Dan’s Blog

Music For Anxiety and Stress: My Latest Ely Standard Article

by Dan Regan | May 16, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Music For Anxiety and Stress: My Latest Ely Standard Article

I’m delighted that my latest Ely Standard article, about music for anxiety and stress, is now live on their website.

As I mention in my article, recently I attended a music concert at Ely College. It was a fantastic event and I was blown away with talent on display. I was hugely impressed with the students for getting up on stage and doing what they love (and well done to the staff who organised it all too!).

Research has shown that music can help you with anxiety relief and as an emotional coping tool, even during stressful and challenging times.

Music has been associated with reduced anxiety, enhanced mood, mental well-being and as a coping strategy. It has been shown that it may help to improve depression symptoms and has been shown to be associated with a decrease in overall self-reported anxiety. It is all strong support for the notion of making deliberate use of music if you want to experience some relief from your anxiety and stress.

You can read also my first Ely Standard article, about how nature can boost your mental health here:

Six Ways Hypnosis Can Help You

by Dan Regan | May 2, 2025 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Six Ways Hypnosis Can Help You

Today I’m covering six ways that hypnosis can help you.

Hypnosis is a powerful tool that can help you to improve your health and well-being. Rather than being stuck with anxiety, stress and unwanted habits, you can use your focus, imagination and other psychological processes to make constructive changes. Instead of feeling powerless and being controlled by your own thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions, hypnotherapy can help you to make changes and feel better in yourself.

We are all creatures of habit, pattern and repetition. That means that you can get stuck in a repeating cycle of doing things in the same way and getting the same (unwanted) results. Hypnotherapy can help you to change those patterns so that you take back control over your own thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions.

Research, and the many reviews on this website, demonstrate how effective hypnotherapy can be with issues such as weight management, sleep problems, stress and anxiety, pain management, quitting smoking and alleviating IBS symptoms.

If you could use some help to change how things are for you now, and to start feeling calm, confident, healthy and happy, then do get in touch and ask to book your free initial consultation.

Does Hypnosis Work For IBS?

by Dan Regan | Apr 23, 2025 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Does Hypnosis Work For IBS?

Does hypnosis work for IBS?

IBS can cause stomach pains and cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation. And all of these come with discomfort, pain and stress. You may not ever be quite sure when it will strike and so you’ve probably developed routines and habits that seem to help most of the time. There are certain foods you’ll avoid, or maybe you just don’t eat if you are going out. You may need to factor in plenty of extra time for the toilet before you leave the house. You may feel anxious going somewhere new if you aren’t sure where the toilets are. And you may worry about your IBS striking whilst out with others.

One of the most frustrating things about your IBS is that no one can tell you why it started or how to eradicate it. You may worry that perhaps it is something more serious that hasn’t been picked up by the doctors yet. Stress and anxiety make it all worse but it’s hard to avoid feeling on edge if you know you may end up in a ball of pain or needing to run to the toilet.

Your bowel movements and stomach issues can be debilitating and they can start to rule your life.

Whilst there is no specific test to diagnose IBS and no specific treatment for it, it is possible to experience more calmness, relief and control over your stomach. There is a whole wealth of evidence and research that demonstrates that hypnosis can work for IBS to help you manage it and feel better in yourself.

Narcissistic Abuse Stages

by Dan Regan | Apr 23, 2025 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

The 5 Stages of Narcissistic Abuse: Understanding the Cycle

Have you suffered at the hands of narcissistic abuse?

If you have been in a relationship with a narcissist that has come to an end then you will know it because of the painful way it will have unfolded. You’ll have been discarded, tossed aside and subject to emotional and psychological abuse along the way. Even before you are discarded, the narcissist will have been playing the victim behind your back, recruiting their supporters and laying their plans to exert even more power and control over you.

There is no simple way to put it, narcissistic abuse is painful and abusive. You will be on the back foot and confused by what is happening. Your good name will be dragged through the mud by those who buy into their false accusations and stories of how you were the problem. Narcissists prey upon kind, caring and empathetic people because those very qualities mean you won’t see the abuse that is happening to you. You may not even spot how they devalued you and controlled you during the relationship. Only when it is over will you realise you have lost your sense of worth and your identity. The narcissist was only ever interested in having power and control over you.

Just when you need to be at your strongest, you realise they have stolen your own sense of who you are. You are left broken, confused and alone. The narcissist will have already isolated you from some, if not all, of those you were once close to. And many of the rest will buy into the victim story that they are being convincingly fed. It may be a quick process, or you may find that they have been spreading their lies about you for weeks, months or even years before you first know anything about it.

