Hypnotherapy Technique or Profession

This paper is derived from what seems to be the age old question as to whether hypnotherapy is technique or profession. This controversy affects the acceptance of hypnotherapy conducted by those without a formal qualification in another discipline, be it medicine, psychology, counselling or psychotherapy.

The hypothesis to be investigated was whether hypnotherapy has a theoretical basis along similar lines to counselling and psychotherapy models in that listening skills and the therapeutic alliance are utilised, either implicitly or explicitly.

One difficulty in arguing that hypnotherapy is a profession is the lack of common standards of training. Another difficulty is the lack of clinical training that generally comes with medical or psychological training. A way to augment this might be the incorporation of counselling skills in the clinical practise of hypnotherapy. This could be achieved in either formal qualification or informal experience. This study looked at how much these factors already exist, and involved investigation, using questionnaire and interview, of three different therapy groups; qualified counsellors/psychotherapist who use hypnosis as an adjunct, counsellors/psychotherapists who use hypnosis as their prime therapy, and therapists with only hypnotherapy training.

Historically, hypnotherapy as a discipline has been hard to define as it has been claimed to be part of the medical, psychological, and complementary therapy fields. Parts of its practise fit in to each of these fields, but it does not fit entirely into any one of them.

Since 1954, the British Medical Association has recognised hypnosis as a valuable therapeutic modality, but many noted psychologists and psychiatrists have taken the position of hypnotherapy being solely a technique. (Waxman, 1989). Many also took the view that only physicians, psychologists and dentists should be allowed to practise hypnosis in any form (Erickson & Rossi, 1980).

In recent years, however, this view has begun to be questioned. In the United States, the Department of Labour gave an occupational designation of hypnotherapist (Boyne 1989). In the United Kingdom, with the advent of the popularity of complementary therapies, hypnotherapy is recognised as one of the four discrete disciplines that have been studied to determine clinical efficacy (Mills & Budd, 2000).

The clinical application of hypnosis, hypnotherapy, is a directed process used in order to effect some form of behavioural change in a client. This change is achieved by first eliciting information from the client, and then devising a way of reflecting it back to the client in a way that the client will both understand and act upon (Hogan, 2000).

Vontress (1988) gives us this definition of counselling:
“Counselling is a psychological interaction involving two or more individuals. One or more of the interactants is considered able to help the other person(s) live and function more effectively at the time of the involvement or in the future. Specifically, the goal of counselling is to assist the recipients directly or indirectly in adjusting to or otherwise negotiating environments that influence their own or someone else’s psychological well-being.” (Vontress 1988 pg7)

There seems to be little difference in the definitions given by Hogan and Vontress. The obvious difference being that hypnotherapy uses hypnosis as a vehicle for behavioural change. If this is the case, the primary difference between counselling and hypnotherapy is the use that is made of trance states. That is to say that hypnosis is the vehicle for the counselling dynamic.

The Vontress definition does not analyse how the changes take place. Knowledge of most of the main counselling models would suggest that the use of skills, primarily creating the core conditions, or therapeutic alliance, and active listening, are the basis of the process of change. If this is taken as a given, it can then be asked whether these conditions exist in the hypnotherapeutic relationship and affect the outcome of therapy. This raises the question of the level of understanding of this process amongst those practising hypnotherapy.

For this study, a thorough review of literature relating to the theoretical basis of hypnotherapy was undertaken, but few references could be found which either confirm or deny the hypothesis that hypnotherapists utilise the therapeutic alliance and listening skills, or that their awareness, or not, of therapeutic process was relevant to their work as therapists.

Many standard works on hypnotherapy refer to the need for rapport, but often do not define this, or give details of how it can be obtained. Many use the term hypnosis and almost ignore the “therapy” part, and simply list tools or scripts, without explaining the reasons why these are considered to “work”.

The first part of the study was a self-reporting questionnaire, sent to 300 hypnotherapists, 82 of whom responded. This quantitative data gave information as to the qualifications of the respondents, their self-reported knowledge and use of counselling skills and the therapeutic alliance, and their primary mode of therapy.

