Living A Full Life
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Living A Full Life
Hypnotherapy That Actually Sticks
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Hi everyone, welcome to another podcast of Living a Full Life. I've got a really special guest this week, Tansie Forrest. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER_00It's great to be with you, Enrique.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, thanks for being here. Uh, she's a hypnotherapist, and you can pick up from the accent, she's from the UK, which is great. And uh, I don't think my listeners know much about hypnotherapy. I don't touch on it a lot. We
Welcome And Why Hypnotherapy
SPEAKER_01talk about mindfulness and stress and de stressing and the nervous system, and hypnotherapy fits right in there as a tool to help us tap into the mid and hind brain a little bit better. Or, and uh, you're you're gonna know way more than I do about this. But tell us how how'd you even get into this? People ask me all the time, how did you become a chiropractor? And I do love that question, but how did you get into hypnotherapy?
SPEAKER_00Well, um, I was looking for a way to cut down on alcohol and have some issues with alcohol. So I was kind of casting around to look for some treatments, and I found um this lady who was in Australia and she was a hypnotherapist specializing in alcohol moderation. And when I listened to the recordings, I just found
Tansy’s Turning Point With Alcohol
SPEAKER_00them so inspiring and uplifting, and it was something that really communicated with me. So I knew from that moment, I thought that's what I want to do. You know, it really spoke to me. And then it kind of just fell into place. I knew I had to get my training and I knew I wanted to do it. So um, yeah, it just kind of went from there, really.
SPEAKER_01That's great. Yeah, so it was a personal experience that brought you down that road. That's wonderful. Now, uh, and you've been doing this for a little bit, and the the point is, is how did this hypnotherapy even what is hypnot? Let's start there. What is hypnotherapy?
SPEAKER_00So hypnotherapy is um allowing the the therapist will talk you down into a state of deep relaxation where your normal kind of logical mind takes a back seat and you're much more open and suggestible to positive um positive suggestions, basically.
What Hypnotherapy Really Is
SPEAKER_00And so there you can visualize the future that you want, the feelings that associate with that future, and it kind of puts your mind in a very calm state, takes away all other distractions, and it allows you to problem solve in a different way, to see your life from different angles, and uh in that way it works more quickly because it helps work with the subconscious mind as well to sort of deeply uh implant behavior changes.
SPEAKER_01Okay, and um so when the the therapy itself is relaxing in itself, I've done a few personally, uh, it's quite comfortable. There's other combinations of hypnotherapy where they'll uh have uh auricular acupuncture at the same time or for other for other reasons. So there's combination therapies as well. But when you're doing hypnotherapy, who's somebody that uh ideally responds? Who's your favorite uh clients? I always ask this to providers is who's your favorite clients? Because our favorite clients are the ones that are easy to work with and get those amazing results, right? So who are those type of people, if there isn't even a type in your industry, um, who do you enjoy working with or who responds really well?
Who Gets The Best Results
SPEAKER_00Great question. Um, I think people who have reached a stage where they really want a change in their life um for different reasons. Um perhaps they kind of, you know, they just realize that alcohol is affecting their life negatively or stress. Um and those people that realize that it's it's a very important tool, but it's not a magic wand. Okay, it's a bit like with your work, you know, if people have the um therapy, but then they're not prepared to do the other stuff to look after themselves, you know, it's it's kind of a holistic package where, you know, they have to listen to the recordings regularly and actually make the behavior changes themselves. And if they're ready to do that and they're ready to work as a team, that's who gets the best results. And obviously, that's very fulfilling.
SPEAKER_01Makes sense. Someone who's ready, who's ready to just yeah. Usually my patients are just sick and tired of being sick and tired. So uh they're ready. But for you, it's just got it has to be that way. And it's just even maybe even with like counseling or psychology or anything like that, even to dive into that type of things. I think you just have to be ready for that. Yeah, okay. So it's interesting that um you work specifically with addiction or with alcohol itself. Is there is there a particular program that uh a client goes through for that specifically, or does hypnotherapy kind of generally work the same way for no matter what uh the condition may be?
SPEAKER_00Um, well, I myself work with a combination of moderation techniques and hypnotherapy. So um it's kind of like coaching really with the client to find out um, you know, where they're at with their drinking and where they want to get to, and then creating a roadmap to get there through using
A Practical Plan For Drinking Less
SPEAKER_00different strategies. So when I was writing my book Um Drink Less, Live Well, I went out and found out the best moderation strategies all around the globe that other people had used to help them cut down, irrespective of hypnotherapy. These were the strategies that they could use, such as tracking units, um, you know, creating a moderation plan, tuning in with their values, um, lots of different techniques. And then that's what I bring into the session as well. So people will cut down slowly, will work out a plan. So when they have the session, they don't only have the hypnosis, but they have also a really good plan to help them, you know, navigate social events, help them navigate, you know, um, stresses and strains that they would encounter in daily life.
