I have taken a break, you might have noticed.  As there are just so many hours in a day, I have been taking to write my first book.  Something just tells me though that keeping the blog alive and well is a worthwhile pursuit.  People have told me as much!

I sat down with a colleague of mine last week to brainstorm some ideas about running courses and workshops.  I asked Liz what the most common trends were in client sessions.  Remarkably (or perhaps not) her answer reflected my own experience of meeting client's needs.  "They want to move on with their lives and be free from their past".  That statement in isolation is not really remarkable.  Many people can identify with that.  I often remind my clients of this;. 'the best thing about the past is that it is over, good or bad'.  Of course we are really concentrating on the stuff that is no longer useful.  If you have experienced anything that is painful, limiting, frightening or disturbing - why would you ever want to repeat it?  You would have to be a crazy person - right?  Right!  So why is it then, that so many people use their past as a reference point for creating a future that looks scarily similar or even the same?

Everything that has happened to each of us up until now has brought us to where we are.  For whatever reason, there are experiences that mould, shape and form the people we are today.  Please remember though that you get to decide which of those things are useful and which ones are better left where they belong........  As a coach I do a lot of work on peoples' belief systems.  We look at negative beliefs, where they have come from and what they have cost you.  Usually when people get the true cost of dragging round negative beliefs they get really mad with themselves and stop doing it.  My colleague uses a rapid technique of releasing beliefs through forgiveness.  We thought it would be a great idea to combine that methodology of rapid release with my coaching expertise to build some more compelling beliefs. 

Watch this space.  If you are interested in being free from your past and want an effective and sustainable way to do it, this one might just be for you.

 Every other programme on TV during January seems to be about weight loss.  Predictable and the same time a little irritating. The Biggest Loser UK, re-runs of Paul McKenna's 'I can make you thinner' and then of course there are the sensationalist channel 4 and UK Living shows about 'half ton sons' and people who have undergone radical surgery for morbid obesity.  The unfortunate thing with this kind of programming is that it is screened at the beginning of the year and then pretty much forgotten about for the rest of the year.  After the festive season, many people have over-eaten and so the penance begins. 

In my experience, the problem with diets is that they don't really work.  Why? - well simply because they have you eat in way that is un-natural and then when you have finished the diet and lost weight, you go back to doing what you used to do, and that of course is the problem.  If you want to shed weight and keep healthy permanently, you need to change the way you eat on a permanent basis.  Three years ago I volunteered to be a participant in the 'Food Doctor Diet Club' with Ian Marber - The Food Doctor.  There were 10 of us who participated in a 28 day programme whereby we were given a food plan.  We signed a contract and committed to resolutely follow the plan and provide weekly feedback to the editorial team about our progress.  We also had photographs taken before, and there was then a '28 days after' photo shoot.  The Food Doctor approach is very much based on the GI principle, i.e you eat little and often, combine complex carbohydrates with protein, avoid sugar and caffeine. This is a way of keeping your glycemic indexes constant.  I lost 5 kilos in the first 28 days.  By November of that year, I had lost a total of 14 kilos.  I am delighted to report that nearly 3 years later I am still 9 kilos lighter than when I started out.  Why?  Well, because I have educated myself to change the way that I eat and because I love having boundless energy and improved health.

What I learnt from that experience, and what I include in my therapy for weight loss is this:-

1. You need to have a compelling reason to lose weight in the first place.  That can be the image of you wearing some great clothes and looking amazing.  There might be a particular event coming up where you just want to 'wow' people with your new image.  You might just want to love the feeing of being lighter and receiving great support and comments from friends and family about how great you look.  It doesn't really matter what it is, you just need to build up a compelling reason in your mind that draws you magnetically and is strong.  This forms the basis of hypnosis that I do with clients.  When the picture of the 'new you' in your mind is so compelling, when you are faced with a choice as to whether you eat a piece of cake or a burger with fries, you instantly tap into a more compelling picture.  It is a way of training the mind to understand longer term gain, rather than short term gratification. 
2. You need to be committed to the result. With true commitment, all things are possible.
3. You need a plan and you need to stick to it.  I can highly recommend the Food Doctor Diet Club.  I have done it and it works!
4. You also need to take regular exercise.  Burning off calories and excess fat is essential.  You don't have to join a gym but you do need to do at least 20 minutes of exercise 3 times per week that make you out of breath and work over your cardio-vascular system.  If you have a lot of weight to shed, you will need to do more fat burning exercises. 