Counselling skills seem to play a significant part in the professional practise of hypnotherapy. For the majority of those questioned, 85.4%, counselling skills play a role in their hypnotherapeutic practice. There was divergence in the replies of those who do not use counselling skills in their practices. In reply to the question as to what makes their work therapeutic most stated that hypnosis gives direct access to the unconscious mind and therefore can facilitate change, and so counselling is not necessary in this process. Some cite evidence of hypnosis being therapeutic back to Milton Erickson and as his work was therapeutic so was theirs. Erickson stated that much of hypnosis is based on the development and maintenance of rapport (Erickson & Rossi 1980). Most counselling training emphasises the importance of rapport and considers rapport building (or the creation of the core conditions) to be a counselling skill. It can be therefore assumed that though these practitioners use counselling skills, they are either unaware of this or unwilling to acknowledge it.

Despite being qualified in other areas, the questionnaire uncovers an interesting finding regarding how therapists identify themselves. If we take the 25 respondents who do not claim to have any other formal therapeutic qualifications away from these figures, this shows that 42 who hold other qualifications identify themselves as being primarily a hypnotherapist. This is interesting from a labelling position, as hypnotherapy has not always enjoyed favourable publicity and with many leading figures who claim that hypnotherapy was not a therapy but a series of techniques, still a majority of those questioned identify themselves as hypnotherapists.

These answers were used to formulate interview questions that were then put to a subset of the previous respondents.

This subset included a male and a female therapist from each of the three groups: qualified counsellors/psychotherapist who use hypnosis as an adjunct, counsellors / psychotherapists who use hypnosis as their prime therapy, and therapists with only hypnotherapy training. The interview comprised 12 open questions designed to elicit information as to whether and how the therapist used counselling skills and their depth of understanding of the therapeutic alliance. Their answers were judged by a panel of five senior practitioners and the author, all of whom hold advanced degrees in counselling or psychotherapy.

The data seems to indicate that though the understanding of what hypnosis is remains fairly consistent through the three target groups, the depth of knowledge seems greater in the qualified counsellor/psychotherapist categories as opposed to those who have only a training in hypnotherapy as their qualification.

Additionally, the data indicates that the qualified counsellors/psychotherapists have a greater understanding of therapeutic process and how and why their form of treatment is successful compared to those with only training in hypnotherapy.

This study also finds that counselling skills appear to be used, at least to some extent, within the practise of hypnotherapy whether the practitioner realises this or not and so the importance of counselling skills within the context of therapeutic process cannot be ignored.

It would be logical to infer that if these skills are being used, then those that understand them- ie those with the qualifications in these areas, will use them more effectively. It was beyond the scope of this study to look at the efficacy of the practice of the different types of therapist.

This conclusion has various implications for individual therapists and the field as a whole. Therapists engaged in the professional practice of hypnotherapy may need to quantitative data gave information as to the qualifications of the respondents, their self-reported knowledge and use of counselling skills and the therapeutic alliance, and their primary mode of therapy.

These answers were used to formulate interview questions that were then put to a subset of the previous respondents.

The whole field may be affected in that professional societies may need to consider re-evaluating membership criteria, and these factors need to be taken into consideration during any process of statutory or voluntary regulation.

As discussed earlier in this paper, the reason for conducting the research was an interest in the question whether hypnotherapy is a profession or a technique.

The results of the study would support the idea that hypnotherapy is a profession in its own right, not just a technique, and has a basis consistent with the basis of counselling. The findings of this report directly contradict Waxman’s assertion, that the majority of non-medically/psychologically qualified hypnotherapists hold no formal therapeutic qualifications (Waxman 1989). It can be inferred by the numbers of hypnotherapists who use counselling skills, that counselling skills are a major component to the practice of hypnotherapy. This implies that practitioners have either engaged in independent study or studied for formal qualifications in counselling or psychotherapy, which again goes some way to validate the importance of counselling skills in the practice of hypnotherapy.

