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Sadness

Sadness - A woman looking at the camera - Speak Life

Working in Cooperation with the Medical Field

As clinical hypnotherapists, we do not independently work with medical conditions, diagnose, treat or prescribe. We do not practice psychotherapy, we teach and train our clients how to shift limiting beliefs, reach their goals and enhance their well being using self-hypnotic techniques.

We only assist with diagnosed physical, mental and emotional symptoms with the authorization and under the supervision of medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners. Please note we do require a physician’s authorization before scheduling sessions and work only under physician guidance. Working in close cooperation with your medical team enables us to ensure your progress in an optimal manner.

Understanding Emotions

Emotions are the driving force behind everything we do. What we feel, not what we think, is the determinating factor behind most of our decisions, intentions, motivations, actions and reactions. Emotions are what keeps us alive, both individually and as a species. They keep us from danger. The igniting of fear prevents us from falling off cliffs or getting hit by traffic. Emotions are what makes us fall in love and form families. They guide our thinking and decision making every day of our lives. Emotions are at the heart of our existence, they shape our judgements and determine our personality. Without them, it would be impossible to exist. Learning to access the driving force responsible for our emotions enables us to bring balance, peace, joy and serenity back into our lives.

Clinical Sadness and Hopelessness

While most of us have experienced feeling sad, unhappy, unmotivated and down at one time or another in our lives, there are times when feelings of sadness, grief, hopelessness, helplessness, lack of energy, loss of interest, anger or frustration persist and interfere with day-to-day life. They affect the way we perceive ourselves, others and the world around us.  Problems and situations tend to appear overwhelming and solutions out of reach.

Symptoms

Symptoms can include: sadness, feelings of unhappiness, hopelessness, helplessness, fatigue, lack of energy, lack of motivation, slowed thinking, speaking or body movements, loss of interest in activities, discouragement, lack of purpose, feelings of worthlessness, low self-image, self-hate, guilt, tendency to fixate on past failures, self blame, change in the quality or quantity of sleep (insomnia or excessive sleeping), reduced sex drive, difficulty concentrating, indecisiveness, distractibility, restlessness, frustration, irritability, anger, tendency to become withdrawn or isolated, changes in appetite often leading to weight gain or weight loss, unexplained physical problems such as back pain or headaches, thoughts of death or suicide.

Medical Approach

Mainstream treatments principally consist in prescription medications (antidepressants) and talk therapy (psychotherapy).

Prescription medications can, in some cases, offer a degree of relief.  What they do not do is address the specific cause at the root of these conditions. Prescription medications are designed to address, mask and diminish the symptoms of a condition. Left unaddressed, the root cause remains active. Being able to correctly address and resolve the cause at the root of our feelings of depression or anxiety enables lasting remission from emotional distress.

Antidepressants are also often linked to long list of side-effects including nausea, dry mouth, dizziness, increased sweating, constipation, fatigue, appetite and weight changes, insomnia, abnormal dreams, irritability, blurred vision, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), vertigo, decreased sex drive and sexual problems. Some of them report occasionally compounding depression and leading to suicidal thoughts or behaviors, anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, hostility, aggressiveness, restlessness and unusual changes in behavior, including engaging in dangerous activities. Rare side-effects also include mental changes, confusion, hallucinations, changes in blood pressure and heart rate, cardiac arrhythmia, fever, shivering, shakiness, agitation, seizures and coma.

Psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy allow us to gain better understanding of the functioning of our mind, along the course of our path, on a conscious level of the mind.  Hypnosis brings that understanding to the subconscious, the core center of our feelings and emotions. The creative part of our mind, the subconscious determines our emotional state, life-long habits, automatic patterns and behaviors.

Addressing Wellness with Clinical Hypnosis

Our emotions are there for a reason. They act as a flag, a signal, letting us know a specific wound below the surface needs to be understood, addressed and resolved. Hypnosis enables us to track negative emotions back to their root cause, their source, the reason they became a part of our experience of life.

Being able to bring to light the underlying causes responsible for negative emotions enables us to reach the emotional fabric on a subconscious level of the mind. By dissolving misperceptions and restoring our truth, we are able to bring resolution to the wounds of our past and finally regain our wellness, balance and peace of mind.

Physician’s Authorization and Coordination

Please note a physician’s written authorization is required prior to assisting your medical team with your wellness. If you are currently taking prescription medications for depression or anxiety, do not stop or reduce your dosage without your doctor’s approval.

As consulting hypnosis practitioners, we do not independently work with medical conditions, diagnose, treat or prescribe. We do not practice psychotherapy, we teach and train our clients to shift limiting beliefs, reach their goals and enhance their well-being using hypnotic techniques. We only assist with diagnosed physical, mental and emotional symptoms with the authorization and under the supervision of medical doctors, physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners. Please note we do require a physician’s authorization before scheduling sessions and work only under your physician’s guidance. Working in close cooperation with your medical team enables us to ensure your progress in an optimal manner.

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Loss and Grief

Loss and Grief - A close up of a light house at night - Light

Recovering from Loss and Grief with Hypnotherapy

Our relationships with others weave the fabric of our existence and constitute the mosaic of our life. In sharing our experience with loved ones, we find warmth, joy, support, companionship and often purpose and direction. Our connectedness with others connects us to the essence of life itself. We have a natural tendency to turn to others to receive information and validation about ourselves. Depending upon the stability and nurturing we received in our childhood, as our knowledge and comprehension of life and our own identity was developing, our dependency on the information and validation we receive from others is more or less pronounced.

