Axeing AddictionsAxeing Addictions
05
Feb, 2015

By Nicola Beattie

Are we turning into a Zombie nation?

Have a headache? Pop a pill. Need to eat better? Pop a pill. Feel depressed? Pop a pill… the predictability of it all makes me want to weep! We are turning into a nation of pill poppers for every ailment without looking at the reasons WHY we are increasingly depressed, tired and stressed.

Whilst I do believe that for some mental health conditions, medication is helpful, I am a strong believer that depression is a defective thinking disorder rather than an actual illness.

Defective negative thinking patterns have an immediate effect on the body meaning that for every negative thought that we have, produces an equal negative and uncomfortable sensation in the body.

Antidepressants work by blocking this feeling which in my opinion doesn’t solve the defective thinking process that is causing the issue in the first place.

A wonderful lecturer that I had the pleasure of learning from (Jure Biechonski) likened taking painkillers to “driving your car, hearing a funny noise in the engine, popping in the earplugs and driving until the car explodes.”

So how do we overcome the temptation to self-medicate our feelings? If people’s lives are going well then they will not be depressed. Doing an audit on yourself will allow you to gauge which areas in your life are lacking or need improvement.

As humans we crave challenge and fulfilment to achieve a happy life. A deficiency in this area is a major weakness that may cause us to fall prey to addictive thinking patterns which in turn hijack the brains natural response to develop us as humans. Achievable goals are needed to stretch and challenge us in a positive and constructive way.

Learning to relax properly is also a vital need. Stored anxieties often manifest as symptoms which in turn create illness in the body. Simple breathing techniques are easy to learn and powerful in reducing anxiety and worry.

Coming very soon…  my FREE eBook ‘The 7 Secrets to Overcoming Depression’ which will be available to download mid February 2015!        

02
Feb, 2015

By Nicola Beattie

Get me! Featured in The Huffingdon Post :-)

Mind Programming With Hypnosis Seems to Rock

Become a fanUK’s Weight Loss Master, straight talking motivator and mind programming expert


Over the last week I have met a range of Clinical Hypnotherapists and I have been able to explore how what they do helps their clients achieve their goals. It has been enlightening, understanding how each of them working in a niche area support their clients using what is often described as ‘voodoo’. Talking with a range of specialists gives me the opportunity to dig deep into how and what they do to help their own clients achieve the desired result. Here I reflect on a week of hypnotic interest.

I begin my week meeting Rosalind Smith, a smart, straight talking Hypnotherapist who outlines how she recently helped one woman lose five stone programming her mind to eat less. Well aware of how hypnosis is now a leading edge treatment for helping people lose the excess weight, I am inspired as I look at a before and after photo of Rosalind’s client who now looks so much happier. Rosalind explains how the hypnosis has also motivated her client to take up exercise and sustain long term focus to stay on track. What strikes me here is the enthusiasm she holds to get results for her clients and a confirmation in my own mind that a direct no nonsense approach delivers results.

Next I meet Nicola Beattie, a Hypnotherapist specialising in addictions. What’s interesting is the array of addictions she treats from sex addiction to cocaine addiction. She explains to me that her style of hypnosis is not all about relaxing down into a comfortable place visualising a meadow. In fact it is far from it, as she uses a protocol that means her clients are directly guided into hypnosis to understand the devastating consequences of continuing to practice the addiction. Creating a strong aversion to the presenting addiction is a major part of her treatment plan, before planting into her clients mind that they are now letting go of the addictive behaviour, and bringing in a new positive way of living.

Sports people have always recognised the power of their mind so I catch up with Alice Pinion who specialises in sports performance. She explains that she helps sports people experience the hypnotic trance like state by using deep relaxation and then gets them to focus on bringing the best sporting memories to the forefront of their mind. When asked about negative experiences she explains to me that worries are pushed away, in other words mentally dissociated from the unconscious mind. What follows is strong guided imagery and positive inner dialogue that evidently helps the sportsperson think like a champion.

As my journey continues I want to speak with a Hypnotherapist that specialises in fertility so I connect with Sally Reeves. Can hypnotherapy really assist with conception? Well it would seem so. Sally explains to me that her goal is to always help women reduce their level of anxiety so that they have more chance to conceive, and strengthen the belief of their own sense of fertility. Sally’s natural enthusiasm to help women make their dream come true is pretty special and she affirms my thought that often it is important to clear away any emotional issues such as childhood trauma that may be getting in the way of conception. Sally’s work feels very special. Helping a woman to conceive must deliver the most amazing job satisfaction.

I complete my discussions with Debbie Holden, a specialist weight management Hypnotherapist who focuses upon understanding the underlying reasons for weight gain so that she can work on them with her clients and then move forward to help them reduce their weight. It sure is a nice place to finish as I reaffirm the power of hypnosis in helping to reduce obesity.

What really strikes me as I complete my week is the whole genius of hypnosis. I am reminded of the vast array of conditions it can help treat, and the passion there is out in the field from many professional Hypnotherapists to help desperate members of the public change their lives. My conclusion is strong. We are what we think.

02
Feb, 2015

By Nicola Beattie

Are YOUR children’s childhoods being stolen?

