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Monday 9am - 8pm Tuesday 9am - 8pm Wednesday 9am - 8pm Thursday 9am - 8pm Friday 9am - 8pm Saturday 11am - 3pm

http://www.clevedonhypnotherapy.co.uk/

Clevedon Hypnotherapy Centre, 9A Teignmouth Road, Clevedon (2025)

27/10/2021

Recovery from Covid 19.
On September 27th I wrote about having Covid 19. At that time there were positive tests, the beginning of a 10 day quarantine, and arrangements to be supplied with food. I mentioned some of the physical symptoms, and at the time of writing they weren't severe but were serious enough to give my situation some thought.

There was anosmia, a mild cold with a persistent mild headache, a dense brain fog and for at least 2 days chest pain or specifically sore lungs. It was the latter that gave me pause because on one day I had to steady myself and consciously breathe. At no point did I think the virus was "going to take me", but I resolved that if my chest pain became more serious I'd call an ambulance. Thankfully, it didn't come to that.

Fast forward a month. The anosmia remains, but all other symptoms have diminished almost completely. My disposition remains somewhat slightly more fragile than before the illness. I'm confident. I go where I need to go, do what I need to do, and see who I need to see. Something almost indefinable lingers. A subtle vulnerability. The awareness that despite vaccinations and precautions, the disease finds a moment of susceptibility even in the strong. I've made a recovery and for that I'm grateful.

27/09/2021

Covid-19: A personal Account
From the onset of the pandemic, I took the disease to be a real threat. While certain of my own physical resilience, I was determined not to pass the disease onto anyone else if I was a carrier. I've strived to adhere to social distancing guidelines, hygiene guidelines and the wearing of masks. I minimised personal contacts, shopped infrequently, and maintained a strict adherence to the guidelines even if others didn't. The government did not impose these guidelines on me, instead I knew the guidelines were sensible and I was prepared to set an example. I was double vaccinated as soon as the opportunity was offered.

In hindsight, and with a fuller knowledge of symptoms, I'm certain I had Covid 19 in the forth week of March 2020 during the first lockdown. Symptoms passed completely in four days. Fast forward to September 2021. Symptoms of a cold suddenly arrive with mild flu symptoms and then the complete loss of smell or taste (anosmia). LFT positive. NHS PCR test positive. I've got it and at the time of testing felt as if I've I'd been run over by a bus.

Despite every sensible precaution, I caught the disease again. Within 2 days, mild physical discomforts ebbed away although the anosmia remains. I'm left with lethargy, tiredness and a dense brain fog that restricts my cognitive functioning. I catch myself forgetting what I'm intending to do. Otherwise, I sleep. It feels like I've aged 20 years in less than a week.

Be vigilant! I don't mean be paranoid. Be cautious and aware. The disease is here among us still, and throwing caution to the wind carries risks for yourself and others. Meanwhile, I busy myself at home. I've received fantastic support from family and friends. The fridge is full. Thank you!

10/07/2021

More Change on the Way
I've written about little other than the pandemic for a year and a half, but not merely as a passive or interested observer. Each of our lives is immersed in the pandemic and while the prospects of managing the pandemic emerge, the individual still feels like an observer upon circumstances beyond his or her control.

Although the concept of "control" has severe or rigid connotations, our participation in life's trials and tribulations varies between control, influence and no control. The time has arrived to take back some control and influence in my life.

Returning to Canada in 2022 has been on my mind for some time but, when I was on the cusp of making that commitment, the pandemic arrived. My aspirations and plans weren't destroyed but they were delayed. Returning to the plan of going back to Canada is an assertion of influence, and the decision takes back some control of my future. Vaccination is a way of controlling the pandemic for society and the individual, getting on with fulfilling personal aspirations is taking back control and asserting influence. They seem to go hand in hand and so there’s more change on the way.

23/06/2021

Easing on Hold.
On Monday the 14th, the government halted any further easing of restrictions that were due to come into effect on June 21st. We're looking at another 4 weeks of restrictions from the 21st. The Delta variant is now prevalent, infections among the unvaccinated are rising, and the government is hoping to continue to roll out vaccines to all adults in the hope of minimising transmission and hospitalisations.

The national mood is one of somber acceptance and resignation. For those whose livelihoods are negatively impacted by the pandemic, the mood is one of desperation. Many of us have adjusted our lives and attitudes to the point we simply carry on with social distancing and masks. Do we dare ask when will it end? The question suggests being prepared to look months, if not years, into the future. This is precisely what most of us have stopped doing: making plans into the future. Last week's halt of further easing of restrictions is a not so subtle reminder the pandemic is here, continues to evolve, and remains dangerous. No surprise the easing of restrictions is on hold.