The behaviors, actions and reactions of individuals who were loved, nurtured and supported in their childhood vary greatly from the behaviors, actions and reactions of those who were not. As the child begins his journey of discovery of the world and himself, he relies on his parents, family and other authority figures to develop his belief system about his identity, his value and his role in the chemistry of life. The child’s mind functions primarily at the subconscious level. As such, he will accept and integrate the information he receives from authority figures as truths. These truths progressively form his belief system and the reference parameters according to which he views himself, his value and moves forward, processing and reacting accordingly to the world around him.

Childhood Foundations

The child raised in a stable, loving and supportive environment develops an underlying foundation made of positive beliefs, a sense of self-worth, balance and inner-strength, which allows him to bounce back from life’s challenges more easily. Those raised with the belief they are not good enough, not worthy enough, face the world fractured, carrying a gaping void within, which makes it considerably more challenging to address life’s difficulties.

This fundamental difference is clearly illustrated in the case of a break-up or the loss of a loved one. While the loss of a loved one is unquestionably one of the most painful experiences we go through in life, someone whose sense of self-worth was supported during the identity development phase of their life, will proceed through the stages of loss, grief and sadness with a foundation of strength, knowing life goes on and their identity remains unaltered.

On the other hand, someone whose sense of self-worth was shattered during the identity development phase of their life, tends to rely on the relationships they have with others to fill the gaping void left behind by the lack or absence of self-worth they acquired in early life. In this case, when the relationship ends, the early childhood wounds of despair, abandon, betrayal and terror are reopened and compounded. The fractures left behind, having never been mended, are re-triggered.

The person is left with a terrifying sense of free fall, as if the ground had suddenly collapsed under their feet. The sinking feeling, often felt physically with symptoms such as nausea, stomach or digestive problems, shortness of breath, tightness in the throat or chest, can be experienced as panic attacks, bottomless despair, loss of identity and depression, potentially even leading to a sense of inability to go on, suicidal ideation or actions.

Self Worth is the Spinal Cord of our Stability

Our sense of self-worth is the spinal cord of our ability to go through life, act and react to the challenges we face, while remaining centered, grounded, solid and stable. With a healthy sense of self-worth, we are anchored on our path, balanced in the midst of the constant shifting and unfolding of life events and able to pause and react accordingly. We are not led by an exhausting compulsion to achieve and excel, driven by the deeply-rooted panic of reliving the rejection we experienced in early life.  The status of our relationships with others is neither detrimental nor determining to our sense of self.

Consequently, when we are called to work with individuals who find themselves unable to recover from the loss of a loved one, the root of problem does not lie in the relationship they recently lost per se, but stems from a lack of self-worth acquired much earlier in life, often in childhood.

Addressing Loss and Grief with Hypnotherapy

With hypnotherapy, we have the possibility to track the negative emotions experienced – be it a sense of despair or darkness, a sensation of free fall, panic, void, terror, abandon, betrayal or anger – back to their original cause to discover what initially prompted them to appear in the person’s experience. In doing so, the root cause behind the programming of the negative beliefs is unveiled. This allows us the opportunity to shift the perception, release the negative beliefs and ultimately, restore and rebuild the missing sense of self-worth.

The results experienced include a noticeable sense of relief, as if a considerable weight had suddenly been lifted.  We acquire a new sense of inner-peace, lightness, acceptance and the realization that events unfolding around us are separate from our inner value and do not have the ability to damage it. This enables someone to stand in the face of a loss and understand that, although sadness and grief are part of the process, who they are within and what they have to offer remains unchanged and endures.

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Occupational Trauma

Occupational Trauma - A close up of a knife - Stock photography

Working in Cooperation with the Medical Field

As clinical hypnotherapists, we do not independently work with medical conditions, diagnose, treat or prescribe. We do not practice psychotherapy, we teach and train our clients how to shift limiting beliefs, reach their goals and enhance their well being using self-hypnotic techniques.

We only assist with diagnosed physical, mental and emotional symptoms with the authorization and under the supervision of medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners. Please note we do require a physician’s authorization before scheduling sessions and work only under physician guidance. Working in close cooperation with your medical team enables us to ensure your progress in an optimal manner.

Careers at Risk for Occupational Trauma

Anxiety, depression, acute stress, survivor guilt, sleep disorders and PTSD are common issues in military personnel, law enforcement, first-responders and operating room staff. During the course of their careers, members of these professions are exposed to traumatic events more often and more intensively than those in other professions.

As clinical hypnotherapists, we work in close cooperation with doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners and social workers on trauma-related conditions including:

  • Post-Deployment Trauma – United States Marine Corps, United States Armed Forces, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army
  • First Responder Trauma  – Firefighters, Paramedics, EMTs
  • Law Enforcement Trauma – Police Forces, SWAT, CIA, FBI
  • Operating Room Trauma – Emergency Room Doctors, Nurses and Staff

Residual Effects and Addiction to Trauma

Repetitive exposure to trauma increases the probability of both residual effects and addiction to trauma. Trauma addiction is the result of a physiological and psychological conditioning that accustoms the brain to function within a pattern of hormonal levels produced under high stress. When exposure to the initial trauma ceases, hormonal levels produced by the brain change and a compulsive need to replace the danger or excitement by other types of activities may be felt. Trauma addiction is a physiological withdrawal symptom.

