How to Stay Focused: Practical Strategies to Sharpen Your Mind

August 23, 2025August 22, 2025 by Leiza Clark

In today’s world of constant online notifications, endless to-do lists, and competing demands, focus has become one of the most valuable skills we can cultivate. Staying focused isn’t just about working harder, it’s about working smarter by creating the right conditions for your mind to thrive.

1. Set Clear Intentions

Before you dive into a task, ask yourself: What is the one thing I want to accomplish right now?
Clarity reduces mental clutter and gives your brain a target. Write it down, keep it visible, and commit to it.

2. Break Work Into Manageable Blocks

Big projects can feel overwhelming. Instead of tackling everything at once, break your work into smaller, time-bound chunks. The popular Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break) can help you sustain momentum without burning out, it works for me.

3. Create a Distraction-Free Zone

Your environment shapes your focus. Silence your notifications, close unnecessary tabs, and tidy up your workspace. If you find your mind wandering, try using background music or white noise to block distractions.

4. Prioritize Your Energy, Not Just Your Time

Focus isn’t only about managing your schedule, it’s about managing your energy. Notice when you feel most alert during the day and schedule your most important tasks then, doing them first. Stay hydrated, eat brain-friendly foods, and take short breaks to recharge.

5. Practice Mindfulness and Presence

When your mind drifts, gently bring it back, gain and again, like disciplining and training an animal through repetition. Simple practices like deep breathing, short meditations, or mindful walking train your brain to return to the present moment. Over time, this builds your ability to stay centered during challenging tasks.

6. Limit Multitasking

Multitasking feels productive, but research shows it actually reduces efficiency. Instead, single-task, fully engage with one thing at a time. When you finish, you’ll not only feel more accomplished but also less mentally drained.

7. Build Rituals and Routines

Consistency creates mental cues that tell your brain: it’s time to focus. Whether it’s starting your day with a morning walk and coffee, or beginning work with a short journaling session, or sitting in the same spot to work, rituals signal your brain to shift into a focused state.

8. Protect Your Focus Like a Resource

Think of focus as energy that depletes with overuse. Learn to say no, set clear boundaries, avoid distractions and delegate when possible. Protecting your focus ensures you can dedicate it to what truly matters.

Focus is not about being perfect, it’s about training your mind to return to what matters, again and again. With clear intentions, structured time, supportive environments, and mindful awareness, you can build stronger focus and experience more flow, productivity, and fulfillment in daily life.

Energy of an Open Heart: Turning Fear Into Flow

August 23, 2025August 22, 2025 by Leiza Clark

We are energetic beings, constantly exchanging invisible signals with the world around us. This energy is abundant and renewable, but how freely it flows depends on one thing, our heart.

When the heart is open, energy moves through us in harmony. We feel connected, present, and alive. When it’s closed, that energy gets stuck, leaving us drained, heavy, or cut off from the very experiences that nourish us most.

The Heart as an Energy Gateway

Modern research shows that the heart does more than circulate blood. It has its own neural network and communicates continuously with the brain and nervous system. Science has proven that our heart produces the body’s strongest electromagnetic field, so powerful it can be detected several feet away.

What’s remarkable is that this field changes with emotion. Stress, anger, and fear create jagged, chaotic signals. Gratitude, compassion, and love create smooth, coherent patterns. When we’re in coherence, our body and mind synchronize, giving us greater clarity, resilience, and emotional balance.

This is why moments of laughter, love, kindness, nature and music can instantly shift us and our electromagnetic frequency. Our heart opens, our energy flows, and we feel charged, like a battery plugged back into the flow of life.

The Hidden Cost of Closing Down

After heartbreak, betrayal, or loss, it’s natural to shut down. Our nervous system pulls back as a way of self-protection. But if we stay closed too long, the very protection we seek becomes a prison.

Closing your heart may guard against pain, but it also locks away joy, creativity, and love. The truth is, the only person hurt by staying closed is you.

Healing begins when we allow ourselves to feel, without judgment or suppression. Pain softens when it’s acknowledged, not buried. By consciously reopening the heart, we transform hurt into wisdom, fear into strength, and struggle into growth.

