Frivolous Friday

May11,2012

                                                               Hypnosis                                                                  

 

After recently attending an entertaining evening  of stage hypnosis, I thought that would be a good topic for the Frivolous Friday post.  Like many people, I have over the years, been to a few such shows and found them quite entertaining  and a bit frivolous and just left it at that. After checking a bit, it is worth noting that  there are some beneficial results from hypnotherapy that are used in the medical field.  It is important to be aware of the difference in the two terms, however.

Wikipedia describes "hypnosis" as  "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."The use of hypnotism for therapeutic purposes is referred to as "hypnotherapy", while its use as a form of entertainment for an audience is known as "stage hypnosis"
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Mayo Clinic describes this procedure as "Hypnosis, also referred to as hypnotherapy or hypnotic suggestion, is a trance-like state in which you have heightened focus, concentration and inner absorption. When you're under hypnosis, you usually feel calm and relaxed, and you can concentrate intensely on a specific thought, memory, feeling or sensation while blocking out distractions." Hypnotism is used for a number of reasons intended to help you gain more control over undesired behaviors or emotions or to help you cope better with a wide range of medical conditions. Hypnosis isn't considered a treatment or a type of psychotherapy. Rather, it's a procedure typically used along with certain treatments and therapies to help a wide variety of conditions.Some of these include pain control, smoking cessation, allergies, asthma .Skin conditions and Gastrointestinal problems are also among the areas that benefit from hypnosis.
Hypnosis that's conducted under the care of a trained therapist or health care professional is considered a safe complementary and alternative medicine treatment.                 





Stage hypnosis is  performed in front of an audience for the purposes of entertainment, usually in a theatre or club. Expert opinion is divided over whether participants' responses are best explained as being due to an altered state of consciousness ("hypnotic trance") or by a combination of deliberate deception and ordinary social psychological factors such as disorientation, compliance, peer pressure, and ordinary suggestion.
A modern stage hypnosis performance regularly delivers a comedic performance rather than trying to impress and audience with the powers of persuasion. Stage hypnosis performances often encourage
audience members to further look into the benefits of mind powers.

It was the latter that I attended and had a wonderful evening out and certainly had a lot of laughs, but am I a "believer"....... well, let's say that it has indeed encouraged me to delve more into the amazing power of our mind.       Close your eyes......you are getting sleepy!!!!!   ;-)






  Information found at www.mayoclinic.com/health/hypnosis/MY01020   and  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnosis

Wordless Wednesday

Not exactly like the ones I wore...... Can you say "Funky Footwear"??

Wellness

May 8,2012

Wow! Hard to believe that it has been  almost 5 weeks since the last time I posted on this page.  I have enjoyed the challenge  and  the work involved for the annual A-Z Challenge. Now it is time to get back to basics. For those of  you who may drop by and have not been here before, let me get you up to date.  Every Tuesday I try to post something that is relevant to .... you guessed it....wellness. In my case, as I am a Registered Nurse, and have spent that last eight years working on a Mental Health Unit...aka, Psychiatric Unit, I am unabashedly biased when it comes to what I post! If you have the time to go back and check the previous post, by all means do so, but if not, I will try to sum it up thus far.

I am trying very hard to  change, in my own little way, the manner that the general public perceives mental health. The negative connotations associated with anyone who has or  had an illness of their mind are  running rampant!  Therefore I am attempting to keep these posts upbeat and light with just a hint of  seriousness about  a disease or diseases that can, if not properly and timely treated, be very tragic.

On March 13th, we discussed how important good physical health is to proper emotional and mental wellness. There was a list of subjects that would help us to accomplish this and on subsequent posts , a couple were discussed in more detail. I hope to continue in that vein  starting next week.  For now, though I will be satisfied to just get back in the swing of things.  Keep in mind...ooops there's that word again.... that  this is a brand new blog  (aprox 2 1/2 months old) and I have a lot to learn and hopefully to pass on to you. Please let me know if there are any particular topics that would be of interest to you.
 Take care..
 

