Solution Focused Hypnotherapy
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The Power of Sleep
May 26, 2023

The Power of Sleep

This is Flora - and she is a prime example of what we, as mammals, should be doing like her: sleeping well. The benefits of "good sleep" are endless, and as neuroscientists claim, it is the solution to many of our physical and mental problems.

As a massage therapist and hypnotherapist, I can not emphasise enough how huge an impact sleep has on us physically, emotionally and mentally. It is the good stuff. As William Shakespeare said, "He that sleeps feels not the toothache". This is true in more ways than one.

Here are a few facts about sleep:

  1. We believe we generally sleep well - false. There is much information and evidence to support that as human beings, our modern lifestyle is not conducive to good sleep. We seem to have misplaced the significance of good sleep and do not prioritise this crucial brain function we are so fortunate to have. For example, our sleeping patterns are not prioritised over our lives or maybe they're not given enough weight to how huge an influence sleep has on our overall health and behaviours.
  2. You can always catch up on a bad night's sleep - false. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but once it's gone, it's gone! The good news is that we can learn to sleep well and attain good sleep health. This can be done fairly easily and for free: have a bedtime routine; don't drink coffee or caffeinated drinks 6 hours before bed; have a bath before bed; meditate; exercise regularly and so on!
  3. Nobody sleeps through the night - true. We go through different phases of sleep during the night hours which can wake us up but not significantly enough to be fully awake. If you have a newborn baby, this will wake you up. Needing to pee will wake you up.
  4. Sleep increases our longevity - true. If we have good, healthy sleep and we are not sleeping too much (this is all about how full our stress buckets are) then yes, you will get a few more years on this lovely planet.
  5. It doesn't matter when you sleep as long as you get enough hours - false. We all have circadian rhythms. Studies show that the timing of sleep matters. Proper circadian timing is so important for sleep quality as this has a direct impact on our physical and mental health and well-being.

How can hypnotherapy help with sleep?

IMG_8206_editedWell, how long have you got? In as short a way as I can, I will explain. We all have a stress bucket which needs to be emptied every night. To empty said bucket, we need good sleep. To ensure we have good sleep we need to understand how our brains are working. Once we understand this, we are able to learn how to empty our stress buckets and will then achieve good effective, beneficial sleep.

With the use of hypnotherapy, our brain's biology can change. This can be done surprisingly quickly and easily, achieving long-lasting effects. Re-organising our sleep patterns and making changes within, gives us wonderful benefits such as motivation, confidence, peace of mind and the ability to cope with all of what life can throw our way. With the tools that we learn through hypnotherapy, positive and notable changes can be made. We can say goodbye to the challenging times, and welcome the good times in.

Benefits of massage.

massage1Massage has amazing benefits for our sleep but in a slightly different way. Massage has been used for millennia and has a whole wealth of benefits for us mere mortals and should be used far more regularly and as a tool for balancing our mind and physical health. Here are some truly wonderful facts about how massage can have such an amazing impact on our sleep...

Increases lymph and blood flow around the body which ensures that our lymph (the body's waste system) can do its vital job efficiently, and blood circulation to get nutrients and oxygen to all the organs, tissues and every single cell. If the body's immune system is able to function well, our sleep will be less disturbed and therefore improvements to sleep will be made!

Relaxing muscle tissue reduces nerve compression and therefore reduces pain. It can help with different medical conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, stress injuries, headaches, migraines and so on. Again, with fewer symptoms of pain, the stress bucket is empty and therefore not being tired and brought down throughout the day promoting positive behaviour which stops the stress bucket from filling up.

Massage stimulates an important hormone response releasing serotonin, endorphins and melatonin which improve our energy levels and mood enabling a better night's sleep. We need serotonin to produce melatonin which helps to induce sleep. Serotonin also reduces stress hormones such as cortisol.

Massage lowers your blood pressure which is not just hugely beneficial for sleep but also for cardiac health.

Both these therapies are so good for sleep and both work so well together. Massage is underrated for its enormous health benefits and hypnotherapy is misunderstood. If we can achieve homeostasis within our mind and body, I would say we are on to a pretty good thing!

Thank you for listening, please do share and get in touch if you wish.


Best wishes and blessings
Pen and Flora
Well Balanced Therapy

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Fear of flying & Anxieties: After having a difficult year I decided to try hypnotherapy with Penny and it was the best choice I have made for myself! I'm now able to live more in the moment and have a better understanding of how to cope with or even eliminate my anxieties. I also had 2 sessions dedicated to helping to reduce my phobia of flying which helped me tremendously as I was able to get on a plane again without feeling terrified! Pen is always very positive and relaxed during our sessions and always makes me feel comfortable.