Addressing Occupational Trauma with Clinical Hypnotherapy

Clinical hypnotherapy specialilzed in PTSD, depression, panic and anxiety has proven and lasting success treating these conditions. While most therapeutic methods work at the conscious level of the mind, the power of hypnotherapy lies in its ability to work at the subconscious level, thereby directly targeting the source, or root cause, responsible for the physical, mental or emotional symptoms. Reframing the sensitizing events with hypnotherapy enables us to unveil, shift and release trauma-related wounds, restore peace of mind, recover quality of sleep and rebuild the foundations for a peaceful and solid future.

Medical Coordination

Please note we require a physician’s authorization before initiating work on diagnosed conditions. Working in close cooperation with your medical team enables us to ensure your progress in an optimal manner. If you are currently taking prescription medications, do not stop or reduce your dosage without your doctor’s approval. As clinical hypnotherapists, we work in close cooperation with medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners and social workers. Your continued progress is monitored by your doctor. This enables us to provide you with optimal results.

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TRAUMA

TRAUMA - A close up of an object - Sumitomo Rubber Industries

Working in Cooperation with the Medical Field

As clinical hypnotherapists, we do not independently work with medical conditions, diagnose, treat or prescribe. We do not practice psychotherapy, we teach and train our clients how to shift limiting beliefs, reach their goals and enhance their well being using self-hypnotic techniques.

We only assist with diagnosed physical, mental and emotional symptoms with the authorization and under the supervision of medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners. Please note we do require a physician’s authorization before scheduling sessions and work only under physician guidance. Working in close cooperation with your medical team enables us to ensure your progress in an optimal manner.

Understanding Emotional and Psychological Trauma

When our sense of security is suddenly shattered and, without warning, we find ourselves helpless and vulnerable, our perception of our own safety and the world around us can undergo a severe shift.  Emotional and psychological trauma is a normal response of our nervous system to events or situations that left us feeling overwhelmed, unsafe and alone.

Any event involving a threat to our life, our safety, our physical body or emotional well being can lead to emotional and psychological trauma.  Life-altering events such as accidents, physical or psychological attacks and abuse, natural disasters, battling with a life-threatening illness, surgeries, the loss of a loved one, either through death or a breakup, severe injuries, as well as life experiences that left us feeling humiliated or deeply disappointed, can all lead to post-traumamic symptoms. Trauma does not always have to involve physical harm.  Any experience that left someone feeling frightened and helpless can lead to post-traumatic sequels. The deeper the sense of fright and vulnerability experienced, the more likely the sequels will be.

Trauma survivors can experience unsettling emotions. While shock, denial and disbelief are often experienced immediately following the trauma, trauma survivors can be left in a state of hyper-vigilance and increased sensitivity, a constant sense of danger, prompting an uncontrollable need to remain on guard and on alert at all times. Depression, fear, anxiety, low self-esteem, sadness, hopelessness, nightmares and sleep disorders, confusion, difficulty focusing, memory impairment and deficiency are all known side-effects of trauma. Other symptoms include feeling numb, disconnected from life, from others and even from the self, trouble maintaining or forming new relationships, difficulty trusting others, anger, irritability and mood swings, guilt, shame and self-blame.

Trauma can also lead to physical symptoms such as fatigue, tiredness, chronic aches and pain, muscle tension, decreased immune system efficiency leading to heighten susceptibility to viruses, illnesses and infections, headaches, nausea and gastro-intestinal problems.

The emotional toll left behind by trauma can create lasting emotional instability and make it seem difficult for survivors to move on and recover their balance.  While it is common to feel as if the world were disintegrating under our feet or as if we were losing our mind, it is important to understand post-traumatic symptoms are a normal reaction to abnormal events. The temporary dysfunction of our mental capacities and emotional balance is due to the heightened focus of our mind around what it perceives as potentially threatening circumstances.  When our mind is prompted into a survival-based tunnel vision, it requires so much of our attention and capacities, the rest of our normal processing capabilities are temporarily pushed aside.

Understanding Peritraumatic Dissociation

When we are faced with intense physical harm, fear or terror we are unable to avoid, escape or shield ourselves from, our central nervous system can respond with a self-protective mechanism called peritraumatic dissociation.  In a state of dissocation, we find ourselves disconnected from our physical and emotional responses.  We are no longer able to feel pain, shed tears, access or express emotions or interact with others.

While dissociation provides a temporarily effective defense mechanism in cases of severe trauma, in the long term however, it is associated with decreased psychological functioning and adjustment and presents a greater risk for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic symptoms.

To learn more about the nature and side-effects of trauma-related dissociation, refer to our article on peritraumatic dissociation: Understanding Peritraumatic Dissociation.

Addressing Trauma with Hypnotherapy

While most therapeutic methods work at the conscious level of the mind, the power of hypnotherapy lies in its ability to work at the subconscious level, thereby directly targeting the source, or root cause, of unwanted habits, negative behaviors, physical, mental or emotional conditions.  Hiding under the surface of our conscious mind, the subconscious represents the most powerful part of our mind.

By allowing us to go back in time to the root cause, hypnotherapy enables us to understand and reframe the initial sensitizing event (ISE).  The driving force behind our imbalances, self-sabotaging habits and unwanted behaviors, root causes left unaddressed, and later in life reinforced by other events, produce patterns of behaviors that become extremely resistant to change in the conscious mode.

