Hello - and Welcome to Adam Up Today, I am writing about evidence based way to boost your willpower, which includes some things you will not believe until you try them out!
After our main
article, I have also included an article aimed at all you hypnotherapists out there. I ‘got on one’ a bit with it. Mainly because I believe so strongly in what I have written….
If you are a hypnotherapist, invest 4 minutes today in reading this and let me know what you
think..
BUT FIRST a quick message for those that want to discover more about hypnosis
OK - So There Is Plenty For Hypnotherapists Below - What About If You Are a Newbie To Hypnosis - THIS IS FOR YOU
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We always seem to have loads of courses and seminars for hypnotherapists.
NOW we have a seminar for those of you who are much newer to the subject of hypnosis.
A great chance for
you to discover how much this powerful mind skill can help you in your journey through life.
If two or more of you come together then the cost is just £20 for each person
Onto Today Then ... WILLPOWER
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Following my Bournemouth marathon festival exploits at the beginning of October this year, I had the best part of a week off.
I then did a 16 mile Sunday long run, and a couple of recovery runs and felt weak and poorly. I purposely took another full week off and during that time my children brought home bugs and viruses which led to us all being poorly and I took another week off (from running - not from work).
Last Sunday, the 1st of November, I began my 25 week training schedule for the 2016 London marathon for which I have a ‘good for age’ place and am going for a personal best time.
Having had 3 weeks off though, I had to grind through the gears of some rusty cogs.
What do I mean by that?
In the 3 weeks I had taken off, I was sleeping in for longer and was more involved with my
children’s routine in the mornings, I loved that. When I had children my intention has always been to be a present father and I am around every breakfast time, dinner time and bed time and I engage with them greatly during those times.
However, during my weeks off, I was able to be more relaxed in the mornings, take my time over things and in just 3 weeks new habits started forming
despite all my years of early morning running routine.
This was the longest amount of time that I had not been out running for years!
It was very good for me, my legs and my feet. Since this Sunday, I’ve run every day, my schedule is in full swing and I’m feeling rejuvenated, revived and raring to go. I definitely saw how easy it can be to slump into different types of patterns.
I discussed
this with a friend yesterday and he said that he wished he had that sort of will-power as he had given into temptation earlier that day by eating some of the leftover chocolates that had been brought in by his work colleagues following Halloween weekend.
- Some people cannot go five minutes without checking their emails and would be so much more productive if they were logged off and
had will-power to only look at them once or twice a day.
- Some people spend a small fortune impulsively buying stuff online that they simply do not need.
- Some people are checking their phone for Facebook notifications every ten minutes.
- Some
of my hypnotherapy clients are challenged when I ask them to complete a daily 10 minute psychological exercise.
- Some of my hypnotherapy students struggle to discipline themselves for the coursework and home study expected of them in order to qualify as a hypnotherapist.
These people all would benefit from
developing and strengthening their will-power, because when they do so, they’ll be more productive, they’ll achieve more of their goals in a more timely fashion and they’ll feel more in control of their lives.
BEST WAYS To Boost And Develop Willpower
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I thought I’d write about the best ways to boost and develop willpower and where possible, support these things
with evidence.
What’s more, the scientific evidence shows that it is easier to develop and strengthen willpower than you might initially think.
1. Create New and Better Habits.
Habits are
powerful.
Many of my hypnotherapy clients tell me this. They tell me that habits are powerful things, implying that change is difficult when it comes to updating habits.
I always agree with them because one technique I use in my therapy rooms is Habit Reversal (pioneered by Azrin and Nunn and one of the most evidence based approaches to
overcoming habits with some of the highest symptom remission rates) which involves installing a counter-habit that makes the unwanted habit impossible to carry out. Then I explain that it is precisely because habit works so forcefully that the treatment of a variety of conditions by installing counter-habits can be so powerful, lasting, and effective.
Most importantly though, when we form a routine and a new
habit, things get automated.
We do not have to think about them so much, they just happen. Once I am in the midst of my training schedules, I do not need to think about it, the habit just gets me up and running.
