Researchers in the United States are investigating virtual reality hypnosis to help manage depression and anxiety in chronic pain.
Clinical trials began this summer at Arlington Heights in Illinois with patients using a head-mounted display to immerse themselves in a 3-dimensional world of sights and sounds. The technology guides patients through the same steps clinicians or hypnotherapists would use during hypnosis.
The annual meeting of the American Pain Society was told that patients with chronic pain often find it difficult to visualise the images necessary for deepening trance states, so it is hoped the computer-simulated environment will overcome the problem.
Clinical care consultant Lynda Wargolet explained: "The approach has already shown significant efficacy in case studies."
The overlap between pain and psychiatric conditions is particularly evident in chronic syndromes such as headache, low back pain, nerve pain, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Studies investigating the neural substrates of chronic pain reveal shared biological mechanisms with anxiety and depression.
HELP YOURSELF! with tips, tricks, techniques and information from The Therapy Partnership.
Wednesday 29 June 2011
Hypnotherapy helps speed surgery recovery – Belgian study
The health and financial benefits of combing hypnotherapy and local anaesthesia in some surgical operations has been highlighted in recent research in Belgian.
Details of how hypnotherapy when used with normal local anaesthesia were delivered to the European Anaesthesiology Congress in Amsterdam.
The congress heard healing times were speeded up, drug needs reduced and time in hospital cut.
The evidence was gathered by Fabienne Roelants and Dr. Christine Watremez of Cliniques Universitaires St. Luc in Brussels who explained the study involved women who underwent breast cancer surgery – partial mastectomy, examination of lymph nodes and opening the armpit to examine or remove some or all of the lymph nodes.
Out of the study groups 78 women, 18 of them were given hypnotherapy – the rest had general anaesthesia.
Although the hypnotised patients spent a few minutes longer in the operating room, there was a substantial reduction in the need for opioid drug and they needed less time in the recovery room and in the hospital. The outcome of the surgery between the two groups were similar.
Fabienne Roelants told the conference: "In addition to reducing drug use and hospital stay time, being able to avoid general anaesthesia in breast cancer surgery is important because we know that local anaesthesia can block the body's stress response to surgery and could therefore reduce the possible spread of metastases."
Details of how hypnotherapy when used with normal local anaesthesia were delivered to the European Anaesthesiology Congress in Amsterdam.
The congress heard healing times were speeded up, drug needs reduced and time in hospital cut.
The evidence was gathered by Fabienne Roelants and Dr. Christine Watremez of Cliniques Universitaires St. Luc in Brussels who explained the study involved women who underwent breast cancer surgery – partial mastectomy, examination of lymph nodes and opening the armpit to examine or remove some or all of the lymph nodes.
Out of the study groups 78 women, 18 of them were given hypnotherapy – the rest had general anaesthesia.
Although the hypnotised patients spent a few minutes longer in the operating room, there was a substantial reduction in the need for opioid drug and they needed less time in the recovery room and in the hospital. The outcome of the surgery between the two groups were similar.
Fabienne Roelants told the conference: "In addition to reducing drug use and hospital stay time, being able to avoid general anaesthesia in breast cancer surgery is important because we know that local anaesthesia can block the body's stress response to surgery and could therefore reduce the possible spread of metastases."
Monday 27 June 2011
It's Good to Talk...
Thank you to everyone who has shown an interest in the column - and please remember that all feedback is welcome. I'd really like to hear from you. Anyway! On to this week’s letter:
Dear Kate,
I moved to Europe over a year ago as I hoped to become more aware of who I am and to accept myself. I have had issues all my life when it comes to insecurities and I am starting to think I may have made the wrong choice to come here. All I am hoping to get from you is some advice to at least be a little content with my new life here and to eventually accept my choices and to accept myself. Thank you.
The letter arrived anonymously, so I replied in my column:
Firstly thank you for your letter, it takes courage and openness to be able to acknowledge you are not as happy as you’d like to be and then to be able to ask for help. It seems from what you have written that you are a very insightful person and are beginning to become self aware and confident in who you are. That may seem like an obvious thing but knowing yourself well is something that takes time and can be hard work, asking yourself questions and giving honest and truthful answers can be a struggle at times but you seem to be doing well at understanding yourself and though you may not always like the answers your honesty puts you in a position to think about change if you choose.
