 Gazing, from my kitchen window, onto the summer tableau outside, my attention is drawn to the damson tree. Its branches bow under the weight of its jewel like fruit, dripping like juicy pendants from every limb. I ponder the miracle that allowed this tree to nourish and nurture this bounty. It is the cyclical nature of the tree that provides it with the resources to bare fruit. We women are also cyclical in our nature. Hormones ebb and flow in our bodies from puberty to menopause, causing powerful shifts in our energy, our focus, our needs and our skills. Just as a tree experiences the four seasons of the year, we experience four seasons every cycle. Often a health issue in a woman’s body can be eased by addressing a neglected season. And, after menopause, it is as though the training wheels come off allowing us to access all the seasons and trusting us to find the balance in our own lives. With summer comes ovulation, a season epitomised by the mother. You are gregarious, sociable, giving your fruits freely and generously. Like the tree, this is the time of your outward glory. Your energy is magnetic and attractive. Your focus is outward and you have lots of energy and love for others. Like the tree, this is a time when you can give your all. You feel grounded and connected. Summer is a time when estrogen levels are high and the multitasking we women are famous for is really possible. Take a moment to reflect on how you meet this need in your own life, at ovulation or at other times. Do you really go for it? Do you spend time with the people who matter to you? Do you take care of them? For some of us, a more important question to ask is: do you try to keep this up all the time? Autumn, or pre-menstruation tends to be the most well known or notorious season of our cycle. As the tree gives away the last of its fruits and its leaves wither and die, it begins to withdraw from the harshening conditions, its energies spent. This is a crucial and misunderstood time in our cycle. It is important that we retreat and begin to say no. We can't possibly be expected to keep going at the speed of summer, bearing fruit indefinitely. This is a time for editing. For contemplation, for getting real. If there are situations in your life that need addressing, it will be difficult to ignore them now and if you try to ignore them, they will shout louder. Any needs you have neglected, any feelings you have supressed, any gifts you haven't used will break to the surface. As the tree sheds its leaves in autumn, so you must face the harsh truths of your life and shed anything that no longer serves you. This is a time to tie up loose ends ready for the winter. If you can face yourself now and confront your truths, you are in for a restful winter. Take a moment to reflect on how you meet this need in your own life, pre-menstrually or at other times. Do you really face yourself, do you allow difficult emotions to surface and acknowledge them, along with the message they bring? Are you prepared to make changes to address needs that you are not currently meeting? Picture yourself now as a tree in winter. Your roots spread deep into the earth, grounding, securing, nourishing you. Your bare branches outstretched, but, like the tree, you have withdrawn into yourself, from the outside, there is little sign of life, your energy is drawn inward, you are passive, intuitive, creative. This is a time of renewal, of rest and regeneration. A time for you to retreat from the world in any way you can. You bear no fruit or foliage and, instead spread your roots deeper and wider. Letting go of responsibility (as far as possible), letting go of any negativity that has built up over the month. A time for forgiveness for yourself and others. A time for taking nourishment from the earth. This is, arguably, the most crucial part of your preparation for pregnancy. Without taking the time to stock up on your reserves and to nourish yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually, you cannot support new life. Take a moment to reflect on how you meet this need in your own life, at menstruation or at other times. Is there an allowance for your need to let go of anything that no longer serves you and to regenerate? After menstruation, comes spring. Your energy begins to rise, tentatively pushing tender green buds through your bark. The environment doesn’t yet feel entirely welcoming, but you are keen to emerge to explore to ideas. You are curious and playful, a little naïve even. You begin to feel more sociable. You resurface innocent and pure with a clean slate. Like tiny delicate buds, you begin to unfurl your newly hatched ideas and plans, nurturing and protecting them. Seeing how they fare in the light of day. Take a moment to reflect on how you meet this need in your own life, after menstruation or at other times. Do you make time to explore