Reframing the initial sensitizing event with hypnotherapy enables us to work at the subconscious level of the mind to unveil, shift and release trauma wounds of the past, and open the way for a better, more balanced, solid and peaceful tomorrow.

Understanding the Scope and Boundaries of Clinical Hypnotherapy

As clinical hypnotherapists, we are not licensed medical professionals. For this reason, we only work on diagnosed conditions under the supervision of, and in close cooperation with medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners and social workers. We require a physician’s authorization prior to initiating work on diagnosed conditions. Working in close cooperation with your medical team enables us to ensure your progress in an optimal manner.

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PTSD

PTSD - A close up of a logo - Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Working in Cooperation with the Medical Field

As clinical hypnotherapists, we do not independently work with medical conditions, diagnose, treat or prescribe. We do not practice psychotherapy, we teach and train our clients how to shift limiting beliefs, reach their goals and enhance their well being using self-hypnotic techniques.

We only assist with diagnosed physical, mental and emotional symptoms with the authorization and under the supervision of medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners. Please note we do require a physician’s authorization before scheduling sessions and work only under physician guidance. Working in close cooperation with your medical team enables us to ensure your progress in an optimal manner.

What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious condition triggered by experiencing, or witnessing, a traumatic or terrifying event, in which serious physical or psychological harm occurred or was threatened. It is among the most severe forms of emotional disorders known and virtually any trauma may cause PTSD. Trauma is defined as an event that severely compromises the emotional well-being of an individual or causes intense fear. PTSD is a lasting consequence of traumatic stressors in which intense fear, helplessness, endangerment or terror were experienced. Devastating life events such as loss of employment, loss of home, changes in economic and physical safety and stability, divorce, loss of a loved one, may also trigger PTSD. Patterns of PTSD persist long after the event that triggered the fear, making an individual hyper-responsive to future fearful situations. Symptoms of PTSD most often begin within three months of the triggering event. In some cases however, they may not begin until years later. The severity and duration of the illness vary. Some people recover within six months, while others suffer much longer. In some cases, the symptoms worsen and last for months or even years.

Diagnostic Symptoms of PTSD

Diagnostic Symptoms of PTSD include intrusive thoughts (re-experiencing the original trauma(s) through flashbacks), nightmares and distressing dreams, difficulty falling or staying asleep, avoidance of memory triggers (places, people or other stimuli associated with the trauma), amnesia, fear, irritability, anger, hypervigilance, acute sensitivity to normal life experiences, severe anxiety overwhelming the individual’s ability to cope, major depression and a reduced ability to concentrate, experience pleasure, feel joyful emotions and imagine a positive future. PTSD symptoms can become chronic after exposure to frequent, intense traumatic events and cause significant impairment in social, occupational and other important areas of functioning.

Genders and PTSD

Clinical studies indicate women with severe cases of PTSD are also likely to experience physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, headaches, joint pain and abdominal pain. Men tend to under-report psychiatric symptoms and develop other responses such as alcohol or drug abuse, conduct disorders and violence.

Psychological or Physical Trauma

PTSD is caused by either physical or psychological trauma, and more frequently a combination of both. Studies show that PTSD is more likely to be caused by physical or psychological trauma prompted by humans than trauma caused by natural disasters. Main sources of trauma include experiencing or witnessing childhood or adult physical, emotional or sexual abuse. In addition, experiencing or witnessing an event perceived as life threatening such as physical assaults, violent accidents, sexual assaults, illnesses, medical complications, wars or disasters can lead to PTSD.

Childhood Trauma and PTSD

Research has consistently found that childhood trauma, chronic adversity and familial stressors increase risk for PTSD after a traumatic event in adulthood. The effect of childhood trauma proves to be a marker for both traumatic experiences and attachment problems later on. Interpersonal traumas cause more problems than impersonal ones. Proximity to, duration of and severity of the trauma also make an impact. Scientific studies show that individuals who were abused as children are more susceptible to PTSD as adults. Clinical findings further indicate that failure to provide adequate treatment to children after they suffer a traumatic experience, depending on their vulnerability and the severity of the trauma, will ultimately lead to PTSD symptoms in adulthood. Peri-traumatic dissociation (dissociation at the time of trauma) is shown to be predictive of PTSD.

Social Support and PTSD

Having good social support helps protect against PTSD. Those with strong support systems are less likely to experience PTSD than those without social support.

Addressing PTSD with Hypnotherapy

While most therapeutic methods work at the conscious level of the mind, the power of hypnotherapy lies in its ability to work at the subconscious level, thereby directly targeting the source, or root cause, responsible for negative imbalances, physical, mental or emotional conditions.

The driving force behind our imbalances, self-sabotaging habits and unwanted behaviors, root causes left unaddressed, and later in life reinforced by other events, produce patterns of behaviors that become extremely resistant to change in the conscious mode.

Reframing the initial sensitizing event with hypnotherapy enables us to work at the subconscious level of the mind to unveil, shift and release trauma wounds of the past, and open the way for a better, more balanced, solid and peaceful tomorrow.

Physician’s Authorization and Supervision

Please note a physician’s written authorization is required prior to initiating work on diagnosed conditions. If you are currently taking prescription medications, do not stop or reduce your dosage without your doctor’s approval.