Additionally, as shown in this paper, there are practitioners who though are credentialed in other mental health fields who identify themselves as hypnotherapists as opposed to counsellors or psychotherapists. The implications of this may be that as far as public is concerned the title hypnotherapist is easier to recognise than the plethora of counselling and psychotherapy titles currently in use. Alternatively, these practitioners may not be interested in the biases of leading practitioners and prefer to determine their own identity.

It is hoped that these conclusions will help to form a more general consensus as to what hypnotherapy is and to lead to an eventual unification of standards in hypnotherapy. This information could be useful to the future training of hypnotherapists as far as exploring different models of therapy and the need for accountability in the therapeutic relationship. Those who were qualified in either psychotherapy or counselling also seemed to have a better theoretical understanding of therapy as a concept and how hypnotherapy fits into the hierarchy of therapies.
The authors hope to undertake further research in this area, and extend their studies to incorporate the efficacy of therapy. Any readers who have been involved in similar studies of have relevant data would be welcome to make contact.

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Mind - Body Communication

Your mind is much like a computer, what you experience shows up on the monitor of your consciousness, without a thought of where it came from. But, like your computer, much work happens behind the scenes, processes, programs, electrical pathways of information and direction, and the vast storage of memory.

You may think that you have one mind, but you actually have two, or perhaps better put, you have two parts of one mind: the conscious and the unconscious. The conscious mind, like the computer monitor, allows you to experience what’s going on, gives you choices, and brings awareness, allows you to interact.

When you use your computer, occasionally you get automatic messages that pop-up on the screen. Most of these messages are routine prompts from the computer to perform a routine action, and others come with immediate warning, and may bring a sense of confusion and frustration. These messages come from the computer program or processor, from behind the scenes, just like the thoughts and feelings which appear in your mind, seemingly out of nowhere.

Ever wonder where your thoughts come from? Some are directed by the conscious process of concentration, initiated by a focus of directed thought. But, most thoughts throughout the day seem to just pop into your mind. If you're like most people, you then feel the obligation to begin pondering on those thoughts, sometimes right out to the bitter end.

The conscious mind is your monitor for the world, it gives you information for your consideration and action. Before you take action you must choose, using your critical thinking, will power, and judgement… all, important facets of your conscious mind.

Your unconscious mind, however, is void of judgement. Like the computer processor, it performs its functions dutifully and without question. A computer will run a bad program, just as well as it does a good program. It does what it believes you want by the direction it is given.

Unwittingly, you give direction to your unconscious mind every day. Each time you repeat an action, each time you use a common word or phrase, and even the emotions you feel most often become direction for your unconscious mind. This direction we can also call learning. As a computer is programmed, so to is your unconscious mind through all of your life's experiences. The unconscious mind, running all body systems and automatic functions, takes in all of your experiences, all sensory input from sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and so on. It also records events, images, thoughts, and feelings over your entire life span, and stores them in the form of memory. It has been estimated that the human memory can store billions of bits of information each second, and by the time you're eighty or ninety you still will have only used about two-thirds of its capacity. Your memory seems virtually limitless.

The problem is, you don't need all that information. It would be system overload if all of your life's experiences came flooding through. When you're on your computer looking for a file or searching the web for information, you don't want all the data your computer has stored, you just want the information you need at this moment.

Therefore, the unconscious mind must have a way to process information, and to prioritize and retrieve what it believes you need, when you need it. It must learn. In fact, one of the prime directives of the unconscious is to gain learning. As the unconscious has no judgement, it regards everything as learning.

Your learned behaviors can be good or bad for you. We all possess both good habits and bad habits, but you may not be aware that they are formed by the same process of unconscious learning.

Consciously you can determine, or choose what is desired and not desired. But your conscious mind isn't always given the choice before the unconscious has acted upon it. The unconscious mind provides a short cut to all of your inner resources; memory, recall, creativity, and body functions.

Everything you are good at, every talent, skill, and ability follows this same path of learning. This unconscious learning occurs in three primary ways: repetition, association, and emotion.

