My Journey as a Hypnotherapist

Open....... again!

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 13:02:32 GMT

Available appointment slots from May 11th

...and so you should.

.......If I can help you, then I have appointments available from May 11th, now live to book directly on my website Contact page. I'd love to see you.

Clinic Open For Face To Face Therapy

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 23:32:42 GMT

Spot the modification!

Monday 20th July was lovely. Finally, after 4 months of closure due to Covid 19 restrictions, I was open for face to face therapy. I was able to see 2 clients who were rudely interrupted in March, and got started with 2 new clients as well. Ironically, my first client of the day was by Zoom! Oh well.

The eagle eyed will have spotted the most obvious modification of all, which is the perpex screen (Westminster Plastics, Wrexham Industrial Estate. First Class) across the centre of the room, providing a more than adequate physical barrier to allow up to two people to face me in safety (the distancing is between 2.5 and 3 metres, I no longer share the settee). Aerosol build up is reduced by having a fan operatng between myself and clients at all times. This works by disrupting aerosol build up by driving it 'to ground'.

Clients enter through their own 'corridor', in which they can sanitise or wash their hands, and where there are gloves and masks for those who wish. I am required to not offer to make tea and coffee, because I would have to handle the cups, etc., so there is a hot water urn, clean drained cups and glasses, etc, with milk and cold drinks in the fridge, so clients can help themselves, and then just drop the used cups etc in the sink as they leave.

The settee and pillows are covered with couch roll after being sanitised, prior to each client, and nearby surfaces such as the table, or used surfaces such as the sink and kitchen surface are also sanistised between each client. Tissues are now in packs, rather than a box left open.

The measures will go, eventually, whether a month or a year. What matters is that, after the initial novelty, they presented no obstacle to the usual relaxed, good humoured atmosphere.

If you've been thinking of coming along, but maybe worried how things could work within this climate in which we find ourselves, please be assured that in my opinion, your as safe as it is reasonably possible to be, and also, consider online therapy. Check out the new page on my website, which explains a little more https://www.positivehypnotherapy.co.uk/online

Very Best Wishes,
Alan Wick, July 23rd, 2020.

How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 15:08:04 GMT

Limelight Centre, Old Trafford, Manchester Saturday, September 21st, 2019

Organisers and contacts ; Alan Wick 07872 968 227 positivehypnotherapy@yahoo.co.uk Andy Workman 07890 027 083

Tickets - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/change-your-thinking-change-your-life-tickets-60805785742

Who Are The Presenters?

Dr David Hamilton PhD

David is an organic chemist and spent 4 years in the pharmaceutical industry, developing drugs for cardiovascular disease and cancer. Inspired by the placebo effect, he left the industry to write books and educate people in how they can harness their mind and emotions to improve their health.

He is now author of 9 “Hay House” books, including ‘How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body’, ‘I Heart Me’ and the Amazon bestseller, ‘The Five Side Effects of Kindness’.

As well writing numerous blogs. David is the ‘Kindness Tsar’ for Psychologies Magazine and writes the ‘Kindness Project’ in ‘The Fix’ section and the monthly ‘Life Hacks’ column for Soul & Spirit Magazine.

In 2016, he was voted ‘Best writer’ by readers of Kindred Spirit Magazine. He regularly appears in the media and was recently featured on Channel 4’s ‘Sunday Brunch’ (UK) and ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ (USA).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7syYKC91KKU

David is an advocate for kindness and is working passionately to help inspire a kinder world

Andy Workman

Andy is a successful Clinical Solution Focused Hypnotherapist, Mindset Specialist, Author and International Motivational Speaker. Having previously served for more than 30 years as a Police Officer, in both the Royal Air Force and the civil Police Service, he brings a wealth of life experience and characteristic humour to his work as a therapist and speaker.

His book ‘Cavemen and Polar Bears’ , which compliments and supports his presentation of the same title, has been received with a huge amount of acclaim, being added to the essential reading lists of numerous therapy training establishments.

‘Cavemen and Polar Bears’

What are the presentations about?

‘How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body’

In his compelling and ground-breaking book and presentation of the same title, David shows how the mind can have the power to heal the body. He describes the power of positive thinking and how thoughts and emotions mould the structure of the brain and change our body at a cellular level.

He includes true-life stories from people who have successfully visualized themselves well and contains a powerful list of specific visualizations that you can use to heal yourself from illness.