As clinical hypnotherapists, we work in close cooperation with your medical team. Your continued progress is monitored by your doctor. This enables us to provide you with optimal results.

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Post-Deployment Trauma

Post-Deployment Trauma - A man wearing a military uniform - Infantry

Working in Cooperation with the Medical Field

As clinical hypnotherapists, we do not independently work with medical conditions, diagnose, treat or prescribe. We do not practice psychotherapy, we teach and train our clients how to shift limiting beliefs, reach their goals and enhance their well being using self-hypnotic techniques.

We only assist with diagnosed physical, mental and emotional symptoms with the authorization and under the supervision of medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners. Please note we do require a physician’s authorization before scheduling sessions and work only under physician guidance. Working in close cooperation with your medical team enables us to ensure your progress in an optimal manner.

Pentagon Surveys of the Mental Health of Troops

Anxiety, depression, acute stress, survivor guilt and sleep disorders are common post-deployment issues in combat troops returning from war. Their lives constantly endangered by sniper fire, IEDs and the theat of falling into enemy hands, they witness violence and death on a daily basis, including among their closest team members and comrades. The toll is physically, emotionally and psychologically traumatizing and has long been known to lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a lasting consequence of traumatic stressors in which intense fear, endangerment or terror were experienced. Symptoms of PTSD may begin immediately or not surface for six months, a year, or even longer. The severity and duration of PTSD vary. Some people recover within six months, while others suffer much longer. In some cases, the symptoms worsen and, without proper treatment, may last for months or even years.

Pentagon surveys assessing the mental health of troops found one-third of soldiers and Marines in high levels of combat report anxiety, depression and acute stress. Studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and carried out by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, and the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, report 31 percent of more than 100,000 veterans studied were diagnosed with mental or psychological problems. Post-traumatic stress disorder was the most common condition reported, affecting 13 percent of all Iraq or Afghanistan veterans who sought VA services, according to the study. Slightly less than the 15.2 percent tallied for veterans of the Vietnam War, but far above the 3.5 percent reported in the general population.

Severe anxiety, panic, survivor guilt and depression are among common symptoms of PTSD. Recurring images of the traumatic events may replay in the mind as flashbacks, often with the same degree of anxiety as during the events themselves. Or, they will suddenly feel as though the events are occurring in the present. Recurring nightmares of the traumatic events are dramatic and disturbing. Tension and anxiety being felt throughout the day, PTSD sufferers are often hyper alert and easily startled. Additionally, nightmares, anxiety, stress and depression often lead to sleep disorders.

As symptoms progress, those experiencing occupational trauma have a tendency to withdraw from the world, show less emotion, and become disinterested in people and activities once considered important. They avoid situations that might stimulate memories of the traumatic events. Guilt, depression, and sudden outbursts of aggressive behavior may also surface. Drug and alcohol abuse may develop in some as they attempt to manage these responses.

Understanding Post-Deployment Trauma

Our troops returning from war need time, support and understanding to assimilate a trauma of this magnitude. After months of combat duty, they are flown back within hours, and suddenly find themselves isolated from their teams, removed from their missions and all-consuming purpose.

One of the most important things we can do for our troops is to be there for them, to welcome them back home, recognize their selfless courage and express our gratitude for their service.

“Welcome home,” “Thank you” and “Thank God you are alive” are among the important words they need to hear from us.

A Long Tradition of National Defense

The niece of Bernard de Gaulle, nephew of General Charles de Gaulle, President of France, Genvièv was raised in a family heritage enriched by generations of involvement in national and international defense.  As General de Gaulle led the Resistance Forces during World War II, refusing to abandon the fate of his country, even as it was occupied by enemy troops, Genvièv’s aunts and uncles fought in the Resistance, alongside American troops. Her long-standing family history of international alliance for national security stands as the core of her personal and professional code of honor, values and ethics.

No Marine Left Behind – Addressing Post-Deployment Trauma

Semper Fidelis, the motto of the United States Marine Corps since 1883, examplifies the code of honor, values and ethics of our troops.  Latin for “always faithful,” it stands as a reminder of their courage, commitment and pride. A brotherhood that can always be counted on and depended upon, they are faithful to their mission, each other, the Corps and their country.

Our post-deployment trauma relief services provide our troops with equal level of commitment, determination, courage, loyalty and faithfulness. Designed to serve our troops, we continue on when others quit and are committed to their wellness.

Clinical hypnotherapy specialilzed in PTSD, depression, panic and anxiety has proven and lasting success. While most therapeutic methods work at the conscious level of the mind, the power of hypnotherapy lies in its ability to work at the subconscious level, thereby directly targeting the source, or root cause, responsible for the physical, mental or emotional symptoms. Reframing the sensitizing events with hypnotherapy enables us to unveil, shift and release trauma-related wounds, restore peace of mind, recover quality of sleep and rebuild the foundations for a strong, peaceful and solid future.

Medical Coordination

Please note we require a physician’s authorization before initiating work on diagnosed conditions. Working in collaboration with your medical team enables us to ensure your progress in an optimal manner. If you are currently taking prescription medications, do not stop or reduce your dosage without your doctor’s approval. As clinical hypnotherapists, we work in close cooperation with medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners and social workers. Your continued progress is monitored by your doctor. This enables us to provide you with optimal results.