Anxiety/Stress: I went to see Penny as I felt stuck, struggling to cope & unable to move on in life. I had 12 sessions.  I had never really done hypnosis before & really struggled to focus on the words as my mind raced everywhere. Penny reassured me it would still work - which it did. It took a couple of weeks to kick in but I really appreciated the time taken to focus on the issues & Penny's positive attitude really filtered through. Slowly my positivity increased, the overthinking eased off & my sleep improved. This allowed me to problem-solve & plan more changes to make. It was like moving a large rock - once we got it moving progress started to happen & towards the last few sessions things started to speed up. I would recommend Penny to anyone who feels overwhelmed or near a crisis point.

Pain: I had 12 hypnotherapy sessions with Penny. The hypnosis was relaxing & reviving and seemed to link with my subconscious & bring me back to positive feelings. I still use the audio which acts as a kick-start if doubts start seeping in. I also found Penny's voice calming & reassuring. I have no reservations in recommending Penny. I liked her honesty in what the therapy could offer. I have been very happy with the outcome of the hypnotherapy.

Stop Smoking: Both myself and my husband decided it was time to stop smoking. My husband had smoked 20+ a day for 35 years and I had also smoked on and off for years. We can both honestly say we have never felt better thanks to Penny, she made us feel comfortable and was very reassuring, after just one appointment we were smoke-free.  We are now looking forward to extra holidays with the money we have saved and also stress free knowing we can travel and not worry about going without a cigarette.

Stress Buster/Body Image: Pen has helped me massively increase my resilience to stress. Tasks which seemed ongoing and impossible became doable. While work may still be stressful, the speed with which I bounce back is great and has allowed me to put in boundaries, both personal and professional. It has increased my self-confidence and assertiveness and has improved my sleep patterns so much. Penny has also taken me through several weight-loss sessions from which I am feeling the benefits and feel now that I am in the right place to start an exercise regimen and take control of my fitness.

Sleep Issues: I was slightly sceptical over hypnotherapy, probably because I was frightened of being made to do something I didn't want to. But my sleeping was all over the place and I'm a constant worrier, so thought I'd give it a go - I am so pleased with how relaxed I felt and how my sleeping has improved. I feel much calmer now and can rationalise things better than before. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone with for a variety of problems or habits, and Pen's voice is greatly comforting when I listen to the recording when going to sleep. I know I can come for a top-up whenever I need to.

Public Speaking: I wanted to try hypnotherapy in order to deal with the anxiety I experience before speaking in public. My sessions with Pen have helped me reduce this in such a short amount of time it is really unbelievable how effective they’ve been. I now feel calm and focused and those waves of panic that tripped me up before talking in public have entirely gone away. I can’t stress enough how effective these sessions with Pen have been. She is calm and an intuitive listener who instantly puts you at ease. I wouldn’t think twice about recommending her sessions to anyone.

I would highly recommend Penny for helping and supporting anyone suffering with anxiety. My son Louie was suffering from panic attacks and it was heartbreaking watching him missing out on having fun with his friends because of a general fear something was going to happen. Penny was recommended to us by a friend who’s daughter was suffering from anxiety and was attending sessions with Penny to tackle this and couldn’t talk highly enough of her. So we thought it must be worth a try. Louie started having sessions with Penny and the difference was amazing, he started being more confident and less panicky and slowly started getting back to his usual happy go lucky self, which was a joy to see. I’m sure anyone who has a child, family member or friend that suffers from this realises how stressful this situation can be on a day to day basis. So get in touch with Penny, it could change your life.

From Katie's mum: "Pen, thinking just how bad she was and how far she has come! I have no doubt in my mind that if anyone else’s child is suffering then you are the person to help! We are so thankful".

Hypnotherapy.... The final piece of the puzzle that completed and transformed my life. Amazing!

I had hypnotherapy to help me with my anxiety and depression and honestly, it changed my life for the better. I was in a place where I thought there was no escape from these feelings. However, hypnotherapy turned things around for me greatly. My OCD has also died down massively and it has also helped me through the very rough time at school. I'm extremely grateful for Pen's clear and kind understanding and I strongly recommend this to anyone who is having these similar feelings as well, as it will change your life for the better.