to try new ideas, to be playful and take risks? In this busy, modern world, it’s easy to live from the neck up, paying attention to your body only when something goes wrong. Many of us have lost the art of listening to our bodies, or, more accurately, interpreting their message. Rarely, for example, is a headache a sign that of a nurofen deficiency! Paying attention to and honouring our cycles and their impact on our moods, drives and energy levels (not only with the intention of finding our most fertile days) is a great way to connect with and support our reproductive system. To find out more about cycle awareness, I thoroughly recommend Lucy Pearce, ‘Reaching For The Moon’ and Sjanie Wurlitzer and Alexander Pope’s ‘Wild Power’ There is also a guided meditation version of this blog on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMXJJONh1AA
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 In the recent storms our rose arch collapsed and we mounted an effort to rescue the roses that lazily embraced it. The rescue attempt was more poignant because of one rose in particular, which was planted there before my fingers became green enough to know that a rose bush does not climb. This one holds a special place in my heart: nine years ago, I buried my baby beneath it in a tiny match box. I buried the hopes and dreams and future memories for a life that was never meant to be. Though I was ten weeks pregnant, the tiny heartbeat inside me had stopped at six weeks. In medical terms, it was never truly human. I knew that there were tragedies in the world far greater than this but this was my tragedy. I decided not to measure my grief but to feel it. I cried. I cried a lot. I felt the dragging ache of sadness deep inside me and I allowed it. The day that I held that positive test in my hand was the day I headed to Brighton for a dear friend’s hen weekend so I had dared to whisper this precious secret aloud. Dared to name my hopes and dreams for this child, a mix of tiny cells and miracles and moonbeams. The day my baby came away from me, I lost a whole lifetime of future memories: of rushing to the hospital on a crisp February morning; of gazing into the soft face of a nursing baby; of grazed knees and magic kisses; of bedtime stories and precious cuddles; of my proud tears; my child filing away from me for their first day of school; a lifetime of moments, some fleeting, some fateful. All would have woven together a beautiful tapestry of this particular child’s life. All lost. In the end, I was glad that everyone knew. My grief was open and unfettered and I learned that, probably, the taboo of talking about pregnancy before 12 weeks serves better to protect those around you from the awkwardness of not knowing what to say than the woman who mourns a lost life of possibility. I did find incredible support among my family and friends though and, ultimately, I was glad that my world knew of this fleeting life that had graced us. At times, as I grieved, I berated myself for my indulgence. Hadn't I already been blessed with a beautiful child who filled me with love and pride and wonder and hope? Wasn’t it selfish to want more? Didn’t others have more to grieve? Deeper wounds? Longer, harder journeys? Weren’t there others with more right to grieve? I chose not to measure or judge my grief but to feel it. I felt it as I dragged my heavy soul through the day to day life of a mother. I felt it on a visit to my mother-in-law in France. I felt it flying to Israel for the wedding of my husband’s sister. The heavy cloud of grief hovered over me in every interaction. Then one day, briefly, in the lead up to my sister-in-law’s wedding I felt the fluttering of joy again. I expressed this joy with my husband not knowing at the time that this first ray of sunshine cutting through the gloom would turn out to be my rainbow baby. In my work with fertility, I have met many women who did not feel they had the space, freedom or the right to grieve their loss. They buried it deeply, carried it privately. But rainbows don’t occur in clear skies. My rainbow child burst through a tiny gap in my cloudy sky as she continues to do, a child with the capacity for so much joy. My story is not your story. My grief is not your grief but my advice is the same: do not measure or judge your grief but feel it. Move through it in whatever way and whatever speed is right for you. Allow the clouds and I hope that, like me, one day you will find a rainbow bursting through them. Photo credit:
photo credit: grimeshome <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/73653333@N05/9267662070">Rainbow Across Yellowstone Lake</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">(license)</a>  I once had a hypnobirthing client who was vehemently against hypnosis though he had dutifully accompanied his pregnant wife to classes as was her wish.