Repetition - the more you repeat a behavior, the more you are likely to repeat the behavior, as your unconscious mind develops an easy pathway for it. Your mind believes you want this frequently used behavior by the very fact that you keep on doing it. Actions sometimes speak louder than words. Look at the smoking habit, what more than smoking does a smoker do each day. A pack a day smoker repeats this behavior 20 times a day, every day. There's a lot of repetition there. That's why “practice makes perfect”. Even things you start out doing bad, in time become easier as you master the behavior, talent or skill.

Because your unconscious runs all your body systems, it can help you develop in the repeated behavior. Every smoker will tell you that in the beginning cigarette taste terrible. But, in time, with practice and diligence, repeating smoking over and over, an amazing thing happens. The cigarette that tasted terrible now becomes enjoyable. The unconscious mind, taking in all the information from your body and all the senses, makes it easier for you by adjusting the sensory information to make it more enjoyable. This is how you acquire tastes for things. The unconscious mind helps you do what it believes you want, without judgment, even if its bad for you.

This is a good example of the difference in conscious and unconscious processing. The conscious mind knows all of the dangers and problems of smoking, yet, the unconscious mind, connected to the body, drives the smoking habit.

Even if you don't smoke there are plenty of examples in your life of this process. Have you ever worked at a place for several years, driving your car the same route every day? Then, one morning you drive to work, park your car, and as you close the door think…”how did I get here?” While your conscious mind was wandering in dream, worry, or thought, your unconscious mind and your body were driving the car. They know the route well. Or, have you ever been anxious to get home, and suddenly look down to find that you are speeding. Your foot has unconsciously pressed down further on the pedal. Just the thought made your body react, without any guidance from your conscious mind.

Association – the unconscious mind works primarily by association. As one behavior is associate with another, there is a double bind. That's why even the aroma of coffee can bring about an urge to smoke a cigarette. Have you every noticed that when you turn on the TV you suddenly feel a bit hungry? When you are with friends telling jokes, does that trigger you to suddenly think of some funny things yourself? Since your unconscious mind and your body are in constant communication, your body reacts to these triggers.

Emotion - emotion is the most powerful form of communication from the unconscious mind. Isn't it true that your strongest and most vivid memories are those linked with strong emotion. Emotion drives the most fundamental programs for your survival, the “fight or flight” response. Think about what emotion is helpful for a fight – anger. Anger can mobilize powerful resources in your body to help you fight with power and fury. An emotion that is helpful to flee from a threat is – fear. Fear will put an extra skip in your step, allowing you sprint like an Olympic athlete. You can run pretty fast without fear, but with it your body springs into action automatically, you don't even have to think about it. Emotion helps the mind distinguish between events and information from your life's experiences, which it thinks is important for you and your survival. Those things without emotional value are lost to conscious recall.

The unconscious minds ultimate priority is to assure your survival. Keeping automatic functions like your heart beating and respiration going is a job it takes seriously. Since the unconscious lacks judgement, it interprets any negative emotion as communication to mobilize the body for action. That's why when you're anxious, stressed, worried, or depressed, you feel that unconscious muscle tension in your neck, shoulders, or back, your heart race, and that pit in your stomach.

These sensations are your body speaking to you. This communication is important for you to be aware of as your body can be used to communicate messages back as well. A tense muscle calls for more support and energy from the unconscious mind. The unconscious responds with the release of stress hormones, sympathetic nervous system response and quickened pulse. It all happens automatically, but, if a tense muscle calls for the stress response, then a relaxed muscle will reverse the request and call for relaxation.

Breathing is another powerful mind-body communication method. Breathing is important because it is an automatic system run by the unconscious mind, yet it can also be consciously controlled. Breathing provides a valuable and effective bridge of communication between conscious and unconscious mind. During stress you breathe shallow and rapidly, sometimes even holding your breath. But, when you're relaxed you breathe deep and slowly, like when you sleep. When you consciously change the rate of your breathing, a chemical change occurs in your body. Stress hormones begin to stem their flow, and the parasympathetic nervous system is engaged with all of its calming effects.

