Sheila eyes prize for work with youngster's minds

“Being nominated for this award has come as a complete shock” 

A SELFLESS East Yorkshire-based clinical hypnotherapist has been nominated for the Mail's Pride of East Yorkshire Awards for her work helping students adopt a positive mindset and deal with exam-related anxiety.

Sheila Granger, a professional lifestyle engineer and clinical hypnotherapist who works as far a field as Australia and the USA, launched the Educational Performance division of her business four years ago in response to growing concerns over the number of children on mental health service waiting lists.

She recognised that by providing support mechanisms to those young people with lower levels of anxiety, it would prevent their problems from escalating into something with much more devastating consequences.

Now, she has trained a team of more than one hundred Educational Performance Practitioners worldwide to ensure young people, their parents and their schools can access support of this nature no matter where they are.

Sheila has been nominated for the Mail’s Business in the Community award by her communications partner Mercury.

“Being nominated for this award has come as a complete shock,” said Sheila. “I thoroughly enjoy my work with schools and it’s been incredible to see the Educational Performance side of my business go from strength to strength due to increased demand over recent years.

“We all have expectations placed on us, either by ourselves or by others, and it’s these expectations that can cause us the greatest stress. Students with low expectations who believe they are going to fail, find it difficult to think positively – which ultimately impacts on their performance.

“In much a similar way, top performing students have to contend with the weight of increased expectations and sometimes the pressure to deliver can set them up for a fall. For teachers, there is already a vast emphasis on the delivery of pastoral care and teachers have the added role of coaching individuals through the exam experience, as well as preparing them academically.”

There’s no place quite like home for Sheila. She says it’s been an honour to work with students and teachers on her doorstep, in her hometown of Hull, to make a difference to their lives.

She has been working closely with students at Endeavour High School in recent months, which is closing at the end of this school year, to make sure pupils go out on a high.

Teachers at the school say the initiative has paid real dividends with students better prepared than ever before.

Headteacher Stewart Edgell said: “If you have a student who is worried and you bring someone in who can help them by arming them with new strategies and coping mechanisms, they feel valued that someone has taken note of their concerns and is doing something with them.

“Sheila’s work has dovetailed nicely into giving students a positive outlook and creative ways of preparing for exams, such as setting aside one hour a day when they can worry but during the rest of the day putting any negative thoughts out of their minds for example.

“I am in no doubt whatsoever that this work has had a significant impact on the students who have worked with Sheila.”

Rachael Dean, account executive at Mercury, nominated Sheila after working closely with her in recent months and being inspired by the true difference she is making to young people in East Yorkshire.

She said: “It always moves me when I see the life-changing results of Sheila’s work. As a recent graduate myself, I know how detrimental the effects of exam-related anxiety can be and it’s really inspiring to see how Sheila can help shape someone’s future who, in their mind, might have already lost all hope.”

Too late to shape up for summer? NEVER!

Summer is finally here, and yes it will probably be gone before you can say BBQ, but that doesn't mean you still can't kick those bad habits that you've been promising to do since January. 

When the days are long, dark and cold, it’s all too easy to munch on that extra biscuit for a much needed sugar fix, wear extra layers and stay warm on the sofa instead of donning trainers and going for a walk in the fresh air.

Staying in and popping the telly on seems a much better idea than getting out and about with friends, and it can be easy to become isolated.

Summer is the wake up call many people need to start getting back to their healthier, happier lives and getting rid of those bad habits!

By following my basic tips for banishing the blues, you can claim back your body confidence and back into that bikini before you know it!

1.    Practise mindfulness. Start off by making small goals. They can be anything-fitting in a twenty minute walk on your lunch break, or trying something new for tea. Ticking off those you achieved on an evening bring a fantastic sense of achievement.

2.    Get healthy: Winter is an excuse for a binge-when the weather is miserable and dark, we crave carby, sugary food in order to boost our low moods. Start off by banishing those calorific snacks in favour of healthier alternatives.

3.    Sleep it off: Make sure you are getting enough sleep! Going without our recommended eight hours can have all sorts of effects on us long term, including irritability, poor concentration and even a lower immune system!

4.    Talk it through: Has the long winter and busy holiday season left you feeling a little bit flat? There’s nothing like making fun plans and chatting through any problems you have with friends. In fact, regular interaction with others has been proven to improve depression and boost self-esteem!

5.    5: Be Realistic: Many people start off with unrealistic expectations-the trick is to take small steps, be honest with yourself, and if in doubt seek more help!