His words stuck with me: he didn’t like the idea that you could programme the mind. I see his point. However, the truth is we are programmed from birth (and arguably before) by our parents, our friends, our teachers, by TV, by magazines and by the wealth of our experience which shape our actions, our beliefs, our values, our desires, our dreams and our fears. In response to these relentless influences, we develop a conscious mind around the age of eight which serves as a firewall of sorts. Though, by this time, much of our programming is already in place, the software has been installed. Over the years, we constantly evolve, updating our software. Sometimes we programme ourselves consciously and sometimes things slip through the firewall. Our minds are complex. The very nature of our unconscious mind is that it is not easily accessed through conscious thinking and often there is software still running that's outdated and clashing with the latest version. For example, many women spend a good portion of their lives trying not to get pregnant. That software is securely installed through our families, through society, through our own will and often we further reinforce this priming by suppressing our reproductive system with the contraceptive pill. When we make the conscious decision that we are ready to have children, we install new software, in favour of pregnancy however it is important to ensure that we have overridden our previous programming. A hypnotherapist is an expert guide in the workings of your unconscious minds and can teach you the skills you need to access and prepare your mind and body for pregnancy and for any other goal you may wish to achieve. Contact me to find out how I can help you.  1950s American classic cars are thriving on Cuban streets. Long after their disappearance elsewhere, necessity has fostered a nation of innovative and dedicated mechanics. These beauties in chrome are cherished and lovingly maintained and, while the rest of us have moved on to newer, flimsier models, we are still captivated by their character and grace.
Like cars, at a certain age our bodies begin to show signs of wear and tear. Bad habits that we previously ‘got away with’ begin to reap penalties, showing up as a range of symptoms, particularly around peri-menopause and menopause. But, before you reach for the medicine cabinet, perhaps it’s time to renegotiate the terms of your tenancy agreement with your body. After all, a headache is rarely a sign of a deficiency in paracetamol. Hypnosis can provide a space to communicate with your body, a place to brush up on your own skills as a mechanic with a vested interest in maintaining your own, unique and characterful classic. Top Tips for maintaining a classic:
 I arrive in cold drizzle having rushed from my duties. The door is opened by a smiling stranger who welcomes me like a treasured friend. I step through the portal from grey to warm technicolour. The room is assuaged with soft, vibrant, red hued fabrics. A ring of cushions and blankets blurs the hard edges.
A gentle heartbeat of women’s chatter and laughter soothes my ears as a mother’s heart beat might reassure a baby in the womb. The kettle has boiled. I plump for a Womankind teabag. It seems appropriate. I join the circle. I am home. Only now do I look at the faces of the women who will share this evening with me. Some I have circled with before, some I recognise from other contexts, some are new to me. We range in age, in interest and in background but everyone shares the look of a person who has just released a huge sigh. The notion of a space where women would come together to menstruate and birth was first introduced to me at university when I read ‘The Golden Bough’ by James Frazer. There he documented many cultures which banished women, particularly at first blood and often in horrific circumstances, to cages or small darkened rooms, suspended between heaven and earth, in an attempt to insulate the mysterious, powerful and spiritual force that charges them at this time. Later, reading ‘The Red Tent’, I was offered a more appealing version: a haven where women were freed from the taboos that surround their bodies, where they could celebrate and explore their cyclical nature. Anita Diamant’s vivid creation clearly invoked a need for such a space and Red Tents began to surface all over the world, like poppies on a battlefield. The opening of the circle happens organically. There is no set agenda and ideas are shared and ultimately amalgamated. We settle on introducing ourselves and naming our female heritage as far back as we can remember; I’m ashamed that I can’t remember my Grandma Ackerman’s first name and make a mental note to check. We welcome each member in turn, along with her female energy- her shakti. I feel cherished in this space. This time we have all set aside to spend in the company and manner of women is sacred. Here, women are free from duty, from expectations, from goals and deadlines, from imposed structure (one woman spends time reclining on the cushions, clearly soaking up the restorative power of the female collective). Whether your contribution is traumatic, trivial or triumphant, every voice is heard, every silence respected. Whether the earth is moving for you or crumbling beneath you, you are held. There are few rules but one of the most challenging and powerful is that we do not try to fix each other's problems. We do not step into the sacred space of another woman’s words with our own. If we feel a resonance with her words, we say ’Ahhh mama’ This simple protocol frees each woman to say whatever she needs without judgement or the guilt of burdening the listener, who is free to hold space without the need to rescue. It is a powerful tool for healing as well as a catalyst for finding your voice. There is singing. I have to confess: this was a challenge for me in my first couple of circles. I shaped the words silently, afraid of the strangled noises that might escape but now, having learned that each song contains only a few words and a narrow range of attainable notes, I throw myself in with the full gusto of a shower performance, finding in my voice, cushioned by my sisters, a soothing and solid companion. I float peacefully on a gentle tide of voices, allowing them, along with their sentiment to rock me. Later, with peaceful hearts, we share food, more tea and company. This time has been a balm for our busy lives, an opportunity to recalibrate with our female energy. I step back from technicolour into the darkness. I feel both grounded and lifted and I trail vibrancy in my wake. For Norwich Red Tent, check out this link: http://www.sacredsisterhood.co.uk/ or to find your local red tent: https://redtentdirectory.com/  As I write, the chorus of White Stripes still roars in my ears like the sound of the ocean echoes in a shell.