You communicate direction to your body and mind with the words you use.What words do you use in that running commentary of your inner thoughts? Are those words supportive or punishing? Words are electric, you must choose them for the emotional voltage that they carry.
Remember that emotions are the most powerful driver of unconscious processing. Words stimulate emotion, and emotion is the source of all motivation. Begin to think of your thoughts as magnetic. Whatever you hold in your predominant conscious view, will simply attract more of the same. Worry and self-doubt will come as easily as confidence and focus. The unconscious mind will give you what it believes you're asking for by association. You get what you ask for, so choose only good things.

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The Ideal Hypnosis Client

the ideal hypnosis client. But more often, it takes a measure of guidance to ready them for a great hypnosis experience.

Here's how you can get the most from your hypnosis sessions.

DESIRE WHAT YOU WISH FOR

Do you truly want to achieve your goal? People often say, "I have to quit smoking" or "I've just got to lose this weight." Both statements imply need imposed by external requirements rather than by inner desire. 'Need' has little to do with desire, while 'want' is where desire blooms; it's the passion from within. If you have desire--really want something--then you're on your way to getting what you wish for.

MAKE IT PERSONAL

What's your motivation? Your number one reason should be self-directed. I love hearing people say, "I'm fed up with this habit" or "I'm ready for a change in life." These are strong, self-motivated declarations that will carry you to success.

THINK ABOUT IT

Have you taken time to think this through? Mental preparation is also very important. I define mental preparation as giving thought to what changes will take place once you've implemented a decision. How will your life be better? What are you prepared to do to see your goal realized? Practicing self-hypnosis should be part of the process. It requires only 3 minutes a day.

SEE IT HAPPEN

Can you imagine yourself better off? How does that look to you? If you can imagine what is possible then change will happen more quickly. Look forward to being creative. Hypnosis is wonderful for tapping into the creative part of your mind that is always ready to see you through to a better you.

BE OPEN-MINDED

Are you willing to give hypnosis a chance? Resistance will hamper progress. So make a decision from the outset to be open-minded. Proceed positively and learn about the basics of what hypnosis is and how it works. Knowledge will erase fear or apprehension and sets up realistic expectations.

If you don't possess all five ingredients of the ideal hypnosis client, don't let that hold you back. Not all traits are required to succeed. That's right, not all traits are necessary for success. But developing these characteristics will greatly enhance your ability to reach your goal.

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Who Can Hypnotize

HOWEVER incomplete our knowledge may be concerning the exact nature of hypnotism, we know a great deal more about what may be called the practical side of the subject. First and foremost there is the question which is so often asked: ‘Can anyone learn to hypnotize, or is it a special gift?’

Popular imagination has pictured the hypnotist as a Svengali-like creature with dark piercing eyes and some mysterious ‘power’ with which he is able to subject ordinary people to his will. Actually, anybody can learn to hypnotize, just as they can learn any other scientific subject. Everybody can hypnotize someone, and everyone can be hypnotized by somebody.

Hypnotism is a science, but the practice of it is an art. Everybody can learn to play a musical instrument after a fashion, but there are few outstanding performers. So it is with hypnotism. It is easy to gain a smattering of the subject and perhaps hypnotize a few of the most susceptible subjects; but to use hypnotism safely as it should be used (that is, as a valuable form of medical treatment, often treating the most difficult and obscure cases) demands considerable patience and hypnotic skill, in addition to an allround medical training.

Unfortunately, those subjects who ‘sleep’ deeply are the easiest to hypnotize and could be thrown into a trance by almost anybody who happens to have even the most elementary knowledge of hypnotism. Such subjects are very likely to suffer considerable mental and physical harm in the hands of enthusiastic amateur hypnotists. And in this connection we must consider the professional stage hypnotist as an amateur: because, no matter what his hypnotic ability may be, he has no real medical knowledge.

Amateurs and stage professionals who dabble in medicine are a positive menace. Having no real medical knowledge, they are unable to diagnose disease, and content themselves with treating symptoms - which usually resolves itself into suggesting the disappearance of pain. As the only people they can hypnotize deeply and quickly are the easiest and most susceptible, they are sometimes able to achieve apparently striking results which the sensation-seeking newspapers never fail to report with a wealth of detail.

