http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk en-gb chriscalloway.co.uk 2012-2-21T00:00:00Z chriscalloway.co.uk http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#112982 Its 2012 and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens. So lots of programs about him on television and lots of events in London where he lived and which featured in some of his most famous stories. There is an exhibition on until 4th March at the British Library that details Dickens interest and use of what was called at the time Mesmerism. Mesmerism was the very early beginnings of what has today become known as Hypnosis or Hypnotherapy. I was really interested to find out that in the 1850s Dickens was part of the Mesmeric mania that swept Britain and that he developed an interest in the power of the human mind. Dickens was taught how to Mesmerise and he treated his friends and family.Dickens stories have such powerful characters and I have always thought that they were great insights into the human condition. A Christmas Carol for example where Scrooge lives a cold mean spirited life despite being a wealthy businessman. Is he is visited by three ghosts or i... 2012-2-21 15:04:26 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#105880 Last week there was a program on the radio about nutrition and the calorie counting of food. The break down of food to a basic energy count began in the 1920s. Since then it has been used as a guide to what a healthy amount of food intake is.The calorie counting system gives calorie counts for the average person so that you can maintain or lose weight. The problem with this is that it only measures the amount of energy the food contains. It does not measure the nutritional quality of the food. If you eat a thousand calories a day but the food you are eating is crisps and fizzy drinks then this is very different to someone eating a thousand calories of fruit vegetables and fish.The trouble with calorie counting is it can push you away from healthy foods like nuts butter and cheese which are highly nutritious i.e. full of vitamins and minerals and essential fats but which have a relatively high calorie count. Towards diet drinks and small amounts of treats in the mistaken be... 2011-11-1 12:24:21 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#104978 fontface fontfamily Arial p.MsoNormal li.MsoNormal div.MsoNormal margin 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt fontsize 12pt fontfamily Times div.Section1 page Section1 I get to work with a lot of interesting people. Not just people who come to have Hypnosis in my Cognitive Hypnotherapy Practice here in leafy Uxbridge West London. Not just people who need help to change get rid of a habit or get over something. As part of my continuing training and interest in all things to do with Hypnosis I sometimes get to spend time with other therapists and trainers. Last weekend I attended a weekend workshop in Hammersmith West London. The three day course was organised by Alan Whitton a Hypnotherapist from West Essex in the UK. On the Friday night as a bonus we had James Tripp from the UK teaching Hypnotic Phenomena from his perspective of Hypnosis without trance. Then the weekend workshop was a master class from Jeffrey Stephens an American Master Hypnotist who has been practising a... 2011-10-19 12:39:14 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#103446 Every morning I listen to the radio in the car and on Danny Wallace has recently taken over the morning show on Xfm. He has started a regular feature where they ask people to phone or text in with their good news stories. Most of the stories are silly and amusing whilst some are laugh out loud funny. These arent life changing stories of heroic proportions just ordinary people finding the small wins in life. It makes me laugh and at the end of the journey I find myself more regularly with a smile on my face. In contrast to the global news which seems to be in a self perpetuating cycle of doom and gloom the good news section from Danny Wallace is a breath of fresh air.I dont think we should bury our head in the sands but a constant barrage of depressing information about matters which we can have little impact individually is not helpful to me.I choose to enjoy the funny things when I can find them the little bits of good news that bring a smile to your face. 2011-9-28 11:24:23 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#98930 I was talking with one of my clients this week about the things they wanted to achieve in their life. They said that they had seen an animation to a snippet of a talk by Alan Watts and had I heard of himWell I had and I read a book by him when I was on holiday years ago and it blew me away. I had never read anything like it before. It was called simply The Book subtitled on the Taboo against knowing who you are. I couldnt explain it all in a few sentences but it was about waking up to who we really are.Alan Watts was a great original thinker. He takes complicated ideas of philosophy and religion from the east and west and distils them into understandable ideas.Here is that short animation that we discussed. 