Strange things have been amiss in the Beattie household recently… firstly the dreaded Xbox stopped working, and then the TV and complicated movie library server system gave up. I had restricted You Tube viewing on the iPad a while back and so with these technological difficulties becoming long term (the man of the house having relocated abroad last year) the remaining residents of the Beattie house begrudgingly adjusted to the new lifestyle… (winging it mainly when technology is involved!)
Initially the two boys (aged 6 & 8) complained to all and sundry that our house was boring as ‘nothing worked’ but two months on it has been a real eye opener to observe the changes in them; namely that they are calmer, happier, more interactive and play a lot better (as well as the very welcome side effect of being more helpful, affectionate and talkative with me!)
This experiment has made me a lot more aware of the effects that technology has on our wellbeing. We are all aware of how having Smartphones in our working lives has had the adverse effect of actually increasing our workloads but how about the consequences of technology hijacking our free time?
Gaming and Smartphone addiction is the fastest growing addiction of recent years and yet the most under researched and understood.
I specialise in addictive behaviours and it is generally accepted that happy people have less addictions. With this in mind it is worrying that research into the use of gaming consoles and technology has shown that they reduce many areas of wellbeing including; self esteem, social skills, confidence and happiness levels long-term. This has the potential of being a ticking time-bomb with regards to use in children and teens.
Habit or addiction? How long do you spend doing ‘real things’ when working hours finish? I’ve noticed that there has been a massive increase in people citing lack of interests in recent years, preferring instead to spend the evenings on iPads and Facebook instead.
Addictions actually occur due to our human survival instinct which is to always push ourselves to develop new skills and interests. Without new challenges in place we are much more likely to enter into addictive cycles of behaviour, (which interestingly often change behaviour over time unless the underlying ‘need’ for the artificial high is being met).
In children it has the effect of creating obsessive and aggressive behaviour- amplified by the use of violent or age inappropriate apps and games. I’m sure we have all witnessed the dramas of an ‘ipad strop’ as a result?
After all, Steve Jobs the founder of Apple was famously quoted that he limited his children’s use of technology and didn’t let them use iPads at all? Whilst my iPhone still lists as one of my favouritest things ever (I blame the beautiful sparkly Swaroski case for its aesthetic allure!!) I am well aware that its all too easy to get addicted to the darn thing… so…

Try:

1) A phone amnesty- after a certain agreed  time- all iphones/ipads to be handed in so you can interact with each other minus technology

2) staging a regular ‘power cut’ or ahem ‘modem shortfall’… its interesting how a technology free evening can mix things up

3) Removing Xboxes/tvs and gaming consoles from bedrooms… not only are you saving your beloved ones from a lifetime of rubbish sleeping habits but you are also saving them from overload exposure, social isolation and obesity. (if you’ve ever seen the South Park episode where Cartman and his friends get addicted to gaming you are sooo on my wavelength right now! … if not… youtube it!)

Happy, happy 2015 my friends!

13
Jan, 2015

By Nicola Beattie

Why do people become addicted?

A common question is ‘why me?’ Why don’t all people suffer with addictive behaviours? After all, we all have habits which we enjoy but when does a pastime become an addiction or indeed an actual problem?

Most people enjoy some kind of vice; be it that glass of wine in the evening, occasional cigarette, guilty shopping spree, a flutter on the races or that cheeky ‘livener ‘on a night out so when do these pleasures stop being a pleasure and become problematic?

The answer to that in simple terms is that genuinely happy people have fewer addictions.

It is true that statistically a high proportion of young people will use alcohol or recreational drugs from the age of 16 – 30 on a fairly regular basis, however the proportion of adults aged 32+ using the same substances is much lower. Typically this is when people tend to ‘settle down’ into long term relationships and begin families of their own. When the fundamentals of happiness are not there then addiction is a real risk.

The excitement that we get when we want to do something is produced by dopamine, a natural brain chemical (very like cocaine in its effect). This raises our emotional levels so that we want to take action. The warm feelings of satisfaction we get after doing something; eating, laughing, having sex, or achieving some new understanding or skill are produced by endorphin, another natural substance (which is similar to heroin). Working together these chemicals keep us interested in doing the biological functions that preserve the human species, and stretch each one of us to learn and achieve.

In a well-balanced life, a reasonable amount of natural reward is felt by the human every day, but in a life where essential emotional needs are not met and abilities are not stretched, the rewards do not come and life feels flat and meaningless. This kind of life is rich territory for addictions to flourish, as every addictive substance or behaviour either stimulates a reward mechanism or provides a chemical reward directly.

Addictions can be beaten. Addiction can be overcome without necessarily becoming dependent on a recovery group and without having to consider yourself as an ‘addict’ for the rest of your life.

To get away from addictive behaviour it is necessary to understand two things: the way these reward mechanisms work, and the way life should be lived in order to receive the natural highs that make addictive activities less attractive. Take a look at my FREE download ‘The 7 secrets to overcoming addiction’ found on the homepage of my website to learn more!

Nicola Beattie, www.axeingaddictions.co.uk

1 2 3

Category