By: karengray | May 20, 2019

So much of our work here at the hypnosis office is about empowering people just like you and me to use these incredibly powerful and intricate machines we call our minds. We help people to move away from the thinking that they are at the mercy of their automatic behaviors, and teach them to harness the ability to program their minds to work for them instead.

 

This week I’d like to share with you a story  that aired this morning on Morning Edition from NPR. This is an excellent example of how we integrate the signals in our brain to create a habitual response, and how we can use simple and easy-to-learn techniques to interrupt those signals and experience less pain.

 

How The Brain Shapes Pain And Links Ouch With Emotion

Heard o...

By: karengray | May 13, 2019

The plain and simple truth is, you need to be an advocate for your own health. Your healthcare team works for You, and you are an important part of that team. You are the only one that possesses the intimate knowledge that we have of our own bodies. This is why it’s so vitally important that we learn to work in conjunction with our team of healthcare providers and add our own expertise to theirs.


As patients, we put a lot of trust in our health care providers and believe that they hold the answers to our problems, and the antidotes to our ailments. We expect to go to our doctors with problems and leave with a solution to cure us. In some cases this model definitely works. But as humans we are complex beings and a quick fix rarely actually wo...

Category: Healthcare 

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By: karengray | May 07, 2019

May 6th was "International No Diet Day" , and it began in 1992 with a woman who decided to fight back. British feminist Mary Evans Young battled anorexia, body image issues, and bullying for years.


Young invited her friends to wear “Ditch That Diet” stickers and fully embrace their bodies for a day. She had no idea it would spark a global movement. May 6 became a day to put away your scales, wear your light blue ribbons, and simply enjoy who you are. But you don’t have to wait until next year to start changing the way you feel about yourself.


Why it's Important to Love You

I will often share with my weight loss clients that I love my body, in all of its transitions, its imperfections, and squishiness. I love it SO MUCH that I do some...

By: karengray | April 30, 2019

Spring is (mostly) here, and it is a great time to begin getting into new, more active habits for the warmer days to come. Being more active, no matter how we move our bodies, can improve our physical and mental health significantly. But sometimes it can seem hard to start a new routine and stick to it. Sometimes, we need a little inspiration!


Although our genetics influence about 50% of the variation in our personal happiness, our circumstances (like income and environment) affect only about 10%. As much as 40% is accounted for by our daily activities and the conscious choices we make. So the good news is that our actions really can make a difference.


Movement has also been shown to improve our mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, ...

Category: Self Improvement 

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By: karengray | April 15, 2019

When we look at it simply, your comfort zone is a behavioral space, or a mental space, where your activities and behaviors fit inside a nice steady routine and pattern that minimizes stress and risk. It provides a state of mental security. When you stay inside your comfort zone you benefit in obvious ways, enjoying regular happiness, low anxiety, and reduced stress.


The idea of the comfort zone goes back to 1908 when psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John D. Dodson explained that a state of relative comfort created a steady level of performance. When we are able to maintain a steady and predictable state, then we can anticipate consistent results. And this sounds pretty good, until we want things to change.


In order to maximize performance w...

Category: Self Improvement 

Tags: stress, success, goals