Dan’s Blog

Ely Standard Cover My Business Award! Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

by Dan Regan | Jun 13, 2023 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Ely Standard Cover My Business Award! Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

I recently shared my success at the Ely Business Awards 2023 where I was fortunate to pick up another award for Service Excellence.

The Service Excellence category recognises a business that delivers outstanding assistance and advice to those who use the businesses products or services. Thanks so much again to all of you for your ongoing support and for continuing to share your positive hypnotherapy reviews and to recommend me to others who are seeking help and support with issues like anxiety.

I’ve already covered all about the award and how grateful I am for my hat-trick of winning an award three years in a row in previous articles. And recently the Ely Standard covered my awards success (thank you Ely Standard!) and I thought you might like to take a look at their news article today…

Hypnotherapy Reviews: Can You Trust Them?

by Dan Regan | Jun 12, 2023 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Hypnotherapy Reviews: Can You Trust Them: Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Now I don’t know about you, but these days when I’m deciding to buy something online, or when I’m researching a local business or service I need, then I always take a bit of time to check out the reviews and to see what other people say about their experience or about the thing I’m thinking of getting.

And I’m not just checking the ‘top’ reviews or those deemed ‘most favourable’ (by some online algorithm), I want to scan through what people have said more generally, the pros and cons they list, the proportion of people rating things at different levels and the most recent reviews in case something has changed. Quality and service can change over time so it’s useful to spend a few minutes checking out the reviews to gain a level of assurance before buying that thing or contacting someone about a service.

Whether I’m buying a book or some more guitar plectrums (because they tend to walk off on their own!), or I want to switch bank or find a plumber, I’m either going with a recommendation from someone I trust or conscientiously checking out their reviews. These days, reviews really do matter. I know this with my own hypnotherapy reviews because people want a level of confidence before contacting me about their mental health, or they come because a family member or friend has recommended me.

Yet the upside of being able to quickly check out what other people have said in online reviews sadly comes with the downside that, because reviews really do matter, it can be a breeding ground for those who seek to inflate claims, misrepresent their success and play the system. For some, there can be an unbearable urge to cut corners to boost their profile rather than to do the work and let the good reviews grow organically.

There have been several articles in the news recently about fake reviews and plans about future laws to make them illegal. Yet, right now, if you were to do a quick search online, you could quickly find dozens of companies who are only too happy to sell business reviews on Google, Facebook or anywhere else online that hosts reviews. And we aren’t talking about a service that contacts actual customers to encourage reviews (like those emails you get a few days after you buy anything online asking you to review it). They are openly selling made up reviews from people who have never used the services of the business, either using deliberately created accounts or sometimes using the same reviewers (so them seem legitimate at first glance) to fabricate some words and leave some stars.

Over the years I’ve had cause to speak to a lot of other hypnotherapists and to look at maybe hundreds of online hypnotherapy websites and profiles and until recently, I’d never knowingly come across the use of fabricated reviews or fake reviews in the field of hypnotherapy. Yet more recently, a bit of research has shown that certainly and sadly there seems to now be this more shady element within the world of hypnotherapy reviews.

Hypnotherapy To Help With Sleep Disorders – Insomnia Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

by Dan Regan | Jun 9, 2023 | Insomnia and Sleep Disorders

Hypnotherapy To Help With Sleep Disorders – Insomnia Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Is there anything worse than sleep deprivation? Well, maybe there are some things that are worse but a lack of regular, quality sleep definitely appears high up on the list of things that can affect your mood, mindset and well-being.

If you struggle with anxiety, stress, worry or have a tendency to overthink then getting to sleep, and staying asleep, can be a real issue. The state of your sleep is something I always ask about when you first come to see me because of how much it can impact upon your daily functioning. It becomes harder to challenge your own thoughts if you are tired and can lead to feeling low, down and sluggish. Even small daily tasks can seem like huge challenges to overcome and you may find yourself turning to caffeine and sugar to get through the day.

Probably most of us have the odd night that is disturbed. Perhaps we have something on our minds, or you wake up from a noise or needing the loo and your mind starts going, or maybe the kids are going through one of their phases of disturbed sleep that then impacts upon everyone. If it is the occasional night then it is probably something manageable and may not adversely impact upon things too much.

There are few things that aren’t improved by sleeping well. It becomes easier to manage your own thoughts and feelings and to make better decisions. You have more energy for things and you can feel more ready to handle, deal, cope with whatever comes your way.

Yet poor sleep and insomnia can exacerbate anxiety and stress, make your racing thoughts harder to manage and can lead to weight gain and less reasoned decisions. And if you are in a pattern of poor sleep, you may even feel anxious or dread going to bed because of the hours of struggle and frustration ahead. You may start to delay going to bed because of your insomnia and you may have started to develop all sorts of unhelpful thoughts, feelings and habits that means a decent night’s sleep is now seemingly further away from you than ever.