Four days ago, I walked into a stadium of almost 10,000. Strobe lights sought me out in the darkened room and huge screens beckoned me in with their colourful Catherine wheels. I had watched ‘I Am Not Your Guru’ and I’m an experienced hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner but nothing had quite prepared me for this. Whatever your views on Tony Robbins, you would have to agree that he has created for himself an extraordinary life and many that come to his events credit him with their own extraordinary lives. I myself have gleaned many a gem from the pages of ‘Awaken the Giant Within’ and I had come to ‘play full out’ and see what the big man could unleash in me. Naturally reserved, perhaps even ‘uptight’, I was immediately out of my comfort zone. Within seconds of his arrival, he was demanding a high energy; people pogoed vigorously whilst sandwiched firmly between the slim rows of plastic seating. I threw in some half-hearted knee bends like a badly faked orgasm and cringed inwardly. Whilst I truly wanted to create the high-energy state that would propel me forward, I wondered whether, perhaps, a more sedate, more English energy would suit me better. Next came the hugging. In an attempt to reinvigorate the masses, we were sent on frequent quests for seven hugs; high fives; massages from random neighbours. We yelled ‘You Rock!’ and ‘I own you!’ into the strobe-lit faces of excitable strangers. It all felt very superficial, cheesy and cultish. I sat back. I observed. I judged. And then I began to question myself: why was I here? What had I come for? Why did this bother me so much? We have all used the phrase ‘don’t get yourself in a state’. We know that if we focus on things that create negative emotions the results will be destructive. Yet we seem less aware of the possibility of creating good states, great states even and less rehearsed at doing that. I decided that I would let go of my judgement and let this charismatic man guide me into an outstanding state. At first, I had to fake it. I must admit, I felt self-conscious and a bit ridiculous but, clearly these feelings were getting in my way. I had come with the full intention of completing the fire-walk. As a hypnobirthing practitioner, well-being teacher and mother, I knew how powerful this anecdote would be. I felt confident that Tony could get me through it and I knew that I would have to let go and offer myself up, fully, unfettered, unreserved and open to the experience and so I did. Tony kept a room full of people buzzing with energy for the next nine and a half hours. The man is a machine. There were no breaks. He didn’t even leave the stage to pee. He used the full gamut of hypnotic and NLP tools and their effects were amplified by the remarkable dynamism of 10,000 positively charged people on the crest of a decision, like a colossal wave about to break. Cities could be powered on this kind of energy. We were guided through mass visualisations, we danced, we chanted, we high fived and weren’t given a moment to reflect on the possibility that placing the bare and tender flesh of the soles of your feet onto smouldering coals might not be the most sensible action of a rational adult. And then came the moment where we took off our shoes and socks and were decanted from the stadium, unfurling like a triumphant crowd. Intermittently, we roared the opening notes of White stripes and chanted ‘Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!’ I registered my own excitement and chose to ignore the inner voice that wanted to play out the many scenarios which concluded with me faceplanting in the coals or immobilised by sheer terror as my toes bubbled and spat like sausages on a summer BBQ. These thoughts, I decided, were not my allies on this particular quest. I punched my fist in the air and chanted again, ‘YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!’ Funnelling out of Excel onto the concrete plains, I felt the bite of the cold, hard surface beneath my feet and imagined, for just a moment, the contrasting sensation of burning coals…’YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!’ We inched forward in the dark. The crowd, like dense fog obscured my view until, suddenly, it thinned and I was watching my friend as she stepped into the coals. And, then, fixing my eyes firmly on the London skyline, an authoritative voice proclaimed me ‘ready’ and I strode forwards, noticing only the change in sensation from hard to soft. And then I was being told to wipe my feet and celebrate. My celebratory roar was fully, unfettered and unreserved. I was elated. Did I perform a miracle? I doubt it. Apparently, coal is a poor conductor of heat and there are a number of theories which claim to explain how a person can walk, unharmed, through hot coals. But that isn’t the point. To quote Oprah: ‘All animals know to run from fire!’ Hypnosis and NLP can eradicate the fears, doubts and beliefs that prevent us from achieving what IS possible and to harness the strength and courage to make it happen. So now, with a spring in my step and a fire-walker metaphor in my pocket, I step back into my own extraordinary life, where I have the privilege of guiding others to find THEIR possibilities. Thanks to Alix at Vanity Van for having me on her team for the event: www.vanityvan.co.uk www.vitalitycollective.co.uk  ‘The body is a multilingual being. It speaks through its colour and its temperature, the flush of recognition, the glow of love, the ash of pain, the heat of arousal, the coldness of nonconviction. It speaks through its constant tiny dance, sometimes swaying, sometimes a-jitter, sometimes trembling. It speaks through the leaping of the heart, the falling of the spirit, the pit at the center, and rising hope.’