‘How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body’ unleashes the hidden powers within the mind to heal you in dramatic and enduring ways. This inspiring approach is practical, positive and promises to have a direct impact on the way you view the mind-body connection.

Cavemen and Polar Bears offers a proven strategy for the effective management of your mood and mindset. Using everyday language and plenty of humour, it introduces research, case histories, personal stories and real-life examples designed to offer a genuine opportunity to improve dramatically your mood and outlook on life.

Are You Afraid Of Needles?

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 06:17:23 GMT

Needle Phobia Is Common And Disruptive

It can be seen as vaguely comical, the stuff of seaside postcards (Nurse! I said to prick his......), but the truth for many people who have a phobic response to needles is that they find themselves avoiding urgent medical interventions, having their day to day medical monitoring disrupted, unable to go on holiday if that means inoculations, and the nature of the response to needle phobia can often be amongst the most dramatic of phobic responses, often including fainting.

The good news is that often this phobia can be managed within the framework of a simple 3 session 'rewind and reframe' sequence (click the photo above to link to my phobia page for more information on this). That isn't always the case, which is why we must always begin with an initial assessment, and even where it isn't, there's often not a great deal more we need to do.

If your fear of needles is limiting your life, or affecting your health, why not come along for an initial assessment with me, and once you know how things work maybe you'll get this dealt with once and for all.

Alan Wick, Solution Focused Hypnotherapist
12th March, 2019

Anxiety and Insomnia....

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 03:40:30 GMT

Chicken....Egg..... (illustrated with sheep, obv.!)

Last week I carried out informal 'Progress Scales' on 3 of my ongoing clients. It goes like this.... If 1 is the day you rang me, and 10 is the day I get the sack, where are we up to?

Thankfully all were past the halfway point, and I always ask a secondary question, which is 'what is the single biggest improvement that has allowed your progress to take place?'. Last week each of the three clients answered, as 9 out of 10 do, "sleep".

Perhaps the most interesting observation to make would be that none of the three clients had come to see me with insomnia. The sleep disturbance they experienced was incidental to their experiences of anxiety, and so, quite reasonably, they felt that sleep would get better if and when they learned to manage the varying aspects of their anxiety.

My experience over the years (and some research suggests) has shown me that, whether sleep is the cause or effect of anxiety (and who could unravel them?) it almost invariably provides a path of low resistance for early improvement, and when sleep improves, everything can seem easier. The world becomes a simpler place to be.

Whether you're experiencing difficulty sleeping or managing your anxiety, why not take the first constructive step towards feeling better?

Give me a ring and we can arrange a first meeting, who knows where it could lead?!

Alan Wick - Solution Focused Hypnotherapist
8th February 2019

Hope Springs Eternal

0015645966 (Alan Wick) — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 14:34:18 GMT

Spring Is A Time For Optimism

Spring is when it all starts to happen in my clinic..... people who've been holding on, feeling uncertain, finally feel the warmth in that early sun, see the snowdrops and daffodils, see a few more smiling faces about the place, even exchange a friendly remark about the nights becoming lighter and lo and behold, that lovely feeling makes it's presence known.... optimism.

I don't know what it is you want to change, but unless it's your age or the Government then I'm pretty sure you can, especially with a little help.

Whatever it is, give me a ring to arrange a first appointment, and by the time we've set a date, and you've been to see me, those daffs will be out and the world will seem a brighter place.

Alan - 07872 968 227 - no excuses!!

Alan Wick - Solution Focused Hypnotherapist
January 21st, 2019

2019 - Fresh Start!

0015645966 (Alan Wick) — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 11:05:08 GMT

What Would You Like To Change?

When we consider New Year's Resolutions we often make what I call Mount Everest pictures, that is, we stare at the summit longingly, and we're still staring at it the following year, as often as not. It's overwhelming, it needs breaking down....

If there's something you want to change, and you've always suspected it's doable with help, why not make one simple resolution?.. .. to come along to me, or whoever you feel may be most able to help, and ask for an assessment, an honest evaluation of what needs doing, and most importantly, where and how to start.

This way, instead of staring at the summit, you've found out where all the successful climbers start from, and whilst you still may not make it all the way up, by this time next year you could be looking down and feeling pretty damn pleased with how far you've come!

Whether you're biting your nails, anxious about the looming exams, frightened to drive the car, booking another camping holiday because you're too scared to fly, wanting to stay sober for a couple of nights a week or wish to manage your weight, give me a ring on 07872 968 227.... then you've made a start.