06/06/2021

The Pandemic and its Legacy
I regularly receive news feeds from different national and international sources. I keep up to date with so many aspects of the pandemic be it the situation in each country, domestic infections rates, or variants of concern. A global consensus has emerged that people's mental health has suffered and this is the norm rather than the exception. This is the ongoing legacy of the pandemic. This strongly suggests to me that we are all vulnerable to diminished mental health in these extraordinary times. The pandemic, with it's human toll and the struggle to immunise against it, is relentless.

The upshot is that, despite the relaxing of restrictions, many are still in lock down mode mentally. For the majority that doesn't imply extreme anxiety or paranoia, but it suggests vigilance, an awareness of the possibility of change, towards a pandemic that evolves. Our hopes rest upon immunisation locally, nationally and globally. This private expression of caution and vigilance, in the face of uncertainty, is the emotional legacy of the pandemic.

30/05/2021

Cautiously Out of Lockdown
About two weeks ago, England began to ease restrictions. Infections were down, hospitalisations were down and deaths were down. The roll out of vaccines was proving effective. Two weeks ago bars, pubs and restaurants reopened. People could meet, go to the gym and go to the cinema. A semblance of normality was returning, although travelling abroad remains problematic.

Much of the general public embraced the easing of restrictions and returned to their favourite pub or restaurant. As I write these words, I sit in my favourite coffee bar for the first time in 14 months. Despite the easing of restrictions, not everyone has rushed to resume every aspect of their pre-Covid lives. Foot fall in town and city centres hasn't returned to pre-Covid levels, but online shopping doesn't account for all the sustained drop.

Apprehension and caution remains, particularly with aggressive variants in parts of the country. For some, a lock down mentality persists and this isn't an expression of paranoia. Having been in lock down for a year, achieving a sense of normality is a gradual process, not an over night one. For many, particularly those who have lost loved ones or friends, life will never be the same again. For many others, they will go cautiously out of lock down.

23/05/2021

Face to Face or Face Time
When I began as a therapist 15 years ago, I took it completely for granted that therapy was a face to face experience. Face to face therapy provides the immediacy that forms the basis of trust that's vital for a successful outcome.

Skype and FaceTime have been around for several years and I had thought it possible to conduct initial consultations and sessions with either. Up until the beginning of the pandemic, I had no requests to conduct sessions in any other way than face to face.

Then we emerged from the third lockdown. Suddenly, people are opting for initial consultations and sessions via Skype or Face Time. Trends such as hybrid working have spurred people on to the belief that therapy can be effective remotely. My preference remains face to face sessions, but I'm confident that when sessions begin remotely they can have just as positive an outcome as face to face sessions.

25/04/2021

Challenges Remain
Late April 2021. The sun has been shining for what seems like weeks. Spirits lift in anticipation as the pandemic loosens its grip. We all sigh a breath of relief but remain cautious in the light of what's happening in the rest of the world. Meanwhile here in the UK, infections are down, deaths are down and vaccinations continue to be rolled out.

People reconnect with family and friends. Some want to pick up where they left off in 2019. Others decide to address personal issues and see me for counselling and therapy.

What I've found during the last few weeks is that some people who would have sought my services months ago, if not several months ago, couldn’t for obvious reasons. Unfortunately for some, that means their symptoms have become worse in the absence of therapy. More doubt. More anxiety. More depression. This is the emotional legacy of the pandemic and it may take years to diminish. It's as if we have a form of collective PTSD. The pandemic has receded for now, but from a mental health point of view serious challenges remain.

11/04/2021

April Update
The days lengthen and get warmer just at the point in time corona virus restrictions are being gradually eased. From March 29th, we can meet in small groups outdoors. Golf courses and outdoor swimming pools are open. There's a sense of relief that a considerable amount of time and vigilance allows us to begin to reclaim all aspects of our lives.

Along with the relief at the return of the new normal, is a palpable caution that insists we don't squander our hard won gains with irresponsible behaviour. One has only to look across the English Channel, to see parts of Europe confronting the next wave of the virus. The emphasis now is to keep variants out of this country. We'll need to redouble our resolve. It also means that restrictions on going abroad may continue.

Where are we headed individually and collectively? The pandemic has reshaped our behaviours, our expectations, even our consciousness. Trivial distractions have fallen away as we focus on new priorities. What may have been taken for granted, is now in focus and vitally important.