2011-7-23 10:46:08 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#95408 The Kings Speech has won loads of awards so I guess I am a little late in getting round to praising it. I watched it last night at home on DVD and I can see now why so many people have found it a great film. Firstly the acting and choice of actors are superb and the script and London locations are brilliant. Because it depicts true events it has a resonance that you dont get in a fictional story.Also and probably because it is a true story it gives a view of how therapy at its best is an interaction between two people. It requires honesty and care and humour and insight. In fact it says a lot to me about the right ways to do things. I think a lot of British people have been put off therapy by the American view as depicted in Woody Alan films. I love Woody Alan but his take on therapy has a lot to answer for.A great film and its British if you havent seen it yet hire it Im sure you will enjoy it.Here is the trailer check it out by clicking below. 2011-6-3 13:43:13 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#94485 fontface fontfamily Arial p.MsoNormal li.MsoNormal div.MsoNormal margin 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt fontsize 12pt fontfamily Times alink span.MsoHyperlink color blue textdecoration underline avisited span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed color purple textdecoration underline div.Section1 page Section1 A friend and colleague of mine Lesley McCall www.lesleymccall.co.uk had an article published in this weeks Guardian Weekend Magazine.fontface fontfamily Arial p.MsoNormal li.MsoNormal div.MsoNormal margin 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt fontsize 12pt fontfamily Times alink span.MsoHyperlink color blue textdecoration underline avisited span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed color purple textdecoration underline div.Section1 page Section1 You can read the full article here httpwww.guardian.co.uklifeandstyle2011may21cognitivehypnotherapistwhatreallythinking The column is titled What Im really thinking and for this weeks column its her thoughts as a Cognitive Hypnotherapist. ... 2011-5-22 13:32:17 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#94059 p.MsoNormal li.MsoNormal div.MsoNormal margin 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt fontsize 12pt fontfamily Times div.Section1 page Section1 I recently got round to reading a book called The Dice Man by Luke Rinehart which was a best selling book in the 1970s. It triggered a craze for dice living in which people make key decisions on the basis of throwing dice. Actually Im not sure that I remember it triggering a craze for dice living but the blurb about the book says it did Reading the book now it is full of dark humour if a little dated but at its core it is quite interesting. Its adherents claim it makes them feel more alive as it introduces a greater element of the unpredictable into their existence and often gives them an excuse to do things that they always wanted without having to feel responsible for taking the decision. The book takes the consequences to extremes for the sake of a fictional ride. I couldnt help thinking though that as all the options that a... 2011-5-16 16:09:35 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#93595 This is a talk about education from Sir Ken Robinson. Please dont be put off by that sentence have a look at this video of him speaking. For a start he is funny and he has a great knack of presenting his subject in a way that you may not have thought about it before. If you are interested in creativity and the mind then enjoy this talk. 2011-5-10 10:39:41 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#91294 p.MsoNormal li.MsoNormal div.MsoNormal margin 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt fontsize 12pt fontfamily Times alink span.MsoHyperlink color blue textdecoration underline avisited span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed color purple textdecoration underline div.Section1 page Section1 I seem to keep finding out about events after they have happened recently. Last night I missed an evening over in East London about the electronic music pioneer Daphne Oram. The event was last night at Caf233 Oto Ashwin Street London E8. cafeoto.co.uk. You may not have heard of Daphne Oram but she worked at the BBC in the fifties and persuaded them to start the famous BBC Radiophonic Workshop of Doctor Who theme tune fame. Daphne left the BBC to start her own studio and work on one of the first sound synthesisers which was called the Oramics machine. Unlike the synths we now have which were mainly developed from Dr Moogs experiments in America the Oramics machine used visuals to produce sound. ... 2011-4-8 11:28:21 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#86905 p.MsoNormal li.MsoNormal div.MsoNormal margin 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt fontsize 12pt fontfamily Times div.Section1 page Section1 I see a lot of people all with different things that they want to change to bring them more peace of mind or happiness. I always ask how would you like be without your problem When I ask them that question I usually get answers like Well I wouldnt feel so tense all the time or I wouldnt feel so stuck in a rut or I wouldnt lack confidence. I then have to point out that they are still referring to their problem about being tense stuck in a rut or lacking confidence. They havent told me how they would like to feel they are telling me how they dont want to feel. Most people cant see beyond their problem because thats mainly what they are thinking about. Its like if I say to you dont think of an elephant then you immediately have to make a picture of it in your head before you try not to think of it. It can be the same with problems the more we fixate on ... 