Alan Wick, Solution Focused Hypnotherapist
31st December 2018

Christmas is Coming... #4 ... it has come!

0015645966 (Alan Wick) — Tue, 25 Dec 2018 12:55:21 GMT

4th and last installment of my Christmas Survival Guide

Those here who have been clients of mine will know I always say that, apart from your recording, I never 'tell' you to do anything, and it's true, you must be the architect of your recovery, and I provide the scaffold (big enough!).

Well, I'm going to break from that none instructional approach, just here;

PUT YOUR FEET UP!!! Blame me, if anybody complains, tell them Big Al said, so there, "stuff your own turkey if you're in a hurry!".... "Gobble Gobble".

There!... no matter how frenetic, try to find oases where you can have 10 minutes to notice your breathing (use your whole lungs,,,, slow it down....), think of something in your life now that you really like and concentrate on it, close your eyes and listen very carefully, noticing everything you can hear - and that's amazing if you never have, really concentrate, have tumblers of water between alcoholic drinks, say "thank you" for presents, enjoy others thanks, ring somebody you should have rung years ago, this is a wonderful excuse.......

....and if it's not that kind of Christmas, if your family isn't close or you don't have one, if friends are few and valued, if the whole thing seems cynical and cold (I get it!), then distraction is really the answer. Get cosy, if you can, find something you like you can get involved in (book, video game), avoid the TV and Radio, stroke your dog/cat/budgie, go for a walk in nature away from crowds, maybe there's somebody you should ring too?... and if all else fails there is always somebody to talk to, 24/7.....

Samaritans - 116 123
Childline - 0800 1111

They are not there just for disasters or suicidal feelings, they understand that a chat can turn a miserable day into a bearable one. They know it's not always easy to talk, so you won't be rushed.... several of my colleagues work for Childline, and a couple for Samaritans too, and they understand the importance of waiting until you are ready. They will not judge, they will accept you.

It's a couple of days, enjoy it if you can, and if you can't, well, you've had dull weekends before.... that's all it is.

May I wish everybody who has been kind enough to like/follow my Facebook page a Happy and Healthy Christmas.

Alan Wick - Solution Focused Hypnotherapist
25th December 2018.

Christmas is Coming... #3

0015645966 (Alan Wick) — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 05:07:27 GMT

KISS... Keep It Simple S****d!

Welcome to part 3 of my Christmas survival guide.

Don't forget to enjoy the simple stuff - keeping up the old traditions and making new memories.

Attending Carol concerts
School productions
Food festivals
Craft fairs
Pantomimes
Get crafty with handmade cards
Bake biscuit tree decorations
...and while the oven's on... cake, mince pies, stollen, gingerbread....
Collect greenery from the garden
Get the kids involved
Visit friends and family

Remember that it is people that make Christmas, family, friends, lovers, acquaintances, the greeted stranger..... make your presence their present!

Alan Wick - Solution Focused Hypnotherapist (with thanks to Jane Fox)
7th December 2018

Christmas is Coming... #2

0015645966 (Alan Wick) — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 12:12:18 GMT

Part 2 of My Survival Guide to Christmas - Spending...

Christmas Presents!!!

check your present list...
do you really need to buy for every person on there?...
can you agree between groups not to exchange this year?...
Maybe donate to charity instead?...
Look for Special Offers/Deals...
Keep your list with you and cross off as you buy...
Don't look for perfection, it doesn't exist!...
Prepare a simple 'emergency' present or two...

Make a budget - and stick to it!

If you have budgetted for what you intend to spend, and you can afford it, then you will enjoy the spending so much more, now and in the New Year!

Alan Wick, Solution Focused Hypnotherapist (with thanks to Jane Fox)
26th November, 2018

Christmas Is Coming

0015645966 (Alan Wick) — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 14:02:54 GMT

Not Overjoyed?... Try Some Of The Tips In My Survival Guide

In the run up to Christmas I'll be publishing some tips, for those who need them, on how to experience the festivities agreeably and calmly.

Here's No 1.... anxiety is often generated by feelings of being out of control, so get yourself as organised as you can. Write out a timetable scheduling events and jobs that need to be done, presents that you wish and can afford to buy, allowing adequate time and space for each.... prioritise the list, be realistic, and don't be afraid to chop some jobs off the least important end of the list, if it's all getting a bit much.

Put it down on paper or screen and cross off as you go along....... No 2 to follow soon ... keep up with them on my website blog.