So, you have been in Europe a year, I am not sure where you have come from or what caused you to leave home but no matter what the circumstances it is always hard to leave home and settle into a new way of life. I wonder why you feel you have possibly made the wrong choice? Maybe part of the journey that you hoped to take in accepting yourself and becoming more aware is about having exactly these kinds of doubts. The journey of self discovery is often not a smooth one but a rocky path and sometimes to get to that clearer place you have some dips and lows along the way, and this is where the real learning and understanding of yourself begins to take place.
I would like to know more about you and then maybe we can go into things in a little more detail, you say you have had issues all your life when it comes to insecurities, I wonder what you think these maybe. I have a sense that you are a very strong and confident person who at times has very natural doubts and concerns over their choices. I suppose one of the things to always keep at the forefront of your mind is that choices are exactly that and there are always choices available for you to make, a year ago you made the choice to come to Europe and it seems that you are now at a cross roads again, where you are making the choice to stay or not. It is completely understandable to have a natural pull to home, its what you know, its comfortable and familiar, but it will always be there for you and maybe staying in Europe for a little while longer will teach you more about yourself and how you want to spend the rest of your life then you would be able to discover at home. The end result may well be that home is where you decided to settle but giving yourself the opportunity to explore other options is not only brave but also such an amazing opportunity and one that you might want to consider taking full advantage of whilst you can.
I hope this has helped in some way and please feel free to contact me again should you feel like writing more.
Kate - http://www.ibizacounselling.com
Dear Kate,
I moved to Europe over a year ago as I hoped to become more aware of who I am and to accept myself. I have had issues all my life when it comes to insecurities and I am starting to think I may have made the wrong choice to come here. All I am hoping to get from you is some advice to at least be a little content with my new life here and to eventually accept my choices and to accept myself. Thank you.
The letter arrived anonymously, so I replied in my column:
Firstly thank you for your letter, it takes courage and openness to be able to acknowledge you are not as happy as you’d like to be and then to be able to ask for help. It seems from what you have written that you are a very insightful person and are beginning to become self aware and confident in who you are. That may seem like an obvious thing but knowing yourself well is something that takes time and can be hard work, asking yourself questions and giving honest and truthful answers can be a struggle at times but you seem to be doing well at understanding yourself and though you may not always like the answers your honesty puts you in a position to think about change if you choose.
So, you have been in Europe a year, I am not sure where you have come from or what caused you to leave home but no matter what the circumstances it is always hard to leave home and settle into a new way of life. I wonder why you feel you have possibly made the wrong choice? Maybe part of the journey that you hoped to take in accepting yourself and becoming more aware is about having exactly these kinds of doubts. The journey of self discovery is often not a smooth one but a rocky path and sometimes to get to that clearer place you have some dips and lows along the way, and this is where the real learning and understanding of yourself begins to take place.
I would like to know more about you and then maybe we can go into things in a little more detail, you say you have had issues all your life when it comes to insecurities, I wonder what you think these maybe. I have a sense that you are a very strong and confident person who at times has very natural doubts and concerns over their choices. I suppose one of the things to always keep at the forefront of your mind is that choices are exactly that and there are always choices available for you to make, a year ago you made the choice to come to Europe and it seems that you are now at a cross roads again, where you are making the choice to stay or not. It is completely understandable to have a natural pull to home, its what you know, its comfortable and familiar, but it will always be there for you and maybe staying in Europe for a little while longer will teach you more about yourself and how you want to spend the rest of your life then you would be able to discover at home. The end result may well be that home is where you decided to settle but giving yourself the opportunity to explore other options is not only brave but also such an amazing opportunity and one that you might want to consider taking full advantage of whilst you can.
I hope this has helped in some way and please feel free to contact me again should you feel like writing more.
Kate - http://www.ibizacounselling.com
Thursday 16 June 2011
It's Good to Talk
Hello! I'm Kate Stillman, and I write a fortnightly column for the English-language Ibiza Sun, where I respond to readers problems; or tackle issues that are shared by many people wherever they live.
My column this time is based on an e-mail I received recently, and my answer to it. I hope that talking about these problems here will be useful - not just to people who are living in Ibiza, but to anyone who reads this blog.
The e-mailed was addressed to 'Dear Ibiza Counselling', and read as follows:
Dear Kate - I was hoping you could help me with a problem I have or maybe some of your readers have some ideas. I have been living in Ibiza for five years and love the islands; however I am beginning to feel that it might be time to go home.
Since arriving here my husband and I have made many really good friends, but lots of those relationships seem to centre around drinking. Up until now it has been fun but it seems as if we can't have a good time without it and it worries me, our communication is at an all time low and the children (14 and 16° are beinning to pick up on the tension.