If you are interested in finding out more on how my popular hypnotherapy sessions can help you achieve happiness and health, or to find out when my next seminars will be, don’t hesitate to drop me a line on my email!

Sheila x

Endeavour School use hypnotist to help pupils with exams

"The work we have been doing with Sheila is to ensure students are in the best frame of mind when they sit their exams"

STUDENTS at a city school are being hypnotised to relieve exam stress.

Clinical hypnotherapist Sheila Granger has been working with GCSE students at Endeavour High School on techniques to help them through the exam period.

Teachers say the initiative is paying dividends, with students being better prepared than ever.

The Beverley Road school closes this summer and headteacher Stewart Edgell is determined youngsters will go out on a high.

He said: "We want the school to go out on a high this year, but ultimately we want our students to achieve the very best results that they can individually.

"The work we have been doing with Sheila is to ensure students are in the best frame of mind when they sit their exams, and that any barriers to them performing at their best have been removed.

NEW TECHNIQUES: Headteacher Stewart Edgell and Sheila Granger with pupils. Picture: Jack Harland

"If you have a student who is worried and you bring someone in who can help them by arming them with new strategies and coping mechanisms, they feel valued that someone has taken note of their concerns and is doing something with them.

"When you get a critical mass of students being looked after in this way, it's much more likely everyone will perform better across the board."

Mr Edgell said the school has worked hard with its 101 students to ensure they achieve the best results they can.

He said: "We brought Sheila in to work with students who we identified that would benefit from additional strategies for preparing for their exams, adopting a positive mindset and believing that they can do it when it comes to achieving their potential.

"We have worked with our students to help them structure their revision carefully and Sheila's work has dovetailed nicely into that in terms of giving them a positive outlook and creative ways of preparing for exams."

'Massive student pressure

Sheila Granger, clinical hypnotherapist, said: "With exam season well and truly upon us, the pressure on students gains considerable momentum at this time of year.

"I have been delighted to work with Endeavour High School in the run up to this important time of year and it's been a real pleasure to work with the students there.

"We all have expectations placed on us, either by ourselves or by others, and it's these expectations that can cause us the greatest stress".

If you are interested in any of my services or need some questions answering, feel free to contact me via email or visit my website. 

Needle Phobia: Taking back control

 "NEEDLE PHOBIA IS A DEFINED MEDICAL CONDITION THAT AFFECTS 20 - 23 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION"

One in four of us will need to receive blood at some point in our lives, so it was quite alarming to see “Britain heading for blood donor crisis as new numbers giving blood drops by 40%” splashed across the headlines earlier this week.

NHS Blood and Transplant says 120,000 fewer people joined the blood donor register in 2014-15 than in 2004-05. Most of us know giving blood saves lives, but not nearly enough of us do it and the NHS believes one of the main reasons is the increasing pressure on people's free time – citing longer commutes and the distractions of social media.

Needle phobia is a very important, but widely ignored condition and one which I believe is contributing to the decline in donors. Many people who are afraid of needles get labelled as being ‘a bit of a wimp’, but this is far from the case.

For some individuals it can be mildly distressing but manageable.  For others it can be seriously debilitating, causing massive anxiety attacks, cold sweats and blind panic. It is actually a defined medical condition that affects between 20 and 23 percent of the adult population, to such an extent that it causes some to even avoid essential medical appointments.

People come to me for help with all sorts of fears and phobias. Hypnotherapy works by accessing the underlying cause of the phobia and eliminating the person’s conditioned response to the stimulus. 

While I’m not promising I will be able to alleviate your fear altogether, although this has been reported in a vast amount of cases, I can definitely help you to control your phobia once and for all.  

The blood unit is calling for 204,000 new volunteers to start donating. Do not let your fear control your life, get in touch with one of my accredited hypnotherapists to arrange a consultation to get the help you need today. The results could be life-changing, and not just for you.

Sheila x

Exam stress and believing you can do it!

"we all have expectations placed on us, either by ourselves or by others, and it’s these expectations that can cause us the greatest stress"

Many of us will be able to recall how nerve-racking it can be to take an exam. Butterflies in our stomach, sweaty palms, a racing heart and panicking that we won’t be able to remember anything we’ve learnt are all common feelings before an exam.

But, when I recently read that children as young as ten were smoking cigarettes to prepare for their exams I was in utter shock. The poll of 1,000 youngsters, who took Key Stage Two SATS last year, also found the students are gorging on junk food and drinking energy drinks for breakfast.