Above photo by Sgt. Mark Fayloga. Marines from Headquarters & Service Company, 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines, conducting a dawn patrol in Nawa District, Afghanistan.

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Pain Management

Pain Management - A man standing in front of a laptop - Physician

Working in Cooperation with the Medical Field

As clinical hypnotherapists, we do not independently work with medical conditions, diagnose, treat or prescribe. We do not practice psychotherapy, we teach and train our clients how to shift limiting beliefs, reach their goals and enhance their well being using self-hypnotic techniques.

We only assist with diagnosed physical, mental and emotional symptoms with the authorization and under the supervision of medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners. Please note we do require a physician’s authorization before scheduling sessions and work only under physician guidance. Working in close cooperation with your medical team enables us to ensure your progress in an optimal manner.

Hypnosis for Pain Management in Portland, Oregon

The deep state of mental, emotional and physical relaxation known as the state of hypnosis produces physiological changes in the body and in the brain. In a state of hypnosis, blood vessels loosen, the blood is able to flow more fluidly and effortlessly throughout the entire system, distributing vital oxygen to the brain and enabling a better distribution of essential nutrients to our vital organs. Stress levels decrease significantly. Cortisol levels decrease (steroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland and released in the body under stress, responsible for fatigue, reduced immune system efficiency and increased sensitivity to pain).

FMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) studies of the brain before, during and after hypnosis demonstrate decreased cortex and prefrontal cortex activity (the areas of the brain responsible for planning and decision making) and increased activity in the visual cortex (responsible for proecessing visual stimuli) and amygdala (almond-shaped aread of the temporal lobe responsible for the processing and expression of emotions).

In a state of hypnosis, the body is finally given the chance to return doing what it was engineered to do: heal and restore itself.

Understanding Dissociation

Dissociation is the normal response of our central nervous system when we are faced with intense physical harm, fear or terror we are unable to avoid, escape or shield ourselves from. In a state of dissociation, we undergo a partial or complete disruption of the normal integration of our conscious and psychological functioning. We can no longer feel physical pain, shed tears, access or express emotions, communicate or interact with others. We become disconnected from our physical bodies and emotions.

The dissociative state demonstrates the possibility of the brain to distance itself from the experience of pain.

History of Hypnotic Analgesia

The use of hypnosis for pain control dates back to 1845 when Dr. James Esdaile successfully began performing surgical procedures using hypnosis as anaesthesia, rendering his patients analgesic and rapidly gaining worldwide reputation for his painless surgeries.

Born in Scotland in 1808, James Esdaile studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, graduating as an M.D. in 1830. He was first appointed as assistant surgeon to the East India Company in Calcutta, Bengal, then the capital of British India. Upon witnessing the level of pain suffered by some of his patients during surgical procedures, Dr. Esdaile decided to try mesmeric analgesia and succeeded in rendering his patients analgesic.

Dr. Esdaile’s mesmeric anaesthesia was known to be extremely safe. He is considered by many to have been the pioneer in the use of hypnosis for surgical anaesthesia.

Physician’s Authorization and Supervision

Please note a physician’s written authorization is required prior to initiating work on diagnosed conditions. If you are currently taking prescription medications, do not stop or reduce your dosage without your doctor’s approval.

As clinical hypnotherapists, we work in close cooperation with your medical team. Your continued progress is monitored by your doctor. This enables us to provide you with optimal results.

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Stop Smoking with Hypnosis

Stop Smoking with Hypnosis - A man talking on a cell phone - Urdu poetry

Following a proven, step-by-step approach, learn how to target and release negative and unwanted habits by uncovering and resolving their source. Beyond your goals of smoking cessation, what you are giving yourself is a much deeper gift: the recovery of your freedom and peace of mind.

Regain Control of Your Habits, Health and Life

Forget the uphill battles of self-sabotaging behaviors, internal battles and discouraging relapses. Learn how to permanently reprogram your brain with hypnotherapy to reach your goals easily and effortlessly, restore your health, boost your energy levels, replenish your immune system and begin a new chapter of life focused on wellness.

Stop Smoking Curriculum

Initial Consultation – Through a personalized, one-on-one consultation, we discuss your goals, identify patterns, obstacles or automatic behaviors sabotaging your health, happiness and well being, and design a plan specifically tailored to your needs.

Step 1 – Using an example situation taken from your day-to-day life, we regress cravings, automatic behaviors and self-sabotaging patterns back to their root cause or source.  Understanding why these negative behaviors were set in motion gives you the opportunity to release them and realign the rhythms of your brain to be in harmony with your goals.

Step 2 – Using methods specifically targeted to your individual situation, we reprogram your tastes and desires to align them with your optimal health and well being goals.

Step 3 – Using powerful acupressure techniques, you are taught to reprogram yourself, anytime you need, anywhere you are, to master and maintain optimal health, well being and energy levels.

The Power of Hypnosis

Comparative scientific studies published by leading universities nationwide demonstrate hypnosis is the most effective method to stop smoking.

According to the largest ever scientific comparison of the various methods available to quit smoking, a meta-analysis statistically combining results of more than 600 studies of 72,000 people from America and Europe, hypnosis is over three times as effective as nicotine replacement options and 15 times more powerful than attempting to quit alone. University of Iowa, Journal of Applied Psychology, How One in Five Give Up Smoking. October 1992. New Scientist, October 10, 1992.

