Dan’s Blog

The Effectiveness of Walking in Nature For Anxiety and Depression – Hypnotherapy in Ely

by Dan Regan | Apr 4, 2022 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

The Effectiveness of Walking in Nature For Anxiety and Depression – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Ah the great British weather! Last week the sun was out and shining bright and, in the warmth, I started to think about whether it was time to dig out my shorts. Then this week it’s been cold and wet and windy and I had to search back in the cupboard for my winter coat before heading out anywhere.

Now, whatever the weather, it’s always great to get outside, whether that is for exercise or just to take a mind clearing walk. Few things top those moments when you are out walking in nature. Recently we’ve been for a family walk through the Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds and for an explore on our first trip to Audley End House. On top of that I always enjoy my walk through the quiet fields on my way to and from work (especially now that the clocks have changed and it’s lighter in the evening).

I love those moments when you feel connected to nature as you walk along. There are the trees and the brightly coloured flowers and the green grass. There are the insects buzzing around and often a squirrel or two scampering about. I could watch the sights and listen to the sounds of nature in some secluded spot (on a nice day at least!) for hours. One of the reasons I love my office in Ely so much is because I can look out over the fields and catch sight of the deer, or a bird of prey, and even recently a fox walking through the undergrowth.

I often suggest to clients with anxiety, worry and stress that they start taking a daily walk to get the mental health and well-being benefits of moving and exercise, and as a way of seeking to get some time off from unwanted thinking. And there are even better benefits if that walk is in nature, where you feel a sense of connection to nature, as the mental health research clearly supports.

Award Winner For Service Excellence! Hypnotherapy in Ely

by Dan Regan | Mar 28, 2022 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Award Winner For Service Excellence! Hypnotherapy in Ely

It’s been a tough couple of weeks coming through being rather unwell with Covid and then getting back up to speed with work, exercise and life afterwards.

I know Covid is supposed to be mild but I can tell you that it made me pretty unwell with a fever, sore throat, fatigue and so on (I even lost my voice for two days because my throat was so bad!). Thankfully, our whole household has now come through it and we are all back up and running.

Sadly, Covid meant I missed the Ely Business Awards ceremony….but the good news is that I won something!!

Hypnosis For Golf Performance – Sports Performance Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

by Dan Regan | Feb 3, 2022 | Sports Improvement

Hypnosis For Golf Performance – Sports Performance Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Recently I’ve been working with a golfer to help him to overcome issues and unhelpful habits with a certain part of his game. As anyone who takes part in a sport will know, there is always scope for tweaking, learning and improving, yet there can also be aspects where the improvement doesn’t seem to happen.

I know from my own running and training that sometimes a run or session just doesn’t go to plan. Maybe other aspects of life are getting in the way and affecting things, maybe you are tired, or it could just be an off occasion for some reason. It’s never great but you know it’s a blip and you expect things to be back on the usual positive track next time.

However, there can be aspects of your sport where things just seem to always be awry. It can be anxiety, self-doubt, a lack of belief in your own ability, worry what others think, the legacy of a previous poor performance, too much tension or overthinking. Each and all of these things drain energy and undermine your performance.

I’ve worked with golfers who get anxious and tense only when playing with certain other people or only when playing in a competition. There are those who overthink their actions and so don’t swing smoothly and strike the ball cleanly. And there may be certain shots or conditions where you expect to mess up and then you become tense and make it a reality (and having done so, you then expect to mess up again and anticipate happening again with similar shots in the future). As well as tackling the psychological aspects and unhelpful habits, there are also those golfers whose game is fine yet who want to use their mindset and sports psychology to improve their play and increase their level of performance.

In this article I’m covering some of the research and evidence that supports hypnosis for golf performance and which covers how to improve your game.

Anxiety About Dentists, Doctors and All Things Medical

by Dan Regan | Jan 31, 2022 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Anxiety About Dentists, Doctors and All Things Medical

It’s been a hectic start to the year with things now well and truly back in full swing. I’ve been busy helping people to overcome anxiety, build confidence and to take control over eating habits and it’s been fantastic to see so many positive results. Outside work, I’ve been busy with my exercise and doing a bit of running again, I’ve been continuing to learn guitar (snapping some strings along the way) and spending fun time with the kids (well, maybe 95% of the time with the kids is fun, the rest is nagging them, cajoling them, reminding them to do things and tidying up after them!).