Pain, however, is often a warning symptom. A headache, for instance, may be simple, due to nerves, some organic disease such as high blood pressure, or kidney disease, or it may even be a sign of a cerebral tumour. No amateur or professional hypnotist lacking proper medical training could diagnose definitely between the various conditions. Nevertheless, hypnotism could remove the pain, but it would be nothing short of criminal to remove the pain and allow the disease to progress unchecked and unsuspected until it killed the patient.

It is this dabbling in medicine without a proper understanding of the subject, which constitutes one of the major dangers of the amateur hypnotist and the stage professional. Too often these gentlemen seek to use their hypnotic ability as a means of entering medical practice by the back door, so to speak. Unwilling, or unable, to put in the years of grinding hard work and intensive study demanded of a medical man, they are content to capitalize on their hypnotic ability to gull the public with occasional, apparently marvellous ‘cures’.

The current craze for psychology has, of course, played right into their hands. Reading a few cheap and popular books on psychology no more qualifies a person to treat the mind than reading a book on surgery would enable him to perform an operation. Yet people who would not dream of letting a butcher remove their appendix will not hesitate to let a medically unqualified hypnotist treat their mind.

The use of hypnotism for medical purposes should be confined to properly qualified medical men who have specialized in this subject. This does not mean that every doctor should dabble in hypnotism any more than he should dabble in surgery. Although many subjects can be quickly and easily hypnotized, by far the greater proportion, particularly nervous cases, demand far more time and patience than the average general practitioner has to spare.

Furthermore, there is no one foolproof method of hypnotizing which will suit everybody. The hypnotist must learn to judge which method will suit the particular patient best; and only considerable practical experience will enable the hypnotist to gain this knowledge.

Again, the patient is not likely to have any more confidence in the general practitioner who dabbles in hypnotism than he would in the doctor who experimented with surgery.

The successful hypnotist must have complete confidence in himself, with boundless enthusiasm for his subject, and considerable patience. A single word, look, tone of voice or gesture is often sufficient to turn the scale and decide whether hypnosis will be successfully achieved or not. The medical man who wishes to specialize in this work needs considerable talent for invention and improvization. Any doubt or mistrust in his own ability will reflect itself in his voice and manner, and will effectively prevent hypnosis.

No two patients are the same. Some want to be dominated, some like to be coaxed, and others like to think they are doing it all themselves. For instance, a young man was sent by his doctor for hypnotic treatment, but expressed the view that he did not think anybody could hypnotize him. When asked why he thought this, he explained that he had volunteered to be hypnotized by a stage hypnotist - who boasted some absurdly magnificent title, selfselected - but that this gentleman had been unable to influence him. In fact, the patient had unwillingly spoilt the show because the hypnotist had been deceived for a while into thinking the patient was ‘asleep’, with naturally some rather embarrassing results. Knowing that this particular performer specialized in domineering methods, and observing that the patient was obviously the type to resent this approach, a rather ‘coaxing’ technique was employed, and the patient was soon deeply in a trance.

Any hypnotist who attempts to work by a rule-of-thumb method in an automatic sort of way will achieve only a small proportion of successes. Stage hypnotists invariably have a stereotyped technique; but as they deal only with the easiest and most susceptible cases who could be hypnotized by anyone and by any method, this does not matter a great deal.

Another patient illustrates how careful a hypnotist has to be and how easily a simple suggestion can prevent a successful hypnosis. The subject, a young girl, had previously visited a lay hypnotist who had failed to hypnotize her even after repeated attempts. Enquiry revealed that he had foolishly boasted how powerful hypnosis was - so powerful, in fact, that he could even make her fall in love with him! This was said jokingly, but the patient, who was engaged to be married, did not take it as a joke, and her distrust and resistance effectively prevented any hypnosis despite his utmost efforts. On reassuring her that, for medical purposes, only a light stage of hypnosis was necessary and that she would be conscious all the time and would remember all the suggestions, hypnosis was easily achieved. To practise hypnosis for medical purposes a thorough knowledge of the laws of suggestion is highly desirable both for the purposes of induction of the trance and applying the curative suggestions.

