If you are avoiding flying because the idea of getting into a plane is just too terrifying, then perhaps now is a good time to uncover the causes and bring your apprehension down to a more manageable level. We know that the fear response, when working properly, is an amazing function that fires us up and gets us in a position to either fight or to run like hell. It gets us out of scary places when we need to get out, and when the danger is over the system returns to normal and all is well. The problem comes in when, for some reason, we rev too high with the fear, or we rev to an appropriate level but then forget to turn off the response when the danger is past.

Fear of flying is an excessive response to a situation that should more appropriately cause something like mild apprehension or, well, no discernable reaction at all. Once you’re in the plane there’s nothing much you can do about what happens, so you might as well relax and enjoy the flight. But if you can’t do so, then something is happening that is triggering the fight or flight response. Perhaps you had a bad experience on a flight once, or perhaps you suffer from claustrophobia or from the fear of losing control. Whatever the cause, we can find it using hypnosis and then “reset” the body and mind so that a more appropriate reaction is given.

Treatment using hypnosis will involve discovering whatever causes might be at work, and it will also involve mental rehearsal of pleasant flight experiences to create new neural pathways associating flight with excitement, adventure, or other positive effects. Immediate relief can be expected from the very first session, but it’s best to factor in at least three to five sessions to really get those new, fearless, habits anchored in your body and mind.

I have spent many years living the passion of being a writer and now it has been my good fortune to be involved in teaching Creative Writing at university level. I’ve learned the hard way about how to express myself in prose – that is by making millions of mistakes and writing thousands of pages that were simply destined for the dustbin. Out of this has come several novels, one of which has been published, and I am now working on another book.

If you are an aspiring writer or even an established writer, you can benefit from some personal coaching on both the technical aspects of writing and on the emotional side. Writer’s block is something most of us struggle with at some time or another, so if you’re in the grips of it, let’s see what’s behind it and get you up and running again.

I also run ongoing writing workshops, focusing on the novel and other long prose forms.

Smoking is largely a deeply embedded habit triggered by some known or unknown patterns or situations that are so strong that willpower and discipline alone are often not enough to change. This is where hypnosis comes in – to understand and change these habits in your subconscious.

My sessions are highly personalized and you need to allocate at least two sessions (1.5 hours each). Please note that Mindfree Stop Smoking is a mini-programme that will require your effort and commitment to make the change that you desire. If you decide to book an appointment, I will forward you a list of easy-to-perform tasks that you should begin straight away so that you can get the most out of the hypnosis session.

So if you are ready to stop smoking for good, let’s make an appointment and get you started on the road to greatly improved health and wellbeing.

Frequently asked questions:

• Why does it take two sessions – why can’t you just quickly hypnotize me to make cigarettes taste like manure?

I could certainly hypnotize you to make cigarettes taste horrible, but the effect would probably be cosmetic and after a few days you might find yourself enjoying the taste again. We need to take a bit more time to undo all the triggers and the emotional hooks that prop up your habit.

• Will your programme really work?

Yes, if you follow the instructions and go through the process, you will find that you no longer care to smoke at all. You will be excited about your new identity as a non-smoker and you will feel a sense of achievement each time you don’t have a cigarette in those situations that previously would have caused you to light up.

• Is it difficult?

No. The tasks to be performed before the first session are things like noting each cigarette you have and paying attention to the ‘smoke signals’ that cause you to reach for a cigarette. The hypnosis session itself is an enjoyable experience, and though it involves some work on your part, it does not feel like work at all. You will walk out feeling deeply relaxed and very positive.

• Will I put on weight if I give up smoking?

No. The Mindfree Stop Smoking programme includes methods that prevent you replacing cigarettes with food. You might even lose weight as you begin to feel better about yourself and start enjoying exercise more.

• Can I afford it?

You are already affording it. A person who currently smokes 20 cigarettes a day will spend about as much money supporting their habit over a month and a half as they will pay to do the Mindfree Stop Smoking programme. Just think how much money you will save by quitting!

I like to think of physical disease not as a sign of weakness or as some sort of punishment for wrong living but as a compassionate indicator of a misunderstanding or misperception of one’s true nature. I say compassionate because there is much deep learning to be experienced in illness, and it is often the loss of health that brings us to a point in ourselves where we are finally ready to give up what we think we know and begin to look beyond ourselves to something new and unexpected.

It is not for nothing that we have the archetype of the wounded healer, for it is from our greatest wounding that our compassion and our ability to heal is born. Perhaps you are being called right now to step into something new, to discover the revelation that is waiting for you.

If you are suffering from some chronic or sudden health issue, I invite you to begin a journey of compassionate investigation into its meaning and significance. I can help you discover what the symptoms are trying to tell you so that the affliction is free to leave you. We will use hypnosis and visualization for this, as well as the Quantum Healing technique of deep awareness developed by Dr Ashok Jain of the US. I am also a qualified Reconnection Healing Practitioner, and will use this simple yet profound technique where requested or where appropriate.

Read here for more on Dr Jain’s Quantum Healing.
Read here for more on The Reconnection.