The gut-brain connection reminds us that our bodies and minds are intimately intertwined. There probably was never a more truer statement than what I've just stated. There is indeed a very strong mind-body connection, the mind and the body are intertwined. Whatever the mind can conceive of, the mind can achieve. Just think about it, the person who conceived of what a chair is had to first conceive of an idea of a chair before the actual chair can be made in reality. Similarly whatever thoughts y...
Jul 15, 2023•5 min
How Good Sleep Can Affect How You Benefit From Exercise Scientists have discovered that middle-aged individuals who don't get enough sleep may not fully benefit from exercise in terms of protecting their memory and thinking abilities. A study conducted by researchers from University College London (UCL) revealed that people in their 50s and 60s who engaged in regular physical activities but slept less than six hours per night experienced a faster decline in cognitive skills such as attention, me...
Jul 07, 2023•1 min
When is a Problem a Symptom? What YOU need to know. When YOU present to me with Your problem or issue, YOU might begin to tell me about the symptoms YOU are experiencing, the discomfort you experience, and sometimes the pain you are experiencing. Perhaps YOU might present as a smoker wanting to become a non-smoker. Or do YOU want to lose weight? Or do YOU have an addiction? YOU name it. Whatever the symptom is, YOU describe to me in detail YOUR experience. Whatever YOUR presenting symptom is, th...
Jun 13, 2023•4 min
Here are 6 further ways for YOU to get Better Sleep.1. Create a Sleep-Friendly Lifestyle: Regular exercise during the day can promote better sleep, but avoid intense exercise close to bedtime. Maintain a healthy diet, as certain foods and drinks like heavy meals, spicy foods, or too much liquid before bed can interfere with sleep. 2. Manage Stress: Stress and anxiety can interfere with sleep. Developing effective stress management techniques, such as practicing mindfulness, journaling, and now j...
Jun 10, 2023•3 min
Poor sleep quality can indeed have a negative impact on overall health. Here are the first 4 of 10 tips to help YOU improve Your ability to get to sleep and remain asleep: Sleep Environment: Create a sleep-friendly environment by ensuring your bedroom is cool, dark, quiet, and comfortable. Use curtains or blinds to block out light, consider using earplugs or a white noise machine to mask disturbing sounds, and invest in a supportive mattress and pillows. Maybe try out an eye mask. Establish a Co...
Jun 08, 2023•2 min
Did YOU Know That Poor Sleep Can Contribute To Prolonged Chronic Health Conditions? Perhaps You are one of the 80% of people recently surveyed in Ireland who are sleep deprived. The study involved over 13,000 people. Did you know that Sleep Quality can affect the length of chronic illnesses such as stroke, heart disease, mental health issues, and alcoholism. This list is not exhaustive. And that 90% of depressed people have poor sleep quality. Many people have reported restlessness contributes t...
Jun 06, 2023•1 min
Did you know your Gut has a Brain? Yes, a Brain. Ok, let me try to explain, as best as I can, the technical stuff first and then we can get to the much more understandable stuff. You see way back in evolutionary times, scientists tell us that our "Gut Brain" , which is considered the "little brain of our Gut," was developed and it's referred to as our Enteric Nervous System, our ENS, in our gut. Our ENS communicates back and forth with the Brain in our head and it does this by what's known as th...
Jan 23, 2023•5 min
Warning - DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS RECORDING WHILST DRIVING AND OR OPERATING ANY TYPE OF MACHINERY. ONLY LISTEN WHILST RELAXING AND SAFE TO DO SO!
Jan 03, 2023•24 min
Start by considering your values and what is most important to you. This will help you set goals that are meaningful and aligned with your priorities. Make your goals SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This will help you create clear, actionable goals that are easy to track and achieve. Set both short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals can help you make progress toward your long-term goals, and can provide a sense of accomplishment along the way. Don't be ...
Dec 27, 2022•8 min
I'm often asked about how trauma can be related to or connected to your experience of irritable bowel and or your experience of the symptoms of irritable bowel. Many clients tell me that such and such an event in their life was significant and or what they describe, was painful. You see, often times it's the aftermath of an event that is traumatic, that is, what's happening in our mind as a result of us having gone through a past event and that can be the trauma. Some of the ways that trauma can...
