Hey!

I can't believe it's nine months since I last wrote on here!

In that time I've been rather busy becoming a daddy for the first time! Time has simply flown by. Now it's all sleepless nights.

So, along with accustomising myself to parenthood I have somehow managed to find the time to open Moreton Hall Hypno in Bury St. Edmunds. I have joined Anita Costello's Health and Beauty Clinic at the Moreton Hall Health Club. With its emphasis on optimal health and peak performance in sport, business, public speaking and the performing arts it is hoped that over the next few months the good people of my birth town will become much happier and healthier.

Have a look at the new site www.moretonhallhypno.com  and tell all your friends in Bury.

I first mentioned this a few posts ago but now I'd like to go into more detail and explain more fully about why things might not be working out the way you want them to.

We’ve been bombarded with books about the law of attraction and manifestation over the last few years. ‘The Secret’, by Rhonda Byrne has sold millions of copies worldwide as people try to create a life of abundance where all their dreams come true.

The premise to all of this ‘wealth consciousness’ is basically ‘change your thoughts and you change your life’. To quote from the book itself, “Your thoughts are the primary cause of everything. Everything else you see and experience in this world is effect, and that includes your feelings. The cause is always your thoughts.” (Page 30)

I had to put the book down after reading this because it is blatantly wrong! Unfortunately, the idea that thoughts are ‘things’ and that thoughts cause our feelings is so inherent that even the government is suggesting that CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) is the answer to all our emotional/psychological problems. How misinformed they are!

There is something much deeper going on, something that happens on an unconscious level before your thinking even takes place. And it makes no difference if all your thinking is 100% positive (which it couldn’t be anyway), if there is an unconscious pattern seemingly ‘sabotaging’ your ambitions.

Let me explain what I mean by patterns. The brain is a pattern-matching machine. We come into the world, not with a blank slate but with instinctive templates already in place (laid down in the womb). This is how a baby knows to look for food, cry when it needs attention, etc. But the template in the brain is only partly complete. It becomes complete when the baby matches up the pattern in the outside world by actually carrying out the behaviour. This is the same for all species. It’s how birds instinctively know how to build a nest. So, the instinctive template is already in place and the brain is always scanning for an opportunity to complete the pattern (that matches up with the template).

As we go through life other patterns are laid down. One experience of trauma can be so emotionally intense that the incident continues to cause stress long after the event itself. The brain has somehow matched (seen a similarity) in a current event to the original event, causing an emotional reaction. Importantly, the pattern-match doesn’t have to be an exact likeness. Anything that resembles it in some way will do. (If our ancestors had a run-in with a tiger the brain would assume that all other big cats, such as lions, would also be dangerous).

Thus, the most fundamental pattern is the fight/flight response that is triggered when our brains perceive something in the environment that is potentially life-threatening. At that point you automatically run or fight for your life. You don’t stand around thinking about it. And this is the key point. The pattern (and the ensuing emotion, be it anger or anxiety) comes before thought. It happens unconsciously. This is why CBT takes too long to have any effect; it’s back to front.

The fact of the matter is that you can’t change unconscious processes by just changing your thoughts because those processes are happening before you are even aware of them taking place! This is why you can sometimes feel a certain way but not know why. It’s because your brain has pattern-matched to something. Perhaps you’ve seen someone in the street acting slightly aggressively and soon afterwards you feel anxious because, on an unconscious level, it’s triggered other similar incidents in your past, with all the accompanying emotions. Why do you feel nervous when going for a job interview or on a date? Because an unconscious pattern is in place, based on all the other times you felt you were being judged, questioned, analysed and potentially rejected.  

When it comes to the law of attraction, if you’ve been told repeatedly that money is hard to come by, that ‘it doesn’t grow on trees’, that you have to work hard for it, this too can set up a template or expectation in your mind. A template of lack-consciousness is laid down and your brain keeps trying to complete the pattern by creating scenarios that match the expectation of loss and lack-of. And this is where ‘The Secret’ and every other wealth consciousness book I’ve read, is wrong.

If an unconscious template based on lack, fear, loss etc. is running the show, no amount of positive thinking will change it. Thoughts are not the primary cause of everything. Emotions come before thoughts. And prior to emotions is an unconscious pattern.

So, if you’ve been reading all those wealth creation books and haven’t yet made your millions, more than likely it is because an unconscious template needs updating. Thoughts alone can’t do it. You have to engage the instinctive part of the mind to change unconscious/instinctive patterns, the same part of the brain that creates them. This is where hypnosis comes in.

Hypnosis enables us to connect with that unconscious/instinctive pattern and, with special techniques, can update the program/expectation and remove the old template entirely. Phobias can be removed in a matter of minutes because, through a specialised hypnotic technique, the brain stops pattern-matching to the feared stimulus. The same goes for panic attacks, post traumatic stress, lack of confidence in certain situations (such as tests and public speaking) and so many other ‘problems’ when you realise that the brain is a pattern-matching machine. When those patterns have changed maybe then the law of attraction will start working for you?

It's that time of year again - National No Smoking Day  - on Wednesday 10th March. Many of you will be trying to go at least one day without the fags but will probably end up going just a few hours - if you're lucky - and convince yourself that it's impossible to quit. That in itself should be an indicator that it's time to do something about your habit - because it's controlling your life!

Below are ten other indicators that tell you it's time to finally say goodbye to cigarettes and regain your freedom...

Hey!

We're nearly at the end of January and your New Years Resolutions may already seem like a thing of the past.

Did you really want to stop smoking? Were you really committed to going to the gym or sticking with your diet?

What do you really want?