SPEAKER_01That makes sense. Because how does addiction work, especially in maybe in this line that you work with, is specifically uh the line, how does addiction work in the brain? Uh, because I want to go down the road of of what you just said about we have to make the the changes in the environment, we have to change our behavior, the way the way we act, the way we respond in in our environment. It's not that it's something wrong um structurally with the brain. Uh so that's where I'm going down, just to kind of pre-frame it for you. So, how does addiction work in the brain? How are you working with this?
SPEAKER_00Um, well, I'm working in it from the point of view that addiction comes from a lack of something. So it's it, you know, people a lot of my clients have addiction issues because they've they've come across trauma in their lives or they've got existing mental health problems.
Addiction As A Response To Pain
SPEAKER_00And so the addiction is is a way of medicating themselves against the pain that they're feeling. So, alcohol, for example, will make you feel better in the short term, um, but of course, it takes away so much as well, and it can make these mental health problems worse. So, I always come at it from the point of view of how can we help the client to, you know, work around these issues. So, if it's stress, anxiety, how can they deal better with the the issues that they face in their life so that they're not turning to drink?
SPEAKER_01Great. Uh, great. I love it. Perfect answer because we go away from the structural idea that something's wrong in our brain, in us. It's it's actually a way to respond to you said trauma or any type of event that happens to us because medicine looks at it another way. They're like, oh, you're you're feeling some way because something's not working right. And then we use chemistry to attack that. And it's never the solution. I've never seen successful solutions with that. Uh, there's no difference in antidepressants and alcohol, it's it's the same external thing that's trying to come in and um avoid or mask the symptoms. So this is this is wonderful. So as as you work with this, it's more about working with you over time to create new habits that we incorporate into our life to make the changes externally. Um, so this isn't a one-time session and we're miraculously cured, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. I mean, with with drinking issues, they often evolve over a long period of time. So we're not going to be able to undo them in one session. Um, and so, you know, I always say to pay to clients just to be gentle with themselves and celebrate those small wins. And then over time, you'll look back and you'll think, wow, look how far I've come and how much better I feel.
SPEAKER_01Great, great. Um, let's dive more into high hypnotherapy and uh your experience with it personally. How does it how does it affect you in the short term? In in the immediate, and then how does, of course, in the long term we get results that we're looking for? But in the immediate, how does someone start? I'm trying to maybe warm up potential uh patients that haven't thought about hypnotherapy on what to
What Hypnosis Feels Like
SPEAKER_01expect once they get started.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, um, I think people hypnotherapy hypnosis gets a bit of a bad rap because in films people are, you know, kind of depicted as kind of having mind control. And actually, as you know, Enrique, it's it's a lot more gentle than that. It feels more familiar, feels like a meditation. Um, it's it's not kind of controlling them, and they could wake up at any time if they needed to, they could open their eyes, but they probably won't want to because they probably feel so relaxed and just enjoy the experience. And I think that's what it is. It's about making people feel safe and comfortable and enjoy the experience so that they relax, they really relax into it and they really enjoy the therapy. So I think a lot of people think, oh, it's gonna be a bit strange or weird, but actually the reverse is true. It's a really nice experience.
SPEAKER_01Great. So it's comforting. Um, great. And then and then as they work through it, do and they get more comfortable with you as their therapist and with the process itself. Do you find that the longer they work with you, the the better? No, I shouldn't say the better, but the more work can be done, or do you feel like it's it's a step-by-step process with each and every treatment or session?
SPEAKER_00Um, I think it depends how much help they need. It depends on their like their problem solving skills. So for example, I'll get some clients that immediately latch onto the idea of planning before an event, for example. So they'd be like, oh, I can help myself with this and I can do this,
Progress, Lapses, And Learning Fast
SPEAKER_00and and this would work. And they're very much more proactive, whereas other people need more guidance, which is absolutely fine. Um, you know, that's what I'm here for. So some people move through it more quickly and other people less. Uh, the good thing is having my book now, a lot of clients like to read the book because that's got my framework in it, and it can help them kind of refer back to things we've done in the session or dip back in, you know, have access to other recordings, and it can just be a nice frame of reference for them. I mean, I'll give you an example. Um, you know, what a part, a part, um, an important part of my work is is about re-relapse and lapse. And that's where people are doing really well, they start off doing great, they're cutting down on the drinking, and then they have a night where they go back to their old drinking. And what we do in sessions is, you know, use this as a tool to help them move forward. So work out why it happened, and more importantly, what would they do differently next time? So they come away feeling like, okay, this isn't a setback, this is this is helpful self-knowledge that make me stronger for the future.
SPEAKER_01Great. Yeah, the setbacks too. That's reality. I mean, we are human. We are human. Um, with working with all the clients you have had, who should think about um hypnotherapy across the board? Uh, we talked about drinking, uh, but who else could possibly think about hypnotherapy being a tool maybe for them or a loved one that they could refer to and um and think about using?