You take action and force the habit for an initial period and after a while it becomes automated and your will-power is
boosted.
“Hang on, hang on Adam…. But I need the willpower in the first place to get the habit happening… Where is that going to come from” That is a good question and shows you are considering this thoroughly.
The new habit is formed by repetition and more willpower
will be borne out of that, but where is the initial willpower going to come from for that?
Well the rest of this list will give you lots of things you can do that will bolster the initial willpower greatly. 2. Commit and Plan.
With my marathon
schedules, I really enjoy the planning phase. I also really like the fact that I can just follow it without thought and know that I will be in a good place and capable of achieving my goal if I have done all the training at the end.
The evidence would suggest that the most important thing you can do to boost willpower is to commit to do so. By fully committing yourself to
improving and strengthening your willpower, the rest of the things mentioned in this list will be much easier, and without commitment some items here will be impossible.
Consider your dreams, consider the things you’d like to achieve in life, consider the areas of your life that you think you lack willpower and where you’d like to strengthen it and set yourself the goal of improving your
willpower in this regard.
Make it your intention to boost willpower and overcome adversity in this area of your life and then create a specific action plan with a strategy for doing so. Include and incorporate the full range of techniques and strategies mentioned in this article.
Commit and plan and know what steps you will take to start boosting your willpower.
You’ll be focused and you’ll have the initial grit between your teeth. With that in mind, let’s examine some evidence-based approaches to strengthening your willpower….
3. Hold Your Wee In.
“Hang on, Hang on Adam…. Did you mean to write that?”
Yes I did. I know it is a funny thing to read, and I found it pretty funny to write,
but let me explain:
The notion supported by the study is that when the brain is focusing on being self-controlled and disciplined, that discipline spreads to the other tasks you are performing at the same time.
It is a double edged sword because it increases willpower as a by-product of being physically self-controlled.
It is not limited to holding on when you are bursting for the loo!
You can think of any other physical exercise or activity that requires you to maintain physical self-control in order to have more discipline in other areas of your life.
You can:
- hold a facial expression,
- clench your fist,
- grip an item,
- hold your eyes shut,
- breathe mindfully or anything else where you exercise self-control,
- invest concerted effort and pay attention.
You’ll boost willpower as a result.
4. Self-Hypnosis and Mindfulness.
There is so much great evidence to support the efficacy of self-hypnosis for overcoming pain, reducing stress and anxiety, advancing ability to focus, managing emotional issues; go read my Science of Self-Hypnosis book on the subject, or follow my blog articles about self-hypnosis, or my self-hypnosis audio MP3s and
you’ll get a sense of just how much there is that supports it as something we can all include in our daily lives.
You can give yourself suggestions to be have more willpower, you can imagine yourself and your life as if you had more willpower and there are other techniques and strategies that specifically help to boost willpower.
However, the simple process of just using it for mindful meditation and focusing on your breathing, relaxing is shown to directly boost willpower with just 10 minutes practice a day.
5. Smiling More Often.
“For the third time… Hang on, hang on Adam. Are you telling me I can strengthen my willpower by just smiling?”
Yes I am.
Science supports that notion too.
If you need to get
into action, or if you need to resist temptation, then start to smile, force it onto your face at first, and find ways to make yourself laugh; watch funny videos, recall funny memories or favourite comedy sketches and it’ll work wonders to your willpower.
6. Food Glorious Food.
That’s it, you can eat your way to willpower!
The
study showed that when participants had low blood sugar levels, our willpower gets depleted. That does not mean you eat sugary foods. Then you’ll get a spike and a big crash in energy which will ensure your willpower goes the same descending direction.
Eat foods that are high in healthy fats and protein,
which delivers healthy, useful and steady blood sugar levels resulting in willpower being boosted.
On that note, it is not a stand alone item here in this article because I could not find really good research regarding it, but when we are fatigued and tired, our willpower plummets too, right?
It makes sense to manage the quality of your sleep and be well rested and invigorated each day.
