National Council for Hypnotherapy Researcher of the Year 2008

I was absolutely delighted to receive this award at the NCH conference in June 2008.

I have outlined the findings of my primary research on anxiety, stress and wellbeing below - thank you to all of my study participants, you made this possible. 

I specialise in hypnosis for anxiety and overcoming stress.  One of the many techniques I use during sessions of  hypnotherapy therapy to help relieve anxiety and stress is the introduction and repetition of positive suggestions about the world around us.

I will also often suggest to my clients that they consider reducing their exposure to media news, as the continual stream of negative suggestions about the world around us can impact on our feelings of wellbeing and increase levels of stress and anxiety, and this was the basis for my research;

I first became interested in this area long before qualifying as a therapist, when witnessing my young son’s responses to repeated images of the Twin Towers plane crashes which were shown after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  The television coverage was repeated so often during the days following the attack that within a couple of days, he was convinced that hundreds of planes had crashed into hundreds of buildings and had found this highly distressing.  Obviously, once I realized this, I switched off the TV and explained that this was not an everyday occurrence, but because “everyone was so upset” about the incident, it had been repeated on TV over and over again. 

My research was based on the premise that the success of positive post hypnotic suggestions often increases with repetition, therefore exposure to and repetition of negative suggestions could well have a negative impact on the wellbeing of individuals.

The research was carried out with a group of  27 volunteers who completed an initial questionnaire so that I could assess their levels of exposure to media news and also their  level of anxiety, stress and feelings of general wellbeing.

I then asked half of the group to reduce their media news exposure for a period of one week, and the other half to continue with their normal pattern, of watching, listening and reading.

The final stage was the completion of a comparative questionnaire to measure any changes to their levels of anxiety, stress and feelings of wellbeing.

At the end of the study, both groups reported improvements (eg increased score ratings) in their levels anxiety, stress and feelings of wellbeing. 

However the group who had reduced their media exposure's scores were significantly higher and the change experienced was greater, than the control group.

The study concluded that a reduction in exposure to negative news coverage may prove a helpful intervention for individuals suffering high levels of anxiety, especially if their exposure to such stimuli could be described as higher than average. 

In practical terms this means that for some clients reducing their exposure to media news stories  may well improve the efficacy of other interventions including new coping methods, relaxation techniques and post hypnotic suggestion.

The research was the final element of my Diploma in Hypnosis and Psychotherapy through the National College of Hypnosis and Psychotherapy DHP(NC), which leads to accreditation with UKCP after 4 years of post graduate development.