Positive news story relating to hypnotherapy and food
It’s always lovely to read positive news stories about the work we do. There was a very uplifting story recently in the Daily Mirror which focused on a 35 year old who had munched his way through a staggering 65,000 potato waffles during his lifetime.
That’s an incredible average of six waffles a day – since the age of five. He successfully overcame his habit thanks to a number of sessions with a hypnotherapy practitioner.
The treatment was so effective that he’s now able to enjoy a decent meal with fruit and vegetables – something which was inconceivable for him a few years ago as the sight of fresh greens would leave him feeling sick.
The article highlights the importance of the work we do when we help clients to overcome certain conditions which blight their lives. It’s great when the industry receives national recognition.
Equally, it’s also lovely when we receive that ‘thank you’ note from a client who writes to let us know about the difference that the therapeutic partnership has made to their life.
And it’s not just the difference our work can make for a client, but, it turns out, pets can make a colossal difference as well.
Positive wellbeing: pets and their ‘beneficial physiological effects’
This month’s edition of Psychology Today provides a personal perspective item with the title: Pets can help maintain a trance state.
In short, author Anna Romanova writes that researchers have found that stroking a pet has ‘beneficial physiological effects.’ She notes that the action helps to stimulate the ‘parasympathetic “rest and digest” response, which is central to hypnotic states.’
She quotes a study which shows that being with your four legged friend helps to see your cortisol levels ‘go down’ (Petersson et al, 2017).
The article explains how an owner may discover ways to comfort themselves having been successfully able to provide contentment for their cat or dog.
The memory of stroking the animal can illicit similar feelings of comfort when applied to ourselves.
The calming adage of stroking the back of your hand to provide a sense of wellbeing can become that ‘trigger’ for anchoring ourselves back to spending time with the dog or cat.
As Anna writes, ‘The warmth of their own hand can then serve as a hypnosis trigger, reminding them of this ability (to comfort themselves) while also evoking a soothing memory.’
It’s an uplifting thought to consider: that ability to garner a boost of serotonin by remembering time spent with a beloved pet.
Increase in ‘wealthier’ women smoking
In other news this month and smoking has been in the headlines over the past few weeks following news that the House of Commons voted for a ban for anyone born after 2009 from buying cigarettes.
It isn’t set in law (yet) but it does mean that the tobacco habit does now appear to have a rather limited shelf life (finally).
The politics surrounding the vote itself is a little complex as 57 Tory MPs voted against it (including one potential future leader). More than 100 Tory MPs abstained. That said, it was passed by an overwhelming majority of 383 to 67.
The Parliamentary news sends a very clear message to the nation about smoking and its future – or lack thereof. It also throws a spotlight on how future generations may perceive the habit in their elder counterparts.
And that means that as news spreads of a potential ban for younger generations then the older ones may turn to therapy to help quit a habit which will, surely, become more expensive as the customer base decreases.
The House of Commons vote comes hot the heels of a University College London report which found that there’s been a rise in the proportion of wealthier women who are now smokers.
The researchers found that, over the past ten years, the numbers of higher female wage earners who, under the age of 45, are now smokers rose – from 12% to 15%.
It also found that rates for smoking dropped for ‘less advantaged’ women (down 29% to 22%).
The research found rates of vaping rose by an incredible 15% for women under the age of 45. The statistics were similar for men.
Researchers said it was ‘unclear’ why there had been an increase in smoking in wealthier parts of society. One consideration had been people may be moving to hand rolling cigarettes which saves money.
If you are looking to undertake marketing on the increasingly discussed area of smoking then it might be worthwhile to not just point out the key health benefits of stopping but to reiterate the positive financial impact of doing so.
Afterall, it’s not just the direct cost of buying the product but it’s all of the indirect costs which people often forget to consider. For instance, the increase in costs for life or healthcare insurance policies.
The same arguments can be applied to vaping. We recently covered details of a study by a team at the University of Surrey which found increases in anxiety rates for participants who were regular uses of vapes.