Susanne Leigh

Susanne Leigh trained with the prestigious Clifton Practice, a recognised center of excellence in Solution Focused Hypnotherapy. She holds the Hypnotherapy Practitioners Diploma which is considered the ‘Gold Standard’ in Hypnotherapy training.

Does Hypnotherapy Work For Weight Loss?

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does work for with weight loss? Yes, but you still have to change those unhealthy eating habits! I just make it a lot easier. As you know when something is at the forefront of our mind its is very difficult to think of anything else.

There are many reasons why you find it hard to lose weight, stress, and lack of sleep factor high on that list. Along with emotional eating, comfort eating, rewarding yourself, and associating food with a time, place person, or activity. That’s why my approach is more holistic. You might not even know why you overeat but feel frustrated and out of control.

I like to think of myself as your guide, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, it is a way to connect with your subconscious mind. This part is in charge of your emotions, memories, beliefs, fears, and phobias. It’s also the part that automates everything we feel, think, or do. And our brain not keen on change so put obstacles in our way.

So, this is where I come in, rather than going at the problem full steam we will start at a gentler pace. You will decide on one thing you can stop or do more of! This needs to be something you feel sure you can succeed at but still feels challenging. You will then explore all the benefits that this change will bring.

This conscious thought process creates a link in the mind between your goal and outcome.

The next part can sometimes be more challenging as it is finding the thing that could stop you from achieving your goal. It could be an emotion, an irrational belief, or just a bad habit, whatever it is when you find it you will know!

Lastly, you will create a plan which will stop you when the obstacle arises.

The conscious effort of doing this triggers an unconscious process in the brain that does the work for you.

You’re not sure you believe me? 20 years of scientific research went into creating this wonderful tool which I will teach you. https://onelinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/spc3.12271

The second part of the session is properly more what you might think of as hypnotherapy, I will guide you into a relaxed state using guide imagery and positive thought. over a number of sessions, you will build on the changes that are important to you.

Why not take a look at what my clients have to say.

https://onelifeyourlife.co.uk/weight-loss-reviews/

Gut directed hypnotherapy, reducing the symptoms of IBS in women

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5 Ways Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy reduces the symptoms of IBS in women

As a female hypnotherapist, I’ve had the privilege of guiding many incredible women on their journey to managing Syndrome  Irritable Bowel (IBS). I’ve witnessed firsthand the profound impact that hypnotherapy can have on reducing the symptoms of IBS and improving the lives of women who grapple with this challenging condition. In this blog post, I want to share my perspective and insights on the power of hypnotherapy in empowering women to regain control over their gut health.

Understanding the Unique Challenges Faced by Women with IBS

Women often face unique challenges when it comes to managing IBS. Hormonal fluctuations, stress, and the emotional toll of living with a chronic condition can exacerbate symptoms. Many of the women I’ve worked with have struggled not only with physical discomfort but also with anxiety and depression, which can accompany IBS. Understanding and addressing these challenges is an essential part of my role as a hypnotherapist.

The ‘Magic’ of Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy!

Gut-directed hypnotherapy is a priceless tool in my therapeutic arsenal.

Hypnosis is a well-established and scientifically researched approach that involves guiding women into hypnosis to address specific health issues. In the case of IBS, it allows me to work closely with women to reduce the severity and frequency of their symptoms. Here are some key insights from my perspective:

Tailoring Treatment:

Every woman’s experience with IBS is unique. I take the time to understand each individual’s symptoms, triggers, and emotional responses. This personalised approach ensures that the hypnotherapy sessions are tailored to address their specific needs and concerns.

Building Trust and Connection:

Establishing trust and rapport with my clients is paramount. I create a safe and supportive environment where women feel comfortable sharing their experiences and emotions. This connection allows us to work collaboratively towards their goals.

Holistic Healing:

Evidence-based hypnotherapy is not just about symptom reduction; it’s about holistic healing. I help women address not only the physical symptoms but also the emotional and psychological impact of IBS. Many of my clients report a significant improvement in their overall quality of life, including reduced anxiety and depression.

Empowerment through Self-Care:

I view my role as that of an empowerment coach. I teach relaxation techniques, mental strategies, and self-hypnosis methods that women can use on their own to influence their gut function positively. This sense of empowerment is transformative as it allows women to take an active role in their well-being.

Celebrating Success:

I take immense joy in celebrating your success with you.  Imagine it… You regaining control over your gut health and improving your overall quality of life. It feels amazing! And it reaffirms why you decided to work with me.