I have spoken to my husband, but he is adamant that after building up a life for us here and all the effort that we have made that we should stay. He does not see the drinking as a problem and just says it's a way of life."
The e-mail was signed 'Thank you. Jane' (Not her real name).
I replied:
"Thank you for your e-mail; and I am sorry to hear that you are finding things difficult at the moment.
There seem to be several strands that are causing you concern - the alcohol, your relationship, and the children - so I will address each of them individually, and explore how going 'home' might impact them. It is important to remember that we only have a limited amount of space in this column - and I also have a limited amount of information from you, so this space is really to highlight areas which may need a little more consideration and exploration so that any decisions made are ones that you have to feel comfortable with.
It is great that you and your husband have settled in so well and have a good social network; this is something that many people living abroad find difficult to achieve. I understand that you feel much of your social time is centred around alcohol and that you are becoming uncomfortable with this. I wonder, though, if you think this would be any different if you were to move back to the UK. The setting and the people might differ, but there are still ample opportunities to drink in most countries.
Your husband may or may not think that alcohol is an issue for him - but if that is all you can focus on, then it is an issue for you - and this may mean you feel you have some choices to make regarding your own relationship with alcohol. It might be that by understanding why you are now feeling uncomfortable with the drinking situation, and giving yourself the opportunity to explore whether or not you feel that you need to change your own habits, you will be able to decide how you want to handle the alcohol issue within the family. There is alcohol support available in Ibiza, so please feel free to e-mail me directly at kate@ibizacounselling.com if you would like the details.
You have mentioned that you relationship with your husband is suffering, and that communication is at an all-time low. Sometimes communication can gradually break down, and it is not until we become aware of a certain situation - in your case the alcohol, or maybe the children's reaction to tension, that it becomes more apparent. I am asking you to consider if you think the communication between the two of you began to break down before the alcohol became an issue, or afterwards. Could it be that the alcohol acted as an escape from the tension that already existed between you?
Moving to a new country with two children and all that that entails puts a huge amount of pressure on any relationship and being conscious and open about that pressure can go a long way toward easing it.
Partners can often feel backed into a corner and that they are being blamed for certain situations. This can lead to them feeling they have to defend themselves rather than ask for help. I wonder what it would be like for you to ask your husband for help because you are finding things difficult rather than focus on what he is doing wrong. People like to be able to offer support and help to others. If he was aware of just how difficult you are finding things, it might be that asking for support from him you would find that his attitude would change.
Again, there are choices you may need to make, and questions you may want to ask yourself regarding your feelings about the marriage and what it means to you. Are things at a stage where you would consider leaving Ibiza with or without your husband? If he agreed to leave because you want to rather than because he agreed it was the best thing to do, what impact may this have on the relationship between you? Maybe letting him know how you are feeling and what those feelings are leading you to consider from a practical point of view will help you open the doors to a better communication.
Finally, there are your two children. They are picking up on tension because it is there and present within the family. The best thing you can do with children is to be honest, but in a supportive and kind way that they can digest. You know your children; both you and your husband do need to come together to focus on them and answer any questions they may have in an honest yet simply digestible way that they understand.
Jane, I wish you the best of luck."
It may be that some readers also have some views and ideas they would like to share after reading this. If so, please feel free to leave a comment on the blog or e-mail me at kate@ibizacounselling.com.
Kate - http://www.ibizacounselling.com
My column this time is based on an e-mail I received recently, and my answer to it. I hope that talking about these problems here will be useful - not just to people who are living in Ibiza, but to anyone who reads this blog.
The e-mailed was addressed to 'Dear Ibiza Counselling', and read as follows:
Dear Kate - I was hoping you could help me with a problem I have or maybe some of your readers have some ideas. I have been living in Ibiza for five years and love the islands; however I am beginning to feel that it might be time to go home.
Since arriving here my husband and I have made many really good friends, but lots of those relationships seem to centre around drinking. Up until now it has been fun but it seems as if we can't have a good time without it and it worries me, our communication is at an all time low and the children (14 and 16° are beinning to pick up on the tension.
I have spoken to my husband, but he is adamant that after building up a life for us here and all the effort that we have made that we should stay. He does not see the drinking as a problem and just says it's a way of life."
The e-mail was signed 'Thank you. Jane' (Not her real name).
I replied:
"Thank you for your e-mail; and I am sorry to hear that you are finding things difficult at the moment.