28/03/2021

March 2021 Update

It's been a hundred and twenty days plus since I last committed pen to paper. Last November, I commented on the precarious state of the nation's mental health and the intervening months have proven to be no less challenging. In many respects, what we went through in January this year was worse than last April in terms of the numbers of infections and deaths.

The most noticeable changes in my life include the absence of making any long term plans. I've noticed a complete withdrawal from social life and a gradual withdrawal from social contact, but these are the norms we all face in the lockdown. FaceTime, Messenger, Skype and Zoom are the platforms that sustain my businesses and sustain what's left of a social life. I've been making the accelerated shift to digital so that even shopping lists are written on my iPhone notes app.

What are aspects of the "new normal"? In my case it's two lateral flow tests per week. It's having received the first Astra Zenica flu shot and await the next in May. Face masks and social distancing are now nearly instinctive restrictions and these may last for years.

Daylight lengthens and the days get warmer. Optimism returns almost as suddenly as the roadside daffodils. The sunshine is no less welcome in these times, but the sense of potential threat remains pervasive, despite vaccinations. Perhaps one day soon I'll be describing post pandemic stress disorder. Aa always, we carry on. Our resilience must remain formidable.

17/01/2021

I've recorded 3 different MP3s and all are available from my website: clevedonhypnotherapy.co.uk

Weight Management
Quit Smoking
Boost Your Confidence
All MP3s have been professionally recorded, and no doubt you'll find them very useful.

22/11/2020

A Mental Health Catastrophe:

Because I couldn’t anticipate the arrival of the corona virus, I couldn't anticipate that the mental health of the nation is currently in such a precarious state. NHS staff are exhausted and many are traumatised. Health care and social care workers are no less exhausted and stressed.

What we here now are those who have become anxious and depressed while in lockdown or shielding. On top of that are the hundreds of thousands who have lost their jobs and struggle to feed their children, pay their bills and mortgages. Many of these people had no idea they, and their families, would be in this situation and this has taken a significant toll on their mental health. Even among those for whom the lockdown has been little more than a prolonged inconvenience, there's a pervasive atmosphere of worry.

Government accepts that mental health is a major issue during the pandemic, but there isn't yet a recognition that therapists should be deemed essential or key workers. While government has provided financial support for some self employed therapists, there now needs to be a recognition that, considering the mental health of the nation as a whole, therapists are desperately needed and should be key workers. Without this recognition we're heading towards a mental health catastrophe that may take years to address.

04/10/2020

Hoax to Hysteria.
Everyone has an opinion about the current pandemic. Had I ignored the media for the last half year, and listened only to the various points of view of family, friends, and acquaintances, I would have been introduced to the whole gamut of beliefs. I can characterise this range as hoax to hysteria.

I have a friend who, basing his opinions on "science", has attempted to convince me there are no such things as viruses. According to this person, instead of viruses there are exosomes that act as aggressive cleansing mechanisms among the frail and elderly. The upshot is that there's no need for social distancing or lockdowns and that government actions conceal a hoax in an attempt at social control.

Then I have friends who, while accepting the virus is real, are determined to minimise the threat of the virus. They accept the virus is real, but the chances of dying of infection are so remote that the vast majority of the population should be allowed to go about their business as usual. Along with the hoaxers, they feel government intervention amounts to social control. They're in favour of herd immunity.

I know teenagers who are fully up to date with world events, but might be found singing and dancing in a city centre on a Saturday night having been chucked out of a bar at 10 PM.

Then the majority. Vigilant. Compliant. Caring. Slightly anxious, but generally following the restrictions to the letter and doing so of their own free will.

Then, I’ve seen people who have barricaded themselves in their homes since the end of March. Some, due to ill health, are genuinely terrified and finally some are relatively healthy and just plain terrified. We've gone from strident disbelief to abject terror. I believe the pandemic is real and far from over, but I can paraphrase my actions towards corona virus as "conduct your life in such a way that the whole world can model their actions on yours".

12/09/2020

The New Normal.
Primary and secondary schools have opened their doors and there's also a cautious return to the workplace. While most people of school age have returned to the classroom, the corona virus pandemic has accelerated a process of working from home permanently. The return to the office was anticipated as a consequence of the opening of schools, but those who can work from home continue to do so in significant numbers. There are advantages and disadvantages in working from home, the latter being a degree of social isolation.

