the daily takeaway coffees, bought lunches, or dreaded cigarettes are what's getting in the way of a more substantial nest egg by the end of the year)
• Would you like to eat more healthily and perhaps lose weight?  What does your new shopping list look like?  Have you factored time for weekly food prep to cut down on having to use your willpower up making multiple decisions during the week?  Have you thought about healthy options when eating out and making new and better choices from more familiar menus.
• Would you like to be less anxious?  Are you taking active steps to help your brain reset to a lower anxiety level? are you exercising, practicing mindfulness, challenging your unhelpful thoughts?
• Would you like to be more confident?  What is your plan to silence your inner critic and be more compassionate towards yourself?

Everybody has there own path to follow and even the path to wellness is varied There is no one size fits all approach.  In the image above it advises not to skip breakfast , however for some people intermittent fasting is helping them achieve their goals.  Nutritious food, exercise and sufficient sleep are non-negotiables for all of us though in my opinion, with that in mind you do what wNutrition Matters in Weight Lossorks best for you.

One of my goals for 2019 is to learn an instrument either the guitar or piano.  I intend to begin around March as I have other goals to complete in the earlier months  Learning an instrument is good for the brain, as well as an enjoyable pursuit.

What do you think?

Hypnotherapy Melbourne at Hypfocus Therapies- call Georgina on 0435 923 817.
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There is no wrong time to go to Hypnotherapy, it's helpful at any time to talk to someone objective; a professional with no emotional involvement in the issue you want to discuss.

There are however times when Hypnotherapy can be particularly beneficial, these include:

• when you're suffering the effects of Anxiety
• when you have attempted to make changes but have been unable to e.g. to lose weight, stop smoking, stop a damaging habit, leave a toxic relationship
• when you're feeling Stressed and not yourself
• when life is overwhelming or confusing,
• when you need help in developing practical tools to help you cope and move forward.  
• when you're at a crossroads and are doing some soul searching
• when you lack confidence
• when you're not able to function properly either socially or professionally 
• when your performance has declined and you can't seem to lift it back up
• when you're not living up to your potential
• when your quality of life has been impacted by thoughts, feelings or behaviours
• when you repeat negative patterns in works or relationships
• when you want to understand yourself better
• when you lack motivation
• when you want to enhance your ability to learn, builds new skills and receive feedback
• when you struggle to make decisions
• when you have a psychiatric illness (1 I 4 people will have a diagnosable psychiatric illness their lifetime)
• when you're experiencing grief or loss
• when you need to perform at your best e.g. in exams, sport, job interviews, public speaking etc.

At Hypfocus I combine psychotherapy and counselling skills with hypnosis to deliver the most effective and up to date treatment available.  I help my clients create incredible change through our collaborative work which enables them to create improvements at a deep subconscious level.  Our subconscious is the most powerful force in our life, when we use Hypnosis to align our subconscious processes with our conscious goals and desires we can live to our highest potential.

If you'd like to learn more about how I can help you give me a call on 0435 923 817 or use he contact form here
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Failing to plan is planning to fail

Are you familiar with the old adage about failing to plan above?  It may seem trite but I believe it's true.  If you want things to change for the better in your life, it's important to be clear about the outcome you want to achieve with those changes and then it's important to plan how those changes are going to be made.  This may seem obvious, but for most of us we talk about and wish for changes,  whether it's to be slimmer, to get a better paid job, to do better at school or uni or  to improve our relationships  somehow it never progresses beyond just vaguely talking about it.

Dr Bob Acton a US Psychologists suggests  taking small doable and measurable steps i.e.  to Plan, Do, Study and adjust - I've adapted his strategy below:

P D S A
Plan
Plan how you're going to implement changes, for example,  if you are planning to get fitter, plan when your exercise is going to fit into your life  Are you going to exercise in the morning or in the evening? Can you fit in a lunch time walk?   Is this plan practical?  Has your GP given you the ok? What obstacles might you need to overcome in order to execute this plan?   Might you need a Personal Trainer at first to learn how to exercise safely and with optimal impact?  Get real with yourself, if you want a different outcome some things need to be done differently.  Often I hear people tell me how unhappy they are and yet part of them stubbornly refuses to do anything differently, coming up with variouis excuses e.g. because they 'don't have time'.  Is that extra 30 minutes in bed, in front of the TV or on Social Media really worth being miserable all day every day?  If we have embedded bad habits, we tend to defend them.  This is where Hypnotherapy is so effective at helping my clients initiate change.  Hypnotherapy helps my clients bypass the resistance created by limiting and false beliefs.  When our brains create habits they are designed to protect them, so if you develop a habit of comfort eating or smoking your brain will resist any attempt to break that habit.  Some people manage to wear down that resistance over time, more people give up.  Hypnotherapy helps set aside that resistance so that my clients can reconfigure their mindset and belief system,  create new habits to replace the old undesirable ones and still achieve the positive intent e.g. to be comforted or calmed.