Clarissa Pinkola Estes - ‘Women Who Run With Wolves’ I am 1200 metres above sea level and I have trekked for four hours in the Moroccan sun in the mountains outside Marrakesh when I awaken to the strength and power of the body that has carried me here. As I approach the Berber village of Ouirgane, my breaths are deep and rounded; my pace unapologetically steady. ‘Mixy mixy’ (take your time) our guide urges, as he leads us along a snaking mountain path through veiled, yet animated, villages. I feel an effervescent energy orbiting my body. In short, I feel alive. Entranced by the beauty and otherworldliness of my surroundings, my feet plant assuredly one in front of the other, the rest of my body stacking fluidly above. I am drawn inward to an overwhelming appreciation of my physical presence; not a peripheral appraisal of its form as one might judge a well-sculpted piece of art, but a deep resonance with the spring of life inside me. Ahead of me a steadfast mule led by his master, carries my three young children in turn. Like me, they are mesmerised by the majesty and treachery of the mountainscape and the vignettes of village life. Taking their turns to walk, I notice the impulsive, carefree way they move: never taking the well-trodden paths (much to the consternation of our guide) instead scaling walls and skimming the crests of rocky verges. Their movements a primal dance upon the landscape; an exploration and celebration both of it and of themselves. My children live inside their bodies while I live inside my head, a habit I am slowly unlearning. I remember this congruous sense of self from my own childhood when my mind and body were one and provided me with all I needed to playfully explore. Somewhere between childhood and womanhood, I learned to judge and mistrust my body. Instead of marvelling at its changes, I was disgusted by my bodily emissions and critiqued its changing landscape: my boobs were too small, I was too tall, too skinny. I looked enviously at friends with burgeoning soft round curves and wondered why they were not delighted with their bodies. I stooped and my shoulders collapsed inwards, like a turtle retreating into its shell. Over time, I found small fragments of my terrain that measured up to the illusory ideal and learned to frame them with skimpy garments or heavy make-up. I lived on, not in my body. An invisible line was drawn and crossed, only rarely, in moments of bliss where the delights of the flesh would drown out the whirring of my mind for a moment or two. This estrangement from my body made me deaf to its needs, its wisdoms and its joys. I muted its voice further with the pill, coming home to it only many years later when I needed something: a baby. For many women the story of disconnection continues here, with the struggle to conceive, difficult pregnancies and traumatic births. I was lucky: for me it was a kind of homecoming. I learned to care for my body as I would care for a child because my body and my baby were one. Through hypnobirthing, I found strength and harmony in my mind and body and an overwhelming reverence for my flesh in all its glorious animated form. I exulted in the powers of my miraculous frame and began to appreciate the smaller miracles that it performs daily. Like any precarious relationship, I dedicate time to healing the rift between my mind and body. Meditation and yoga are the cornerstones of this healing for me. Meditation has tamed and quietened my mind and yoga takes me back to an age where my body was my playground: where I can do handstands up against a wall and experience my body’s possibilities; where I can giggle with friends at its limitations and glory in its triumphs. In the sacred space of the studio, all judgement is suspended. So, today, 1200 meters up a mountain in Morocco, as I marvel at this majestic congregation of craggy crests, I take a moment to pay homage to the body that has served me so well these forty-three years. Four Steps To A Healthier, Happier You, Without Giving Anything Up!  It’s that time of year where we are all prone to overindulge in some of our less than healthy habits, only to spend January self-flagellating and purging ourselves. We seem to see excess as a reward and healthy habits as a punishment. When we talk about New Year’s resolutions, the focus is often on what we will be ‘giving up’ or ‘quitting’ which inevitably leaves us feeling penalised not positive.