There seem to be several strands that are causing you concern - the alcohol, your relationship, and the children - so I will address each of them individually, and explore how going 'home' might impact them. It is important to remember that we only have a limited amount of space in this column - and I also have a limited amount of information from you, so this space is really to highlight areas which may need a little more consideration and exploration so that any decisions made are ones that you have to feel comfortable with.
It is great that you and your husband have settled in so well and have a good social network; this is something that many people living abroad find difficult to achieve. I understand that you feel much of your social time is centred around alcohol and that you are becoming uncomfortable with this. I wonder, though, if you think this would be any different if you were to move back to the UK. The setting and the people might differ, but there are still ample opportunities to drink in most countries.
Your husband may or may not think that alcohol is an issue for him - but if that is all you can focus on, then it is an issue for you - and this may mean you feel you have some choices to make regarding your own relationship with alcohol. It might be that by understanding why you are now feeling uncomfortable with the drinking situation, and giving yourself the opportunity to explore whether or not you feel that you need to change your own habits, you will be able to decide how you want to handle the alcohol issue within the family. There is alcohol support available in Ibiza, so please feel free to e-mail me directly at kate@ibizacounselling.com if you would like the details.
You have mentioned that you relationship with your husband is suffering, and that communication is at an all-time low. Sometimes communication can gradually break down, and it is not until we become aware of a certain situation - in your case the alcohol, or maybe the children's reaction to tension, that it becomes more apparent. I am asking you to consider if you think the communication between the two of you began to break down before the alcohol became an issue, or afterwards. Could it be that the alcohol acted as an escape from the tension that already existed between you?
Moving to a new country with two children and all that that entails puts a huge amount of pressure on any relationship and being conscious and open about that pressure can go a long way toward easing it.
Partners can often feel backed into a corner and that they are being blamed for certain situations. This can lead to them feeling they have to defend themselves rather than ask for help. I wonder what it would be like for you to ask your husband for help because you are finding things difficult rather than focus on what he is doing wrong. People like to be able to offer support and help to others. If he was aware of just how difficult you are finding things, it might be that asking for support from him you would find that his attitude would change.
Again, there are choices you may need to make, and questions you may want to ask yourself regarding your feelings about the marriage and what it means to you. Are things at a stage where you would consider leaving Ibiza with or without your husband? If he agreed to leave because you want to rather than because he agreed it was the best thing to do, what impact may this have on the relationship between you? Maybe letting him know how you are feeling and what those feelings are leading you to consider from a practical point of view will help you open the doors to a better communication.
Finally, there are your two children. They are picking up on tension because it is there and present within the family. The best thing you can do with children is to be honest, but in a supportive and kind way that they can digest. You know your children; both you and your husband do need to come together to focus on them and answer any questions they may have in an honest yet simply digestible way that they understand.
Jane, I wish you the best of luck."
It may be that some readers also have some views and ideas they would like to share after reading this. If so, please feel free to leave a comment on the blog or e-mail me at kate@ibizacounselling.com.
Kate - http://www.ibizacounselling.com
Monday 6 June 2011
Hypnosis on the NHS?
I am, of course, very glad indeed to find that the hypnosis and psychomatic medicine section of the Royal Society of Medicine and I are finally in agreement, but I have to wonder how - and whether! - this excellent idea is going to work in practice.
Hypnosis is a very efficient and beneficial form of therapy that can be used to address many problems and alleviate many distressing conditions - but it is very time-consuming form of therapy. A single hypnosis session usually lasts for an hour or more - and some conditions demand many sessions. General Practitioners who take the trouble to learn how to use the technique therefore frequently find that they never have the time to use it.
The answer to that problem is, of course, outsourcing, and there are doubtless many medical practioners who would be prepared to outsource their patients to qualified hypnotherapists, and many qualified hypnotherapists who would be only too glad to take on the work. Unfortunately, as both Emily and I know only too well, getting an NHS Provider Number in the first place is very difficult, and keeping it current is the sort of bureaucratic nightmare that forces most therapists to give up and try to forget all about it.
Sadly, I think that hypnosis can only become a standard technique that is available to everyone on the NHS if people are encouraged to understand what they can get out of it - and you can begin to do that for yourself by visiting http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8572818.stm - and then ask for for what they want, and go on asking in an increasingly loud voice until they get it.
Bill - http://www.therapypartnership.com/
Sunday 5 June 2011
Change
This week in Ibiza has been a week of considerable change for most of us in one way or another, and change can be something that many find difficult, awkward and at times frustrating.