Alan Wick, Solution Focused Hypnotherapist (with thanks to Jane Fox)
13th November 2018

Are You Trying to Conceive?

0015645966 (Alan Wick) — Fri, 02 Nov 2018 13:28:34 GMT

Maybe the 'trying' could be getting in the way...

Our brains process our sensory information in a way that prioritises threat, ie, we notice it first and our brain then provides the means to avoid it by stimulating the production of powerful chemicals like adrenalin and cortisole. Our blood stream is diverted from the more 'luxury' end of our bodies, like the bowel, the stomach, the uterus, the bladder, etc. and supplied to our voluntary muscles which will allow us to have all the possible strength available to fight the threat, run away from it, or simply freeze...... all well and good, as far as it goes....

What if I said that your thoughts are processed in a very similar way to your sensory information?.... that the subject matter of what you are thinking could set off your alarm bells every bit as easily as your sensory input?... and all that chemical response, with no 'actual' threat to focus on, was simply compelled to go on and on and on, via an escalating spiral of fearful/threatened ideas, some caused by the actual chemical response response itself?

What if the thought was 'I'll never get pregnant'..... 'She'll lose interest if I can't give her a baby'..... 'He'll leave me if we don't get pregnant soon'.... 'I'm not sure we can afford another course of IVF'.... 'We must try tonight, I'm ovulating'... 'I've started my period...how will I tell him.... another month wasted....etc etc'.... and of course, if you are struggling to get pregnant, you may well know your own 'threatening' thoughts.

If trying to conceive is generating stress, anxiety and/or frustration in your life, your body will not be prioritising as you would wish, and there is empirical evidence available to show that conception is less likely in subjects who have higher levels of stress markers in their bloodstream.

I have extensive experience of helping people experiencing much higher levels of stress than you are likely to be experiencing, unless you have a pre-existing problem.... I am a Registered Nurse, I have trained in Mongan Method HypnoBirthing and would love to spend 2 or 3 sessions with you, individually or together , same sex welcome, to help you to manage anxiety in order to promote your body/ies' healthy reproductive capacity.

Give me a ring on 07872 968 227.

Alan Wick, Solution Focused Hypnotherapist
2nd November, 2018

Stoptober Is Back

0015645966 (Alan Wick) — Sat, 22 Sep 2018 03:57:41 GMT

Spring and Autumn Are Our Most Likely Times to Stop

In times gone by, most people would have said New Year if you'd asked them when most smokers manage to finally stop, the New Year's Resolution being the vehicle to turn a new leaf.

Stop Smoking campaigners have discovered, through research, that whilst many of us may say we are going to stop as a New Years Resolution, we are far more likely to actually stop in Spring or Autumn. The jury's out on why, but it makes sense to me, after all, these Seasons are the two times of the year when change is most profoundly evident, and this will communicate itself to us, both in ways we are aware of, and ways in which we are not.

I never discount Stop Smoking sessions.... It's been £150 since June 2014, and it remains so (equivalent to 2 weeks smoking, give or take). However, for Stoptober I will be offering;

A free Initial Consultation, so you can come along and hold me at arms length before deciding to go ahead. If you do decide that this is for you, we would then make the appointment, settle payment, and provide you with your CD/link to download and your preparatory work leading up to the session.
The usual 'full on' stop smoking session.
A scheduled 4 week follow up appointment, rather than the usual 'on demand' arrangement.

Stop smoking is about wanting to stop, understanding why it's seemed hard before, understanding what's needed to make things different after you leave your session and a huge piece of support and encouragement.

Let's turn that hope into expectation, ring me today on 07872 968 227.

Alan Wick - Solution Focused Hypnotherapist
22nd September 2018

Autumn is all About Change

0015645966 (Alan Wick) — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 21:41:18 GMT

There could hardly be a more apt time of the year for turning a new leaf!

Before I trained as a therapist I thought, as many logically do, that I would be busy in the 'gloomy' months of Autumn and Winter, and quieter when the sun was out, or at least promising to come out. In reality the opposite has proved to be true, and I've come to believe that it is the return of the sun that allows people to start feeling optimistic, to get fired up to do something about it , whatever it may be.

When I look at the beautiful Autumnal scene above, I find myself wondering again... surely change is never more beautifully represented than by the change from Summer to Autumn, the beautiful woodland colours, the ripening of our seasonal fruits, mellow mists, sharp fresh mornings a fire in the hearth of your local in the evening.....