Studies also show that after a two-year follow up, patients who quit smoking with hypnosis were twice as likely to remain smoke-free than those who quit on their own. Wynd, CA. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2005; 37:3, pages 245-250.

Role of the Subconscious Mind

The subconscious mind has a powerful control over every part of our lives, from the functioning of our very organs, heart, liver, lungs, breathing ability, etc. to the storage and management of all our memories, experiences, learning and functioning capacities. Very often, events, situations, words, traumas, memories we might not even consciously remember play an important role in the deeply engrained habits, behaviors and actions of our day-to-day lives.

Hypnosis enables us to go back to the cause responsible for our unwanted behaviors and examine the initial sensitizing event with an open, objective and adult mind. This allows us to bring clarity and understanding to the actual root of the problem. The root cause of a smoking habit has little to do with tobacco itself, but is more often linked to deeply engrained issues such as low self-worth, perceptions or beliefs buried deep within the subconscious mind. By going back to the cause, not only do we uncover that this coping mechanism is no longer needed, we realize it has in fact been hindering our health, well being and happiness. Once this comprehension is achieved and integrated, everything unfolds in an easier, more effortless manner. Once the cause is resolved, the problem behavior gradually dissolves.

Your New Life Goals

If you are interested in recovering your freedom from the need to smoke with hypnosis, contact us to schedule a consultation. Our mutual commitment to achieve your goals helps ensuring your success.

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Emergency Response

Emergency Response - A man wearing a helmet - First responder

Emergency Response Training

Tailored to first responders, law enforcement officials, EMTs, paramedics and firefighters, our Emergency Response and Pain Control Hypnosis training teaches valuable techniques to help avoid shock in trauma cases and accident victims.

Specifically designed for emergency situations, these techniques enable us to distract and bypass the barriers of the conscious mind to deliver efficient suggestions, help avoid shock, block pain, decrease bleeding, boost the immune system, reduce the severity of injuries in burn victims and provide vital assistance to those in critical situations.

The nature of emergency in itself presents a unique combination of factors enabling the efficiency of a hypnotherapeutic approach.

The Anatomy of Emergency

One of the keys of successful hypnosis lies in the ability of the subject to concentrate. The victim of an injury is concentrating intensely. By so doing, they have already bypassed the analytical part of the mind, enabling direct access to the subconscious level of the mind. A person in a state of emergency has a heightened need and desire for help, along with a willingness to trust and believe in the possibility of receiving such help.

The ingredients for successful hypnosis, which in a typical, non-threatening situation, would take preparation and coaching to achieve, are gathered. Studies reveal direct hypnotic suggestions enable injured children to reduce the severity of bleeding. Substantial decreases in the severity of the burns in burn victims are also recorded when hypnotic suggestions are delivered within the first hour.

Emergency Response Background

A Certified Emergency and Pain Control Hypnosis Instructor trained by former US Marine and Police Officer Don Mottin, Vice-President of the National Guild of Hypnotists, Genvièv is an Emergency First Responder and a Deep Sea Rescue Diver. She served on board the Professional Ski Patrol of Mt. Hood.

A Wilderness Emergency Medicine First Responder with the Wilderness Medicine Institute, she is a trained CPR, AED, First Aid and Oxygen Provider, certified by the Emergency First Response Corporation, PADI, the CMAS, the FMAS and the ANMP, as well as an Animal and Wildlife Emergency Responder

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Hypnosis for Weight Loss

Hypnosis for Weight Loss - A woman wearing a blue dress - Forskolin

Contrary to popular beliefs, the wide-spread battle for weight loss has less to do with food and more to do with the way your mind is programmed. In the US, food is available to all of us. Yet, some people face lifelong struggles with excess weight and obesity while others remain slim and fit throughout their lives. The reason for these differences in motivation, fitness, energy and life choices is rooted in the way your brain is programmed to respond and react.  It has little to do with genes or hereditary makeup. It is simply learned and rehearsed programmed behavior. The brain controls every part of our lives, from vital functions such as breathing to our capacity to comprehend the world around us, process and memorize events, and react accordingly. When we change the programming of our mind, we change the way we act, react and experience life.

Take Control of Your Fitness Goals

Following a proven, step-by-step approach, we will teach you how to reprogram your mind to permanently transform your life, silhouette, health and fitness. Forget the uphill battle of yo-yo dieting, self-sabotaging behaviors and discouraging relapses. Hypnotherapy allows you to permanently retrain your brain to reach your goals easily and effortlessly, restore your energy levels, boost your immune system and begin a new chapter of life.

Medical Coordination

The American Medical Association now recognizes weight loss as a medical condition. A physician’s written authorization is required prior to initiating work on medical conditions.

As clinical hypnotherapists, we work  in close cooperation with your medical team. If you are currently taking prescription medications, do not stop or reduce your dosage without your doctor’s approval. Your continued progress is monitored by your doctor. This enables us to ensure your progress in an optimal manner.

Receive a 100% IRS Tax Credit

Receive an IRS Tax Credit of 100% for weight loss hypnosis.

Initial Consultation – Through a personalized, one-on-one consultation, we discuss your goals, identify blocks, obstacles or automatic behaviors sabotaging your success, and design a plan specifically tailored to your individual needs.

Step 1 – Using your specific experiences, we follow negative behaviors back to their root cause or source.  Understanding why these automatic behaviors were set in motion gives you the opportunity to permanently release them and readjust the responses of your brain to be in effortless alignment with your goals.