If you want to be free of yo-yo dieting forever and avoid the predictable January crash diet and de-tox, you need to start eating better permanently.  Make great choices and get the help and education that you need. This is the best investment imaginable in your future.  What you do today will directly impact on the quality of your future life.  Free yourself from the cycle of dieting and adopt some new success habits. 

The gravity of the past can be really strong.  I was reminded of that today when I spoke to one of my fellow gurus of self development.  She is an author and a pioneer in the field of coaching and I am so blessed to have her as a friend.  She reminded me of the importance of cleaning.  I am not talking about the kind of cleaning that involves a mop and bucket (although that kind of cleaning is also very healthy).  I am talking about mental cleaning.  When we slip back into old habits...................like worrying about stuff that we don' need to worry about.  The gravity of the past means that we often resort to doing the things we did over and over in the past.  Being fearful or being worried is a learned behaviour that belongs in the past.

There are a lot of distractions to our daily lives like; family matters, changes in the working environment, the economy, climatic conditions and a host of things happening all over the world.  I loved the simplicity of Ho'oponopono - getting back to the natural self and cleaning on all of the memories that make you fearful or stifled in some way.  I realise that from time to time I need the wisdom of those special people around me to remind me that cleaning is a lifetime commitment and occupation.  Everything I have done in my life thus far has culminated in my ability to keep on cleaning.

If you could clean up some thoughts, memories or ideas that are not serving you, or helping you to become; happier, healthier and more peaceful, then just remind yourself to keep cleaning.  Thank you for showing this to me.  These are just memories replaying.   I need to remind myself often, "I love you."  I need to remember that all will be well.  Remember to trust the inspired part of your being from where all things are possible.  

Did you realise that every emotion that you experience is as result of a chemical shift in your neurology?  Every time you feel elated or deflated, you are going through a neuro chemical shift.  There are certain activities such as laughter, exercise and great sex that produce endorphins, or happy chemicals.  If you were ever looking for a good reason to ramp up, or embark upon an exercise regime, then you have just found one. 

I remember when I first discovered this startling revelation about emotional states being mere chemical reactions.  I started to think about what was making its' way into my body on a regular basis.  Things like caffeine, alcohol and then all of the additives and E numbers that are found in pre-prepared food.  I found myself scrutinising everything in supermarkets to find out what I was exposing myself to.  I was quite shocked when I realised how many additives there were in seemingly straight forward foods.  Then I got to thinking about all the environmental stuff that I was exposed to , especially living in London.  Pollution for cars, motorbikes, lorries, aircraft, trains, buses, industrial outlets, radio waves from mobile phones, microwave ovens.........and the list goes on.

It is nigh on impossible to protect yourself from all of these things, especially if you live in urban areas.  It is however possible to raise your awareness of what makes you feel good and what makes you feel bad, and also at what times of day you feel the shifts and changes.  I sometimes have my clients keep a mood diary.  It is a simple way of tracking what happens to your mood mapped against what you are doing and eating.  We often find patterns evolving when certain things are eaten or consumed or when people are exposed to environmental noises and distractions.  Avoid automatically assuming that your mood swings are something that you just have to put up with.  Start noticing what is happening right before and after a change in mood.  Pay particular attention to the stuff that makes you feel good and you might want to do more of it.   Shop more carefully, avoid consuming preservatives and additives in processed or pre-prepared foods.

Realise that you are a very powerful pharmacist and that by directing your mental state through relaxation and hypnosis, you can produce a whole series of neuro chemicals that will keep you feeling optimistic, energised and happy through the darkest of winter months. 