Meeting Fear with Love

Fear is not the enemy. It’s a signal that we are growing, stretching, stepping into something unfamiliar. Courage cannot exist without fear, it is fear’s companion.

Instead of pushing fear away, we can meet it with compassion. When held through the lens of love, fear becomes a teacher. It shows us where we’re expanding and where we need to trust ourselves more deeply.

Love is what makes transformation possible. It aligns us with our truest essence and connects us with others in the most authentic way. Unlike external success, status, or validation, love sustains us from within.

How to Keep Your Heart Open: Daily Practices

Here are some simple but powerful ways to return to openness when life tempts you to close down:

Heart-Focused Breathing
- Place your attention on the center of your chest.
- Inhale slowly for 5–6 seconds, exhale for 5–6 seconds.
- Imagine your breath flowing in and out of your heart.
- Do this for 2–3 minutes to reset your emotional state.
Shift Into Gratitude
- Recall something or someone you genuinely appreciate and love.
- Let the feeling expand in your chest as you breathe.
- Stay with the sensation until you feel lighter and more connected.
Practice Micro-Connection
- Smile at someone.
- Make eye contact.
- Say hello.
- Tiny, heart-centered gestures create ripple effects of energy for you and for others.
Choose Compassion Over Protection
- When you feel yourself closing off, pause.
- Ask: Am I protecting myself, or am I preventing myself from feeling?
- See if you can soften just 10% more in that moment.
Forgive to Free Yourself
- Forgiveness doesn’t mean condoning what happened.
- It means choosing not to carry the burden any longer.
- Visualise yourself cutting cords of anger, pain or resentment, opening space for love to return.
Music and Movement for the Heart
- Play music that uplifts and inspires you.
- Move your body, dance, or walk outdoors.
- Physical expression naturally opens the chest and allows energy to circulate.

Choosing to Stay Open

Living with an open heart is not about ignoring pain or pretending life is always easy. It’s about returning to love, again and again, even after hurt.

Your heart is not just an organ, it’s an energetic compass, a source of renewal, and your direct line to joy. When you keep it open, challenges transform into lessons, fear becomes fuel for courage, and love becomes the force that carries you forward.

So don’t lock yourself inside. Practice these small shifts daily, and let your heart become the gateway to freedom, flow, and deeper connection with life itself.

Breaking the Addiction to Social Media

August 23, 2025August 21, 2025 by Leiza Clark

Social media isn’t just a tool, it’s a sophisticated system designed to capture and hold your attention. AI-driven feeds, personalised content, and instant gratification loops make scrolling addictive. Understanding the psychological mechanisms behind this addiction is key to regaining control.

Why Social Media Hooks Your Brain

1. Dopamine Loops

Every like, comment, or notification triggers dopamine hit, the brain’s reward chemical.
Your brain starts associating social media with instant pleasure, creating a feedback loop.

2. Variable Rewards

Social media uses a principle called variable ratio reinforcement, the same principle used in gambling.
You never know what post or notification will appear next, which keeps your brain engaged and craving more.

3. Social Comparison

Seeing curated highlights of other people’s lives can trigger envy, anxiety, feelings of failure and low self-esteem.
Psychologically, this activates a “status-seeking” mechanism your brain constantly checks if you measure up.

4. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

Social media feeds your brain’s threat detection system: missing out is perceived as a social “loss.”
This creates anxiety and compulsive checking behaviour.

5. Habit Formation

Checking your phone repeatedly becomes automatic.
Neurologically, cues (boredom, notifications) → routine (scrolling) → reward (dopamine) forms a strong habit loop.

Psychology-Based Strategies to Break the Habit

1. Awareness and Mindfulness

Recognize your triggers: boredom, stress, loneliness.
Mindfulness meditation strengthens your prefrontal cortex, improving self control and reducing impulsive scrolling.

2. Cognitive Reframing

Challenge automatic thoughts: “I need to check this now” → “Does this add value or joy?”
This reduces compulsive responses by activating rational thinking over impulse.