I've been seeing people face to face, in a Covid secure environment, since July. Many people I've seen since recently, describe heightened anxiety and their anxiety stems from several sources such as fear of the disease, fears for family members, restrictions on movement, the possibility of losing one's employment, and much more. We've all experienced a loss of control and influence and no one knows when this situation will dramatically change for the better. Meanwhile most, but not all of us, remain vigilant.

I remain committed to helping people in these uncertain times. I can help restore a sense of calm, optimism and determination. I help people to understand that some aspects of life can influenced, some can be controlled and some aspects of life are beyond control. None of us are helpless towards challenges we face. This is the new normal. We can thrive in adversity.

08/07/2020

Professional Reassurance
As governments ease restrictions, people begin to overcome their apprehensions and resume their lives beyond the confines of their homes. People return to work, they see friends and family and even entertain the prospect of a vacation. Our lives have resumed some familiarity, but with differences.

Lockdown has taken a toll on the mental health of many people regardless of age, gender, or economic background. Lives have been significantly disrupted and uncertainty about the future remains.

To help manage the accumulated stress of these uncertain times, hypnotherapy can be very effective. I want to reassure my current clients, as well as anyone else who needs help and support, that I conduct sessions with utmost confidentiality in a Covid secure environment. I can help restore a sense of calm and optimism. Please don’t hesitate to contact me.

21/05/2020

Staying Slim Under Lockdown and Beyond

Once the corona virus lockdown was declared, people were concerned about the physical and mental health of their family, their friends and their colleagues. Livelihoods were suddenly under threat. People didn’t go to work. Children didn’t go to school. Civil liberties were voluntarily curtailed.

By the end of March with the threat looming large, we were confronted with the fact that restrictions demanded we spend time in our homes. What were we going to do? Work from home, teach our children, tend our gardens and stay healthy. Staying mentally and physically healthy meant regular exercise and good nutritious food. Adapting to the new normal meant it was even more important not to over indulge in any food. Doubt, uncertainty and anxiety brought on by the daily barrage of shocking news headlines meant eating properly could be very challenging. In difficult times, food becomes solace.

Even as restrictions begin to ease it’s vitally important we don’t over eat, that we exercise regularly and that each day something, however small or insignificant, is accomplished. However, don’t let food become the reward for everything we do. Over indulging in food can be the consequence of fear and anxiety, but also boredom. Get in the habit of getting it right. Live with a sense of accomplishment rather than the guilt and shame of having food that we know will do us harm.

You deserve to be the person you want to be. Make every day count. Don’t procrastinate. Tell yourself you can do it. Stay healthy, lose weight and keep it off during lockdown and beyond.

18/05/2020

Starting Up Anew
The last 3 months have been a very difficult time for everyone. The ongoing challenges we face are emotional, physical, psychological and financial. We feel genuine concern for the health and well being of our friends, family and ourselves while being aware lives are being lost to the virus. Mental health often suffers under these circumstances and a third of people in the UK claim their mental health has declined since lockdown. What people are telling me is they have heightened anxiety, doubt, feelings of helplessness, listlessness or something described as "brain fog".

I'll be seeing clients again soon. In the years since qualifying, I've not sensed such urgency for hypnotherapy and counselling although when I began as a therapist in 2007 the world faced a financial crises. Compassion, understanding and years of experience are combined to assure the best possible therapy even with social distancing. I'm going forward with confidence and I look forward to helping as many people as I can.

24/04/2020

Urgency in These Times:
There's ongoing and widespread discussion among the public, press, social media and government circles about where we are, how we get out of this and what does the corona virus mean for our economy. In tandem with these urgent issues is the awareness of the impact of these times and circumstances on our individual and national mental health. Like the financial repercussions, the mental health repercussions will extend for years into the future.

Many are living every day with uncertainty and fear. We worry about our children, our families, and our neighbours. Can we pay mortgages and rents? Will we even have a job to go to? When will we go back to school? Some will be enduring all these uncertainties and more, and I haven't even touched on those who have lost loved ones. We haven't been through anything like this in living memory.

There are signs we will get through this. The threat to our physical well being will diminish and a new normal will prevail. With access, understanding and sustained support provided by counselling and therapy, mental health can be restored. The threat to our mental health will subside, but it will take time.

Clevedon Hypnotherapy Centre

27/10/2021

27/09/2021

10/07/2021

23/06/2021

06/06/2021

30/05/2021

23/05/2021

25/04/2021

11/04/2021

28/03/2021

17/01/2021

22/11/2020

04/10/2020

12/09/2020

08/07/2020

21/05/2020

18/05/2020

24/04/2020

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