SPEAKER_00Well, on my YouTube channel, um, I've got um nearly 200,000 listeners now, and most of those people are listening for sleep. Um, and so um a lot of people when they're stressed at the end of a long day, they they kind of get into bed and they
Sleep Recordings And Stress Relief
SPEAKER_00can't unwind. They find their mind is churning over things, and so um over time I've become good at doing writing sleep meditations, so they're interesting enough to hold their attention, but they're boring enough to send them to sleep, and you know, so it I have things like um full body relaxation, breathing techniques to calm the nervous system down, um, and you know, um nature visualizations, a whole bunch of different hypnotic suggestions to help people unwind. And many people just love that because it gives the mind something else to focus on, and they say, Oh, I when I get into bed, I really like to listen to that. Some people listen to it all night, and some people just listen to it for an hour. Personally, I just like to listen for an hour, it just helps them drift off and is very comforting. So, yeah, stress and sleep is another large area of my work that's very, very rewarding.
SPEAKER_01Great, yeah, sleep. But that's probably more powerful. That's wonderful. And to get your to get your book, you go to tansyforest.com because I saw it on there. You can download it or you can buy it. And then you also have a YouTube channel. So it's I I encourage listeners to check that out as well. What's the YouTube channel handle?
SPEAKER_00It's just Tansy Forest hypnotherapy.
SPEAKER_01She kept it simple. She kept it simple. Put that in, you'll find her on there as well with lots of tools. That's fantastic. Now, going to the science of how the brain works and how we're able to influence it. How do you think hypnotherapy has its success with people?
SPEAKER_00Um, well, I think that you know, our brains often um think, you know, negatively, you know, we're not always
Why Suggestion Changes The Brain
SPEAKER_00thinking positively. And I think hypnotherapy allows us, like I said before, to visualize that positive future. So it's the power of suggestion, really, um, and implanting into the subconscious mind, which is at a deeper level. Um, so that's where I think hypnotherapy, you know, really um is a faster therapy than in talking therapy and and lasting, and people can come back to it as well to remind themselves of why they were doing this in the first place.
SPEAKER_01Great. Yes, perfect. Uh, how do people get started with you specifically?
SPEAKER_00So um, yeah, I've got two websites. I've got tansyforest.com and drinkless live well. Um, and they can go to the website and just book a consultation. Um, there's free consultations, and they can just tell me a bit about you know what
How To Work Together Over Zoom
SPEAKER_00issues they're facing, and um, we can put a plan together of you know how they feel they would best be supported by me and what that pertains to.
SPEAKER_01That's great. I know uh so wonderful that we can do this over Zoom. I think you this works wonderfully for you. You can touch anyone in the world, which is fantastic. Um, when it first started, I was like, how are we going to do healthcare via Zoom? How do you know if I have an eye infection or an ear infection if I'm not physically in your office? So for some reasons, I'm curious, but for for you, for hypnotherapy, for psychology, how wonderful is it now that we can just sit in the comfort of our own home and get professional help from people like you? So don't be the reason I say that is you're if you're wondering how to work with Tansy, no matter where you're at, uh, this how much more comfortable can it be than this? This is this is wonderful than traveling somewhere you don't know and having the anxiety of even a new building. Uh, that's great. So I say this is one of those things that's actually wonderful to go through. My wife does functional medicine as well. And the Zoom has been uh fantastic. People get to sit in their kitchen, in their safe space, and uh help themselves get better. So you can do this with hypnotherapy as well. It's wonderful. Uh great. Anything else that I missed on here? Anything you want to touch on about uh what you do? Uh I think we hit the two major points of the two types of people that you can help the most with sleep and with drinking. Um, as far as hypnotherapy, I could probably ask you a million questions about how that works in the brain and why it works in the brain and and how that all sparks, but that's probably a podcast for another day. Um, yeah, anything else you want to add? Did I catch all the points?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, just going on your final point, actually, about how does it work if someone's in another country? I mean, I have a lot of clients in America and um it works really well because back in the day, people would come to my office and they would relax in an armchair and listen to the hypnosis. But now it works slightly differently. So we have the consultation over Zoom, like we're chatting now, which works great. And then what I do is I go off and I make them their personalized recording, put in all the suggestions, and then I send it with their plan. So a lot of people enjoy doing that because they can really lie down in their bed and you know, just relax more comfortably and keep it forever. So that's a bit about how it works.
SPEAKER_01Great. Glad we glad we touched that. So now you know what and how the process works. That's that's fantastic. Great. Hey, thank you. Thank first off, thank you for what you do. That's great. I'm sure you help a lot of people. And two for connecting with me and now my community now knows about you. That's wonderful as well. Go to tansiforce.com or uh drinkwell live well. Is that dot com as well?
SPEAKER_00Uh drink less live well, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Gosh, drink less live. Don't do that.
SPEAKER_00You did well, you did well to
Resources And Closing Thanks
SPEAKER_00remember all the others.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, drink water and electrolytes well, and that and that's about it. Okay, perfect. Thank you for doing the show. If you need anything, uh reach out to me again. It was wonderful having you.
SPEAKER_00Pleasure.
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