3. Habit Replacement

Habits are hard to break, but easy to replace.
Replace social media with behaviors that satisfy the same psychological needs:
- Connection: call a friend or join a community
- Reward: read a chapter of a book, journal, or learn a skill
- Entertainment: watch short educational videos instead of scrolling aimlessly

4. Environmental Design

Psychology shows that cues trigger habits. Remove cues:
- Move apps off your home screen
- Turn off notifications, especially at work
- Keep your phone out of reach during meals or work

5. Deliberate Dopamine Regulation

Avoid over reliance on instant rewards.
Activities like exercise, music, or creative hobbies release dopamine naturally and sustainably.

6. Social Accountability

Share your digital detox goals with others.
Psychological research shows that accountability increases adherence and reduces relapse risk.

Psychology Based Social Media Detox Checklist

✅ Identify triggers: emotional states, time, or environment
✅ Practice mindfulness daily: 5–10 minutes to increase awareness
✅ Set daily usage limits and stick to them
✅ Replace scrolling with meaningful, rewarding habits
✅ Remove cues: mute notifications, declutter feeds
✅ Track mood, focus, and energy levels weekly
✅ Use cognitive reframing: “Does this bring me value?”
✅ Share goals for social accountability
✅ Schedule digital fasting windows
✅ Engage in real-life connections and dopamine-positive activities

Social media addiction is not a moral failing, it’s a predictable outcome of psychological principles designed to engage your brain. By understanding these mechanisms, you can regain control, reduce anxiety, and reclaim your attention. A mindful approach to digital life isn’t optional, it’s essential for mental well-being.

The Freedom in Giving up Control

August 24, 2025August 21, 2025 by Leiza Clark

Control is one of the greatest illusions we live under. From the moment we’re young, we’re told that if we work hard enough, plan carefully enough, and keep everything in order, we can shape life exactly how we want it. Control feels like security. It feels like certainty. It feels like power.

But the truth is, no matter how much effort we put in, there will always be forces outside of our influence: other people’s choices, unexpected events, changes in the world, the mysteries of timing. The tighter we grip, the more life slips through our fingers like water.

So why do we cling to control so fiercely?
Often, it’s fear. Fear of uncertainty. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. If we can control, we think we can prevent pain. If we can control, we think we can guarantee happiness. Yet in reality, trying to control everything usually brings the opposite—stress, anxiety, frustration, and exhaustion.

The Paradox of Control
Here lies the paradox: the more we try to control life, the more out of control we feel. Control promises safety, but often delivers suffering. And the very freedom we crave, the peace, the joy, the flow, only comes when we loosen our grip.

Giving up control does not mean giving up responsibility. It does not mean we stop caring or stop creating. Instead, it’s about shifting from force to flow. It’s about knowing the difference between what belongs to us, and what belongs to life.

We cannot control how others behave, but we can choose our response.
We cannot control the timing of opportunities, but we can prepare ourselves to be ready when they arrive.
We cannot control the future, but we can choose to be present in this moment, fully alive to what’s here, now.

The Science of Letting Go
Modern psychology shows us that our obsession with control is deeply linked to anxiety. The human brain craves certainty it would rather have a bad outcome that’s predictable than sit in the unknown. This is why people cling to old patterns, even painful ones, because at least they’re familiar.

But the unknown is also where possibility lives. Neuroplasticity teaches us that our brain rewires itself when we allow new experiences, new choices, new ways of being. And that only happens when we step out of control and into trust.

The Spiritual Dimension
Many spiritual traditions teach the art of surrender. Not surrender as defeat, but surrender as alignment. Imagine a river: when you fight the current, you exhaust yourself. When you learn to move with it, you travel further, with less effort, and often arrive at places more beautiful than you ever imagined.

Surrender is not weakness, it’s wisdom. It’s the wisdom to recognize that life has a larger rhythm, a deeper intelligence, and that by softening our grip, we open ourselves to guidance, synchronicity, and flow.

Practicing the Release of Control
So, how do we practice giving up control in daily life?

Pause before reacting. When you feel the urge to manage or force an outcome, take a breath. Notice if your response is driven by fear or trust.
Ask the right question. Instead of “How do I control this?” try asking, “What’s within my influence, and what can I release?”
Allow uncertainty. Sit with not knowing. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but this is the space where life often reveals its most unexpected gifts.
Trust the process. Remind yourself: life is unfolding through you, not against you. What seems uncertain today may lead to clarity tomorrow.
Choose presence. Control lives in the mind’s projection of the future. Freedom lives in the now.