The following is an excerpt from a recent CTV video amd news clip, that explains how one man, Steve Stoesz, feels about his experience with mental health issues.

CTVNews.ca Staff

Date: Sun. May. 6 2012 10:56 PM ET

Afghanistan war veteran Steve Stoesz survived multiple combat injuries, but his biggest fight was a psychological one -- and it was waiting for him when he returned home.
The Canadian soldier who has been battling anxiety and depression continues to defy what he said was a direct order from the Department of National Defence not to talk publicly about proposed cuts to mental health services for soldiers.
Three days after he spoke to CTV News about his own struggle with mental health issues and obstacles veterans face when looking for treatment, Stoesz appeared on CTV's Question Period Sunday, despite being under investigation for talking to the media.
"I was ordered not to do this interview," he told Question Period. "But at the end of the day, I have to live with myself, and I couldn't live with myself not getting this info out there and making a difference."
"This cause is more worthy than the cause in Afghanistan, and I was willing to die for the cause in Afghanistan to me, so it goes to show how much this means to me," Stoesz said.
He is critical of proposed National Defence job cuts and the proposed closure of a mental health facility in Ottawa, which opposition MPs say will make it harder for soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder to get help.
While Stoesz hasn't been diagnosed with PTSD himself, he said fighting in Afghanistan took an emotional and mental toll on him. Things only got worse when he completed his tour of duty and returned to Canada, Stoesz said.
"Most of my psychological injuries are coming from not getting the proper physical care," Stoesz said. "Since I've been home I've been fighting non-stop for my own kind of deal, and that's just brought such a psychological toll on me that it's been devastating to my whole life and my whole mental state. I have a battle with the medical system, and then as well one with Veterans Affairs."
Stoesz said he didn't meet the full criteria for a PTSD diagnosis even though he has "14 out of 15" symptoms of the disorder.

Read more: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20120506/steve-stoesz-speaks-out-120506/#ixzz1uEYPUQPx.

Disclaimer

The material provided on this site is designed for information and educational purposes only. The materials are not intended to be a self diagnostic and/or self treatment tool. I encourage you to use this information as a tool for discussing your condition with your health practitioner.                                                           

A-Z Challenge -"Z" & Disclaimer

 Hi and welcome to my site!

As a very young girl I lived with my paternal grandmother for three formative years. Being an enthusiastic teacher and lover of words, she invariably had quotations written all over the house... literally. On the backs of cupboard doors, on calendars, napkins or wherever she happened to be.  With this in mind I am finding the authors, in alphabetical sequence, of many of her favorite quotations and am adding some of those that are special to my family as well.  Hope you enjoy!



                                                           
                                                                                   "Z"


Stefan Zweig (November 28, 1881 – February 22, 1942) was an Austrian novelist, playwright, journalist and biographer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most famous writers in the world.

 There is no sense to a sacrifice after you come to feel that it is a sacrifice.

 Every wave, regardless of how high and forceful it crests, must eventually collapse within itself.

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Darryl Francis Zanuck (September 5, 1902 – December 22, 1979) was an American producer,writer,actor, director and studio executive who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors (the length of his career being rivaled only by that of  Adolph Zukor). He earned three Academy Awards during his tenure.

If two men on a job agree all the time, then one is useless. If they disagree all the time, then both are useless.

                                         -------------------------------------------------


Well, there you have it.... A-Z Challenge Complete!!!!Yeah!


Many thanks to all those who have stopped by my blog and to those who have "followed" this blog, as well. Looking forward to new and exciting challenges in the days and weeks ahead!! Cheers to you!!!

   DISCLAIMER

Information for author biographies for A-Z Challenge 2012 was obtained from Wikipedia .  Photos of authors from Google Images.  Some quotes from Brainyquote.com were used.  Many quotations used were written as they were taught to me. Any discrepancies between what is written and the author's actual words is unintentional.  Additional photos were either my own (usually accompanied by a caption) or from Google Images.