This week I will be seeing 4 new clients, all for situations that have their origins in an excess of anxiety, and there is little that gives me more pleasure than seeing the changes that my anxiety and depression clients are able to make in their lives, as they feel reassured, more confident, able to manage again, so it would be a shame to think of people knuckling down for the hard slog of Winter, when between us we could make the changes you need right now.

Don't get dug in, give me a ring and come along for a first assessment.... it's a friendly chat, it's half price, and very few people leave feeling anything other than a reassuring sense of promise. Friends/Partners/Mothers and Fathers (2 of this weeks new clients are youngsters) are always welcome to accompany you, if you want, and there's no pressure to carry on.... indeed there would be no point unless you were up for it.

If you need to make a change, don't wait until Spring!

Alan Wick - Solution Focused Hypnotherapist
16th September 2018

Listen in Comfort

0015645966 (Alan Wick) — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 09:53:06 GMT

...are you having a headphone crisis?

All of my clients are requested to listen to a recording at night, while they are working with me, and I've spoken to many people who have come across the Headspace website and it's recordings, but all too often the obstacle can be 'if I listen out loud my partner objects', or 'I'm concerned that I will wake up due to the cable from my earbuds getting entangled after I've fallen asleep'.

Here are two relatively inexpensive solutions, that will allow you to listen to your recordings without creating disturbance for your partner, and without needing to be attached by headphones to a player.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soundasleep-the-Original-Speaker-Pillow/dp/B000XS42RQ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UT...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/CozyPhones-Sleep-Headphones-Earphones-Meditation-Gray/dp/B01HYJEOU6/ref=sr_...

The Sound Asleep Pillow (the type pictured above and in the link) is a good quality pillow, as well as allowing you to listen to your recording/s privately. If you choose the SleepPhones type device, then for it to be wireless you should choose a Bluetooth option, but there is no comparison between a soft fleecy band dropping down around your neck, and the wires of headphones, so you may well prefer to go for the less expensive wired version.

There are a wide range of price options for both of these products. At £7.00 the Sound Asleep Pillow represents very good value, and having used them myself, both in training and on my own bed, I can recommend them. I have shown a mid range link to SleepPhones, and suspect you may not be getting value from the expensive Acoustic Sheep Trade Marked variety (I used to retail them and received a significant number of fault returns, >5%, for faulty channels and/or inoperative Bluetooth. Must acknowledge that this was up to 4 years ago, and not since, so things may have improved), so check reviews.

Most importantly, and I cannot stress enough, having chosen a good quality alpha/theta recording that you like, to use at bedtime, and a way to play it that suits you, play it very regularly (ideally every night), and stick with it, because the association you develop between falling asleep and listening to the recording is the key to successful use of these recordings , when managing insomnia.

Choose for life, not just for tonight .

Alan Wick, Solution Focused Hypnotherapist
4th September 2018

Fear of Flying - My Latest Client

0015645966 (Alan Wick) — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 13:25:34 GMT

In Phobias and All My Work - Honesty is the Best Policy

I posted on Facebook that I would be seeing a client with a phobia for the first time this week, a woman with a fear of flying. To the best of my knowledge I've never had a client with fear of flying that hasn't successfully flown afterwards ( I told that to my most recent phobia client, who had been wrestled off airplanes in the past, and he sent me a lovely text pic from his plane window, of the wing and engine [not the one above!] saying 'Poolside in Spain, I wasn't the first!' ), and so I was very confident I could help.

It transpired, in the Initial Consultation, that my client did not have any flights booked, and had no plans until next year, and this presented a problem. The typical phobia cure I use in situations such as 'simple' fear of flying is called the Rewind and Reframe, which aims to disrupt the old fear response, and then place something pleasant and distracting in it's place.

Nothing in the brain is permanent, and the objective of this process is to move the client on quickly to a situation in which they can comfortably be exposed to whatever it was they feared, and cope , and it is this coping, this real life experience that really cements the new ideas, or two real life experiences in the case of flying, because most people come back!

This may be my living, but I can't do it unless I do it properly and get the results that allow me to live with myself, so I explained this to my client, and accepted that although she was 'fired up' and ready to deal with her phobia, there was a real risk of failure if there was a long delay between the treatment and the prospective flight, and that her fear of flying may re-establish itself.

I hope that when she does book a flight next year, she remembers that I treated her honestly and comes back to 'get on with it'.

Alan Wick - Solution Focused Hypnotherapist
22nd August 2018