2011-2-14 12:51:48 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#84452 I thought I would share something that interested me for a number of reasons. It was a piece on The Culture Show on BBC2 in November 2010 which featured a little known artist called Austin Osman Spare. Ive watched the program a number of times and I find some of his artwork amazing especially his portraits. Alan Moore the strange and bearded graphic novel artist is on the program and gives his account of Austin Spare. One of the things that was quite different about Austin Spare is that he also did automatic drawings. He would draw without lifting the pen off the paper and without consciously paying attention to the drawing process. Automatic drawing and writing lets thoughts and images flow directly from the unconscious without interruption from the conscious mind.I found the music that accompanies this program very haunting and have since found out that it was by Talk Talk off an album called Laughing Stock. I loved Talk Talks singles like Its my life and Lifes what you make it. Laug... 2011-1-12 14:14:06 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#78290 So why can it feel it is so hard to stop smoking It could perhaps be because they coat the cigarettes in sugar so you get a sugar kick as well Some people can decide they have had enough and stop just like that. A lot of people are surprised at the emotional link to smoking thinking it is just a physical addiction they are trying to overcome. The good news is that it can be quick and easy to help you let go of the emotional link to cigarette smoking enabling you to give up more easily and become the non smoker that you want to be. So if you have not tried hypnosis to help you quit smoking. When you are ready to give up contact me and I can help you at my conveniently located practice in Uxbridge on the edge of West London. 2010-10-19 15:04:05 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#75544 On Saturday 6th of November I will be running a workshop to help anyone who is suffering from stress and Anxiety. The workshop will be at The Changing Room in Bushey Hertfordshire and runs from 2pm to 6pm. I will be running these with Christine Black another Cognitive Hypnotherapist and the founder of The Changing Room.A workshop is a great way to learn some techniques and to discuss anything that may be affecting you in a relaxed environment. Why not give it a tryHere is the link for The Changing Room click on here and you can see some pictures of the venue. 2010-9-15 12:41:55 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#70759 Being Erica is TV program from Canada being shown here in the UK on E4. It is a big hit in our house each episode is recorded and watched a number of times.If you havent seen it is a about a young woman called Erica Strange brilliant surname. The odd thing about the story is that Erica gets to jump back in time. With the help of her therapist the mysterious Dr. Tom and with a list of her lifes greatest regrets she finds herself launched back into her own past to make different choices this time around.Every episode Erica goes back to relive a regret from her past in order to come back and make a positive change in her present.Question If you could go back in time to any point in your life what point would that be Why would you choose that moment and what might you do differentlyUnfortunately we cant jump back in time and change events that have happened to us but we can change the way we relate and think about those memories. If you feel in need of some therapy for any area of ... 2010-7-19 15:30:11 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#68823 Most mornings I go to the new Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Complex here in Uxbridge West London where I have my hypnotherapy practice Uxbridge that is not in the sports complex. The Sports centre is big bright and new in that it has been open since March 2010. Well I say new all the indoor facilities including a gym and olympic size pool are all newly built but there is a massive outdoor art deco pool formally called Uxbridge Lido. This had run into disrepair and was closed for a number of years but they have completely brought it back to its former glory. There is a small pool area outdoors for children and families which is heated but the main part of the outdoor pool is unheated. So although it looks beautiful after using the gym I normally do a few laps of the indoor pool then a warm shower and off home. But the past few days have been so sunny that a few people seem to now be using the outdoor pool. Today was a particularly sunny morning the sky and the pool were an amazing blue ... 