WHAT IS
HEALTH COACHING?
Simply put, health coaching will help you achieve your health-related goals by making lasting behaviour changes and integrating healthy habits into your lifestyle. Health coaching has been proven to be effective for a broad variety of health issues, including weight loss, stress reduction, and improving diet, sleep, physical activity and overall self-care.
We live in a time where there is more health information available than ever before. We seem to know everything we need to know to live a healthy, happy life. Yet, we don't necessarily make good use of this unlimited access to information. There is a gap between what we know and what we do.
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As Chris Kresser explains in his article "The Health Coach Revolution", "people want to feel good, avoid chronic disease and live a long life. [...] They want to perform better at work, enjoy their relationships, and be well enough to get the most out of life. But there’s a big difference between wanting the benefits of being healthy and consistently engaging in the behaviours that lead to health. [...] Most people know that eating poorly, not exercising, not getting enough sleep and engaging in other unhealthy lifestyle habits is not good for them. Yet they continue these behaviours anyway, or they chase quick fixes that don’t last for more than a few weeks."
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What we often need is an ally, a coach on the side that motivates us to implement and maintain healthier habits, and holds us accountable. This is where health coaching comes into play.
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As put by Peter Grinspoon, MD, "just as a sports coach can help an athlete develop and excel at a sport, a health and wellness coach can help anyone excel at living their life [...]. The coaching process is similar to talk therapy in that it involves two people discussing ideas and issues, but it is different in that the person who is being coached is in the driver’s seat, creating their goals as well as the strategies on how to arrive at these goals".
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While health coaches do not diagnose, treat or cure, they can empower their clients and help them achieve self-determined health and wellness goals. They support them in making lasting changes and hold them accountable.
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Rather than assessing a problem and giving advice, health coaches work with clients in a more collaborative way and encourage them to come up with their own solutions.
WHAT IS
HYPNOTHERAPY?
Let me start by saying that there is nothing mysterious or supernatural about hypnosis. Hypnosis is a natural state that you have experienced a lot of times without even noticing it, for example when you were so much into a book that you forgot to get off the train. All it means is that you are in a relaxed and focused state, similarly to meditation. It is important to note that hypnotherapy is very different from stage hypnosis, which you might have seen on television.
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You might have heard about the saying "What you focus on, you amplify." In hypnotherapy, this principle is used to enhance your life by focusing your attention on what is right and possible, and on achieving your self-defined goals. As M.D. Yapko beautifully puts it, hypnotherapy helps you pay "focused attention to what matters [and mobilize] the specific skills to manage life's challenges effectively".
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A hypnotherapist will help you pause, go inside and look for your strengths, for what is right with you. You are invited to amplify these strengths and to use them in new ways that make you feel - and eventually be - better.
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The hypnotherapist is here to guide you and to direct your experience, but only to the degree that you allow him to do so. Entering hypnosis is your personal choice. At any time, you can choose to deepen, lighten or even end the experience. Therefore, your trust in me as your hypnotherapist as well as your motivation and readiness to work on whatever you have decided to work on are crucial. Hypnosis can indeed only happen when you are willing to engage in the experience and are open to the positive suggestions I offer.
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Different people experience hypnosis in different ways. This is absolutely fine and normal. You might feel very alert and present or, quite the opposite, drift off, come back to listen to my voice, and drift off again. Overall, my clients usually feel very relaxed during hypnosis, also due to the fact that breathing and heart rate often slow down reducing stress and discomfort.
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Finally, I would like to mention that all people will not respond to hypnotherapy in the same way. One person may, for example, get rid of their sugar cravings in a relatively short period of time, while another person may need to listen to the suggestions over a longer period of time.
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WHAT IS HYPNO-COACHING?
In my Hypno-Coaching sessions, I combine a number of effective coaching techniques with personalised hypnotherapy scripts. Depending on your goal, I may also include fundamental aspects of traditional yoga such as conscious breathing and meditation.
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In our weekly Hypno-Coaching sessions, we work with both the conscious and subconscious mind to empower you to make powerful changes and help you get lasting results. The more you are motivated to actively participate in the process, the more I can be of assistance to you.
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We see each other (virtually) for one initial consultation + a minimum of three hypno-coaching sessions. The length of the program will depend on many factors, which we will discuss together.
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While each program is unique and tailored to your individual needs, it will usually include:
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60-75 min weekly hyno-coaching sessions
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Personalised hypnotherapy scripts
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mp3 recordings of each session
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Mindset shift exercises
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Breathing and relaxation exercises
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My support and encouragement where needed between sessions
IS HYPNO-COACHING RIGHT FOR YOU?
If you have never experienced hypnotherapy before, you may have some reservations. If this is the case, let me tell you that you are not alone. It is totally normal to have some questions and I will be very happy to answer them in a first complementary call.
I believe that a successful coaching relationship is built on mutual trust and respect. Therefore, I encourage you to take the time during this first call to evaluate if there is a fit and if you feel comfortable working with me.
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You may also find some answers to your questions in the "Hypnotherapy Myths Busted" section of this website.
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