Many of the people I’ve been helping recently have come to see me about anxiety and fear to do with medically related things. For some, all medical things create anxiety, and they avoid the doctor and dentist because of the overwhelming uncomfortable feelings the thought of it evokes. Sometimes even talking about medically related things can be enough to create the fear and panic, even where the actual situations and events purely concern other people. There can be fears about needles, injections and blood tests and again, avoidance will be the main way they have of trying to deal with the fear and uncomfortable sensations.

As with most anxiety and fear, there is a cycle of imagining the worst case (e.g. needing a blood test and passing out), which creates anxious feelings and leads to avoidance and struggling.

Yet, however your fear and anxiety affects you right now, it is possible to take back control over your thoughts and feelings so that, like other people seem to do with ease, you can calmly go and do whatever medical things you may need to do.

Is Your Success With Hypnosis All About Your Subconscious Mind?

by Dan Regan | Jan 4, 2022 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Is Your Success With Hypnosis All About Your Subconscious Mind?

Take a scroll through the websites of a few hypnotherapists and in no time at all you’ll come across many references to the subconscious mind. There are those in the hypnotherapy field who believe that hypnosis is all about communicating with the subconscious mind and you’ll find their websites and posts littered with references and claims that link everything about hypnosis to this purportedly powerful, yet generally inaccessible, part of your mind.

They will tell you how your conscious mind only controls about ten per cent of your behaviours, habits and beliefs, with the remaining ninety per cent being controlled by your subconscious mind (they may even chuck in a picture of the brain or an ice berg for good measure to illustrate this). You’ll read how ‘hypnotherapy works by bringing your conscious mind and unconscious mind into harmony’ (whatever that means), or how during hypnosis your subconscious mind will be busy working in the background to make positive changes in our life (which presumably means you are unaware of what these changes will be) and how working your subconscious mind gets to the root of the problem.

I remember when I first turned to hypnosis and hypnotherapy to help with my anxiety and low self esteem issues. I was so confused and frustrated by my thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions that the prospect of some miraculous changes going on somewhere in my brain (while I just sat there relaxing with my eyes closed) seemed very appealing. I honestly expected to be ‘put under’ (whatever I thought that meant!) and to be out of it for a bit and then to come around with a totally new mindset of confidence. Best of all, I wouldn’t have to even do anything because my subconscious mind would figure it all out and fix it. Happy days!

So with all the claims of subconscious mind greatness that are published out there, is achieving success with hypnosis all about your subconscious mind playing ball?

Most Read Articles of the Year – Dan Regan Hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket

by Dan Regan | Dec 14, 2021 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Most Read Articles of the Year – Dan Regan Hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket

Phew! It’s been another busy and engaging year and it seems like so long ago since the start of the year (and the third Covid-19 lockdown).

Covid-19 and its impacts have continued to rise, diminish and lurk around over the year. Yet it has still been another year helping many people to overcome anxiety, end phobias, build confidence and self-esteem, quit smoking, lose weight and with many other issues that were getting in the way of their happiness. Thank you to everyone who has worked with me this year, those of you who have bought one of my powerful hypnosis audios and to everyone who has recommended me to others and left a kind review of our sessions together.

I always like to do a little personal review of the year in my head and to think back on some of the highlights of the year. I’ve really enjoyed meeting and working with so many people this year (face to face and online) and it makes my day whenever I hear how well you are doing (and it makes my week when you leave a positive review!). I’ve also been in the studio a number of times so that I can now help you with a wider range of hypnosis downloads, and I’m honoured to be a finalist in the Ely Business Awards.

Outside work, the kids are continuing to grow and to occupy my time and thoughts (usually in good ways!!); I’ve been continuing to practice the guitar (and can now play a few tunes recognisably!); and my exercise has continued to ensure that there is always some part of my muscle that aches.

I’ll be off for a short break with the family over the festive period (I’ll still reply to emails although may be a little slower than usual so please bear with me).

As part of my review of the year, I’ve brought together a treasure trove of my most read articles from the past twelve months (just a snippet of what’s available on my website blog pages).

There’s a lot of things included here that can help you with issues, such as reducing negative thoughts and feelings from things like anxiety, stress and distress. And there are also many strategies and techniques for helping with sports psychology and for increasing confidence, resilience and well-being. In most cases there is evidence and research to support them which you can find over in the full article using the links (more and more we are able to call upon evidence based practice to help with aspects of mental health and psychology).