2010-6-25 15:32:01 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#68722 What do you want from life I remember that was a particularly good song from Los Angeles based band The TubesIt seems a straightforward question but when you ask people they often tell you what they dont want rather than what they do want. I dont want to be unhappy anymore. I dont want to be stressed or getting panic attacks. I dont want to be unable to sleep.etc. etc.And this is part of the problem when we feel we are stuck or have a problem that is all we can see. What we concentrate on we usually become more aware of so it fills our minds and our problem is all we can see or feel.Just the simple act of looking for a positive outcome can set your mind on a different path.When we think I want to be calm rather than I wish I didnt feel so stressed then we almost allow the brain a chance to start finding a solution rather than being caught in the loop of what you dont want.So thinking what you do want rather than what you dont may be the first step towards getting more of what you reall... 2010-6-24 11:28:23 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#67971 When you were growing up your teacher or mother probably told you to sit up straight and make a good impression. It turns out that sitting up straight can also improve how you feel about yourself according to a study in the October 09 issue of the European Journal of Social Psychology. Researchers asked college students to rate how they felt about themselves. Those that were told to sit up straight with their chests out gave themselves higher ratings than those instructed to slouch. Showing again how your physiology can impact how you feel. Stand confidently feel confident. 2010-6-15 09:42:38 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#66666 Here is the last part of the Bruce Lee interview. 2010-6-1 10:22:36 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#65558 This is part 2 of the Bruce Lee interview. 2010-5-18 13:01:13 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#64806 There are quite a few interesting philosophies that come from the east but at times these can be a bit esoteric for those of us living in the west in these modern times. A lot of ideas have come through martial artists of various sorts. This is an interview with Bruce Lee from the seventies which is interesting because to me he was very practical in his outlook and managed to appeal to both an eastern and western audience. 2010-5-8 11:19:53 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#64745 Be Aware The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes Marcel Proust. Be aware of things on your journey. Open your senses to what you see feel and hear. We often live life in our heads or worrying about things that havent happened yet. Take some time to be aware of what is going on inside and around you. Stop for a few minutes and focus on your breathing. When you are in your head thinking or worrying about things in the future or past you are not in the present moment and you will not be aware of yourself or things around you important things on your journey. Your head can time travel but your body cant. Bringing your mind to your breathing brings your back to the present moment. Focus on your breathing without controlling it. Just be aware of the pace and depth of each breath. If your mind wanders bring it back to your breathing without criticising or judging yourself. The more time you spend in the present moment the more ... 2010-5-7 09:51:17 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#64568 Have Behavioural Flexibility If you always do what you have done you will always get what you got Tad James As human beings we value familiarity to some degree. However our survival depends on our ability to respond appropriately in unfamiliar situations. When we take action we may be stepping out of our comfort zone but you may soon realise you are just extending your comfort zone not stepping out of it. There may be times you want to do something but still feel afraid or nervous but thats OK. Take the inspired action with courage and you will be surprised how all the courage instantly becomes confidence. 2010-5-5 10:29:02 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#64404 Take Action People who deliberate fully before they take a step will spend their lives on one leg Anthony de Mello. The more committed you are to take action the more your unconscious resources get activated. You may be surprised how things start to happen for you which can include bizarre cocoincidences. Also when you take action you learn you learn far more quickly than thinking about things or theoretical exercises. Your unconscious mind learns automatically from experiences action gives birth to experience. Follow your bliss and dont be afraid and the universe will open doors where there were only walls Joseph Campbell If you do not know where to start you may be surprised at even the little things you can do to help you start making some progress with your outcome. Have you ever had a dinner paty come down the morning after and looked at all the mess wondering where to start Just starting with anything one small step at a time and you soon find yourself in the... 2010-5-3 09:29:19 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#64218 I was reading an article written