Tuesday, August 12

Is Hypnotherapy For You?

Photo by Live Life Happy on Flickr
By Laura Lewis, The HypNutritionist 

Have you been struggling with your weight due to a perpetual cycle of doing your very best to eat healthily, yet giving in to cravings? Do you suffer from poor self-esteem and it's negatively affecting your work or relationships with friends, family members, work colleagues, or your partner? Do fears or phobias stop you in your tracks, decreasing your quality of life? How about procrastination, perpetual worrying, stressing out, nail-biting, smoking, performance anxiety, or some other debilitating behavior?

I've always been fascinated with the power of the subconscious mind. The idea that we only use 10 to 12% of our brains consciously blows me away. It's like the tip of the iceberg above the water with 90% below the surface. Yet, since the moment you were born, you began to create associations and identified them as your "knowns." Your reality. I like to call it your "tapestry of life", one that you have been weaving for a long time. Yours is unique. Your "truths" are real to you, deep in your subconscious. And this is the place where healthy, happy feelings originate,  associated with people, places, things.  It is also where fear, guilt, anger, and other negative feelings originate. For example, when you have a fear of public speaking, there is no doubt it's rooted somewhere in your subconscious mind. At some point, the fear became real to you. Faced with a microphone and a room full of people, you quake in your boots. Fears become "real" and they can literally paralyze us.

Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool that can help people overcome these fears, get rid of unhealthy habits, improve moods, and help people become more productive and optimistic in their everyday lives. So, how does it work? A certified hypnotherapist is trained specifically to help you tap into your subconscious mind. You are fully aware during the session. As a matter of fact, almost half of the one-hour session is spent discussing what you would like to accomplish or challenges you may be facing. Then, 15 minutes is spent in the hypnotic state--essentially a heightened state of focus--and it is during this blissful state that the true magic happens.

I have been coaching clients for many years on how to improve their eating habits and lifestyle choices. Now, with hypnotherapy, it's like adding rocket fuel. That's why I'm known as The HypNutritionist.

If you would like to book a virtual session with me, please complete the contact form. Or visit my website at LauraLewis.com and reach out there. 

Wednesday, July 24

6 Ways to Get High Naturally

6 Ways to Get High Naturally by Laura Lewis 
By Laura Lewis, Life Balance Expert, FRS Healthy Ambassador and a.k.a. TheHypNutritionist 

You're an addict. You really are. As members of the human race, we naturally aspire to be happy, joyful, excited, buzzed, elated and "out-of-this-world-blissed out!" We love our "feel good" brain chemicals. Who wouldn't really? Whether we realize it or not, we all strive to attain just the right balance of dopamine, serotonin, cortisol, growth hormone, essential fats, insulin and other naturally occuring "bio"chemicals in our bodies. Fitness lovers, myself included, love the high that comes along with a great workout, right? I know I do. At the end of a particularly stressful day the "pre-workout" Laura looks very different before doing forty-five minutes of cardio and thirty minutes of free weights. I am all smiles ... and naturally high.

The hunger to feel good has a flip side. Hence addiction is a huge problem for many in our society. Yet, getting high naturally is totally possible. 

Here are 6 ways to do just that. 

1. Workout. Move. Do something that involves physical activity. I enjoy fitness walks with my gigantic Golden Retriever, Tucker. He makes me smile too. And I adore the gym and try to get there at least three to four times per week. What can you do? 

2. Gossip. I had no idea but it's true. Gossiping, according to researchers, is much like grooming among primates and helps humans bond. And elevates endorphins too. I am not a fan of "mean gossip" and recommend to be kind when you do gossip. 

3. Eat Chocolate. Why? If you are a chocolate lover you have a hunch. When you eat chocolate the simple consumption of the luscious, rich treat causes the release of phenylethylamine in the brain: the very same chemical that is released when you fall in love. 

4. Get Stuck ... With Acupuncture Needles. If you haven't tried it, you should. I love it. My acupuncturist in Dallas, Iva Peck, has been treating me for years. I must say, the endorphin high is simply lovely. Researchers have proven acupuncture treatments significantly improve moods.

5. Have Sex. Post orgasm natural pain killers are released. No wonder you feel "oh so good" afterward. 

6. Laugh, giggle, chortle or gufaw. And do it a lot. I love to laugh, smile and make others laugh. Have you laughed lately? If not, rent a funny flick. Call a friend that makes you laugh. Listen to a stand-up comic that makes you laugh. Laughing is one of the easiest ways to elevate your mood.

Original article written by Laura Lewis for ThatsFit.com  Photo Credit: thephotographymuse via Compfight cc

Friday, May 24

What is The HypNutrition® Program?

By Laura Lewis, Life Balance Expert

Diets. They can get tiring, especially if you have been riding the weight-loss roller coaster for many years. Why don't diets work? Because it's all in your mind. Actually your subconscious mind is where your "life script" resides. That's where the good-feeling associations you have about cookies, pizza  and over-eating "set up camp" years ago. The HypNutrition® program includes a sound, proven weight-loss approach combined with powerful hypnotherapy techniques. Laura says that this combination is the ideal "rocket fuel"  for optimal results. And the bonus? An increased peace of mind.

Get a Super Bod with These 3 Tools

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kriskesiak/6514985709/sizes/l/
Get a Super Bod with These 3 Tools
By Laura Lewis, Life Balance Expert & The HypNutritionist

When I was in college, I did this crazy thing. I was a junior at a large University, studying food and nutrition and pursuing everything related to being fit and healthy. A friend of mine told me about this pre-med student guy who had done some work with hypnosis. He was looking for some guinea pigs, and she asked if I wanted to meet him. Always game for trying something new, I met him and after some discussion decided that we would do a hypnosis session so I could lose the 10 pounds I’d gained while in school. I reclined on a nearby sofa and closed my eyes while my girlfriend who tagged along sat quietly nearby.
“Ten, nine, eight, you’re getting more relaxed, seven, six, more deeply relaxed now, five, four”... z z z z z. What I recall is slipping into a very relaxed state and conjuring up an image (per his suggestion) of my ideal self at an ideal weight, which was 10 pounds less than my weight at the time. I envisioned myself happy, content, feeling fit, alive, walking through a field with tall grass, a spring dress with a tiny flower print, draped across my thinner, lithe body, my hair blowing in the wind and sunshine warming my skin. When I came out of the hypnotic state, the image “stuck” in my sub-conscious and conscious mind. The experience had such a profound impact on me that decades later, I believe it’s easier for me to stick to a healthy way of life because I still see and feel that vision.  Read the rest of the original article here on Laura's media website.