When have you ever heard a smoker announce, on New Year’s eve, that they will be improving their lung and heart health, enhancing their sense of taste and smell, raising their life expectancy and saving nearly £5,000 in 2017. It’s certainly a far more appealing proposition than giving something up. It’s important to recognise that all of our bad habits have a positive intention, no matter how misguided they may be and if you don’t address that then you leave a gaping hole for that habit to return. So, this year why not focus on bringing positive habits into your life and allow those negative habits to just drift away naturally? 1. Take something up, don’t give something up There are two types of motivation: ‘away from’ (something you don’t want) and ‘towards’ (something you do want.) ‘Away from’ motivation can provide a powerful kick start but it tends to peter out. An overweight person might look in the mirror and be so upset by what they see that they commit to losing weight, but as the pounds drop off, they look better and motivation wains. There is no focus on a clear goal. If a big spider jumps out at you, which way will you jump? It doesn’t really matter, does it? You jump out of the way! You won’t be thinking about the direction you are moving in and, when the threat of the spider is no longer imminent, you stop moving. ‘Away from’ motivation is directionless. It’s also quite stressful because it only works when you focus on all the unpleasant stuff. ‘Towards’ motivation, in contrast, works by focussing on a clear and positive goal and, just like sat nav, no matter how many times you take a wrong turn (as you inevitably will), it will just recalibrate until you’re back on track. What’s more, as you get closer to your goal, you get more excited and more motivated to reach your compelling vision. 2. Take small steps We are creatures of habit. For most of us, life is busy and we take solace in those little routines we have that allow us to operate on autopilot. Change is exciting because it forces us to really wake up and be present, but too much change in a busy life can make us feel overwhelmed and we will quickly revert to our old habits. Introduce just one or two small, positive changes at a time; enjoy them and allow them to become part of your routine, before introducing more. You’ll be surprised how quickly these changes will snowball into the positive results you are looking for. 3. Be mindful Our bodies communicate with us all the time - if only we would listen. Instead of denying yourself the chocolate that is tempting you, try eating it mindfully. Instead of shoving it in while you’re on the go (I’ve been there too), take the time to really savour the experience of eating the chocolate, notice the taste and texture and the way it makes you feel, ask yourself what the chocolate does for you, pay attention to your body as you eat it. You might find you don’t like it as much as you thought you did or you might notice that the first piece is the best (which is why it’s worth savouring) and, after two pieces, it’s not going down so well. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have a third to check, but then you can put it away for another time when you can really enjoy it. 4. Be kind to yourself The thing about quitting is that the minute you eat that packet of crisps / light that cigarette/ drink that glass of wine, you’ve failed and you will just have to wait another year for another doomed attempt. Allow yourself not to be perfect. Embracing a healthier you should feel good. It should feel like a gift, like self-love. If you don’t make it to the gym, instead of beating yourself up, try asking yourself why. Talk to yourself like you would a friend. Be understanding. Sometimes we need a duvet day more than we need a six pack. Enjoy whatever you do instead, mindfully, recalibrate and get back on track when you’re ready. In 2017 I am going to introduce more raw food to my diet. What are you going to take up in 2017?  I have a growing (excuse the pun) obsession with gardening. I’m sure it’s a symptom of middle age as the gardening magazine I read sports advertisements for ‘comfortable’ trousers with elasticated waists that come in a range of colours, including at least four shades of beige!