This question helps you to focus and start thinking about the kind of things you would actually like in your life. It forms the basis of the 'law of attraction' which has become very popular over the last few years, having been bombarded with books like 'The Secret'.
But I really think there is something to this. However, there is one vital flaw, which I'll explain in a moment.

I  had some time recently to do some promo work for stow-hypno. It's really amazing how the law of attraction works! Everytime I get really focused the law of manifestation seems to happen. I am in tune with the universe. So, there I was, putting out some business cards in the town and got talking to a bloke who said I could use his room FREE for conferences/workshops. He then told me of a woman who had just started up as a complimentary therapist and was looking for a hypnotherapist to join her! The law of attraction in operation again! I had the intent (get more business/clients), took action (took the cards/flyers out) and the universe rewarded me.

But now, the one caveat to this law of attraction. It's no good just thinking more positively and using positive affirmations. Many books over the years have suggested that we should stand in front of the mirror and speak positively to ourselves. This is all well and good but - and this is where the problem lies - if you have an unconcious part of you sabotaging your efforts no amount of positive thinking will overcome it! That's because the unconscious mind is far more powerful than your conscious. The way around it is to make friends with your sabateur!

So, if you consciously want to achieve things (such as lose weight, stop smoking) but can't manage it, no matter how hard you try, there may well be an unconscious sabateur thwarting your efforts.

And this is where hypnotherapy comes in. By using hypnosis you can make contact with that unconscious 'part' of you, find out why it's sabotaging your efforts then come to some agreement so that it helps you in more positive ways.

So, if you are struggling to keep on track you know what to do! When your unconscious mind and conscious minds are working together everything flows effortlessly. You can stop smoking and lose weight - without effort! And make any other changes you desire!

read the FREE reports on the website and if you would like an informal chat to find out how I can help you call me anytime on 0845 450 2326. (Remember, my 10% off special offer is continuing into February. Take action now before all the spaces go!)

  

Hey! We're almost 3 weeks into the New Year and I was wondering if your resolutions are still holding up?

Most people will find that, after a short while, their enthusiasm starts to wane and old habits creep back in. The motivation for the gym may be lessoning and the biscuits might be being dunked in the tea again. One cigarette may now be 5, 10 or even back to 20.

I stood in the queue at the supermarket yesterday and a woman, probably in her mid 60's, her face lined with deep wrinkles, ordered 20 cigarettes. I knew she was a smoker, just by the look of her. What surprised me more was the cost; 20 Embassy's cost her £6.19. And if she is an 'average smoker' she'll spend this every day on cigarettes. EVERY DAY! That's £43 pounds a week!!! And that equals £2260 a year!

Surely she wouldn't choose to waste her money on this every day? If she wasn't addicted she would surely choose to spend it on something much more beneficial? Say, like putting it into an account for her grandchildren? What about a luxurious holiday abroad every year? A new car? New furniture for the home?

What would YOU do with an extra £2000+ in your pocket every year?

Can you afford to waste more than £150 per month on fags. Not just this month, but every month until the habit finally kills you (on average 16 years sooner than someone who doesn't smoke). Just imagine what you could (or would) do with that extra money...

Find out more about stopping smoking or my no-diet weight loss programme by reading the free reports or calling me now on 0845 450 2326. Give up trying the old methods and do something different...today!

And if you want to keep updated subscribe by clicking the RSS feed at the bottom of this page or following me on twitter.

Hello again!

After an excellent business meeting for last night I realised there was something missing from my last post. And that is THE IMPORTANCE OF DATES.

Imagine getting on a train and not knowing when you were supposed to arrive? You couldn't plan anything. (Sounds a bit like network rail right now!!)
Seriously though, in order for you to achieve your goals this year you need to get specific.

Take weight loss for example. How much weight do you want to lose? It's no good saying, "I want to lose weight." Be specific! By how much do you want to reduce your size? Create a mental image and get specific with the weight you want to be ON A PARTICULAR DATE. Yes, that's right. Create the image, feel how good it feels (in other words, imagine achieving it right now and feeling all those good feelings) and make sure you have the date in mind or, even better, written down. Your unconscious mind works alot better when it has a specific goal to aim for and a date too.

More info about goal-setting and how I can help you achieve your dreams will be shared with you in this blog over the coming days so subscribe now or follow me on twitter. And if you feel you need to kick-start the year with some professional help, I'm just a phone call away. I welcome all enquiries. All questions are good!

Speak soon. Gavin

Let's face it, you'll probably try another diet if you want to lose weight, give the patches another go if you want to stop smoking, seek yet more counselling for the trauma you experienced when you were five and find out that nothing changes. Within a few weeks you have put back on any weight you lost, the cigarettes are back up to 20 a day and you are still stressed, depressed, angry or all of these things combined!

As a therapist at stow-hypno it never ceases to amaze me how many people try to make changes with the usual methods, only to fail miserably. 95% of diets fail and to find out why read my weight loss report. Why put yourself through another humiliating failure? The same goes for stopping smoking. Quitting with patches, willpower, medication or gum is nearly always temporary, sometimes lasting just a few hours! Read my stop smoking report for more on this. 

The fact is that if you are serious about making significant changes this year - in your personal and professional life - that are permanent instead of temporary you need to DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT IF YOU WANT DIFFERENT RESULTS!!

Each year I make my own resolutions, personal and business - and I write them down. Research shows that this is vital if you want a better chance of succeeding. Not everything I hope to achieve comes to fruition - and not everything I plan to do actually happens - but it's the intention that counts. Getting focused, putting energy into it and taking action! It's no good just thinking about it. You have to actually do something.