The Freedom That Follows
When we begin to release control, we notice something extraordinary: peace begins to replace pressure. We no longer waste energy micromanaging the uncontrollable. We become more open, more creative, more aligned with who we truly are. And life has room to surprise us.

Some of the best things that happen to us, unexpected opportunities, chance encounters, moments of beauty, are things we never could have planned. They came not from control, but from openness.

The Invitation
The invitation is simple, but not always easy: loosen your grip. Surrender the illusion of control. Trust that life is not a problem to solve but an experience to live.

Today, ask yourself: Where in my life am I gripping too tightly? What would it look like if I allowed more trust, more space, more flow?

You may find that in giving up control, you gain something far greater: the freedom to live fully, deeply, and authentically in the moment.

Believe in Yourself: The Shift That Changes Everything

August 24, 2025August 21, 2025 by Leiza Clark

There is a quiet power that awakens the moment you decide to truly believe in yourself. Not the surface level kind of belief that wavers when life gets hard, but a deeper knowing, an unwavering trust that you are capable, and worthy enough.

Belief is more than positive thinking. It’s the lens through which we experience the world. When you believe in your potential, your brain literally begins to rewire. Science has proven that neural pathways that once reinforced doubt and fear can, with practice, be reshaped into pathways of confidence, clarity, and resilience. Science now shows that the stories we tell ourselves influence not only our psychology, but our physical biology. Our body responds to our belief.

This is why cultivating self trust is one of the most powerful things you can do for yourself. It doesn’t mean ignoring challenges or pretending life is perfect in every way. It means holding steady in the face of uncertainty and reminding yourself: I can handle this. I have what it takes. I am learning and growing every step of the way.

Believing in yourself begins with awareness. Notice your inner critic, the voice that whispers you’re not ready, you’re not good enough, or too late to change yourself or circumstances. Then, pause, now ask yourself: Is this voice telling me the truth, or is it just an echo of old programmed conditioning? With curiosity, you can replace limiting beliefs with empowering ones.

Belief also grows through repetitive action. Each time you take a step, no matter how small, toward your vision, of your future self, you start to develop confidence by reprogramming your subconscious mind that you are capable. Confidence is not built by waiting until you feel ready. It’s built by moving forward, even while fear tags along.

When you anchor yourself in self belief, your energy changes. You begin to attract new opportunities, people, and experiences that mirror your inner certainty. Life meets you where you meet yourself.

So, today, ask yourself: What would shift if I chose to believe in myself fully, right now? What doors could open if I trusted my own worthiness?

The truth is, you are far more powerful than you realize. Believing in yourself is not arrogance, it is alignment. It is saying yes to life, yes to growth, and yes to the extraordinary potential that has been within you all along.

Believing in Yourself Checklist ✅

Here’s a practical framework you can use daily to strengthen your self-belief and align your inner world with your goals:

1. Mind Awareness & Self-Talk

⬜ I notice when the inner critic shows up.
⬜ I ask: Is this voice protecting me, or limiting me?
⬜ I replace negative thoughts with affirmations like: I am capable. I am worthy. I am enough.
⬜ I practice gratitude for at least one thing about myself today.

2. Daily Actions & Habits

⬜ I take one action, no matter how small, that moves me closer to my vision.
⬜ I celebrate small wins and acknowledge my progress.
⬜ I follow through on at least one promise I make to myself today.
⬜ I set clear intentions each morning to guide my energy and focus.

3. Emotional Alignment

⬜ I pause when I feel fear or doubt, and breathe before reacting.
⬜ I remind myself: Fear is not a stop sign, it’s simply a signal that growth is near.
⬜ I allow myself to feel emotions fully without judgment, knowing they will pass.
⬜ I consciously shift from worry to curiosity: What can I learn here?

4. Visualization & Inner State

⬜ I spend at least 2 mins daily seeing and feeling my future self.
⬜ I embody the energy of the person I am becoming in the moment.
⬜ I use mental rehearsal, not just to “see” success, but to feel it in my body.
⬜ I notice how my mood changes when I step into this version of myself.