7. Be Nice to Yourself.
Forgive yourself of any small misdemeanours rather than subject yourself to guilt and regret.
If you regret wasting time on Facebook when you should have been working on that novel (or
hypnotherapy diploma course homework), or you regret eating that chocolate bar when you were supposed to be following a healthy eating regime, or if you regret buying another pair of running shoes online because they were in the sale even though you already have 30 pairs (and 6 have never even been worn), then that regret often results in you just letting go altogether!
You decide to full kickback and watch Netflix, writing off the entire afternoon instead of working on that novel. You eat more chocolate or other naughty foods thinking “what the hell.” You buy more things in other sales…..
Forgive yourself, be kind to yourself, be self-compassionate and you’ll strengthen and build your willpower.
If you follow as many of these evidence based factors you’ll then end up creating healthy habits that are fuelled with willpower and you’ll be leaping forward
towards your goals, you’ll be more productive, you’ll be happier and more satisfied in so many areas of your life.
Go boost your willpower, and start right away today.
We're Giving Away Golden Capes & I'm Frothing at the Mouth About Why Hypnotherapists Need More Advanced Training:
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This week, I am very proud to announce that we, the Anglo European College of Therapeutic Hypnosis, became one of 5 UK based schools and one of just 7 schools in the world to have our Advanced
Hypnotherapy Diploma formally approved by the GHSC (General Hypnotherapy Standards Council).
It means that anyone who attends, achieves the expected levels of attainment with the learning outcomes, the coursework and the vignettes will be able to add the title of ‘Advanced
Hypnotherapist’ to the list of stuff they already add to their email signature, website bio or business cards.
I know, I know “woooo-hooo!” but that is not all….
Graduates of this course can also use the letters ‘Adv.Hyp.Dip' after their name, and also we give them a golden cape upon graduation from this course and it is compulsory that they wear that golden cape to their therapy room office each day. (OK - Just in case you do actually demand that from us at a later date, that was a joke about the cape)
Some of that may not really appeal, and if you do not wish to wear the full golden cape, you can use a suitable sturdy jacket, tie it around your neck and make it into a cape/cloak that way, then when you arrive at your hypnotherapist’s office, you just have to remember to enter with your fist clenched, your arm outstretched in front of you in
an imaginary flying posture.
On a slightly more serious note, some hypnotherapists are simply unconcerned about letters and titles, though for those who want them, they do officially exist with the right course. For us here, this recognition is something that we are very proud of because we work incredibly
hard to promote high standards in the field of hypnotherapy.
With or without the formal approval, accreditation and recognition though, there are other reasons that this advanced hypnotherapy diploma course is something I am so keen to deliver. I have invested a lot of my heart and soul into this and
have spent so much time putting together all the content.
I think there is a real need for the hypnotherapy community to engage in more advanced training.
Which brings me to...
*Frothing at mouth begins*
Advanced Hypnotherapist Diploma Training
Just look at the psychological professions in the mental healthcare fields;
- psychologists undergo many years of training, studying, researching and
practice,
- psychiatrists attend medical school and then many subsequent years training, researching and studying,
- mental health nurses undergo many years of training
The vast majority of other talk therapies tend to
require more intense, prolonged amounts of study, research, practice in order to work with the general public using their chosen modality of therapy than most hypnotherapists have.
Most hypnotherapists have 10 months of training, gain a diploma and then are sent out into the world as a professional.
The truth is that the vast majority of hypnotherapists that I meet are struggling to make a living and are ill-equipped to do so.
Of course, there are lots of marketing ‘gurus’ and business development experts who claim to have
answers, systems, gimmicks that you apply universally, but are often simply attempting to make more money for themselves to supplement their own ailing therapy practice. Those that seek out the answers in this way are often left wanting.
My answer has long been that the best way to develop one’s business and
professional standing as a hypnotherapist, is to become better at what you do.
Of the masses of hypnotherapists that I encounter, many of them have attended courses that did not even match national occupational standards for a minimum number of classroom hours attended, and many are being
taught the same perpetuated nonsense, pseudoscience and myth that their teachers spew, who were taught the same and who perpetuate the nonsense without applying any critical thinking skills.