If you’ve ever felt like a relationship started like a fairy tale and ended in emotional chaos, you’re not alone. Narcissistic abuse follows a pattern. It’s a cycle that leaves you confused, heartbroken, and wondering how things went so wrong. Understanding the stages of narcissistic abuse can help you make sense of what happened. It won’t change what has happened, especially as the narcissist lacks any personal insight and they think they have no need to change anything about themselves (in their story you are, and always were, the problem). However, knowledge can help you to start healing and to move on from the abuse you have endured.

Ely Standard Columnist – Hypnotherapist Dan Regan

by Dan Regan | Apr 11, 2025 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Ely Standard Columnist – Hypnotherapist Dan Regan

I’m delighted to confirm that I am now an Ely Standard columnist!

My first article has now been published in the Standard and I’ve included the link to the online version for you below. Do have a read and let me know what you think.

I’ll be back in the paper again next month with a new column.

In the article I cover the mental health benefits of time in nature. There is a whole wealth of research and evidence that shows that spending time in nature can help boost mental health and reduce symptoms of anxiety and stress. Even better, the positive benefits don’t actually require too much time or effort to achieve.

Here in Ely, we are blessed to have a lot of nature to enjoy that is easily on hand. I love walking and running along the river, or sitting in the sun and just watching the river roll on by. Wherever you are there is bound to be some nature nearby that you can call upon to support your mental health.

Confidence Hypnotherapy

by Dan Regan | Apr 8, 2025 | Confidence and Self Esteem

Confidence Hypnotherapy

Would you benefit from confidence hypnotherapy sessions?

A lack of confidence can have a massively limiting impact upon your life. There are things you want to do, and that you see others doing, yet you doubt your own ability and capability to take those positive steps forward. You may feel anxious around certain people and in certain situations and circumstances. You overthink, worry about being judged or failing, and talk yourself out of things.

Many people live their lives with a constant stream of negative inner dialogue that tells them they aren’t good enough. You may dwell upon perceived mistakes or the things you’ve said and done. It may feel that you never quite hit the mark in your interactions and in the things you do. You may worry what others think, have difficulty saying no and struggle with compliments. And you overthink and feel anxious. It can feel like you are faking it while everyone else seems to have their stuff in life together.

A lack of confidence stops you enjoying life to the fullest. You feel bad as you criticise and blame yourself, often assuming that things must be your fault. You berate yourself inside your own negative thoughts and you stay in your comfort zone, avoiding new challenges. You may compare yourself negatively to others, worry about what others think and fear making mistakes.

A lack of confidence permeates into all aspects of your life. You may doubt your ability to cope with challenges, avoid social situations and hold yourself back in your career.

Confidence hypnotherapy can help you to start feeling more comfortable in yourself and in your life. You start to trust in yourself and you gain a sense of perspective, knowing that whatever happens, you’ll deal with it. You start to feel good enough and you encourage and support yourself as you navigate your life and move forward in ways that please you.

Hypnosis for Anxiety in Ely and Newmarket

by Dan Regan | Apr 3, 2025 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Hypnosis for Anxiety in Ely and Newmarket

Would you like to learn more about hypnosis for anxiety in Ely and Newmarket? If you could use some help to overcome your anxiety then do jump to the bottom of this page and follow the link to book your free consultation.

Anxiety can take over your life. Those uncomfortable feelings and worst case, catastrophic, thoughts can fill you with dread. Your mind races, your heart pounds and you struggle to think clearly or switch off. The more anxious you feel, you more you worry about it and the cycle keeps going. You’ve probably also started avoiding things that you used to enjoy or you find you are struggling to face people, even when you know them well.

There are the sleepless nights with the hours and hours enduring the endless battle with your overthinking. You are tired and so the next day feels even harder to endure. Your appetite is affected and you feel even more depleted. You may even be worrying about whether you will ever feel normal again. What if your anxiety is here to stay?

If this sounds like you, then please know that there is hope. You can take back control over your thoughts and feelings and start feeling better. My hypnotherapy can help you find your freedom from anxiety. You can and will feel better again.

Emetophobia Hypnotherapy

by Dan Regan | Apr 2, 2025 | Phobias and Fears

Emetophobia Hypnotherapy

Helping people through emetophobia hypnotherapy is perhaps more common than you may think. Many people struggle with a fear of vomiting, often hiding their anxiety and avoiding situations that may be challenging.