5. Connection & Environment

⬜ I spend time with people who uplift and support me.
⬜ I limit exposure to negativity, gossip, or environments or people that drain my energy.
⬜ I seek out inspiration, books, podcasts, conversations, that strengthen my belief.
⬜ I remind myself that I don’t need external validation to know my worth.

6. Long-Term Growth

⬜ I reframe mistakes as lessons, not failures.
⬜ I reflect weekly on how much I’ve grown, even in small ways.
⬜ I create space for rest and self-care, knowing that energy fuels belief.
⬜ I commit to showing up for myself, even when it feels uncomfortable.

Moving Beyond the Unworthiness Epidemic

August 24, 2025August 20, 2025 by Leiza Clark

The Weight of Unworthiness:

Many people carry a quiet burden that is rarely spoken about: the sense of being unworthy.
It doesn’t always appear in obvious ways. Sometimes it’s the hesitation to speak up in a meeting. Sometimes it’s the self-doubt that whispers, “Who am I to try this?” Other times it’s the inability to fully receive love, recognition, or success, because deep down there’s a lingering belief: “I don’t deserve it.”

Unworthiness is not who you are. It is a story learned and repeated, often from early experiences, societal conditioning, or comparisons that made you believe you were somehow less. Over time, these inner narratives can shape your choices, your confidence, and even the opportunities you allow yourself to pursue.

But here’s the truth: worthiness is not something you earn, it is your birthright.

Overcoming the Mindset of Unworthiness

1. Awareness is the doorway.
Begin by noticing the inner dialogue. What do you say to yourself in moments of challenge or success? Awareness doesn’t judge — it simply shines a light on patterns that may have been running unconsciously.

2. Question the origin of the story.
Ask yourself: Where did I first learn this belief? Who told me I wasn’t enough? Often, the roots of unworthiness are planted long before we had the wisdom to question them. Recognising they are not inherently ours helps release their grip.

3. Replace criticism with compassion.
Self worth grows when we choose to speak to ourselves as we would a dear friend. Instead of harsh self judgment, introduce affirmations of truth: “I am deserving of love, joy, and success simply because I exist.”

4. Practice embodiment.
Worthiness isn’t only a thought, its a felt experience. Breathwork, meditation, journaling, or grounding exercises can help rewire the nervous system, allowing the body to feel safe enough to embrace new beliefs about self-worth.

5. Collect evidence of your value.
Notice your wins, both big and small. Keep a record of the moments where you showed strength, kindness, or growth. This practice anchors proof that you are capable, resilient, and worthy right now, not in some distant future.

At its heart, the journey from unworthiness to worthiness is a return to truth.
When you begin to see yourself as inherently valuable, not because of achievement, appearance, or approval, but because of who you are, life begins to shift. Relationships feel more authentic, opportunities flow more freely, and most importantly, you cultivate an inner freedom that no external validation can give.

You are not broken. You are not lacking. You are worthy, and always have been.

Rewriting Your Inner Story: A path to healing.

August 24, 2025August 20, 2025 by Leiza Clark

Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you try, you keep looping back into the same stress, symptoms, or emotions? It can feel frustrating, like your mind and body are working against you. But here’s the beautiful truth: those patterns aren’t permanent. They can be softened, reshaped, and rewritten.

Your brain is far more flexible than you may realize. It’s constantly learning, adjusting, and adapting. That means you’re never stuck you always have the ability to create new pathways that support healing, peace, and strength.

What Does It Really Mean to Change Old Patterns?

Life leaves its mark on us. Big shocking moments in life such as joy or pain get stored in our brain and body, like we have taken a camera snapshot of that moment and we recall it over and over. Sometimes, these stressful momories or snap shots keep lingering and keep repeating, even when they’re no longer helpful to us. They might show up as anxiety, fatigue, overwhelm, or physical symptoms that don’t seem to shift.

Working with your brain’s natural adaptability is like giving yourself permission to create a fresh new script or snap shot. Instead of reacting automatically to old snap shot or triggers, you begin choosing new responses that feel lighter, calmer, and more supportive of the life you want.

Who Can This Help?