As the daylight hours deplete in Europe, many people experience shifts in mood and behaviour as a result.  It is not really surprising.  If you are a gardener or spend anytime observing nature taking its' natural course, you will see that leaves drop of trees, plants lose their foliage and others go into hibernation.  The animal species also do the same.  As daylight hours reduce there is a natural tendency to 'nest'.  Levels of serotonin in the brain can become depleted and your brain chemistry can change, often resulting in feelings of being blue. 

If you or somebody you know are feeling the winter blues, you don't have to lock yourself away and suffer for the next 6 months. There are a number of things that you can do.  Light boxes work for some.  Hypnotherapy is also a great way to help adjust your internal clock so that you feel happier and more energetic.  Learning techniques that will help you to relax deeply send signals to your brain to produce the 'happy chemicals' is an effective and pr oven way of dealing with this condition.

I am also a great fan and advocate of the MindSpa.  It is a light pulsing and audio sensory unit that is pr oven to improve sleep patterns.  I have been using one of these units since May of this year.  I was introduced to it by Dr Richard Bandler during the Master NLP Practitioner Course.  He demonstrated the use of it in live sessions.  The financial investment is £175 and in my opinion worth every penny.  Check out www.avstim.com and see for yourself.  If you are interested in improving your sleep, eradicating the effects of jet lag, improving mental focus and learning deep relaxation sleep........oh and feeling much brighter and happier in the winter months, this is for you. 

Many clients that I see who are stressed out, over tired and generally unhappy share some common characteristics - they have forgotten to look after the basics.  Many people forget that their psychological state is directly impacted by their physiological well-being.  The basics of well-being are:-

• Diet
• Exercise
• Sleep
• Relaxation

Diet What you put into your body has a profound effect on your well being.  Many people don't eat regular meals and then find that when they do eat, they eat more than their bodies need and they often make bad choices.  You should aim to eat at least 5 times a day.  Eat little and often.  Combine complex carbohydrates with proteins.  You should avoid sugar and caffeine.  No more than one cup of coffee per day.  Preferably drink green tea or fruit teas or better still water!  Caffeine stimulates hunger pangs, produces adrenalin and can raise blood pressure.  It takes 24 hours for your liver to process one cup of coffee.  Caffeine is a serious drug and the long term effects of it can be extremely unpleasant when people go on to develop panic and anxiety disorders.

Exercise You need to engage in cardiovascular activity for at least 20 minutes 3 times per week.  This means that you need to do something that makes you slightly out of breath to work your heart and lungs.  Brisk walking, swimming, cycling, jogging, playing any kind of activity sports will help you to do this.  It is also important to stretch regularly too.  Many people suffer from lower bank pain because their hamstrings are not stretched enough.  If your budget does not stretch to a personal trainer, you can do some internet research or buy a DVD or book to help you on you way.  You may not think that mobility is important right now but as the years tick by you will notice how important it is.  Make an investment in your future now.

Sleep Getting enough sleep is pivotal to your well-being.  7 - 8 hours a night is a suggested guideline.  So many people in urban areas suffer from sleep deprivation.  The effects of this are far reaching.  They include; diminished cognitive abilities, loss of memory, irritability and depressive states.  Get into the habit of looking forward to your sleep and making sure that you get to bed  at a good time. 

Relaxation Very few people that I see truly understand how to relax and even if they do, very seldom do they do it.  Watching TV or reading are not really relaxing activities as you are putting more information into your sensory receptors and stimulating the brain.  It is important just to 'be'.  You can join a Yoga class, take up Pilate's or pick up one of my relaxation CD's or go and buy a generic one from a book store.  You should take a least 10 minutes each and every day just to be still and peaceful.  The rewards will far outweigh the small time investment needed to achieve this.