I hope you enjoy reading these articles as much as I’ve enjoyed researching and writing them. So whether you’re visiting these articles for the first time today, or revisiting them and reminding yourself of how to boost your mental health, I hope you find something you enjoy that helps you and that you can take away to help you have a wonderful 2022, and even more, to make progress towards being the best version of yourself that you wish to be and can be.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas from Dan Regan Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

by Dan Regan | Dec 13, 2021 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Merry Christmas from Dan Regan Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

It’s been another strange year with the pandemic still looming over us all and now the new variant being the focus of attention.

I’ve been busy this year helping clients (and thanks for all the recommendations and reviews!), writing articles and recording new hypnosis downloads to help you with a variety of issues. In between that I’ve enjoyed some great times with the kids, lots of fun as I continue to learn guitar, and some intense times exercising!

I hope that this past year has been kind to you and that you have found time to take care of your physical health and your mental health.

And before I switch off to take a short festive break with my family (and to sing endless repetitions of the songs from the Albert Finney version of Scrooge), I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Wishing you a healthy, happy and wonderful 2022!

Hypnosis Downloads – Back In The Recording Studio!

by Dan Regan | Dec 7, 2021 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Hypnosis Downloads – Back In The Recording Studio!

I’ve been back in the recording studio and I have some more awesome hypnosis downloads to share with you.

It’s always great to get into the studio and record more and more hypnosis downloads. They can be used as a resource to help my clients and to support their sessions as they deal with things like anxiety relief and building confidence. And I know that many more people also benefit by using them to support their well-being and mental health.

This time around I’ve got new audios to help with reducing anxiety, increasing confidence, achieving positive growth from past events and help to quieten your mind and clear you mind. Do go and check them out in my shop, along with the many other titles that are waiting there to help you feel better.

Ely Business Awards Finalist – Hypnotherapy in Ely

by Dan Regan | Dec 3, 2021 | Hypnotherapy Hypnosis and NLP

Ely Business Awards Finalist – Hypnotherapy in Ely

I’m delighted to confirm that Dan Regan Hypnotherapy has reached the SME Ely Business Awards Final 2021 in the Service Excellence category.

As anyone who has followed this website or who reads my posts knows, getting a positive result for my clients is the top priority in everything I do so I’m thrilled to have become a finalist.

The winner of the category will be announced in late January at the awards ceremony (should I start writing an acceptance speech? Haha!). (note: the awards ceremony has since been moved to March due to the pandemic).

A huge thank you to all of my awesome clients who have chosen to work with me and to those of you who have kindly left feedback on how much the hypnotherapy sessions helped you, and who continue to recommend me to your friends and family. Thank you!

Health Anxiety – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

by Dan Regan | Nov 11, 2021 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks

Health Anxiety – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Recently a client with health anxiety was telling me how he couldn’t even put the TV on listen to the radio without coming across several mentions of health-related issues. There’s an almost constant stream of adverts and stories about illness, heart disease, cancer and other health issues. And, of course, over the last couple of years, all the mention of COVID-19, long covid and death from the pandemic has presented a challenge to anyone who struggles with health anxiety.

When I work with health-anxiety clients, they often tell me how any slight physical sensation or niggle gets magnified and amplified inside their imagination. Rather than being able to calmly consider and assess that slight pain, discomfort or niggle, their health-anxiety quickly escalates to a worst-case scenario where it is something serious like cancer (and then there are the fearful thoughts about everything that would come with that from impacts on them and their loved ones, to uncomfortable treatment, anxiety and the panic over their potential death).

Whilst the internet is a wonderful thing, with health-anxiety it can become a source of vague information that always points to a serious health condition (just about any physical symptoms can probably be directed towards something catastrophic like cancer).

And, of course, anxiety itself can cause physical sensations, for example in your stomach, chest or muscles, which adds more fear and anxiety to an already racing mind. Your health anxiety can lead to more sensations and aches, tension and pains, which then only adds to your worries about your health and maintains the things you are feeling in your body.

Now, of course, we shouldn’t just ignore every physical sensation and put it all down to anxiety. Yet, like my clients, you can develop the ability to calmly assess what you are feeling, to consider what may have caused it and to decide upon and calmly take any actions that may be needed to treat it. And, of course, the calmer you are able to be, the more clearly you can think, the better your decision-making processes will be and the easier it will be to consider what you are experiencing (without anxiety creating or exacerbating it). And so rather than thinking that twinge in your chest is a sign of a heart issue, you can calmly recognise that you probably strained a muscle exercising.

COVID-19 and the pandemic have certainly added to the health-anxiety levels of many people, whether from a rise in stress or anxiety about catching the virus and being seriously affected. And health-anxiety and the fear of contracting COVID-19 is something I’m covering here today.

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