Because this process taps into something we all share-the brain’s ability to adapt-it can benefit almost anyone. It’s especially powerful for:

Young people who feel weighed down by anxiety, focus challenges, or stress at school.
Adults in transition moving through career changes, relationship shifts, or life crossroads.
Those living with chronic symptoms such as fatigue, pain, or autoimmune conditions.
Busy, overwhelmed individuals who feel caught in cycles of stress, worry, or emotional heaviness.

No matter where you’re starting from, this approach helps you move out of survival mode and into a place where healing feels possible.

How Does It Work in Everyday Life?

Imagine your brain like a path through the forest. The more often you walk down a trail, the clearer it becomes. If that trail is built on stress or old wounds, it can feel like you’re always being pulled back there.

But here’s the hopeful part: you can start walking a new trail. At first, it feels unfamiliar. But with practice through gentle techniques like breathwork, guided focus, movement, or simple awareness, you strengthen that new path. Over time, it becomes the one your brain naturally chooses, while the old trail slowly fades.

Your Built-In Superpower

The most inspiring discovery is this: your brain never stops learning. It’s designed to change, even as an adult. That means you can:

Soften stress responses that once felt automatic.
Reclaim energy, clarity, and confidence.
Release the weight of past experiences and move forward lighter.
Cultivate emotional balance and a stronger sense of safety within yourself.

Healing isn’t about fixing what’s “wrong” with you, it’s about remembering your wholeness, and showing your brain new ways to support it. The past may have shaped you, but it doesn’t have to define you. Every moment is a chance to begin again, to carve a new path toward peace and resilience.

Change that Lasts.

August 24, 2025May 14, 2025 by Leiza Clark

5 Steps to Creating Deep, Lasting Change

Become the Observer of Your Inner World.

Most people live on autopilot, reacting to life through our deeply embedded habits, our unconscious emotional patterns, and belief systems inherited from our childhood or culture. The first step to change is to become consciously aware of these patterns without judgment.

This means noticing:

The thoughts that loop repeatedly in your mind.
The emotional states you default to-like worry, frustration, or self-doubt.
The behaviours you engage in even when they don’t align with your deeper desires.

Observation creates a pause between stimulus and response. In that pause lies our power to choose differently. Journaling, mindfulness, or simply checking in with yourself throughout the day can begin to uncover what’s driving us beneath the surface.

Awareness doesn’t change things instantly-but it gives you the power to stop being a slave to your past conditioning.

Design a Clear Internal Blueprint.

The brain and body don’t differentiate between real and vividly imagined experiences. When we envision a goal or desired future state with clarity and emotion, we begin to train your system to live in that future before it physically arrives.

To design this blueprint:

Visualize daily, imagine yourself living your desired life.
Engage all your senses, see it, feel it, hear it.
Anchor it in emotion, how would this version of you feel?

Doing this sends new signals through our nervous system, shifting our hormonal and energetic state, and begins altering the way our genes express themselves (a principle from epigenetics). Over time, this changes our baseline state from survival and repetition to creativity and expansion.

Your imagined future becomes the template your body and mind start to follow.

Rewire the Subconscious Patterns.

Up to 95% of your daily behaviour is governed by subconscious programming, habits formed from repetition, emotional experiences, and environmental cues. We might consciously want change, but if our subconscious is still running outdated scripts, we’ll sabotage progress.

To shift this:

Use repetition with intention, affirmations, mantras, or focused thought while in a relaxed state (e.g., right after waking or before sleep).
Engage in meditation or guided practices that bring subconscious material to light.
Rehearse new emotions-gratitude, joy, confidence, so they become familiar.

The subconscious mind learns through feeling and repetition, not logic. This is why deep change often requires consistent inner work, not just mental insight.

Reprogramming the subconscious is like updating the software of your life-it takes patience, but transforms everything.

Act as the Future You right Now.

The fastest way to embody change is to stop waiting for external conditions to give us permission. Begin acting, speaking, moving, and choosing from the identity we’re becoming-not the one we want to leave behind.

Ask yourself:

What would the future version of me do in this moment?
What would they say yes to, or no to?
How would they handle challenge, opportunity, or rest?

This isn’t about faking it, it’s about training your nervous system to normalize new experiences. When your thoughts, emotions, and actions align, you create coherence and coherence builds momentum.