Enough has been said to show that although anybody can pick up a rudimentary knowledge of the theory and technique of hypnosis very easily and even bring about a few spectacular successes, if one wishes to achieve consistently good results in a high proportion of cases, then considerable experience is absolutely necessary. Unlike massage or electro-therapy, hypnosis is not a suitable branch of medicine to be delegated to medical auxiliaries.

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How to Relax

Stress has negative consequences to both your health and your relationships. The way to stay healthy and happy is to learn how to relax.
Steps

1. Eat healthily. Sugar and caffeine are your enemies, as they both cause severe ups and downs, upsetting your body's ability to regulate energy. Instead of sugary, carbohydrate loaded snacks (like cookies or granola bars), eat fresh fruits and whole grain breads or crackers (sugar-free). Make sure you get plenty of protein, like that found in chicken, lean beef, whole grains, and low-fat dairy.
2. Find a quiet place when you are feeling overwhelmed. Even the stall of a bathroom will work if you have no other place to go.
3. Close your eyes and picture your own personal paradise. Put yourself there and imagine the setting. What do you see around you? Is there a breeze? What do you hear--birds? Waves? Water? Imagine yourself thoroughly enjoying every moment here in your special place.
4. Breathe. Inhale deeply, counting to five, then exhale slowly, counting to five. Do this ten times.
5. Relax in bed. Take a bath, play soft music, and lay down in bed. Read a book and clear your mind of all the stress and rush of the day.
6. Avoid people who are constantly angry or complain. Stress can be contagious, so avoid transmitters.
7. Stop engaging in behaviors that make you feel guilty. Seek help from a professional if necessary, but don't allow destructive behavior to sabotage your life and your health. Guilt is a potent source of stress, so get rid of the source of guilt by behaving yourself.
8. Exercise every day. You don't need to work out like a body builder or celebrity. At least twenty minutes (or more, if you like) every day of moderate activity, like walking or bike-riding, is the best known, scientifically proven way to significantly reduce stress. Walk on a treadmill every day for twenty minutes, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and park a little further away from the entrance to stores. You will be amazed at how much easier you overcome stress when you exercise regularly.
9. Learn to prioritize. Make a list, of tasks you must accomplish that day. Put the most important things at the top and list every task in descending order of importance. Learn to be proactive and take care of things before they become a problem, then your time will be more productive and you will feel less stress.
10. Draw a warm bath, light candles around your tub, dim the lights, add bubbles, lavender, or just keep the water plain.
11. You can curl up on your couch with a blanket, and a good book, maybe even a cup of tea, cocoa, or coffee.
12. Do yoga, it relaxes your body, and helps clear your mind.
13. Go to your local spa for a great massage. You will feel so great afterwards.
14. Lay on your bed or sofa, have some soft music playing in the background (or nature Cd's) and listen to ocean waves, waterfalls, or birds.
15. Go for a walk. If you live near a park with a fountain, or near a beach or lake, the calming sound of water will soothe you. Just a regular walk will also relax you.
16. If you can, go swimming, either at your local pool, a friend or relatives home, or in a lake. Swimming is great for reducing stress.
17. Do the activities or hobbies that relax you (fishing, sewing, singing, painting, taking photographs), whatever it is that keeps your mind off the things that normally stress you out, or things that you just need a break from every now and then.


Tips

* Drink tea instead of coffee.
* Smile and laugh. Laughing releases endorphins, which fight stress, help you relax, and remind you that life is about more than work. Make it a point to smile more, even if it feels strange at first.
* When you first start cutting sugar from your diet you will crave it terribly. Be strong! After a couple of days the cravings will subside and you will notice (already) how much better you feel.
* Take a multi-vitamin; some vitamins help relieve stress.


Warnings

* Avoid toxic people! People who try to guilt you into doing things, or tell you you're not good enough, are people you should spend minimal time with (yes, even if they are family). Your life and health are YOUR responsibility.
* If stress is causing serious problems such as ulcers, headaches, or other symptoms, seek help from a doctor.
* If you feel the need to drink alcohol or use drugs to "escape" from your stress, please seek professional help immediately.

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