Dec 16, 2022•3 min
Hi, I have a question for you! What I'm about to say may not necessarily apply to you. Perhaps you may know someone who would benefit from what I'm about to say to you. If so, please pass this on to them. You are probably doing them an enormous favour. Did you know that you don't have to remain stuck, yes stuck in a rut, yet knowing deep down inside yourself, in that part of you that knows everything, there is to know, you somehow know there is more, you know you want to make changes in your lif...
Oct 25, 2022•7 min
Ok, I get it, you just want results. You just want to make that breakthrough. I can't blame you, it's what anyone would want. It's normal and natural. You don't want to hear all the theories and concepts behind how change happens and how you make that breakthrough that you've wanted, for so long now. You don't need to hear how it's done, all you want is the result, the breakthrough. It doesn't matter how it's done, providing it's done professionally and ethically, of course! Let's be honest and ...
Aug 25, 2022•5 min•Ep. 68
Why is it we do the things we don’t want to do and don’t do the things we want to do? Seems a bit of a dilemma and yet many people experience that reality for themselves. Perhaps it’s got to do with our beliefs and our beliefs are what motivates us. Combined with the pleasure principle. What brings us pleasure is highly appealing and we are drawn towards it. There is a pull forward. What brings us pain, usually demotivates us and there is a big push away from that which is painful. I acknowledge...
Aug 23, 2022•2 min•Ep. 67
Consider this, when you experience stress and or anxiety, your whole body does into overdrive and gets ready for something to happen. That something to happen, your mind and your body cannot identify exactly what it is. You see its all related to the fight or flight response. The well-known explanation of the saber tooth tiger is ready to devour you and you must be in a position where you can protect yourself, do you either run away or fight to defend yourself? It’s a state of hyper-vigilance. D...
Aug 21, 2022•3 min•Ep. 66
Is my Anger Causing IBS? Do you often get angry? Perhaps you blame your parents, your husband wife partner, or significant other? Or maybe a work colleague or son or daughter? Maybe you’re dealing with resentment or trauma of some sort! What if you haven’t dealt with the resentment, the anger, the frustration? Do you need to forgive someone? And how long is long enough for you to put yourself through the wringer of torment because of the anger, frustration, and resentment you carry around daily ...
Aug 19, 2022•2 min•Ep. 65
Hello there, I’m often asked the question is there a connection between the mind and the body? The accepted wisdom is that there is no mind/body split. Many of you will have busy lives, busy workplaces, targets to reach, children to care for, meals to cook, etc, etc. And sometimes we ignore the things that we know we need to pay attention to. And yet I'm sure you've heard of the expression: Look after yourself because if you don't, you won't be able to look after anyone else or when traveling on...
Aug 15, 2022•3 min•Ep. 64
I'm sure you are familiar with the concept of the "one size fits all", policy. It's, perhaps it's similar to when you call your bank on the telephone and you have to go through the process of listening to the options available to you! Press one to arrange a mortgage, press two to order a statement, etc, etc. You already know what I mean, you have gone through this ordeal to try to get the answer to a quite straightforward question. Oftentimes, it takes ages. A phone call, that can last hours. I ...
Jun 23, 2022•3 min•Ep. 63
As human beings, we are capable of experiencing great emotions and feelings. Man and indeed woman have conquered Everest, come up with the most ingenious inventions, and as we now know of technological advances of the 20th Century and it seems that we can look forward to much much more advances in technology to come. Say, for example, man per se didn't get involved in science and technology and research. Where would we be today? Would we be worse off or better off? I'll leave you to come up with...
Jun 22, 2022•4 min•Ep. 63
Investments, investments, investments. You want results, you want to know that if you invest in something you get results. The financial gurus constantly talk about the results you get when you invest in a particular portfolio or fund. Results, results, results, and one of the best investments you can make is, investing in yourself! It sort of makes sense, doesn't it? Why invest in someone else unless perhaps you love them dearly and care about them. That makes sense! You have a busy life, stuff...
Jun 21, 2022•5 min•Ep. 61
Today I'm going to talk about death and grief. Just be reminded, that you don't have to listen. Anyone who has suffered a loss in life knows the pain and in some instances the numbness of losing the person or persons whom they love. You experience a whole range of feelings and emotions. I do not presume to know all there is to know about grief and loss. However, I have gone through the process of suffering a loss. The loss of a spouse /partner is especially painful. Loss comes in different guise...