Toxins If you smoke you should stop.  I am amazed at how many people tell me how healthy they are, how they eat, go on detox programmes and exercise yet they still smoke!  I am not going to elaborate on this one further, other than to ask you, how valuable is your life?  If you drink each night, you need to stop doing that too as eventually your body will show you the strongest signs of protest to abuse.  Recreational drugs fit into the same bracket as alcohol and as well as putting you at risk of psychosis, heart disease, heart failure and a number of other dangers your psychological well-being is at risk.

Check each of these areas before coming to therapy.  If you have got your house in order with the basics, the rest will be easy.  Ask yourself 'where else will I live if this body is no longer inhabitable?'

You are no doubt familiar with the expression "don't hold your breath" - and you probably attach your own meaning to it.  One interpretation could be that whatever it is you are waiting for is not likely to happen.  Another makes an interesting pre-supposition that if you hold your breath, you can control the outcome of something happening.  It suggests that by holding your breath in, the thing that you want might just come off.  It may simply be interpreted as "it is not worth bothering with".

Have you noticed that when you are concentrating intensively, you sometimes hold your breath?  When you are watching a good film, do you hold your breath at a crucial moment for the character you have become enrolled in?  When you get tense or angry, do you notice that you forget to breath?  The truth is, most people are not aware of the way they breath until it becomes a problem.  You just take it for granted.  If you have done any hypnotherapy with me, you will have learned to be mindful of where the breath enters your body and where it leaves. 

Many meditative processes such as Yoga and Tai Chi focus on the rhythm of your breathing.  Hypnotic techniques certainly focus on breathing.  There is of course a really good reason for this, it is the easiest way to bring you back to a sense of your own 'being'.  In our busy lives we have become constantly distracted by outside interferences such as TV, Radio, Internet, News Bulletins, Mobile Phones, Aircraft, Cars, Trains..............and the list goes on. 

I recently met  Martin Jones who practises and teaches something called Holographic Breathing.  Martin cured himself from Lyme's disease through learning this wonderful technique of breathing.  I am not going to disclose the methodologies that Martin uses as that is his intellectual property (if you are interested I would suggest that you log onto his web site http://www.holographic-breathing.com where you can learn more).  His teachings are synergistic with many other techniques that I have come across that re-connect us to the earth and also to the universal energies that make up this huge Cosmos. 

Being mindful of the way you breath is pivotal to health and well-being.  You can try the most simple exercise of merely observing where the breath comes into your body and where it leaves.  Feeling the rush of air pass through your nostrils and then the sense of relaxation of your muscles as you exhale.  Your body welcomes a consistent and strong flow of oxygen.  If you are holding you breath whilst you work something out in your head, try just letting it go and finding out how much easier it is to concentrate.  When you put your focus on something you begin to notice what is actually happening.  Take some time now from this point to become and observer of your breathing patterns.  The simplest things are often the ones that get overlooked AND they make the biggest difference when they are done mindfully.  Enjoy breathing air into parts of you that you may not have even known existed.  Breathing matters - it's obvious isn't it? 

Did you know that one in 20 people in the UK have a Compulsive Buying Disorder (CBD) according to a study published by psychologists today in 2006. In the US there an estimated 15 million people with CBD.  You may also be interested to know that men are just as likely to be affected by CBD as women are.  The term 'shopaholic' has evolved from the rising consumer trends of the past 2 decades.  People who are addicted to shopping for the 'buzz' or thrill from the act of buying are deemed to be shopaholics when they are unable to control their habits. 

What are the causes?  A common cause is a condition called Bi-Polar disorder (previously known as manic depression).  Manic episodes can manifest in massive over spending and the desire to do things to the extreme.  If you have noticed any such behavioural traits in yourself or in your loved ones, I would urge you to see your doctor or mental health care professional.  You can also find further help at http://www.bipolaraware.co.uk/ .  Any addiction is typically magnified by stress.  Many people who lead stressful lives attempt to compensate by indulging in compulsive or addictive behaviour.  Shopping often answers a need to be better in some way.  The belief that the next purchase will make life somehow better is very short lived as the shopper discovers that the 'buzz' dissapears very quickly and just like drug addiction, the shopper then seeks to re-create that high again from shopping.   The truth of course is that no ammount of shopping will fill the imaginery gap of inadequacy.  As the problem escalates, people often run up large debts and find that relationships with loved ones begin to deteriorate. 