Online Hypnotherapy – Dan Regan Hypnotherapy Ely and Newmarket

by Dan Regan | Jun 4, 2023 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Online Hypnotherapy – Dan Regan Hypnotherapy Ely and Newmarket

Since the pandemic I think we’ve all got a lot more used to interacting online for a much wider range of purposes than we ever used to. Working from home, lockdowns, home schooling and so on accelerated our willingness to communicate over things like Zoom and Teams.

That said, even before the that I’d helped a lot of people across the world using Zoom and Skype. I often get enquiries from people who live abroad or too far away from Ely and Newmarket to attend in person, yet who still want to engage in hypnotherapy sessions with me for issues such as anxiety, worry and overcoming phobias. During the pandemic all of my work had to switch to online hypnotherapy due to restrictions, and even hypnotherapy sessions with people who were local to Ely and Newmarket continued online. Working in this manner has only continued where someone lives several hours away around the UK, or abroad, or where someone may struggle to travel or need to avoid being around others for various reasons (e.g. they are immuno-compromised or need to avoid any possible infection for medical reasons).

In my experience, online hypnotherapy sessions can work smoothly and successfully. Yet, when someone does contact me about working over Zoom, that question of whether online sessions are as effective as in person sessions, usually looms large in their minds.

Excessive Drinking Impacts on Muscle Loss – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

by Dan Regan | May 31, 2023 | Excessive Drinking and Binge Drinking

Excessive Drinking Impacts on Muscle Loss – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Alcohol can easily creep into your life and become an ever increasing habit. Rather than just enjoying the occasional drink with a nice meal or when socialising, you may have found that your alcohol consumption has just crept up and up. Many people reported that during lockdown their excessive drinking increased, and many have found it difficult to bring that drinking level back down again.

You might find that you look forward to that first glass of wine or beer at the end of the day. It becomes the way of switching off from the busyness of the day and relaxing into the evening. Yet soon that glass or two, or a couple of beers, doesn’t seem quite enough and so you finish the bottle (and maybe even break into the second one) or you find that a couple of beers has turned into much more.

Excessive drinking and binge drinking alcohol have an impact on your mental health, as well as your physical health. You may find you feel more sluggish, can’t think quite so clearly, that you lack energy and that your mind races if you don’t quieten it with booze. You may have tried cutting back or stopping drinking for a while, only to slide back into the same sort of habits and loved ones may have started making the odd reference to how much you drink or that they are concerned (whether you get angry and irritable, or tired and uncommunicative). You get to sleep easily but wake not feeling totally rested. The weariness makes the day more of a struggle and the prospect of a drink to unwind proves an ever greater habitual urge.

For some drinkers, the guilt of hiding their drinking or secret drinking also adds to their stress and misery. You may have lost the joy in your life. And the drinking may also mean you aren’t as productive as you want to be and you don’t get the things done that you planned. And whether it’s the embarrassing situations, the ever growing sense of pointlessness or the worry about your health and well-being, there comes a time when you no longer want to be under the control of your excessive drinking habit.

Overcoming Social Anxiety – Hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket

by Dan Regan | May 30, 2023 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Overcoming Social Anxiety – Hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket

As someone who used to struggle with social anxiety, nothing beats that feeling when a client tells me how good they feel after their hypnotherapy sessions when that anxiety around others no longer limits them.

Social anxiety can stop you doing the things you want to do and leave you trapped in a never ending cycle of negative rumination and self-criticism. You want to go out and do things and so you make plans with others, only to get so anxious that you cancel just before the event. You feel anxious and worried before going to an event to the point where if you go then you don’t really enjoy it because you are so tense and worried about messing up or being judged by others. After being around others you hyper analyse every word you said, action you took and how you perceive others responded to you. You beat yourself up (maybe for days) and feel like you aren’t good enough and that no one will ever want to spend time with you again.

Social anxiety can make you feel like there is something wrong with you, that you can’t feel comfortable and do what other people seemingly do with ease, and that you will never fit in. All of this is made worse because there are times when you are totally relaxed in yourself and can just enjoy being yourself, perhaps around those you are especially close to. Yet factors such as new people, bigger crowds or where you may feel under the spotlight a bit can exacerbate your social anxiety to levels where you are just lost in your own head, can’t think straight and just want to get away to somewhere you feel more safe.

Yet, just as with any anxiety, social anxiety is a bunch of learnt thoughts, feelings and behaviours that at some point you developed, then repeated, then inadvertently got good at and then you found it all became seemingly automatic and habitual. You know you can talk to others, you know you can go places and do things and that you are capable and a decent person, yet the anxious emotions, beliefs and thoughts cloud everything and drag you back into that mass of worry.

Winner for Service Excellence at Ely Business Awards 2023!! Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

by Dan Regan | May 26, 2023 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Winner for Service Excellence at Ely Business Awards 2023!! Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Wow! What a week that was! As well as donating blood, working with some fantastic clients, receiving a whole load of awesome reviews and managing to complete a fourteen mile run as part of my ultra marathon training, I also attended the SME Ely Business Awards ceremony at The Maltings, here in Ely.