Step 2 – Using precisely targeted methods, we reprogram your tastes and desires to align them with your fitness and health goals.

Step 3 – Using powerful acupressure techniques, you are taught to reprogram yourself, anytime you need, anywhere you are, to permanently eliminate cravings, enhance your fitness and well being and boost your energy.

Role of the Subconscious Mind

The subconscious mind controls every part of our lives, from the functioning of our organs to the processing and storage of our experiences, memories, learning and functioning capacities. Very often, events and situations we might not even consciously remember play an important role in our deeply engrained habits, behaviors and actions.

A child, for instance, who witnesses the illness of beloved family member, may notice how thin the person is and could very well, without consciously realizing it, establish a subconscious association between weight loss and illness, potentially death. Once this association is imprinted in the mind, it becomes a lifelong and deeply rooted protective mechanism. Later on in adult life, no matter the attempts, will power of methods employed, if the subconscious mind is convinced weight loss leads to illness, it will kick in and resist every attempt to lose weight in order to preserve and protect health.

Hypnosis enables us to go back to the cause and examine the initial sensitizing event with an open, objective and adult mind. This allows us to bring clarity and understanding to the actual cause of the problem. The cause is never food or the specific behaviors in themselves, but deeply anchored emotional issues such as low self-worth, misperceptions or negative beliefs buried within the subconscious mind. By going back to the cause, we understand these protective mechanisms are no longer needed and have in fact been hindering our health, well being and happiness. Once this understanding is integrated, we are finally able to achieve our goals easily and effortlessly. When the cause is dissolved, the problem disappears.

Specialized Expertise

Genvièv’s lifelong athletic, fitness and emergency medicine training shaped her path and serves as the backbone of her teachings.

A swimmer, downhill skier, equestrian and gymnast through her childhood, she became an aerobic fitness instructor at the University of Nice and within leading fitness centers in Paris.

She has decades of expertise helping others boost their energy, reshape their bodies and discover new, healthier, happier lifestyles.

In the US, she became a member of the International Hapkido Federation’s Black Belt Program. Acting as an assistant instructor within the Federation, she helped others develop and master inner strength, fitness and self-defense techniques.

For years, she trained one-on-one with a former Lieutenant in the Foreign Legion Anti-Terrorist Unit. Learning hand-to-hand combat, self-defense, ground fighting, knife combat and weapon skills further developed her understanding of athletic commitment and performance.

Genvièv is an Emergency Medicine First Responder certified by the Wilderness Medicine Institute and the Emergency First Response Corporation. A trained deep sea rescue diver, she served onboard the Professional Ski Patrol of Mount Hood. Often imitated, never duplicated, the emergency medical training she received from the Wilderness Medicine Institute is the nationally recognized standard in wilderness medicine education. Professionally trained in handling critical medical and emergency evacuation situations in remote locations, Genvièv is well versed in working in close cooperation with licensed medical professionals, under the most extreme pressure.

Success Stories

Elijah, Portland, Oregon, March 2011

Thank you Genvièv. Before coming to see you, I had been struggling with weight issues my entire life. With every diet, I went through excruciating cravings. The caffeine and sugar withdrawals I experienced each time I tried to quit my addiction to sodas were unbearable. Every failed attempt discouraged me further.

When you explained trying to fix self-sabotaging behaviors without finding and treating their cause was the reason for the unsuccessful outcomes, I wondered how we would find the cause of this lifelong problem. I wasn’t aware of it.

I had never been hypnotized before, yet, the moment you brought me back to origin of the problem and I found myself a little boy again, waiting for the ice-cream truck in front of my parents’ home, the scene was so vivid, it was like being there all over again. I was barefoot in the grass and I could actually see how tall the grass was. When the ice-cream truck arrived, I could see every sticker on the truck, the face of the man driving it, the shirt he had on, with startling clarity. I had no idea I still remembered that man who played such an insignificant role in my life in the grand scheme of things. When we followed me back to my childhood home, everything was there in vivid and colorful details.

Finally being given the chance to understand the profound reason behind my lifelong self-sabotaging habits was incredible. After one session, I truly feel more in control of my destiny. In the week since, I have not had a single soda and did not experience any of the cravings and withdrawals I always had in the past! The shift was easy and natural. I changed my eating habits as well, choosing healthy, nutritional foods instead of the unhealthy choices I made before.

I cannot believe I didn’t try hypnosis years ago! It is a very awakening experience, truly something I had never experienced before.

Florence, London, England, July 2010

I listened to your session only once and it is funny, at times, as I am walking through the streets of London, I can hear your voice, vibrating in my imagination and filling me with confidence. What an incredible gift! I didn’t fall back in the negative patterns I had been struggling with since my childhood. Sometimes, when I’m tired and stressed, I feel the glimpse of an old negative habit, as a far away memory trying to attract me from a distance, but I drink a tall glass of water and the temptation is gone.

Chip, Ashland, Oregon, June 2010

Genvièv, wow… you have a true gift! What an incredible experience your session was. I felt “elsewhere” as I was listening to your voice, and when you took me back to the root of the problem in my childhood, I saw the little boy I was then. By the end of the session, I felt liberated, full of energy and joy. The results were instantaneous.

Your Fitness Goals

If you are interested in targeting weight loss with hypnosis, contact us to schedule an initial consultation. Our mutual commitment to your goals is essential to your success.