Hypnotherapy is a very effective way to help sufferers break free from the chains of shopaholic misery.   Therapy helps the sufferer to develop an accute awareness of their habits, and better still, gives them the ability to make a different choice at the critical decision stage. 

There are many addictions that have similar origins to shopping addictions and here are just some of them:-

• Addicted to exercise (Gym Mania)
• Sunbeds (Tanorexia)
• Gambling
• Drug Addiction
• Sex Addiction
• Carbohydrate Addiction
• Cosmetic Surgery
• Collecting/Hoarding

Typically shopaholics might also have other associated addictions or compulsions, usually food related, although they may extend to drugs and alcohol.  The great news is that if you are truly committed to making some changes and have reached a point where you know that enough is enough, then hypnotherapy is a great way to help you gain control over your life and realise that you already have everything you need to be whole and real.

Since returning from LA I have been focusing on 'moment by moment' cleaning and awareness of my thoughts and memories.  If you are wondering what this is about, for me it is taking each moment and using some of my new tools to dismantle and dissolve thoughts and memories.  I remind my myself that moment by moment I am returning to a state of pure potentiality and suspending my beliefs and thoughts of what I once believed to be true.

Yesterday I drove up to Yorkshire to collect my Mum who has been unwell with a label she was given called 'Obsessive Compulsive Disorder' as well as various depressive disorders.  When I arrived home yesterday I was astounded by the improvement that I found in her.  She is cheerful and there are wonderful glimpses of the fun and loving person that I once knew as my Mum.  I have been doing a lot of cleaning on me and working with Ho'oponopono daily and I have really noticed a difference.  I have been repeating to myself that moment by moment, I and those around me, return to the their natural and healthy state.  Moment by moment my feelings and emotions have also changed.  There were times when I wondered if this stuff really works.  Simplistically it is called faith!  The evidence has shown up for me.  Often people ask for a sign, something to tell us that we are on the right track.  I did not ask for such evidence, it just showed up and I am delighted at what is beginning to happen around me. 

If you find yourself somewhere in the past, ruminating over past events or memories replaying themselves, or perhaps you are busy thinking about the future, remember that by doing so, you rob yourself of the present moment........and moment by moment you can really live your life in the here and now, safe in the knowledge that the future will take care of itself and the past is done. 

The cyber generation are hooked into My Space or Facebook or a whole host of on line communities that leverage the power of Internet networking but what about your own space?  It is a common expression isn't it, "I need my space"?  How much personal space you need very much depends on your typology and your current physical environment.  At work, do you have your own space, somewhere you can go and think and just 'be'?  What about at home?  Do you have a room or a den that you can retreat to and just relax or do nothing?  Perhaps you can listen to a great piece of music in the isolation of a pair of headphones, taking you far far away from the hustle and bustle of an otherwise busy day?

Imagine standing in a wide open space on a perfectly white floor - holding a thick black marker pen in your hand and then drawing a perimeter around you.  An impenetrable shield if you like, through which nothing can enter unless invited.  That is how you can start to create some virtual or mental space.  Start to think about having that haven that is just for you. 

If physical space is not readily available in your working or living environment you can create it in a number of different ways.  Taking solitary walks in parks or woodlands is a great meditative process where you can create all the space you need.  It connects us back to the natural habitat that we were intended to dwell in.  You can take as little as 10 minutes a day, even in a busy office - put your mobile and your desk phone onto divert and switch off your computer screen.  If you have a pair of headphones, listen to something relaxing.  Tense up your muscle groups and then systematically let them all relax, one by one deeply as you go back to your natural state and allow yourself to draw that big circle around you.  When you stand in a crowd, create your mental and physical space and if anybody comes too close, either move or gently remind them that you need your space.  Now......................doesn't that feel better already?