Identity isn’t found. It’s built through consistent, aligned behaviour.

Stay Consistent in a Supportive Environment.

Change is not a one-time decision it’s a process that thrives in consistency and community. Our environment plays a powerful role in either reinforcing the old you or nurturing the new one.

Support your transformation by:

Creating daily rituals that nourish your new self (morning routine, breathwork, journaling, nature time).
Surrounding yourself with people, media, and spaces that reflect your values and vision.
Removing or reducing triggers that pull you back into old patterns.

Our biology is adaptive it’s always listening. When we surround it with elevated emotional states like joy, gratitude, and purpose, and back them with repetition, we literally recondition our cells, brain, and energetic field. Sustained change is a lifestyle, not a quick fix. The more you live it, the more natural it becomes.

What is Clinical Hypnotherapy & NLP?

August 24, 2025December 7, 2016 by Leiza Clark

Clinical Hypnotherapy & Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

‘The power to change your mind & destiny’

Hypnosis has been in use for thousands of years. There is a plethora of evidence to support the belief that Hypnosis was in existence and used by the ancient Greeks and Romans, for therapeutic benefit, as far back as the fourth Century BC. Hypnosis – derives from the Greek word ‘Hypnos’ (meaning sleep) because while in the state of Hypnosis, a person is extremely relaxed.

Hypnosis or trance is a state of being, an altered state of awareness. We are always cycling through biological rhythms (ultradian cycles which are in the dream and the waking states) that makes trance a naturally occurring state. Milton Erickson’s definition of trance is an altered state of intense and narrowly focused attention. We are generally talking about an inner directed state where the awareness becomes more and more focused upon the internal thoughts, processes or sensations.

Hypnosis is “a form of highly focused attention,” says Stanford’s Spiegel-an induced state of mind that enables people to alter the way they perceive and process reality.

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is an approach to communication, personal development and psychotherapy.

When a person is in a meditative relaxed state, they find it easier to accept beneficial suggestions and their memory is enhanced.

There is absolutely no question of being controlled or manipulated, or even induced into a deeper trance state. A fact a person in Hypnosis is not asleep, they are often more aware of what is taking place than usual and their senses and mind typically function more efficiently than normal.

The state of hypnosis is an ancient phenomenon, and yet it’s a totally natural experience. A person can converse quite easily whilst within the hypnotised state.

This centuries old technique is being used increasingly in addition to conventional medicine, where it is proving a valuable alternative to drugs for anaesthesia, relieving stress accelerating healing and controlling pain.

“Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality. -“Earl Nightingale

Dr. Alfred A. Barrios reported in the psychotherapy journal of American Psychiatric Association (Volume. 7-1), the following success rates:

Psychotherapy 38% recovery after 600 sessions (about 11.5 months)
Behaviour Therapy 72% recovery after 22 sessions (about 6 months)
Hypnotherapy 93% recovery after 6 sessions (about 1.5 months)

“The mind is a dutiful servant and will follow the instructions we give it”. Zig Ziglar

Research suggests that hypnotherapy is particularly effective in the corrective treatment of negative habit patterns. For most of us, the need and desire to change ourselves relates not so much to conscious behaviours in life, but instead to more ingrained subconscious habit patterns. It’s with these negative habits or patterns, which people endeavour to get assistance through hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy is not a way to avoid or short circuit personal responsibility and application of individual’s personal will power. Hypnotherapists work in partnership with you to assist you in making the changes in your own life, with your consent and intention to create permanent change. If you’re ready for change, hypnotherapy can be the pivotal point and key to your success.

Frequently Asked Questions

Most people have a limited understanding of the positive results that can be achieved in a professionally facilitated hypnotherapy session. These Questions and Answers will help dispel some of the myths, answering the most frequently asked questions about hypnotherapy.

What is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a state of relaxation and concentration, a state of heightened awareness induced by suggestion. It is a non-addictive process and it’s a natural manifestation of the mind at work. Hypnosis is a very pleasant feeling of complete physical and mental relaxation. It is similar to that moment between knowing you are awake and going into the sleep state.

What is the difference between Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy?