This just proves that there is definitely a huge demand for children to be equipped with skilled coping techniques to get them through this stressful time of year. So, recently I have stepped back into the classroom to help pupils maximise their potential before the exam season got underway.

I have been busy working with several local schools and students, conducting a range of group and one-to-one sessions with the aim of instilling coping strategies that allow everyone to perform to their best ability.

What’s interesting is that, we all have expectations placed on us, either by ourselves or by others, and it’s these expectations that can cause us the greatest stress. Students with low expectations who believe they are going to fail, find it difficult to think positively – which ultimately impacts their performance.

This mind-set is called premature cognitive commitment, which, in a nutshell, means that if you don’t believe you can do something, you won’t even try despite never reassessing whether your belief is true or not.

Take this story of the Indian elephant as an example. A baby elephant is chained to a big tree and the elephant will struggle against the shackles, but only for a period of time. It then gives in to the belief that as long as there is something around its foot, it no longer has free will. Once it’s fully grown, it can be tied by a flimsy rope to a small plant and it will not try to escape - despite the fact that it would be able to!

In much a similar way, top performing students have to contend with the weight of increased expectations and the pressure to deliver can set them up for a fall. Belief has so much to do with it. 

We are all guilty of negative self-talk, both young and old, which can easily turn a good day into a very bad one. My work is all about changing this mind-set.

For teachers, there is already huge emphasis on the delivery of pastoral care and teachers have the added role of coaching individuals through the exam experience, as well as preparing them academically.

Teachers will give pupils their exam dates and the material needed to study but don’t always teach the children to plan their revision. And it is the things that we don’t plan for that make us stressed.

Helping students through this important milestone can be challenging, especially as schools are constantly under the spotlight when it comes to results. It’s really not unusual for schools and colleges to incorporate alternative methods of dealing with student issues such as exam stress.

Many schools have even gone one step further to alleviate the pressure on teachers by creating permanent therapist positions, hiring counsellors and holding mindfulness and meditation lessons, where they work with psychiatrists and therapists on a more regular basis.

It’s natural to feel nervous before taking any test, let alone one that could help shape your entire future, but using the power of suggestion and visualisation techniques will encourage students to clear their racing mind and approach the exam with a cool, calm state of mind.

I wish all students taking exams at the moment the very best of luck.

Sheila x

For information on how one of Sheila's accredited practitioners can help you achieve your goals, visit http://www.sheilagranger.com/pages/lifestyle 

Battling the bulge with Hypnotherapy!

“Everybody can change and turn a negative feeling into a positive feeling. I enjoy what I do, I help people all the time."

I have travelled worldwide training practitioners about The Virtual Gastric Band. Mark, who has trained with myself, has pledged to help people "battle the bulge". Read his story below:

"Instead of having to face the risks of going under the knife Mark Nicholson, 48, says he can make clients believe they have already had the stomach shrinking operation.

'I have had people lose two stone in weight,' said Mark. 'People think they have had the band.

Mark, who has had a spell working in upmarket Harley Street, first became interested in hypnotherapy when he purchased a motivational tape by Paul McKenna. McKenna was a regular on our TV screens in the 1990s, presenting a number of programmes including The Hypnotic World of Paul McKenna, Paul McKenna’s Paranormal World and Hyp the Streets.

Many of his one-to-one clients are celebrities including comic David Walliams, who used McKenna to help to help with his charity swim across the English Channel.'



Read the full story here

If you want more information about the Virtual Gastric Band or any other services i provide please dont hesitate to get in touch via email or visit my website

“I felt relaxed, but I don’t know if I was hypnotised.”

Hi there,

Jason Linett is one of my Virtual Gastric Band trainers in the U.S., and this week he’s presenting a free webinar event I wanted to share with you.

 

“I felt relaxed, but I don’t know if I was hypnotised.” For some hypnotherapists, this statement can ruin the best of hypnotherapy sessions. Jason has created an “easy-to-master” formula to prevent this challenge with some interesting twists on classic techniques.

You will learn strategies you can fold in before, during, and after your sessions to create better hypnotic moments, strengthen your client’s belief in hypnosis, and turn your clients or volunteers into raving fans for your business.

 

This webinar event is free, but space is limited. Join Jason on Thursday, January 22 at 9:00pm EST./ thats 2am UK time on the 23rd.  If you cannot attend live, replays will be made available, but only to those who register for the event – so DO register today.

 

Click this link to register today: Supercharge Your Hypnosis

Keep making a difference

Sheila x