Aspire Therapy

Take a Deep Breath – The Importance of Effective Breathing

Breathing is the most basic of all human activities - but how good are we at doing it? Not bad if staying alive is the measure of our performance.

But there can be a lot more to breathing than just staying alive, as singers, athletes, newsreaders and others who have to be able to control their breathing will testify.

Most of the time we do it without thinking of course – and couldn’t function efficiently otherwise. It’s one of those many activities that we are able to perform automatically due to the wonderful ability of our body to work in close conjunction with our unconscious mind.

However, people who need to maximise their physical performance have to pay close attention to breathing technique – and all of us can learn lessons from this. For these people to be able to breathe correctly helps to conserve energy and maintain physical poise.

Instant Relaxation - How to reduce stress at work, at home and in your daily life

This is one of the best self help books on relaxation we have come across. It contains a seven-day plan for reducing stress and achieving instant relaxation.

The varied range of techniques include breathing and posture exercises, focused eye movement techniques, affirmations and visualisations – all designed to facilitate access to what the authors call our ‘relaxed core state’.

Client Case Study: Overcoming A Food Phobia

Jennifer came to us with a long-standing food phobia - she hadn’t eaten vegetables or fruit for nearly 30 years.

Here she explains in her own words, how she overcame her problem through therapy and her inner determination to succeed.

"Before starting therapy, I hadn’t eaten vegetables for approximately 30 years. My diet consisted of potatoes, meat and sandwiches.

I think I had in my mind that I would be hypnotised and be told that I liked vegetables and that would be that. Hey presto!

After a faltering start, I began to have more realistic expectations of what I could achieve through therapy. I was taught various techniques through hypnosis and coaching and these became invaluable to me.

50 Day Countdown to Smokefree England

The countdown to the ban on smoking in enclosed public places in England is now well and truly underway, with 50 days remaining until the July 1 deadline.

To mark the start of this 50 day countdown, Smokefree England is launching an advertising campaign to raise awareness of what the new law means and how it will affect people.

Still in the Storm - Dealing With Stress

This practical little book by Dr Ann Williamson reminds us of the basics of stress management. Short and easy to read, the content is not ‘rocket science’, but it can still be regarded as an effective self-help guide for anyone seeking practical advice on how to reduce the amount of stress in their life.

It works on the familiar premise that stress can be tackled in three ways. First you can remove some of the external causes of stress - though this is not always easy. Second you can alter your own responses to situations and things. Third you can learn techniques for dealing with the symptoms of stress.

The first option means actually changing aspects of your life, the second requires a change of thinking and the third involves learning stress reduction and relaxation techniques.