Stress Management
Almost everyone in the modern world suffers from some degree of stress. Likewise, almost everyone can benefit from some knowledge about stress management relevant to their situation. Usually stress management includes training in stress reduction, such as relaxation training, as well as training in self-coaching about how to maintain lower levels of stress. These two components form the foundation for each individual’s approach to achieving mastery over their stress. These, and other methods, can be learned in group settings (such as our classes at the local Monroe County YMCA), or individually at the office. Try it, it works!


Biofeedback
Biofeedback uses scientific instruments to give you feedback about the state of your body, so that you can learn to influence your physical health with your conscious mind – a process called “psychophysiological self-regulation.” Many people use it for stress management, using EDR or “electrodermal” feedback from a sensor on your skin that gives you signals when you are relaxing your body. You can learn it in a couple of sessions and it is interesting and fun. More advanced techniques use EMG or “electromyogram” feedback to give you information about the tension level of your muscles. This is used for tension headaches, and some other problems of chronic muscle pain. Temperature feedback can allow you to reduce migraine headaches, as well as reduce high blood pressure. Most people can reduce or even eliminate medication for migraines or even high blood pressure with this method. In short, biofeedback can often provide medication free methods of moderating stress, anxiety, pain, and high blood pressure.

Pain Management
Chronic pain cannot always be eliminated. Many pain patients are insulted when their doctors refer them to psychologists, because of the implication that it may “all be in their head” or that they are crazy. Usually neither is true, it is just that many doctors know that many types of pain can be moderated, and sometimes even eliminated with psychological methods such as biofeedback, hypnosis, cognitive therapy or even just relaxation training.
Many types of pain are what we refer to as “secondary pain.” Primary pain refers to the actual damage to the body, while secondary pain refers to the attempts the body makes to protect the body from further pain – through holding muscles or bones in protective ways. The problem is, those coping methods, over time, can cause additional pain themselves. Hypnosis, biofeedback, and/or relaxation training can often release the secondary pain, allowing medical procedures to do their job with the primary source of the problem.
While we can’t often make the pain go entirely away, psychologists can often help the person moderate and manage the pain so that it no longer interferes, and you can have a good life again. In some cases, hypnosis can actually change the sensation of the pain so that it feels like it is gone. Ask your doctor if behavioral methods could help you, or come in yourself and find out!

Hypnosis
While not magic, hypnosis is easy to learn and use. Hypnosis helps in two ways. First, it promotes deep relaxation to interfere with anxieties and conditioned responses that maintain the problem. Second, it gives your brain a very clear image of what you are trying to achieve – your unconscious then is able to help your conscious mind move toward your goal. It can be very effective in performance situations like sports, public speaking, school tests, or any situation that causes you anxiety. It can help many people bring out their best.

Smoking Cessation
Many people want to use hypnosis for smoking cessation or weight control. As we all know, both problems are difficult to control. Hypnosis can often help, and works even better if you use other methods as well, such as support groups. We usually use 4-5 sessions for smoking or weight control. At the first session, we get the history of the problem, and learn an introductory hypnosis exercise. The second session deepens the hypnotic trance experience, and we plan when to stop smoking. At the third session, we continue to expand the technique, and you stop smoking that day. The fourth session, about a week later, is a booster shot to help you maintain your program during the withdrawal period. Weight control is more variable depending on the person’s needs.