Do
Do it! Get going and put your plan into action.  Don't wait for Monday or for it to be cooler or warmer or lighter, don't wait for your friend to be free to go with you, don't wait to be lighter before you start exercising, don't wait for all the biscuits and cake to be eaten, don't wait for the pack of cigarettes to be smoked.  You want a new life? Do what you need to do. Practice, practice, practice - consistency creates progress and practice creates consistency. 

Study
Study the change occurring in your life.  Be realistic, change is often gradual so it's important to keep in mind the measurable component of your plan as your reality check.  Too often people become disheartened because results don't happen immediately, however if you keep your plan routed in reality you'll pick up on the steady progress you're making towards your goal.  This will provide the basis for the next step too.
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Adjust/Act
If all or any aspect of your plan is not working as well in practice as it did in theory, don't give up, rather  make any necessary adjustments.  Often change is built on trial and error.  You become your own best source of research and feedback.  Different things work for different people,  keeping it fun makes it much easier to maintain so mixing things us while keeping your end goal in mind can be a great way to stay motivated and on track.    By reflecting on how your plan is going you can continuously tweak and improve upon it and tailor it to work for you.  Keep a record of your progress.


If you'd like to learn more about how I can help you make positive change in  your life whether it's with Hypnosis for Weight Loss, Hypnosis to Quit Smoking,  Hypnotherapy for Anxiety or more give me a call on 0435 923 817 or use the contact form on Hypfocus Contact page.  I'm located in Mentone, South East Melbourne - accessible from post parts of Melbourne via the Nepean Hwy, Monash Freeway or Eastlink.

I came across an interesting article published  by the CNBC network in the US in July 2016 about how Science has discovered How Hypnosis works.
The article was based on a Stanford University Study in which they placed the study participants into brain imaging machines and played them recordings.  Some recordings were designed to induce hypnosis and the others just gave straight out instructions.
The study demonstrated that when in a state of hypnosis that three areas of the brain are affected. The area of the brain responsible for evaluating contexts i.e. what to worry about and what to ignore, this means that hypnotised people are able to immerse themselves in a concept with great focus.
The second area affected is the part of the brain that enables us to separate thoughts from physical feelings e.g. you can focus on a particular train of thought while feeling as though your floating weightlessly, this means fore example that you can process and resolve a frightening concept without experiencing the feelings of fear that have prevented it's resolution in the past.
The third region of the brain affected is the area that maintains our self-consciousness, which enables people under hypnosis to do things they couldn't normally do due to inhibition or fear, this is a hugely powerful therapy tool becuase it enables people to explore outside their own psychological paradigm and see things from different perspectives and how they might respond and react to things differently as well as behave differently e.g. without fear, without resorting to an unwanted habit.
The researcher at Stanford (Spiegal) hopes that the study will encourage more use of hypnosis in therapy by providing evidence that it's not just a trick but rather a "neurobiological phenomenon"

The study also demonstrates that hypnosis is not about the client losing control but rather about enhancing the control that they have over their brains and bodies.

If you'd like to see the full article  here it is :
You're getting very curious: Scientists discover how hypnosis actually works
If you'd like to learn more about Hypnotherapy please visit my home page here Hypfocus Hypnotherapy Melbourne or give me a call on 0435 923 817.  

Bookings available in person, via Skype or via Zoom

"Does Hypnotherapy Work?" and "Will Hypnotherapy work on me?" are the two questions I'm most frequently asked.  Hypnotherapy in my experience is a wonderfully effective tool for change.
I've seem people experience incredible transformations simply by having a shift in their thinking.
Hypnotherapy creates a state of deep focus that with the guidance of the Hypnotherapist leads to greater insight for the clients, and this insight makes the process of change feel natural and easier than ever imagined possible.

Often we become stuck in a belief system or habit that we are hardly even consciously aware of, it may be a belief that we've held from such an early stage that we don't even know it is a belief we think it's simply a fact of life.  Often these beliefs can be about ourselves, beliefs like "I'll never be a success", "I'll never be as popular/clever/beautiful" etc etc as the""others", "I'm not good enough", "I can't stop...."  We accept these beliefs because we rarely think them through with clarity and presence.  Hypnotherapy allows us to explore and correct the beliefs that have been limiting us unnecessarily. 

Hypnotherapy gives us insight into why we do what we do and allows us to experience what it could be like if we change our unwanted habits, beliefs or behaviours.