by russell davis on success he was happy for it to be shared so I will share it with you here is part 1 more to follow.1. Know your Outcome What do you want What do you want to happen rather than what you dont want to happen What do you want more of not less. Knowing what you want gives your mind something to focus on. Our unconscious mind takes in about 2 million bits of information a second but only pushes between 59 to our conscious mind at any one time. It pushes in to our conscious mind what it thinks is important at the time based on our memories life experience and beliefsvalues. By articulating what we want lets our unconscious mind know what we want it to focus on bringing it out in to the foreground. I know someone who used to be a racing driver. He once explained that when he was overtaking particularly through a gap between two cars he was 100 focused on the gap not the position of the other cars. What we focus on we get more o... 2010-4-30 11:20:11 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#64123 The Happiness FormulaMark Easton goes on a journey to understand what lasting happiness is. This BBC article looks at the newest research examine the latest policy proposals and meet the most cuttingedge thinkers from around the world. 2010-4-29 12:39:06 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#64039 Geoff Thompson writes books on selfdevelopment. His warts and all style of writing might be a little in your face for some people but he has non the less walked the walk.Utterly compelling....Mens Fitness magazine A compelling insight....Arena magazine Grabs you by the throat and doesnt put you down....Front magazine Apart from the insight he provides it is his chronicling of his own journey from bullied schoolboy to Martial Artist to expert from factory floor sweeper to doorman to BAFTA award winning writer that empowers and inspires. Anyways if you are at all curious about Geoffs Philosophy... you can now download his book The Elephant amp the Twig for FREE. All you need to do is follow the link below. To claim your FREE book follow the link below. httpwww.geoffthompson.comnewsletterJoinnewsletter.asp 2010-4-28 11:57:59 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#63871 ConnectConnect with the people around you family friends colleagues and neighbors. Regard these people as the foundation of your life and spend time in developing these relationships. These connections will support and enrich you in your daily life.Be activeGet your body moving in any way go for a walk or run go cycle dance play a game etc. Exercise makes one feel good and grants you vitality. Which exercise It is important to find a physical activity that suits your level of mobility and fitness and that its one you really enjoy.Take notice Be curious and aware of the world around you and of what you are feeling. Keep an eye out for the beautiful observe the unusual and catch sight of the surprising. Notice the changing seasons. Relish every moment no matter whether you are walking to work eating or talking to friends. Reflecting on your own experiences will help you realize what matters to you.Keep learning Try something new or come back to an old interest and challen... 2010-4-26 13:49:03 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#63701 Researchers have identified that certain hobbies such as knitting are good for your memory performance and can actually delay the onset of dementia. Others like watching TV can have the opposite effect So watching East Enders or Big Brother could make you stupid But will you be happer knitting See the article here. 2010-4-24 08:06:48 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#63561 Have you ever been in a situation where anxiety stress or nerves have got the better of you. How good would it be to be able to turn that feeling into a relaxing or calming feeling. It would be great wouldnt it Well have a go at this short exercise. 1 First of all sit or stand and place your hand on your belly. 2 Next begin to notice where youre breathing from and how you feel. You might find that youre breathing high up in your chest. 3 If so move the breathing down into your belly so that every time you inhale you can feel your tummy expand and every time you exhale your tummy contracts. 4 Breath like this for a few minutes and while you do notice how you feel different. When we are nervous or anxious our breathing tends to be higher up in our chests and shallower which alerts the brain to switch into the flight or fight response. When we breath slower and deeper it is almost impossible to feel anxious because it sends a message to our brains that everything is fine and w... 2010-4-22 07:38:12 http://www.chriscalloway.co.uk/page11.htm#63080 A recent BBC news article talks about the benefits that hypnotherapy can bring to Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferers.4 out of 10 having symptoms completely stop and a further 5 out of 10 saying they felt they had the symptoms more under control and were much less troubled by them. It is pretty clear to me that it has an amazing effect Dr Valori of Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. If you suffer from IBS contact me and lets make you one of the 910 that get the benefits 2010-4-15 12:00:10