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| Daily Express 10th September 2001
What's the alternative?
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How to take the pressure out
of your system |
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| Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is known as the silent killer. Sufferers often have no symptoms, yet it causes strokes and heart attacks. CLARE GARNER looks at a complementary treatment to help combat it. |
SELF-HYPNOSIS
DAVID BOTSFORD is a hypnotherapist who works in central London |
| Hypertension does not exist in isolation, but is a consequence of certain ways of thinking and holding the body.
Self-hypnosis is a way of creating calmness and peacefulness in your body whenever you want to, alleviating stress. The simple, daily technique of allowing your mind to focus on pleasant thoughts slows down your breathing, relaxes your muscles and regenerates your body. All these physiological effects combine to lower your blood pressure.
The key to successful hypnosis is tailoring the experience to the individual. Unlike autogenic training, the German practice which teaches a standard set of exercises, hypnotherapy aims to help the client find out what works best for them.
I can teach self-hypnosis in one session. I start by asking my client to remember the last time they felt truly relaxed; they might have been up a mountain in Italy 10 years ago, or listened to a piece of music recently.
For the actual hypnosis, I make sure my client is sitting in an aligned way, with both feet on the floor so their circulation is optimised. |
| I ask them to close their eyes, breathe deeply and imagine the time when they felt calm. They need to see, hear and feel that experience, relive it, if you like.
Sometime, I recommend that they listen to Baroque music when doing this because the rhythm helps the brain to relax. When they practise in their own home, they should ensure that they are undisturbed for 20 minutes. If someone with high blood pressure practises self-hypnosis for 20 minutes a day, their blood pressure will very quickly return to normal. |
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| David Botsford can be contacted on 020 7467 8461. He charges £120 for a 90-minute session, including a 20-minute self-hypnosis CD recorded especially for your requirements. To find a local hypnotherapist, contact the National Council for Hypnotherapy on 0800 952 0545 or visit
www.hypnotherapists.org.uk |
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