It was an absolutely fantastic evening spent alongside the best of businesses in the Ely area. And I’m delighted to let you know that I was the Silver Winner of the Service Excellence at the awards! I’m absolutely delighted with this as the standard of businesses short listed in this category was exceptional. A huge thank you to you for your ongoing support and encouragement that allows me to keep on helping so many people with issues such as anxiety and low self-esteem.

The Service Excellence award is all about giving outstanding assistance and advice to people who use my products and services so I’m delighted with that. Of course, testimonials and reviews form a large part of that so thanks again to everyone who continues to submit such positive reviews about their hypnotherapy sessions!

Injections, Needles and Giving Blood – Anxiety Hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket

by Dan Regan | May 24, 2023 | Phobias and Fears

Injections, Needles and Giving Blood – Anxiety Hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket

The other day I went to give blood here in Ely for perhaps the fifth or sixth time, and certainly the first time since the pandemic. My Dad was a regular donor of blood and it means a lot to me to follow in his footsteps (although I’m not sure I remember him acting as weak and pathetic as I do after a donation!). It’s also nice to know that for someone somewhere that I will never meet, my blood could make all the difference to them.

Whenever I mention to people that I’ve been to give blood there will undoubtedly be several people who tell me how they couldn’t do that because of their fear around needles and injections, or because of a phobia about blood.

It really does seem to be one of the most prevalent fears and phobias around. And, for the most part, if you are healthy then you may not have much need to go near a needle or injection, or to need something like a blood test. And so, when people come to see me for hypnotherapy to overcome their fear then it is likely that their avoidance strategy has failed because they need something dental or medical done, or because their health now requires regular blood tests or injections.

And, of course, you know logically that there is no need to fear that little needle, or to fear the sight of blood (after all you carry enough of it around inside you), yet the fear and anxiety can take over to the point where you delay things, suffer overwhelming panic, want to run from the room (and just keep running) or you worry you may faint. And if you’ve been anxious, fearful and had unpleasant experiences around blood, needles and injections, then those memories are a lingering reminder of what an ordeal you are facing.

Fears around needles, injections and blood are not uncommon and that pattern of anxiety can certainly be changed. You can learn how to feel calm, comfortable and in control to get done anything you need to get done, and to relax if a need for something like a blood test crops up.

(Note: There is a picture of me at my blood donation with a needle in my arm further down this article. Please scroll carefully if you want to avoid it).

Fear of Flying Help – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

by Dan Regan | May 23, 2023 | Phobias and Fears

Fear of Flying Help – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Holiday season is approaching and the number of people seeking help for their fear of flying is rising.

For many people with a fear of flying the pandemic has an unintended consequence. Rather than having to hope flying somewhere wasn’t mentioned or feeling anxious about the possibility of flying, the restrictions probably meant a period of relief where you didn’t have to worry about it. Yet now, it is much more likely that either friends of family, or work, will be talking about booking flights and going away somewhere.

If you have a fear of flying, then no matter how much you love going away or seeing other places, your primary strategy is likely to always be avoidance. You’ll try to suggest other options, find reasons not to fly, look for other methods of travel or you’ll do just about anything else to get out of that thing that is filled with nervousness, dread, fear and anxiety.

Through avoidance you can find temporary relief from your fear of flying, yet the next time there is a possibility you may need to fly, the same old anxiety and fear resurfaces. And if your friends and family or work keep pushing you to commit to going somewhere that involves flying then, sooner or later, the prevarication, excuses and avoidance strategies will probably run out.

Pretty much every person with a fear of flying knows logically that flying is the safest mode of transport and that their fear is irrational. Yet that logic and reasoning can’t prevent all of the anxious feelings and emotions arising and all of the associated thoughts about the plane you will fly on being the one that is certain to fall out of the sky.

Kindness, Happiness and Mental Health – Hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket

by Dan Regan | May 19, 2023 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Kindness, Happiness and Mental Health – Hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket

In a world where you can be anything, be kind, as the saying goes (I think it might be hanging up on a sign in our downstairs toilet at home!).

Yet, it’s kind of true isn’t it? I mean it must be because random acts of kindness even have their own day in the calender each year. And who hasn’t seen a video on TikTok or Facebook where someone shares their happiness after receiving some small unexpected act or token of kindness from someone else.

We all know that the receiver of an act of kindness generally gets a boost of positivity and happiness (and as a side note it’s my birthday soon, just saying!). Yet all to often it can seem that everyone you encounter has forgotten, or is yet to realise, the psychological benefits that can come from carrying out acts of kindness.

Most days I would say it’s fifty:fifty whether someone even acknowledges it if you hold a door open for them, lifts a hand and smiles if you give way in the car or nods their head and returns your ‘good morning’ when you walk past them. But hey, that’s their thing and not yours so you can just let it slide because the research tells us that giving acts of kindness can have a boost for your levels of happiness, your well-being and your mental health.

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