Jun 20, 2022•6 min•Ep. 60
Today's short podcast is going to be a little more technical than usual. So please bear with me. I want to briefly talk about two parts of your brain. At the outset, I fully acknowledge the brain is a hugely complex organ and my explanation is also hugely inadequate. It's just a simplified explanation. The Amygdala - this responsible for processing strong emotions. The part of your brain that reacts without thinking. This capacity of the brain is necessary when you really are in a life-threateni...
Jun 19, 2022•5 min•Ep. 59
There's a very popular poem by Irish Poet, Padraic Colum, entitled, "The Drover". I remember learning it in primary school, not sure if it's still taught. It's about a Drover, usually, a man who drove cattle from the west of Ireland where the land would have been considered poor land for rearing cattle, to the rich pastures of County Meath, much flatter land. It's where life was easier, easier to rear cattle to make a living. The Drovers were usually paid a pittance for their work. Whilst readin...
Jun 18, 2022•3 min•Ep. 58
I was speaking with a colleague recently who specialises in Sports Hypnosis. She revealed to me something really very interesting. We were discussing muscle memory and the role mental rehearsal plays in our success when we plan for success. She mentioned that the brains of athletes were scanned, as they imagine and or mentally imagine themselves being successful in the sport they specialise in. Achieving way more than they ever thought possible. The interesting thing is that that very same exact...
Jun 17, 2022•2 min•Ep. 57
Keeping in tune with the theme of nature, I remember trekking in Peru, South America in the year 2005, I was fundraising for a well-known Irish Charity. Being in Peru opened my eyes, to the stunning landscapes. At one stage whilst trekking at about 4,500 metres, it looked as though I could throw a stone and hit a glacier just right in front of my eyes. It was a magnificent sight. More amazing were the Peruvian people, with big broad smiles, pleasant demeanour, welcoming. To see farmers at 4,000 ...
Jun 16, 2022•3 min•Ep. 56
When was the last time you took a break to walk in nature, like in a forest park or along the sea shore if you live near the sea shore, or even in a city park? Sit or take a leisurely walk at your own pace. Breathe through your nose and smell the air, feel the air as it caresses your face. What does the seat you are sitting in feel like, if you are sitting? How does the ground feel as you walk upon it, the sound of each step and you crunch the pathway way or perhaps you are on a sandy surface li...
Jun 15, 2022•2 min•Ep. 55
Do you think it's reasonably true to state that most people have a problem they want to be sorted? The infamous song from the movie, Sound of Music: "How do solve a problem like Maria?" Now I'm showing my age! So what? Many people have problems they want to be sorted or to find the solution to that, that has been annoying you for some time. And yet, what if the solution to most if not all of your problems lies just inside your head? Yes, inside your head, more specifically inside your unconsciou...
Jun 14, 2022•3 min•Ep. 54
I recently read the following line: The actions I take, will and will not impact on my life. It got me thinking, about how very true that line is. Hard work and dedication usually pay off. Similarly doing nothing has it pay off, also! Charting a way forward is essential if you are to get where you want to go. Follow the process, and the necessary steps. Even a commercial aircraft has to file a flight plan in order that it gets from A to B. How are you impacting your life? What would you like to ...
Jun 13, 2022•2 min•Ep. 53
Since childhood, I always wanted to learn to swim, however, due to a bad, learning to swim, experience, I left hopes of me ever learning to swim aside until I was aged 40. I did some work around my fear of water and drowning and hypnosis helped me enormously. The gym I attended had a 25-metre swimming pool and whilst I didn't take lessons per se, I splashed around hoping to find the secret to learning to swim. I recall a friend of mine happened to be in the pool alongside me one day and whilst h...
Jun 12, 2022•3 min•Ep. 52
Were you ever chatting to someone, perhaps a friend or a colleague, and after you have spoken with them, it struck you that they looked almost as though they were somewhere else? Their mind seemed preoccupied. I was speaking with a friend recently and they told me their story and that's exactly what happened to them. My friend was perplexed. He asked himself, was it something he said or did? I assured him it probably had nothing to do with him or indeed what he said. My take on it is: that we ne...
Jun 11, 2022•3 min•Ep. 51
Opening Your Mind, Opening Your Heart What does it mean to open your mind and open your heart? Are they one and the same thing or are they different? Do each want the same outcome for you or are they seeking something totally polar opposite? I'm not suggesting that you open your mind and heart to the philosophy that's against your morals and faith. And yet, are you open to the possibility that change can take place within you. What is it you want to achieve? The infamous expression attributed to...
Jun 10, 2022•2 min•Ep. 50
