The human mind operates a bit like a computer, the feedback it gives the body depends a lot on the programming of the mind. If the mind is programmed to take life over-seriously and extra sensitively, it will produce a sense of anguish and torment for the mind, which in turn will cause stress in the body. On the other hand, if the mind is programmed to take life as a fun and spontaneous adventure, then it will produce calmness and positivity within the mind and a relief of stress in the body will result. So what I’m ultimately saying is that you need to have control over your own mind.  You need to be the one who decides how you are going to feel. Mind-Control, which can be learned through hypnosis, will provide a means of purposely and deliberately programming your mind in order for you to get the desired feedback your body needs; i.e. less stress!

The human body has built in defence mechanisms for fighting off disease. But the mind is very powerful and can take control if allowed to become stressful – stress can weaken these defence mechanisms and cause them to collapse. In the medical world this influence that the mind has over the body is known as “psychosomatic” and today in an increasing amount of evidence, this psychosomatic problem is the underlying cause of many health issues. There is an obvious and clear link between stress and illness, a link so strong in my opinion, that it is possible to predict illness based on a persons stress levels.Dating back as far as ancient Greece, there has been a substantial amount of studies to reveal the psychological process by which a patient’s environment and emotional responses to stress can create a vulnerability to disease and illnesses.

From both mine and my father’s research through medical studies with physicians over the years, both he and the doctors observed that illness is more likely to occur following highly stressful events in peoples lives. It is evident that when a patient suffered from a major emotional trauma, like the death of a family member, marital separation, job loss or any sort of change or upset, there was an increase not only in the main ailments associated with emotional influence – IBS, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease, headaches, panic attacks - but also with infectious diseases, back problems and even accidents.

Now let me explain about the mind and body connection and how one can control their stress levels and avoid unnecessary illness. The human nervous system is the product of millions of years of evolution. In the beginning, it was important that humans were able to identify a threat and make a split decision to fight or flee. Human bodies are made to react when there is a threat. Our bodies are instantly in position (via change in hormonal balances and nerve outputs) to either fight or flee. But today society inhibits us to use our “fight-or-flee” response mechanisms. For example, if your boss questions your performance in work, or you’re stuck in traffic, or you are stopped by the gardai when driving for an unknown reason, your body instinctively senses a threat and the initial response would be to fight or flee.

However, that would be socially inappropriate, so you learn to override your body’s initial response to stress. But when the psychological response to stress is not discharged (by a fight or flee response) then there is a build up of emotion from stress that is not released from the body and which will in turn have a negative effect on your body and leave you open to illnesses and diseases.

Let me now show you a simple technique that will help you gain control and relax, when you feel your stress levels rising. Ok, I want you to think of a time in your life when you were really happy and relaxed. Perhaps you were on your holidays relaxing in the sun…. or if you think you never really felt happy and relaxed, just pretend. Visualise this now. Imagine all the things you see and hear. Place your hand on your tummy and imagine the warm feelings of calm and tranquillity that you feel within you. Get that picture and feelings strong within your mind and keeping your hand on your tummy take a deep breath in, hold to the mental count of four, and then let it out slowing and notice how good and calming it feels. Repeat this technique 5 times a day for the next week. This will build up an automatic response, as soon as you place your hand on your tummy and take that big deep breath in – those calm and relaxing feelings will come rushing back to you. Repetition is the mother of skill. So whenever you feel your stress levels rising, all you have to do is this simple and easy technique and it will help override your stresses and relax your body.

It is imperative to learn how to control your mind, emotions and your body in a collective manner where by they all work in unison with each other to protect you and keep your immune system safe. Every person in the world will have ups and down, and when you do feel down, upset or out of control, the 1st thing you need to do is become aware of how you are feeling. Once you are aware of your psychological state – you can address the problem and deal with it before it gets out of your control. Hypnosis, along with some easy psychological techniques, is a great tool for helping overcome stress and it also teaches you how to be in control of yourself, so if you do feel stressful or panicky at any time, you will have the resources within you to bring down your stress levels, control your emotions and stay healthy!