Hypnosis is a state of consciousness where your mind is open and receptive to suggestions. Hypnotherapy is a form of therapy where a hypnotherapist works in partnership with the client, using hypnosis as a primary tool for assisting clients to achieve their goals. A hypnotherapist often differs from other therapists by focusing on the role of subconscious behaviours and influences on the client’s life. The hypnotherapist finds out what false beliefs are (i.e. what is holding the client back) and reprograms these thought patterns, so the client can move forward achieving the desired outcome).

Will I be asleep when hypnotised?

The word hypnosis comes from the ancient Greek word ‘hypnos’ meaning sleep, which is an inaccurate term, as hypnosis is generally a very relaxed state but it is not actually sleep. Many people after a session of hypnosis don’t believe that they were hypnotised at all, but that comes from misconceptions of what a ‘trance’ actually is.

Why don’t more people use hypnotherapy?

For the same reasons, why people don’t take vitamins or exercise daily? Quite often people know what’s good for them, yet they don’t do it. They’re busy and barely keep up with the things we have to do, let alone anything that is optional.

Is Hypnotherapy Safe?

Hypnotherapy is completely safe. You are aware and in control at every moment and can terminate the session at any time. Hypnosis is not sleep, nor can you get “stuck” in a state of hypnosis. You cannot be made to do something against your will. Hypnotherapy is a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable experience.

Will I give out any personal or secret information under hypnosis?

No. You cannot be forced to say or do anything under hypnosis that you don’t want to. Remember that you are completely in control at all times.

Are any drugs of tablets used?

No, not at all.

Will I be aware of what is happening?

Yes, most people are generally surprised that they actually remember everything that has happened during the hypnotherapy session.

Can anyone be hypnotised?

Some people find it easier to relax than others. By the same token, some people are able to go into hypnosis more quickly and more deeply than others. Most people can go into at least a light trance and with most hypnotherapeutic goals, a light trance is enough so everyone can benefit from hypnotherapy to some extent.

How does hypnotherapy feel?

Here are two examples of how it feels. The first, is if you have been watching television, and suddenly, you realise that you haven’t seen any of what’s been going on for the last five minutes, because you’ve been thinking about something else, and just weren’t concentrating on what you were watching.

Second e.g. think of a time where you’ve been so absorbed in what you’ve been doing, that more time has passed than you thought… for example, you may think you’ve been reading for 30 minutes, only to look at the clock and see that you’ve actually been reading for an hour. Hypnotherapy is a similar feeling to the above examples.

Hypnosis feels a bit like that. Client’s often express that they feel like they’ve been under hypnosis for only 20 minutes, when actually it’s been very nearly an hour!

Can it help with medical problems?

If you think your problems may be medical, it is essential that you consult your GP first before consultation with a hypnotherapist.

Will I lose control & be influenced to anything against my will?

No. This is a common misconception about hypnosis. Nobody can be hypnotised against their will. Hypnotherapy is not about control by the hypnotherapist, it’s about working together to empower the client and create the changes they wish to see in their life. Nobody can be forced to do anything against their will. The ‘control’ misconception appears to originate from stage hypnosis which also involves people, giving consent to participate and have fun carrying out instructions from the stage Hypnotist.

How deep in Hypnosis will I go?

Clients go as deep or as light into hypnosis as they need to go, to get the results they need. The more meditational or hypnosis experience one has, the easier one drops down into the altered receptive state to create change.

What if I Don’t Wake Up?

No one has ever got stuck in a terminal state of hypnosis. It simply cannot happen. If the hypnotist left the room, or if you were listening to a tape and the power went out, you would either fall asleep and wake up naturally, or your subconscious mind would detect that there is no voice guiding you and bring you to conscious awareness.

Is Hypnosis Dangerous?

Hypnosis is a normal state of mind, one which most people go in and out of every day. When you are watching a movie that you are engrossed in, driving down a long monotonous road, listening to music that captures a mood or engrosses you, you are in hypnosis. We experience hypnosis every day and don’t even know it. It is perhaps one of the safest forms of therapy. There is no documented evidence of anyone ever being harmed by hypnosis. Hypnotherapy is a proven therapeutic aid.

Q & A about Hypnotherapy

August 24, 2025November 1, 2016 by Leiza Clark