Will it work on you?  If you can listen to my voice and are open to the possibility of change there is no reason why not.  All that is required for it to be effective is that we spend some time in a counselling session together so that I can understand how the issue you want to work on is for you, and then during the hypnotherapy part of our session I will use this information to help you create the change in mindset that you need.  The number of sessions required is variable dependin upon the issue, however I recommend an absolute minimum of 3 sessions be undertaken.  This is to ensure that the changes being made are firmly embedded and that should any triggers arise you are prepared for them.  More complex issues require more sessions.
What is Hypnotherapy?
It's a focused state of absorption during which we are retraining the brain, engaging your powerful imagination to create  alternative neural pathways and associations to replace old patterns; understandably  for complex issues this can take longer.   As you can imagine someone that has only  done a few days training is not equipped to guide you through this process so always ensure your Hypnotherapist is properly trained and a member of a credible association like the AHA or the AACHP.  Hypnotherapy in Melbourne and Australia is not regulated so it's important to make sure you are going to a reputable and properly trained therapist.
I am a trained Clinical Hypnotherapist and Professional Counsellor and am a member of the AHA and ACA, my credentials are listed in the About me and Contact pages.

If you'd like to ask more questions about Hypnotherapy please feel free to give me a call on 0435 923 817.

Please feel free to comment below.

#Choosing a therapist can be tricky.  Choosing a Clinical Hypnotherapist in Melbourne can be particularly challenging because as Hypnotherapy is currently not regulated in Victoria it's important to check that the Hypnotherapist has been properly trained and is registered with an approved and nationally accredited association such as the Australian Hypnotherapists Association (AHA).  

Membership in an accredited association provides evidence that the practitioner has been properly trained in Hypnotherapy, so it's a good way of finding the best Australian Hypnotherapists in clinical practice.  Often it's the case the practitioners of other disciplines add Hypnotherapy to their lists of services when in fact they haven't undertaken sufficient training to merit membership in an industry association and in some cases haven't undertaken any training at all.

Registration with an accredited association provides peace of mind in that it not only indicates that the Hypnotherapist has been trained to the standard required for acceptance in the Hypnotherapy Association,  it also demonstrates that they have agreed to adhere to the Hypnotherapy Associations code of conduct, they they have passed a police check, a working with children check, have trained in first aid, are properly insured and are undertaking continuous professional development training.  These are all very important criteria to have in mind before entering a therapeutic relationship,  particularly where confidentiality is so critical.  

Hypnotherapy is more than simply helping someone relax, it requires counselling and psychotherapy skills, for this reason in addition to the training I received during my years of studying Hypnotherapy I also undertook formal training as a Professional Counsellor;  in addition to being a member of the Australian Hypnotherapy Association I'm also a member of the Australian Counselling Association.  The Australian Counselling Association has similar criteria to the Hypnotherapy Association. 

Another aspect of association membership is that you are required to have professional supervision from a highly experienced, skilled and professionally accredited supervisor. This supervision helps to ensure that as a therapist you are able to workshop cases and review treatment plans while maintaining confidentiality and is an essential part of any therapists professional practice and development. In addition to the aforementioned membership of the Australian Hypnotherapy Association means that I have a provider number for Private Health Insurers so if your policy covers Hypnotherapy you can claim back some of the cost of the sessions.

So in conclusion when seeking a therapist I recommend that you spend a little time doing  some research as to their training and ongoing development to ensure that not only did they study Hypnotherapy extensively but are continuing to learn new techniques on the cutting edge of the industry.

As a private practitioner I ensure to keep a register of other reputable therapists that I can refer clients to if I believe their needs will be best served elsewhere.

Once you've established the credentials of the therapist then it's about finding the therapist that resonates most with you, you can do this by reading their blog or website and getting a feel for their style.  If still unsure give them a call and talk to them about how they work.  Any good therapist will be happy to talk to you by phone because a good therapist wants to ensure the best outcome for  you and to help you make the choice that works best for you.

If you'd like further information please don't hesitate to contact me on 0435 923 817 or by using this contact form.  Click this link learn more about me.
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For the best Hypnotherapy Australia has to offer always check the NHRA (National Hypnotherapist Register).  A register of all member hypnotherapists in associations Australia wide.


#hypnotherapyaustralia #associationsaustralia

​Choice Magazine’s September 2016 issue has an interesting Article on Hypnosis and Weight Loss.  The article confirms what I have repeatedly emphasised in my Blogs i.e. the importance of checking the credentials of your chosen Hypnotherapist. It’s disappointing however that having outlined the importance of checking your Therapists qualifications, that Choice used as a  “case study”  in the article an example of a woman who went to a therapist in Queensland without checking if he was qualified; not surprisingly she didn’t have the best experience.  The Article does  acknowledge the effectiveness of Hypnotherapy when delivered by a skilled therapist and the role it can play in assisting people in achieving their weight loss goals. 

​This is a common question, and in the context of Australia I would say the main difference is purpose. 

The word Hypnotist in Australia is generally used to describe someone using the skill of Hypnotism for the purpose of providing entertainment, where as a Hypnotherapist is using very similar skills, (although usually executed in a less dramatic and more collaborative manner) with the purpose of delivering  therapy while utilising the state of focus and absorption created  when their client  is in a state of trance (even very light trance).  This state enables the client to absorb and process concepts, suggestions and possibilities on several levels of their consciousness simultaneously.