This weekend is always a big weekend on the island it is the unofficial start of the season, the sun is a certainty, the clubs re-open and the island sees the first sizeable wave of tourists here to soak up the sun and everything else that this magical island has to offer.
Be it family holidays, clubbing holidays, yoga retreats or a romantic get away. They subconsciously dump their stress; low energy and drudgery of daily life at home whilst simultaneously soaking up all the positives that Ibiza is able to give them. Many of us rely on them, some of us dread them and some feel a little in the middle of the two.
However what we cannot argue with is that this weekend marks the beginning of a different Ibiza until it all changes again towards the end of September. It is important that as residents living here the whole year around we look after ourselves and be aware of how this change may affect us emotionally as well as practically, as visitors it is also important to be aware of the change that is also going on for you. Two weeks holidaying in Ibiza, or anywhere else for that matter can bring up loads of thoughts that you simply have not had time to think at home, processing them can at times be overwhelming.
This is a change that we are expecting we know its coming and yet that transition can still be daunting, exciting, rewarding and frustrating. But this week has seen another change, a change that many of us especially those in the north of the island will have to get used to for some time to come.
A change that we were not expecting and certainly did not want. The fire that broke out on Wednesday 25th May close to San Juan has undoubtedly changed the scenery of Ibiza probably for years to come, but it has also changed lives, emotions and expectations for the future and this is maybe where talking about your attitudes to change and what it means to you could go a long way to helping you adjust to the changes that have happened and are happening both to the island as a whole and to you as an individual.
The events of this weekend are a shared experience and it’s good to talk to others about theirs to gain a better understanding of your own.
From a therapeutic point of view the subject of change tends to come up at some point during sessions, what change means to you and how you react to and with it can give you a much clearer insight into yourself allowing you to understand your responses and attitudes in a way that you might not have done in the past.
This is my first article for the Ibiza Sun as their resident counsellor, I have been practising for over eight years and will be here every two weeks to respond to your letters on any subject of your choice, they can be anonymous and no identifying material will be published.
Sharing your thoughts on this page could also be helping someone else in a similar situation who feels isolated and alone so please do take the time to become part of this column and I look forward to receiving your e mails.
Kate - http://www.therapypartnership.com/
This weekend is always a big weekend on the island it is the unofficial start of the season, the sun is a certainty, the clubs re-open and the island sees the first sizeable wave of tourists here to soak up the sun and everything else that this magical island has to offer.
Be it family holidays, clubbing holidays, yoga retreats or a romantic get away. They subconsciously dump their stress; low energy and drudgery of daily life at home whilst simultaneously soaking up all the positives that Ibiza is able to give them. Many of us rely on them, some of us dread them and some feel a little in the middle of the two.
However what we cannot argue with is that this weekend marks the beginning of a different Ibiza until it all changes again towards the end of September. It is important that as residents living here the whole year around we look after ourselves and be aware of how this change may affect us emotionally as well as practically, as visitors it is also important to be aware of the change that is also going on for you. Two weeks holidaying in Ibiza, or anywhere else for that matter can bring up loads of thoughts that you simply have not had time to think at home, processing them can at times be overwhelming.
This is a change that we are expecting we know its coming and yet that transition can still be daunting, exciting, rewarding and frustrating. But this week has seen another change, a change that many of us especially those in the north of the island will have to get used to for some time to come.
A change that we were not expecting and certainly did not want. The fire that broke out on Wednesday 25th May close to San Juan has undoubtedly changed the scenery of Ibiza probably for years to come, but it has also changed lives, emotions and expectations for the future and this is maybe where talking about your attitudes to change and what it means to you could go a long way to helping you adjust to the changes that have happened and are happening both to the island as a whole and to you as an individual.
The events of this weekend are a shared experience and it’s good to talk to others about theirs to gain a better understanding of your own.
From a therapeutic point of view the subject of change tends to come up at some point during sessions, what change means to you and how you react to and with it can give you a much clearer insight into yourself allowing you to understand your responses and attitudes in a way that you might not have done in the past.
This is my first article for the Ibiza Sun as their resident counsellor, I have been practising for over eight years and will be here every two weeks to respond to your letters on any subject of your choice, they can be anonymous and no identifying material will be published.
Sharing your thoughts on this page could also be helping someone else in a similar situation who feels isolated and alone so please do take the time to become part of this column and I look forward to receiving your e mails.
Kate - http://www.therapypartnership.com/
Saturday 4 June 2011
If you put Yourself Down...
...you'll never have a problem finding other people ready and willing to help you make a really good job of doing it.Emily - http://www.therapypartnership.com/
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