So today, while pondering my carrots and the rest of my root vegetable crop, which have not done very well this year, it occurred to me that the soil in which they’d grown was too rich. Root vegetables (unlike most things we grow) do not do well in very rich soil because, if they have all the nutrients they need, they do not put their efforts into building up roots to forage deeper and wider in search of sustenance. Instead, they concentrate on producing fabulous foliage and flowers so that they can set seed and reproduce. Humans are more complex than carrots; we need far more than nutrition to thrive. We require a balance of: health; career or job; friends and family; hobbies, interests and fun; relationships; personal space and spirituality. These are the ‘nutrients’ we need in order to send up beautiful flowers and foliage and to reproduce. As human beings, not just humans who want to have babies, we need to send our ‘roots’ out to find a balance of ‘nutrients’ to feed our minds, bodies and souls. When we do this, we become ‘fertile’ in all aspects of our lives. Hypnosis for fertility takes prospective parents on a journey of self-discovery, teaching a range of practical techniques to manage stress and address the balance of their lives to make small but effective changes. Hypnosis is used to generate an altered state of consciousness in which the unconscious mind is more available to respond to these changes. So, in short, if you are growing carrots, sow them in light soil, but to grow anything else, including babies, we need to sow them in a soil that is as rich and varied as we can get. Holding a space for learning: ‘No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings’ William Blake22/6/2016  Recently, I have been reflecting on the concept of ‘holding space’. In my myriad of roles, I am becoming more aware that, to truly support people, we must empower them. We have to really listen to what they want; give them opportunities to solve their own problems and make their own choices otherwise we are robbing them of a learning opportunity.
I was reminded of a sensitive situation that I encountered as an NQT. A really lovely boy in my year 9 form approached me at the end of school on a Friday and handed me a letter, instructing me to read it after he was gone. The letter was heart breaking. He was being bullied in his English lessons and was so upset by it that he was struggling to get out of bed in the mornings and had contemplated a number of drastic solutions. He was now, thankfully, reaching out for help. His humble request was to change groups. He stated, flatly, that he would not tell me the names of the bullies as he felt sure this could only make things worse. The enormity of my responsibility to support this boy weighed heavily, particularly as there was little I could do before Monday. As it happened, this was to be a good thing; it gave me the space and time to find a creative solution. To begin with, I went to see his English teacher. She was aware of the issue, though not the extent or the impact it was having on this student. She told me that there were a group of boys involved, one of whom was in my form. I then went home for the weekend to figure out how I was going to tackle the issue without betraying the confidence of the student or making the situation worse. I was determined that the bullies would not ‘get away with it’. The issues and the possible scenarios and outcomes went round and round in my head, but I couldn’t find a solution. I felt terrible. Finally, I stopped thinking and the solution came to me. I knew it was the right thing to do. On Monday morning, at the end of registration, I called the student over and told him my plan. I then summoned the boy in my form who had been playing a part in the bullying. I told him that a student in our form was being bullied and named him. Immediately the boy’s face reddened and he cast his eyes downward. I explained the difficulty I had in dealing with the situation as the student was steadfastly refusing to name the culprits. I requested that he keep an eye out for our form member and report back to me. As he left the room, confusion was still contorting his face. Later that day the ‘bully’ returned. He had regained his composure and approached me confidently. He had spoken to the boy, he told me, and he knew who the bullies were, but he had been sworn to secrecy. He reassured me that the situation was in hand, that he had spoken to the bullies and they would not be bothering our friend again. By the end of the year those two were best friends and, though I left the school at the end of that year, when I returned for their prom, they were still thick as thieves. The ‘bully’ avoided punishment, but learned the true value of making amends and gained an enduring friendship. I was happy with that result. |
AuthorKerry Dolan Hypnotherapist and nLP practitioner Archives
October 2021
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