Weight And Our Mindset

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Contrary to popular belief positive thinking can be detrimental to achieving our goals!

During the 90’s it was discovered that a group of lady dieters who had a positive attitude to losing weight did worse than others who were more pessimistic! This was at a time when positive thinking was thought to be the way to achieve anything our hearts desired! And we still say to friends and children think positively, believe in your goals and you can do anything!!

Studies were done over the next 20 years on the effects of positive thinking and reaching our goals. Findings were dismissed at first but, over time more and more evidence showed that positive thinking alone just doesn’t work, and this is because our brain doesn’t know the difference between imagination and reality.

Think of a time when something bad happened to you or someone you love; you can recall that feeling vividly?  The same is true when we think about special times in our lives, maybe the birth of a child or falling in love. Take a minute to enjoy that happy memory.

Now I am not saying that positive thinking is a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination Positive thinking is helpful to increase low mood, but, it can also trick our brain into thinking it achieved something already. So the evidence shows we are less motivated to carry out our goals.  The brain likes to automate everything we do, think, or feel. For example, when we learned to ride a bike or drive a car, at first, we thought we would never learn and how hard it was, but now you don’t give it a second thought. Imagine just how exhausted we would be if we had to think about every move we made. The same thing happens with our habits, over time they become unconscious actions that we do without thinking!

Anything new takes practice! And quite frankly sometimes our brain doesn’t like change! We have thousands and thousands of neurons that fire and wire together, they form our memories and behaviors. You’ve been traveling down the same old road, the same road that you’ve traveled down every day. But, one day you hit a roadblock, what do you do? You can’t go over it and you can’t go around it so you have to find a new route.  And that is what hypnotherapy does it finds you a new map to follow.

This is where I come in as a Clinical and Medical Hypnotherapist I’m always being asked (mainly women) if I can hypnotise them to lose weight, stop eating chocolate, crisps whatever their downfall might be!

I know through my training quite a bit about how the brain works concerning our thoughts, believes, and habits. But knowing that didn’t help me to kick my bad habits, there is a thing called the GI Joe fallacy: The idea that knowing is half the battle.

The type of hypnotherapy I do is well researched and evidence-based, I help people to imagine their preferred future using solution-focused questions and guided imagery. So, I’m combining this research and my Solution Focused Hypnotherapy training to help you to achieve your goals.

I have walked my talk.  At first, I used my approach to get my own snacking under control, I lost 1/2 stone in three weeks, that how much snacking I did!!

I then used my approach to get over my lazy thoughts towards exercising at the weekend. I get up on a weekday and do 30 minutes yoga each morning apart from Friday and the weekends which I consider my days off, but why? That’s the time, I have more time! I know how much yoga benefits me, my flexibility, and mental well-being, but still, my brain went ‘THE COMPUTER SAYS NO!  The next Friday was V.E day, I got up feeling motivated and did yoga. I mention it was V.E day for a reason, I am not going to lie I did have a few drinks that day, but Saturday I still wanted to get up and do yoga!! And I did, and yes, I have been surprised.

Weight is affected by many factors, stress, and sleep issues among them, hypnotherapy lowers the stress hormone cortisol so it helps you to relax and unwind, your sleep patterns improve, which in turn helps with weight management and mental well-being.

 

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New Year New You.

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Fed up with making New Year resolution?

Just to feel deflated a week later. So many times, we start off with all good intentions, motivated, goals set, but our will power wanes at the first offer of cake or drinks for someone’s birthday. One won’t hurt? Then the guilt!  You might not be surprised that our brain is hard wired to pleasure seek and if we are feeling down on ourselves our brain will look elsewhere for comfort. Food and drink release the feel-good neurotransmitter’s endorphin, so for a short while we feel happy and content. But not for long, soon the brain starts looking around for something else to make us feel happier and that’s when we can start spiraling out of control with our eating habits.

Hypnotherapy can help break this cycle by helping you take back control.

We focus on what you want and how you can achieve your goals through relaxation and visualization this coupled with an understanding of how the brain works in relation to stress and food consumption will put you back on the road to success. When we take action, we take control, this releases the neurotransmitter Serotonin, and the more Serotonin we make the happier our brain is. Other ways of making this wonderful neurotransmitters is by doing the things we enjoy in life, like meeting up with friends and laughing, taking part in enjoyable activities or hobbies. When we are doing a combination of these things, we start to think more positively about ourselves and our life.