Emetophobia is a very common issue that I help people with. If you have a fear of vomiting then you may try to hide it from others. You avoid situations and people that you consider to be high risk. And the possibility of encountering vomit (in yourself or others) is constantly at the forefront of your awareness. It can dominate your daily life.

Often the anxiety has elements around the possibility of other people being sick. You may avoid social situations, crowded places or places where people drink. If someone says they feel sick or coughs and splutters then you are immediately on high alert. If you’ve seen vomit somewhere then you may totally avoid going to that place, and similar places, again. Things like travel are filled with risk and dread. And if someone has been unwell then you may avoid them way beyond when they have recovered.

You will also worry about being sick yourself. If you were to catch something then it would be catastrophic. You may avoid alcohol or certain ‘high risk’ foods. You may feel like you are on constant alert for how you feel. If you get a sensation in your stomach or at the back of your throat then you start to panic about whether this is it, this could be the time you actually vomit.

Of course, everyone has an association of unpleasantness around vomit and being sick. No one wants to be unwell or to be exposed to it.

Is Hypnotherapy Right For You?

by Dan Regan | Apr 2, 2025 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Is Hypnotherapy Right For You?

Hypnotherapy, is it right for you? If you’ve never experienced hypnotherapy before then you may wonder whether it is right for you. There are all sorts of outdated misapprehensions and ideas that go around about hypnosis. You may have an idea of being controlled, revealing secrets or that it is not based upon science.

All of these are, of course, untrue. Hypnosis is all about changing the habits and patterns that you are currently battling with. It could be anxiety, panic attacks, low self-esteem, stress or overthinking. Right now, those thoughts, feelings and behaviours just repeat and repeat. They may ease for a while but they are soon back in force. It can feel frustrating to know what you need to change but to struggle with making it happen so that you feel better.

In essence, I would describe hypnotherapy as being all about how you can learn to take back control over the things that go on inside of your head. Rather than being thrown through life from one negative thought and feeling to the next, you take back control. You get to start feeling calmer, more confident and happier.

And there is lots of science and evidence to support the benefits of hypnosis for help with things like anxiety. I covered a lot of the research in these website articles. You may also have taken a look at the hundreds of positive reviews that others have left after their hypnotherapy sessions. Many of these people started out with scepticism and uncertainty, yet they ended feeling better in themselves.

Naturally, you want to make sure that you feel comfortable with the hypnotherapist you are going to be working with. That’s why I always suggest that you come for a free consultation before going ahead with sessions. This gives me a chance to learn a bit more about what you are seeking help with, and I will explain how I work and how I can help you. I also answer any questions you may have so that we both have an agreed clear understanding of how we will move things forward towards getting you a beneficial outcome.

SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards – Dan Regan Hypnotherapy in Ely

by Dan Regan | Mar 12, 2025 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards 2025 – Dan Regan Hypnotherapy in Ely

It’s that time of the year again when the finalists in the SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards get announced.

I’m delighted to say that for the third year in a row, I’m a finalist in the awards! Woop! Woop! After a very tough year for me personally, this really is a magnificent achievement that I’m super proud about. Some of you will know about what’s been going on in my life outside work and I’m very grateful for all the love, support and encouragement sent my way, it’s really helped me to stay strong and keep going. Onward and upward!

This year, I am a finalist in two categories; Business Person of the Year and Ely Business of the Year. Please do wish me luck for the award final in June.

And thank you so much for all of your ongoing support for my hypnotherapy business and for all of your ongoing, amazing, positive reviews (check them out here: What People Say). I’ll be celebrating fifteen years of helping people later this year and I’m as passionate and determined to help even more people as I have ever been.

« Older Entries

Claim your FREE Consultation TODAY

Just call 01353 886158 to book your free 30 minute consultation. Discover how you can start feeling better quickly and effectively and ask any questions you may have before deciding to go ahead.

Call Dan today!

Get Your Copy Right Now…

Subscribe to Dan’s Digest filled with tips, strategies and techniques and get instant access to your free rapid relaxation hypnosis audio track.

Enjoy feeling and being more mentally calm and physically relaxed right now:

Rapid Relaxation hypnosis mp3 dan regan hypnotherapy

Dan in the spotlight!

Click below to see Dan in the media

Hypnosis Downloads

Powerful hypnosis for download that will help you to overcome issues and achieve your goals.

Hypnotherapy Video Testimonials

Click below to see dozens of videos from happy clients who have worked with Dan: