Saturday, 18 January 2014
Thursday, 16 January 2014
The Dangers Of Youth Addiction To Pornography
Men younger than ever are reporting difficulty achieving intimacy in relationships and are struggling well into adulthood to regain normal sexual function, according to sex addiction experts.
High-speed Internet pornography, more specifically the addiction to seeking novel and increasingly shocking images, is to blame for these sexual problems, according to therapists who counsel men and boys as young as preteens. “There seems to be a classic pattern that is emerging which is that the addiction to pornography develops in the adolescent years, stays hidden for a time, and not until the teen grows into adulthood and experiences serious marital conflict [does he] seek treatment,” said psychotherapist Matt Bulkley, counselor at the Youth Pornography Addiction Center in St. George, Utah.
Young viewers of Internet pornography are more likely to suffer long term physiological and psychological damage lasting into adulthood because the exposure happened during a time when their brains were not yet finished developing, Bulkley explained. “In some cases, erectile dysfunction is the result of the brain being trained to be aroused by pornography,” he said.
The problems arise when a younger viewer who has not yet had any real life romantic or sexual experience learns the “birds and the bees” from watching pornography. Teens may immediately experience feelings of confusion, isolation and shame when they view pornographic content. When that teen moves into adulthood seeking a relationship, he may have problems with sexual interest, arousal and monogamy. “When it comes to understanding intimacy, porn is masterful at distorting what it is that is involved in a real relationship,” Bulkley said.
How is Internet Pornography Addictive?
Scientists are just beginning to link heavy pornography viewing with the same pleasure-reward responses that occur in drug addiction. When viewing pornography, the brain releases large amounts of the neurotransmitter dopamine, the same chemical that drives reward-seeking behavior in substance addictions, according to Psychology Today contributor Gary Wilson .
Wilson is co-author of the book, "Cupid's Arrow," and the mastermind behind YourBrainOnPorn.com, a website that explores topics relating to neuroscience, behavioral addiction and sexual conditioning. In his article, “Why Shouldn't Johnny Watch Porn if He Likes?” Wilson shows how younger brains are particularly susceptible to the thrill-seeking effect of dopamine as compared to adult viewers. Teen brains are the most sensitive to dopamine at around age 15 and react up to four times more strongly to images perceived as exciting. On top of the increased thrill-seeking, teens have a higher capacity to log long hours in front of a computer screen without experiencing burnout. Additionally, teens act based on emotional impulses rather than logical planning. These traits combined make the adolescent brain especially vulnerable to addiction. Pornography addiction during adolescence is particularly troubling because of the way neuron pathways in the brain form during this period. The circuitry in the brain undergoes an explosion of growth followed by a rapid pruning of neuron pathways between ages 10 and 13. Wilson describes this as the “use it or lose it” period of a teen's development.
“We restrict our options — without realizing how critical our choices were during our final, pubescent, neuronal growth spurt,” Wilson wrote. “ ... This is one reason why polls asking teens how Internet porn use is affecting them are unlikely to reveal the extent of porn's effects. Kids who have never masturbated without porn have no idea how it is affecting them.”
Teens are left without an understanding of normal sexual behavior because they have been repeatedly exposed to the superstimuli of constant novelty and constant searching provided by Internet pornography.
Lasting Effects of Internet Pornography Addiction at an Early Age
The very components that define Internet pornography — isolation, voyeurism, multiplicity, variety — also explain why online porn is more addictive and damaging than the pornography of yesterday. “There was a time when people looked at pornography in print magazines and some [viewers] were specifically drawn to it more than others,” psychotherapist Alexandra Katehakis told The Fix. “Then, over time, there was video pornography and that grabbed the brain differently than print did. Now, internet pornography is so powerful that it is literally rewiring the brains of men.”
Young viewers are unintentionally training their bodies to become aroused by the unique conditions provided by internet pornography, explained Katehakis, who is also a certified sex addiction therapist and clinical director of the Center for Healthy Sex in Los Angeles. “What happens is when these neuronal networks start to fire together, they become wired together,” she said. “With internet porn, the images are so incredibly powerful and visceral that it is shocking to the system and a person gets a massive dose of dopamine ... over time, they need more and more [dopamine]."
While most of those who identify as having a pornography addiction are male, females are also susceptible and can experience lasting damage as well, Katehakis said.
The same principles apply — sexual response is wired to what was learned by watching porn. For females, this can distort perceptions of validation, pleasure and their role in sex. “Parents need to have conversations with their kids,” Katehakis added. “They need to talk about what is the purpose of sex, what is the meaning of sex and why people have sex.” Without those conversations, teens move into adulthood without real knowledge of healthy relationships. “Later in life there may be intimacy problems, the inability to connect with another human being and the inability to maintain a long-term monogamous relationship,” she said.
Seeking Help for Pornography Addiction
The stigma surrounding pornography addiction — many treatment centers do not yet recognize it — leads many of the afflicted to feel isolated and depressed which can heighten the need for the feel-good response triggered by the addiction itself.
The simplest treatment may also be the hardest. “The most important thing to do is to stop looking at it,” Katehakis said. “For the young men we've treated, they literally have to go on a porn diet for three to five months to get an erection again.”
“Also, stopping looking at images isn't enough,” she continued. “Often a person can find himself still looking at images in his head. Some people can look at [pornography] like some people can have a glass of wine and not have another, while other people can really never look at it again.”
Centers which treat sex addiction will often also treat pornography addiction, although the two are very different: pornography involves pixels and not another human being.
“The main thing that the general population needs to understand is that [pornography] can really become a bon-a-fide addiction and to not underestimate the potential impact of this on a teen's life,” Bulkley said. Teens who are addicted to online pornography may show symptoms such as increased time spent in isolation, increased time spent viewing technological devices, changes in attitude or behavior such as hypersexual language or dress and decreased focus in school and other activities.
Counselors at the Youth Pornography Addiction Center in Utah help teens reset their thinking by uncovering the underlying issues that existed before or were aggravated by the addiction. "An addiction is a coping mechanism,” Bulkley explained. “Rather than solving the problem, they turn to this temporary escape.” Helping teens create an action plan to identify problems and how to overcome urges is one formula used for outpatient counseling at Bulkley's center.
For more intensive treatment, the center also has a wilderness program where teens “detox” from not only technology and internet pornography, but also from the highly sexualized images that are prevalent everywhere from bus bench advertisements to cosmetic product packaging.
However, as with many things, problems can be averted early on by having conversations with your family, Bulkley said. “Parents need to understand, like it or not, kids are going to be exposed to pornography ... You can do everything you can to protect them, but with the sexualization of our culture and the ease of access, it's not if, it's when.”
“It's about having an ongoing conversation with your kids,” Bulkley continued, “and it really has to be an early discussion and ongoing dialogue that continues through their growing-up years.”
High-speed Internet pornography, more specifically the addiction to seeking novel and increasingly shocking images, is to blame for these sexual problems, according to therapists who counsel men and boys as young as preteens. “There seems to be a classic pattern that is emerging which is that the addiction to pornography develops in the adolescent years, stays hidden for a time, and not until the teen grows into adulthood and experiences serious marital conflict [does he] seek treatment,” said psychotherapist Matt Bulkley, counselor at the Youth Pornography Addiction Center in St. George, Utah.
Young viewers of Internet pornography are more likely to suffer long term physiological and psychological damage lasting into adulthood because the exposure happened during a time when their brains were not yet finished developing, Bulkley explained. “In some cases, erectile dysfunction is the result of the brain being trained to be aroused by pornography,” he said.
The problems arise when a younger viewer who has not yet had any real life romantic or sexual experience learns the “birds and the bees” from watching pornography. Teens may immediately experience feelings of confusion, isolation and shame when they view pornographic content. When that teen moves into adulthood seeking a relationship, he may have problems with sexual interest, arousal and monogamy. “When it comes to understanding intimacy, porn is masterful at distorting what it is that is involved in a real relationship,” Bulkley said.
How is Internet Pornography Addictive?
Scientists are just beginning to link heavy pornography viewing with the same pleasure-reward responses that occur in drug addiction. When viewing pornography, the brain releases large amounts of the neurotransmitter dopamine, the same chemical that drives reward-seeking behavior in substance addictions, according to Psychology Today contributor Gary Wilson .
Wilson is co-author of the book, "Cupid's Arrow," and the mastermind behind YourBrainOnPorn.com, a website that explores topics relating to neuroscience, behavioral addiction and sexual conditioning. In his article, “Why Shouldn't Johnny Watch Porn if He Likes?” Wilson shows how younger brains are particularly susceptible to the thrill-seeking effect of dopamine as compared to adult viewers. Teen brains are the most sensitive to dopamine at around age 15 and react up to four times more strongly to images perceived as exciting. On top of the increased thrill-seeking, teens have a higher capacity to log long hours in front of a computer screen without experiencing burnout. Additionally, teens act based on emotional impulses rather than logical planning. These traits combined make the adolescent brain especially vulnerable to addiction. Pornography addiction during adolescence is particularly troubling because of the way neuron pathways in the brain form during this period. The circuitry in the brain undergoes an explosion of growth followed by a rapid pruning of neuron pathways between ages 10 and 13. Wilson describes this as the “use it or lose it” period of a teen's development.
“We restrict our options — without realizing how critical our choices were during our final, pubescent, neuronal growth spurt,” Wilson wrote. “ ... This is one reason why polls asking teens how Internet porn use is affecting them are unlikely to reveal the extent of porn's effects. Kids who have never masturbated without porn have no idea how it is affecting them.”
Teens are left without an understanding of normal sexual behavior because they have been repeatedly exposed to the superstimuli of constant novelty and constant searching provided by Internet pornography.
Lasting Effects of Internet Pornography Addiction at an Early Age
The very components that define Internet pornography — isolation, voyeurism, multiplicity, variety — also explain why online porn is more addictive and damaging than the pornography of yesterday. “There was a time when people looked at pornography in print magazines and some [viewers] were specifically drawn to it more than others,” psychotherapist Alexandra Katehakis told The Fix. “Then, over time, there was video pornography and that grabbed the brain differently than print did. Now, internet pornography is so powerful that it is literally rewiring the brains of men.”
Young viewers are unintentionally training their bodies to become aroused by the unique conditions provided by internet pornography, explained Katehakis, who is also a certified sex addiction therapist and clinical director of the Center for Healthy Sex in Los Angeles. “What happens is when these neuronal networks start to fire together, they become wired together,” she said. “With internet porn, the images are so incredibly powerful and visceral that it is shocking to the system and a person gets a massive dose of dopamine ... over time, they need more and more [dopamine]."
While most of those who identify as having a pornography addiction are male, females are also susceptible and can experience lasting damage as well, Katehakis said.
The same principles apply — sexual response is wired to what was learned by watching porn. For females, this can distort perceptions of validation, pleasure and their role in sex. “Parents need to have conversations with their kids,” Katehakis added. “They need to talk about what is the purpose of sex, what is the meaning of sex and why people have sex.” Without those conversations, teens move into adulthood without real knowledge of healthy relationships. “Later in life there may be intimacy problems, the inability to connect with another human being and the inability to maintain a long-term monogamous relationship,” she said.
Seeking Help for Pornography Addiction
The stigma surrounding pornography addiction — many treatment centers do not yet recognize it — leads many of the afflicted to feel isolated and depressed which can heighten the need for the feel-good response triggered by the addiction itself.
The simplest treatment may also be the hardest. “The most important thing to do is to stop looking at it,” Katehakis said. “For the young men we've treated, they literally have to go on a porn diet for three to five months to get an erection again.”
“Also, stopping looking at images isn't enough,” she continued. “Often a person can find himself still looking at images in his head. Some people can look at [pornography] like some people can have a glass of wine and not have another, while other people can really never look at it again.”
Centers which treat sex addiction will often also treat pornography addiction, although the two are very different: pornography involves pixels and not another human being.
“The main thing that the general population needs to understand is that [pornography] can really become a bon-a-fide addiction and to not underestimate the potential impact of this on a teen's life,” Bulkley said. Teens who are addicted to online pornography may show symptoms such as increased time spent in isolation, increased time spent viewing technological devices, changes in attitude or behavior such as hypersexual language or dress and decreased focus in school and other activities.
Counselors at the Youth Pornography Addiction Center in Utah help teens reset their thinking by uncovering the underlying issues that existed before or were aggravated by the addiction. "An addiction is a coping mechanism,” Bulkley explained. “Rather than solving the problem, they turn to this temporary escape.” Helping teens create an action plan to identify problems and how to overcome urges is one formula used for outpatient counseling at Bulkley's center.
For more intensive treatment, the center also has a wilderness program where teens “detox” from not only technology and internet pornography, but also from the highly sexualized images that are prevalent everywhere from bus bench advertisements to cosmetic product packaging.
However, as with many things, problems can be averted early on by having conversations with your family, Bulkley said. “Parents need to understand, like it or not, kids are going to be exposed to pornography ... You can do everything you can to protect them, but with the sexualization of our culture and the ease of access, it's not if, it's when.”
“It's about having an ongoing conversation with your kids,” Bulkley continued, “and it really has to be an early discussion and ongoing dialogue that continues through their growing-up years.”
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Despite Facebook And Twitter, Most People Only Have A Few Close Friends
People still only have a handful of really close friends who they spend time and effort on even though their wider social network may include hundreds of casual contacts, according to a study of human communication in the internet age.
Each person also has a unique “social signature” which they tend to keep through life by dropping old friends when new ones are made so that the overall size of their inner circle remains remarkably constant, the study found.
Most people tend to have between about five and eight really intimate friends, and they keep this inner circle fairly constant by loosening the ties binding older contacts when new ones are tightened, said Felix Reed-Tsochas of the Said Business School at Oxford University.
“Although social communication is now easier than ever, it seems that our capacity for maintaining emotionally close relationships is finite,” said Dr Reed-Tsochas, one of the researchers whose study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“While this number varies from person to person, what holds true in all cases is that at any point individuals are able to keep up close relationships with only a small number of people, so that new friendships come at the expense of ‘relegating’ existing friends,” he said.
The study tracked the mobile phone records of 24 students over 18 months as they made the transition either from school to university, or from university to work – two periods when they are likely to meet people and make new friends.
In addition, the researchers interviewed each student at three points in the 18-month period to analyse their friendships and acquaintances. This was used in conjunction with phone records to see who their social networks had changed over time, Dr Reed-Tsochas said.
“We found that even though this was a time when social relationships were in considerable flux, for any given individual there was a particular social signature which remained constant over time,” he said.
“It was as if we all have a fixed time constraint on close friends and our emotional capacity to deal with them is finite. We don’t have an infinite ability to invest in social relationships and we suspect that this is a universal trait,” he added.
Everyone in the study had a small circle of friend and relationships who were given a disproportionate amount of their time in term of phone calls. These matched the people who the students said they were closest too, the study found.
Robin Dunbar, professor of evolutionary psychology at Oxford University, said there is probably a natural limit on the number of close friends that our brains have evolved to cope with.
“As new network members are added, some old network members are either replaced or receive fewer calls. This is probably due to a combination of limited time available for communication and the great cognitive and emotional effort required to sustain close relationships,” Professor Dunbar said.
“It seems that individuals’ patterns of communication are so prescribed that even the efficiencies provided by some forms of digital communication – in this case mobile phones – are insufficient to alter them,” he said.
Each person also has a unique “social signature” which they tend to keep through life by dropping old friends when new ones are made so that the overall size of their inner circle remains remarkably constant, the study found.
Most people tend to have between about five and eight really intimate friends, and they keep this inner circle fairly constant by loosening the ties binding older contacts when new ones are tightened, said Felix Reed-Tsochas of the Said Business School at Oxford University.
“Although social communication is now easier than ever, it seems that our capacity for maintaining emotionally close relationships is finite,” said Dr Reed-Tsochas, one of the researchers whose study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“While this number varies from person to person, what holds true in all cases is that at any point individuals are able to keep up close relationships with only a small number of people, so that new friendships come at the expense of ‘relegating’ existing friends,” he said.
The study tracked the mobile phone records of 24 students over 18 months as they made the transition either from school to university, or from university to work – two periods when they are likely to meet people and make new friends.
In addition, the researchers interviewed each student at three points in the 18-month period to analyse their friendships and acquaintances. This was used in conjunction with phone records to see who their social networks had changed over time, Dr Reed-Tsochas said.
“We found that even though this was a time when social relationships were in considerable flux, for any given individual there was a particular social signature which remained constant over time,” he said.
“It was as if we all have a fixed time constraint on close friends and our emotional capacity to deal with them is finite. We don’t have an infinite ability to invest in social relationships and we suspect that this is a universal trait,” he added.
Everyone in the study had a small circle of friend and relationships who were given a disproportionate amount of their time in term of phone calls. These matched the people who the students said they were closest too, the study found.
Robin Dunbar, professor of evolutionary psychology at Oxford University, said there is probably a natural limit on the number of close friends that our brains have evolved to cope with.
“As new network members are added, some old network members are either replaced or receive fewer calls. This is probably due to a combination of limited time available for communication and the great cognitive and emotional effort required to sustain close relationships,” Professor Dunbar said.
“It seems that individuals’ patterns of communication are so prescribed that even the efficiencies provided by some forms of digital communication – in this case mobile phones – are insufficient to alter them,” he said.
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
Free Hypnosis Script For Stress Reduction
Many people new to hypnosis ask about what the hypnotist actually says during a session, so here's a good example of one script that has multiple uses for stress reduction. Enjoy!
'Stress-Busters'
by Kathy Moore, MBA, BCH, 1999
This is the first script my students learn to use to practice on clients. If you want to make your own stress-management script, be sure to change it to first-person before you record it.
(a script for reducing stress through the use of deep alpha breathing, removing toxins and restoring the body. Creative problem solving is also incorporated to help alleviate day-to-day stresses. Can be used by a therapist or as a taped self-hypnosis program. This is the first script I wrote and still my favorite.)
Get into a comfortable position...either reclining or lying down...and turn your focus inward...to your breathing. Breathe in deeply....hold it 3 or 4 seconds ... and then exhale slowly. Let your breath be deep and slow. Relax...and continue to relax... deeper and deeper... as you breathe in more...fresh, pure oxygen. Pure, clear oxygen is the KEY to vibrant vitality... Breathe in very fully... and notice yourself relaxing... more and more ...with each breath. Now... I want you to add counting to your breathing like this. Breathe in ...3...4...5...6. Hold...2...3...Breathe out...3...4...5....6.... Breathe in...3...4...5...6... Hold 2...3...Breathe out...3...4...5...6.... Breathe in ...3...4...5...6.... Hold...2...3... Breathe out...3...4...5....6.... Breathe in...3...4...5...6... Hold 2...3...Breathe out... 3...4...5...6.... Continue this breathing rhythm with the 6-3-6 count for at least ten times while I continue to talk to you. As you continue to breathe deeply, you send life-giving oxygen to all the cells,.. muscles, ..bones, ..organs ...and systems of your body. Breathing deeply helps you relax better...Relaxing more fully helps you to focus and concentrate better. Better focus improves your memory. In fact, breathing deeply helps restore all the systems in your body... to their perfect condition. Oxygen is the fuel that helps your entire body run better. So drink in this life-sustaining oxygen...now...and relax... deeper and deeper.
Now...as you continue to focus on your breathing...I want you to notice a color of your choice...a vibrant healing color ...coming in through the top of your head as you inhale. See this healing color come in through the top of your head ...and gradually fill every cell in your body...Notice as this healing color filters down from the top of your head... through your face and neck...down into your shoulders and arms..relaxing, soothing...through your chest and pelvic region...soothing and healing all your internal organs...down through your hips, thighs and knees... relaxing any tightness or inflexibility...relaxing deeper....down into your calves...and finally into your ankles, feet... and out through your toes....taking all toxins and other negative energies that were in your body...out...This healing color is now absorbed into Mother Earth ....where it can be transmuted into positive energy again... and recycled once more. And, as you are enjoying all the sensations of this Healing Wash...Notice that you are now standing at the top of some steps...maybe wooden steps, maybe stone...any steps that you imagine are fine. Just see yourself standing at the top of ten steps...leading down to the ocean. It is a brilliant summer day... as you stand at the top of these steps. Notice the beautiful, blue sky above you... and the birds singing cheerfully...Notice how wonderful the day is...Notice how you are feeling...As you begin to descend these steps, going down from 10 down to 1, you will gradually go deeper and deeper into meditation .... And when you get down to the bottom, you will be perfectly relaxed, and centered at a very deep level of consciousness, a level where you KNOW you can solve any and all problems effortlessly... So begin now to descend these steps... 10 ....going down now, easily 9 ....perfectly peaceful and calm 8 ....totally tranquil 7 ....deeper and deeper 6 ....even deeper still 5 ....very relaxed now 4 ....relaxing even more 3 ....very serene now 2 ....almost there 1 ....totally relaxed and centered now. Now...as you step off gently...into the warm, summer sand...you feel more at peace and relaxed than ever before in your entire life...Notice yourself walking towards the beach...Notice the feel of the sand under your feet...the ocean breeze in your hair, and the sun on your shoulders. Notice all the sensations around you. Very relaxed and at ease.
Now...notice a bag in front of you, directly in your path...It might be a paper grocery sack, or maybe a plastic garbage bag or even a burlap sack. Any kind of sack you imagine is just fine.Just walk over and pick it up. As you pick up the sack...you become aware that there are things you wish to discard from your life. They might be arguments you had with a loved one earlier today, or they might be negative feelings you’ve carried around about yourself for a long time. You might wish to discard old beliefs that no longer serve you or negative imprints that keep you from being truly happy. Perhaps you need to let go of responsibilities that are not really yours and are holding you back. Any negative or harmful thoughts, impressions, beliefs, feelings, or experiences can now be discarded into the sack easily, released effortlessly. See yourself removing them now...and as you do...notice that you are feeling better. Perhaps you feel lighter, as if a burden has been lifted from your shoulders. Or, perhaps it’s just easier to smile now. Whatever improvement you feel is fine. Just allow yourself to soak up this wonderful new feeling, along with the summer sun. Breathe in deeply and absorb this “new and improved†feeling throughout your body...And know that this new feeling will grow stronger every time you visit this healing place in your mind. And once you have your sack completely full... of all the negatives you wish to discard...pick it up ...and toss it as far out into the ocean...as far as you can throw it...And...as it sinks...realize that those negatives you discarded will never affect you again...You have now released them permanently...You are now free to reshape your life anyway that you want... See yourself exactly as you want to be...perfect in every way...happy, healthy, vibrantly alive, loved, loving and successful...truly fulfilled and living in peace and tranquility with all those around you. And, as the last of your released negatives sink to the bottom of the ocean, continue your pleasant walk along the beach...As you are enjoying this beautiful day on the beach, you notice someone coming towards you....notice everything about this person... (read very slowly) notice how they are dressed, ..their hair color, ...the way they stand, ... and as they get closer ... notice the details of their face...their eyes, ...anything striking about them...have you met them before? This person has a message or a gift for you...It could be words....It might be something symbolic....something to help you solve the problems you are here to solve...to increase your self trust and self confidence...to deepen your self knowledge...Go to this person now... and ask them for the gift. pause Study the gift carefully...knowing that if you do not understand it’s purpose or meaning now...you will after you awaken...maybe today....or tomorrow ...or maybe next week...but soon you will understand it’s meaning for you...to help you in solving the problem you came here to solve... now that you have this gift....is there anything else you need to know from this person, your helper? If you do, then ask now... pause When you are finished gaining all the information you need, thank the person and send them on their way. and in your mind express your gratitude now to the Universe for sending this helper to you.
I want you now to imagine yourself... standing outside your body, ...as if you are an observer or reporter,... watching yourself. Notice your entire body at once. See your posture and body language. Notice if your body is standing straight, or if it leans to one side or forwards or backwards. If there appears to be any stiffness in your body, notice that, too. Now I want you to go back inside your body. Send your consciousness all the way to the bottoms of your feet. Notice if there is any pain or discomfort anywhere in your feet. Do you notice any special colors, sounds, smells, or feelings when you focus on your feet? Does focusing on your feet bring any visual imagery to your mind? Any scenes? Any geographic patterns or shapes? How do your feet feel? Do they seem balanced or are you favoring one of them? (pause)
When you are finished scanning your feet,... move your attention gradually up your body ...to your ankles... and repeat the process. What sights, sounds, smells, patterns, emotions or thoughts come to mind when you focus on your ankles? (pause) Continue moving your focus up your body in this manner... until you have thoroughly scanned your entire body...from the bottom of your feet... to the top of your head. Pay particular attention to any pain or stiffness anywhere in your body. What else do you think of when you focus on that area? Realize that, if pain in a certain area also makes you think of sad or depressing memories, you are probably holding sadness in that part of your body. Or if focusing on another body part makes you recall a time (or two) when you got very angry, then you are probably holding anger in that area. Just continue calmly and peacefully scanning your entire body and noticing if any areas trigger specific emotions. Continue this scanning process for as long as necessary. Long ........Pause After we conclude this hypnosis session, ... you will be able to recall easily and completely ...all the information you gathered from this scanning process... to help you continue the process of releasing negatives from your life for further healing of your self: body, mind and spirit. In the next few hours, days or weeks, any restricttions, tightness or inflexibility that was uncovered by the body scan and is not beneficial for you will be easily released... And that part of your body will be restored gently and safely to its perfect condition, every time you breathe deeply. You now understand clearly that negative emotions or feelings sometimes become stuck in the body where they can manifest as illness, phobias, or even disease. By coming to this healing place, ...as often as you like... you can cleanse your body, mind and spirit, ...even your entire energetic field... of these toxins. All you have to do... is relax and breathe deeply... fill your body with healing color... fill your "garbage bag" with the negatives you want to discard... and reshape your life the way you want it to be. Likewise, if you have problems you wish to solve... find your special helper on the beach... and ask for a gift to help you with your problem. You really ARE in charge of your own life, through the power of your imagination! We are about to conclude this session in just a moment. In just a moment I am going to count you up from one to five...when I get to five, you will be wide awake... feeling wonderful...totally alive...Every time you use self-hypnosis, you will go more deeply, more quickly...and you will gain more insights from each session... The more you use hypnosis ...the more relaxed and peaceful you become. You also become more vibrantly alive with each and every session, better focused and balanced...able to handle the everyday stresses of life effortlessly. One... come back slowly and peacefully Two... very serene Three... all the suggestions I've given you are already working Four... almost back now Five... wide awake, feeling fantastic!
Sunday, 12 January 2014
Effects And Explanation of Drumming Therapy
We moderns are the last people on the planet to uncover what older cultures have known for thousands of years: The act of drumming contains a therapeutic potential to relax the tense, energize the tired and soothe the emotionally wounded.
So says Gary Diggins, an Ontario sound therapist.
When I met him, I entered his studio with some trepidation, overwhelmed by the hundreds of instruments I did not know how to play. Drums from around the world. Didgeridoos, rain sticks and other indigenous instruments decorated the walls. I had come with the intention of exploring the sound therapy community, to find out why so many people are choosing music as a form of healing as opposed to other, more traditional approaches to mental health treatment.
Since that first drumming experience, I began attending monthly sound therapy sessions: People coming together to create sound with the intention of restoring physical and mental well being.
Diggins’ particular practice of sound therapy has been shaped by his studies with a Columbian Shaman, a Jungian therapist, an African Griot, an Australian Aborigine, and a few professors from the University of Toronto. The challenge, Diggins says, is to frame this ancient practice in a way that makes it accessible to wider cultural circles.
In Diggins’ group settings, clients connect with other drummers and create a supportive and collaborative musical community. For some, the positive impact comes from the feeling of belonging to a community. For others, it comes from the physical act of drumming and simultaneously connecting with one’s own emotional experience.
Neurologist Barry Bittman, who co-developed a program for REMO called Health Rhythms with music therapist Christine Stevens, found that group drumming and recreational music making increases the body’s production of cancer killing t-cells, decreases stress and can change the genomic stress marker. Bittman says drumming “tunes our biology, orchestrates our immunity, and enables healing to begin.”
Psychologist Shari Geller, who teaches at York University, says her own early experiences with drumming sparked her interest in the practice’s healing benefits.
After working with Bittman at his Living Beyond Cancer Retreat at his Mind-Body Wellness Center in Pennsylvania, Geller combined her work as a clinical psychologist, her training in emotion focused therapy and mindfulness with group drumming in a program called Therapeutic Rhythm and Mindfulness (TRMTM).
In studying the technique and combining it with her clinical knowledge, she discovered that healing can occur when emotions are enhanced through music making. She says it allows people to process trauma with greater ease and that through the facilitation of mindful drumming, people can express difficult emotions.
For individuals coping with depression, anxiety or trauma, there is something more intuitive and liberating about communicating through music. Some find the combination of group therapy and drumming effective as it brings more contemporary approaches to mental health together with creative and non-judgemental expression of emotions.
Alongside the plethora of research on the effects of music on the brain, studies have found that drumming offers numerous health benefits. For women dealing with eating disorders, children with autism, cancer patients, war veterans living with PTSD, individuals with anger management issues, people with addictions, and even Alzheimer’s patients, drumming offers physical and emotional benefits.
Music therapies are now available in many hospitals and in a variety of counselling settings. More informal drumming circles are becoming increasingly popular within corporate team building and stress management workshops.
In Diggins’ view, our modern and secular world needs meaningful rituals and ceremonial practices to support major transitions and to challenge individuals.
For many seeking the benefits of therapy, an hour spent creating music, an hour spent in therapeutic drumming is an hour well spent.
-Jana Vigor, Contributing Writer
So says Gary Diggins, an Ontario sound therapist.
When I met him, I entered his studio with some trepidation, overwhelmed by the hundreds of instruments I did not know how to play. Drums from around the world. Didgeridoos, rain sticks and other indigenous instruments decorated the walls. I had come with the intention of exploring the sound therapy community, to find out why so many people are choosing music as a form of healing as opposed to other, more traditional approaches to mental health treatment.
Since that first drumming experience, I began attending monthly sound therapy sessions: People coming together to create sound with the intention of restoring physical and mental well being.
Diggins’ particular practice of sound therapy has been shaped by his studies with a Columbian Shaman, a Jungian therapist, an African Griot, an Australian Aborigine, and a few professors from the University of Toronto. The challenge, Diggins says, is to frame this ancient practice in a way that makes it accessible to wider cultural circles.
In Diggins’ group settings, clients connect with other drummers and create a supportive and collaborative musical community. For some, the positive impact comes from the feeling of belonging to a community. For others, it comes from the physical act of drumming and simultaneously connecting with one’s own emotional experience.
Neurologist Barry Bittman, who co-developed a program for REMO called Health Rhythms with music therapist Christine Stevens, found that group drumming and recreational music making increases the body’s production of cancer killing t-cells, decreases stress and can change the genomic stress marker. Bittman says drumming “tunes our biology, orchestrates our immunity, and enables healing to begin.”
Psychologist Shari Geller, who teaches at York University, says her own early experiences with drumming sparked her interest in the practice’s healing benefits.
After working with Bittman at his Living Beyond Cancer Retreat at his Mind-Body Wellness Center in Pennsylvania, Geller combined her work as a clinical psychologist, her training in emotion focused therapy and mindfulness with group drumming in a program called Therapeutic Rhythm and Mindfulness (TRMTM).
In studying the technique and combining it with her clinical knowledge, she discovered that healing can occur when emotions are enhanced through music making. She says it allows people to process trauma with greater ease and that through the facilitation of mindful drumming, people can express difficult emotions.
For individuals coping with depression, anxiety or trauma, there is something more intuitive and liberating about communicating through music. Some find the combination of group therapy and drumming effective as it brings more contemporary approaches to mental health together with creative and non-judgemental expression of emotions.
Alongside the plethora of research on the effects of music on the brain, studies have found that drumming offers numerous health benefits. For women dealing with eating disorders, children with autism, cancer patients, war veterans living with PTSD, individuals with anger management issues, people with addictions, and even Alzheimer’s patients, drumming offers physical and emotional benefits.
Music therapies are now available in many hospitals and in a variety of counselling settings. More informal drumming circles are becoming increasingly popular within corporate team building and stress management workshops.
In Diggins’ view, our modern and secular world needs meaningful rituals and ceremonial practices to support major transitions and to challenge individuals.
For many seeking the benefits of therapy, an hour spent creating music, an hour spent in therapeutic drumming is an hour well spent.
-Jana Vigor, Contributing Writer
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