The truth is that many hypnotherapists simply are not good enough and their clients do not get long-term benefits from
their investment of time and money.
When a hypnotherapist is genuinely very good, knowledgeable, skilled with great interpersonal skills, they get better results in their therapy rooms.
When they get better results in their therapy rooms, their business flourishes - they get referrals, people talk about their good experiences, and a foundation of success, competence and credibility is forged. Of course, there is more to developing a successful business, but this point I make is
key.
Hypnotherapists who do not think in those terms are often looking in the wrong direction for answers and solutions. They invest their limited budget on attempting to find the answers in systems, social media marketing, SEO,
swish websites, and all sorts of other gimmicks promoted by “gurus” who cannot prove how busy their own therapy rooms are, when instead hypnotherapists should be investing in their single main asset - themselves (their ability as a hypnotherapist).
As a hypnotherapist, you offer a service, you
offer hypnotherapy, and you are offering that delivered by yourself. You need to be a viable and outstanding option in the eyes of your existing and potential clients.
So hypnotherapists read, they research, they learn how to develop themselves in a wide variety of ways and this is important.
Being able to apply ourselves in accordance with Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Successful People” and learning how to be productive, and developing your soft skills, sharpening your brain, being fit and healthy; all these things are going to do us good….
Yet so many hypnotherapists get their diploma, then learn EFT in two days, learn to become a Reiki master in a few days, and tack on a number of add-ons they can list on their bios, email signatures and business cards, and assume they never need to train in any more
hypnotherapy.
They think they have got it nailed.
They invested a lot of time and money in that initial diploma training,
it does not need to be built upon!
That line of thought is exactly why hypnotherapists DO NEED advanced hypnotherapy training. Primarily because they clearly need critical thinking skills.
Critical thinking skills equip you to examine the field and become more effective as a result.
I have heard individuals glibly suggest that much of what I am about to
write is purely academic, yet evidence suggests that the client derives more benefit and gain from an in-depth, correct understanding of our subject and will perceive the hypnotherapist as far more credible - when a hypnotherapist is perceived as credible by the client, that perception and belief will also advance the efficacy of the treatment.
Think Critically about Hypnotherapy
One of the
elements of our advanced hypnotherapy training course that enables the hypnotherapist to engage with more challenging academic literature in hypnotherapy, including hypnotherapy research in critical thinking skills.
Critical thinking and a scholarly mindset also develops credibility with medical professionals and creates an attitude that advances the
professional and personal life of the hypnotherapist.
Some of the elements included are as follows: - Being a sophisticated listener and reader: How to critique claims made in hypnotherapy circles, especially on training and by peers.
- Logical and
academic argumentation: How to recognise logical fallacy and how to debate effectively.
- Academic referencing: How to employ and understand APA, Harvard and Footnote referencing.
- Levels of analysis and levels of abstraction: How hypnotherapists work at various levels.
- Challenging received wisdom: A critical examination of much of what is taken
for granted in our profession that have not been proven, in order to develop a practitioner's critical thinking.
This includes:
a) ’rapport is essential for effective therapy' (although it is pleasant, other professionals help us without rapport, some clients find success despite low rapport and others
do not, despite good rapport).
b) 'We should only take on motivated clients' (isn't motivation a presenting issue worthy of our attention?).
c) 'A long-standing issue requires longer-term therapy' (solution-focused therapists take issue with this).
d) 'All hypnosis is self-hypnosis' (where is the hypnotherapist in this dynamic? Why are we making our influence invisible? A culture increasingly suspicious of
power?).
e) 'Your unconscious mind is a wonderful intuitive resource' (cognitive theories do not generally entertain the concept of the 'unconscious,’ is there really such a thing?).
f) 'You will always be in control' (what about falling asleep,
spontaneous or induced amnesia for posthypnotic suggestions, being forced to think of something due to questioning, or abreaction? Is it ethical to say this?).
g) 'It's good for clients to cry and get it out of their system' ('catharsis', 'abreacting' or 'purging' can make matters worse, retraumatise, cause embarrassment, possibly even waste time. Feeling better afterwards is
hardly surprising and not great evidence!).
h) 'Smoking should be a single session formula' (this is a very common model in hypnotherapy, yet most other presenting issues are more sessions and evidence clearly shows that more sessions for stop smoking results in higher success rate. Why are single session stop smoking programmes so popular?).
