2012 in Books

Happy New Year to everyone! It's that time of year again for me to give a rundown of what books I read the previous year and what I found helpful.

2012 was a very productive year for me, book reading wise. Not only did I read numerous books linked with hypnotherapy and mental health but I also read 23 fiction books for my own enjoyment.

In addition to books, I regularly read magazines, journals, blogs and websites which all relate to neuroscience, mental health, psychology and hypnotherapy. 2012 was also very good for television programmes to do with mental health, in particular depression, OCD and Trichotillomania.

Below is a list of books that I read and found helpful in 2012.

Hypnotherapy Books

• The Deep Trance Training Manual: v.1: Vol 1 by Igor Ledochowski
• My Voice Will Go with You: Teaching Tales of Milton H. Erikson By Sidney Rosen
• Handbook of Hypnotic Suggestions and Metaphors By D. Corydon Hammond
• Teach Yourself Hypnosis, for a Better Life By Tig Calvert
• The Handbook of Contemporary Clinical Hypnosis: Theory and Practice By Ann Williamson, Jacky Owens, Les Brann
• More Scripts and Strategies in Hypnotherapy By Lynda Hudson

Childrens Books

• Astounding Nervous System: How Does My Brain Work? (Slim Goodbody's Body Buddies) By John Burstein
• The Huge Bag of Worries By Virginia Ironside, Frank Rodgers
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar By Eric Carle
• What to Do When You're Scared and Worried: A Guide for Kids By James Crist

Specific Conditions Books

• Eating Disorders: The Path to Recovery By Kate Middleton
• Freedom from Addiction: The Secret Behind Successful Addiction Busting (Human Givens Approach) By Joe Griffin
• Trichotillomania: Workbook: An ACT-enhanced Behavior Therapy Approach (Treatments That Work) By Douglas Woods, Michael Twohig

Self Help Books

• Chicken Soup For The Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit By Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen

Business Books

• Marketing for Hypnotherapists (eBook) by Nick Brunger
• Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords 3/E: How to Access 100 Million People in 10 Minutes (Entrepreneur Magazine's Ultimate Guides) By Perry Marshall, Bryan Todd
• Get to the Top on Google: Tips and Techniques to Get Your Site to the Top of Google and Stay There By David Viney

All of the books were very interesting and I have incorporated much of the information and techniques I have learnt from them to my initial consultations and hypnotherapy sessions.

I particularly liked the book by Tig Calvert - Teach Yourself Hypnosis, for a Better Life, as it had some great explainations in it about the brain and self hypnosis. The book is aimed at the general public and explains how to benefit from guided visualisation and self hypnosis.

Another firm favourite of mine was the book on Addiction by Joe Griffin. He writes a series of books and I have found the ones I've read so far very easy to follow and contain some great research and anecdotes - I have added three more of his books to my "To Read" pile for 2013.

As you can see, I read several Childrens books this year which is a first for me. This was because I attended a course back in the Summer on working with Children and I needed some simple explanations on how the brain works, how we create anxiety and what hypnotherapy is so that I could compile a child-friendly initial consultation.

I also read the quarterly journals from the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) and the AfSFH's Journal Hypnotherapy Today.

Previous Years Books:

• 2011 in Books

Hypnotherapy Can Help You Make New Year’s Resolutions that Last

How long do your New Year’s resolutions last? As a Hypnotherapist, I often notice an increase in enquiries during March and April when people’s commitment to New Year’s resolutions has worn off. Many turn to Hypnotherapy to help them lose weight, give up smoking or achieve other important goals.

Part of the problem is that people tend to focus on external outcomes without addressing what’s going on inside. Weight management is a classic case in point. Some people think that once they lose weight they will be happy. They struggle with various diets and lose heart when the weight piles on again. The chances are, they are struggling with internal issues that need to be dealt with before they can take control of other aspects of their lives, such as their relationship with food, stress, work, money or family.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy helps people to regain control by helping them to focus on how they want things to be – their preferred future, rather than focusing on the problems. The therapy uses Solution Focused questioning techniques designed to help clients develop a clear vision of how they want to be.

Typically if I ask a client to tell me how they want to be, they will give me a list of what they don’t want – "I don’t want to be overweight, out of breath when I walk, staying indoors because I’m not confident going out". It’s my job to help them describe what they do want instead – "full of energy, feeling healthy, slim and confident". The difference is profound. Hypnosis helps to reinforce the positive image the client has developed.

It’s wonderful to see the transformation people can make to the quality of their lives, once they stop focusing on problems and direct all their energy towards thinking positively instead. And the great thing is that, because the client has addressed their internal thought processes, the changes are usually long-lasting. Unlike typical New Year’s resolutions.