If I return to my main point here today though, it is that many hypnotherapists do not believe they need advanced hypnotherapy training, so is there truly a need for it?
Why do hypnotherapists need an advanced training?
What is the point?
My belief is that an advanced hypnotherapy training is not just something that is helping the hypnotherapist to be more successful with clients and build a better business, but is also developing the entire field of hypnotherapy and the perception of it.
The field of hypnotherapy is very much on the fringe (at best) of therapy and psychological fields still today, and an incessant belief that you have all the training you need with your initial diploma is a popular one, and one that is potentially keeping the field of hypnotherapy on the fringes!
Some of the needs for
advanced hypnotherapy training are as follows:
- Improve standards and service to the public.
- Engage newly qualified hypnotherapists with quality CPD and to see its value.
- Invigorate and inform the practice of experienced practitioners.
- Encourage higher level, academic and critical thinking.
- Instil the importance of better
quality reflective practice.
- Promote new perspectives, build a diversity of approaches.
- Properly understand the the evidence base of the field of hypnotherapy.
- Know the literature well - it underpins our practical skills and advances them in turn.
- Embed core training concepts by revisiting them in a new light.
- Patch
in important knowledge and skills that initial training may have missed or where understanding is poor.
To become a more successful hypnotherapist whose clients derive greater gains and successful benefits.
Hypnotherapists are not the only ones who benefit from this, by becoming better at what they do, they get to raise the standards of the field in general terms, this is good for us all because the perception of the public becomes better and rosier and it is better for clients who derive more gain, more professionalism, better results.
The raison d’être of an advanced hypnotherapy training programme is to offer the hypnotherapist a clear advancement on the original hypnotherapy training. It needs to be substantive, wholly distinctive and healthily challenging, not simply offering ‘more of the same’ that was taught on an initial diploma course.
It provides new knowledge, new skills, new philosophies, new approaches, new techniques and encourages a considered, respectful and healthily critical exploration of hypnotherapy research.
To revert to an earlier point, an advanced hypnotherapy diploma course needs to have a good return on investment (ROI). That is, it needs to
help the hypnotherapist develop skills, knowledge and abilities that will grow the hypnotherapist’s business in an effective fashion.
To thank you for reading this entire article and some of the challenges it contains, if you are interested in this course that we run annually, email me directly to let me know and use the words “golden cloak” and I
will give you a £50.00 discount from the pre-vat price (this expires at the end of the month - November 2016).
Just come and download the course prospectus immediately from the college website, I think you'll be pleased you did.
Hypnotherapists CBH COURSE - Please Note - This Could Be Part Of 30 Month Pass CPD
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If you are a hypnotherapist who is keen to constantly update your practice and what you can offer - then do check out our advanced training at our College Of Hypnosis Website
Help Yourself With Self-Hypnosis Audios - 60% Discount |
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This week, I got involved in a number of online conversations where very funny puns were being thrown around. I got sent onto a website dedicated to puns.
Here are my top five from there:
How did I escape Iraq? Iran.
I can't believe I got fired from the calendar factory. All I did was take a day off.
What was Forrest Gump's email password?
"1forrest1"
Why did the scientist install a knocker on his door? He wanted to win the No-bell prize!
I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down.
I love those. Thanks everyone who sends in the kids jokes, the high brow jokes and the gags I cannot publish, I love
receiving them each week
Why not get over and join Adam's Hypnosis Hub. Anyone interested in Hypnosis may join. You could then add a caption to our weekly image.
Any Questions Or Help Needed -
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Do leave a message if
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