New Treatment (Biofeedback and Clinical Hypnosis) Capitalizes on Autism’s Unique Characteristics

An innovative method to treat children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder attempts to turn their symptoms into strengths.

Dr. Laurence Sugarman, a pediatrician and researcher at Rochester Institute of Technology has developed a treatment method that teaches affected children how to control their psychophysiology and behavior using computerized biofeedback and clinical hypnosis.

The methods are tied to learning to self-regulate the autonomic nervous system —including the fight or flight mechanism — that, for many people with autism, is an engine idling on high.

“Teaching kids with autism spectrum disorder skills in turning down their fight or flight response and turning up the opposite may fundamentally allow them to be more socially engaging, decrease some of the need for cognitive rigidity and repetitive behaviors and, more importantly, allow them to feel better,” said Sugarman.

Sugarman’s model is presented in an article, “Symptoms as Solutions: Hypnosis and Biofeedback for Autonomic Regulation in Autism Spectrum Disorder” published in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis.

The model underlies three ongoing projects at the center involving different age groups: teaching coping skills to students with anxiety or autism; developing a computer-based role-playing game using autonomous biofeedback for teenagers; and creating a new service and research program for family members with autism.

The latter, called the Parent Effectiveness Program, began this fall and will repeat in the spring. The study trains parents of young children diagnosed with autism and measures results of their training on the behaviors of their affected children.

Sugarman developed his method in response to the rise in autism spectrum disorders over the last 30 years. Instead of trying to change the symptoms associated with autism, his approach recognizes the symptoms as an effort to self-regulate inner turmoil.

The treatment integrates autonomic biofeedback and clinical hypnosis into his therapy. Sensors attached to his patients measure respiration, perspiration, heart rate and variation, and blood flow/circulation.

Children with autism learn to correlate the signals and visual representations displayed on the computer screen (the “Dynamic Feedback Signal Set”) with their emotions.

During therapy sessions, the children practice changing their feedback response and learn to manipulate their own internal wiring.

Sugarman uses clinical hypnosis to generalize and internalize feedback techniques —discerning situations and controlling their responses — into their daily lives.

“Hypnosis is a 250-year-old Western study of how social influence and internal physiology can be changed,” he said. “Mindfulness is a slice of this.”

“We think we can make a big difference for young people with autism spectrum disorder,” Sugarman said. “The need is there.”

Source: Rochester Institute of Technology

All retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/11/26/new-treatment-approach-capitalizes-on-autisms-unique-characteristics/62535.html

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Post by MPC.

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Easy weight loss: The 'virtual gastric band'

A woman lost a staggering 6.5 stone after being hypnotised into thinking she had been fitted with a gastric band.
Janice Rodgers, 46, tipped the scales at 17st 7lbs and became desperate to find a solution.
When she researched weight loss surgery online she stumbled upon a website about a ‘virtual band’- a treatment that hypnotises you into believing your stomach has shrunk in size.

When she came to after the first treatment she was in disbelief the hypnosis had worked but gradually began to lose weight, slimming down to a trim 11st in just seven months after the treatment made her physically unable to eat unhealthy foods.
She stopped eating junk food like crisps and fried chicken and embarked on a two week plan of just liquids and gradually introduced solid food over time.
Janice lost a staggering 12lbs in her first week and dropped from size 22 to size 12 in seven months thanks to the virtual gastric band.
She has since stuck to a diet of salads, fruit, healthy wholegrains and and lean, grilled meat and still listens to mp3 recordings of her sessions to keep her motivated.

Janice, a care worker from Manchester, said: 'I had been overweight for 23 years, since the birth of my son, and tried everything to lose weight.
'I signed up for weekly weight loss classes but any weight I lost I would just put straight back on.
'I started going to Zumba classes with two slim friends but by the end of each session I was gasping for air.
'I knew I needed to do something about it so I logged onto the computer and looked up gastric bands without telling anyone.
'I was shocked with the amount of websites I found, but among them was Andrew’s which mentioned a hypnotic band.
'After researching that I decided to book an appointment, the price was reasonable and I though I would just give it a go.
'I decided not to tell anyone because I felt like a fool but I was just so desperate to lose weight.
'When I first went I thought it would be a load of rubbish and I felt no different until I went home and tried to eat something but it felt like chewing carpet.
'I thought I had better look at the eating plan, which was just liquid for two weeks and then gradually worked up to solid food.
'After eating a lot over the years I didn’t think I could do it but I found it so easy and never felt hungry at all.
'The weight came off so fast and in my first week I dropped 12lbs. I still can’t believe I have reached a size 12 and I sometimes do pick up my old size in the shops.

'My partner, Steve Kirkham, is really proud of me.'
Andrew Nelson said: 'The virtual gastric mind band is made up of cognitive behavioural therapy, neuro-linguistic programming, and mental preparation.
'The treatment begins with an initial discussion where I ask people to visualise themselves as they want to be and we talk about healthy eating.
'People eat for a variety of different reasons and once we have realised the cause I then put them under hypnosis and reaffirm what we have talked about.'

靠少吃跟多運動瘦身已經不是新鮮話題，現在英國出現了號稱用催眠的方法就可以讓人成功減重，聽起來不免讓人半信半疑，但英國的46歲婦人羅傑斯（Janice Rodgers）就是成功靠催眠療法，在7個月內甩掉40公斤肥肉。

根據英國《鏡報》（Mirror News）報導，羅傑斯自從23年前生下兒子之後，就胖到111公斤，雖然她也很想要減掉身上的贅肉，卻總是不得其門而入。過去也曾參加過減重班，並與朋 友一起參加「 Zumba 舞蹈」的課程，但她不是復胖過快，就是因體力無法負荷而半途而廢，難以成功瘦下來。

後來她轉而在網路上查詢以胃間隔手術來控制食量的減肥方式，卻意外發現「仿真胃間隔」療法（The virtual gastric mind band），這種由心理治療師為肥胖者做催眠，進而減少其食量的瘦身方法。羅傑斯在不敢告訴親友的情況下，花了270英鎊（台幣1.25萬元）參加此療 程，並在第一堂課後，就奇蹟似地使她不再喜愛高熱量的垃圾食物，甚至表示那些東西吃起來就像在嚼地毯。

經過1周的催眠療法後，羅傑斯就成功瘦下了5.4公斤，7個月後成功瘦下40公斤。心理治療師安德魯尼爾森（Andrew Nelson）表示，他此套催眠瘦身法是針對人的認知行為、神經語言編程和心理狀態去做調整，第一堂課都從想像自己瘦身成功的模樣，以及擁有健康飲食型態 的過程開始，逐步調整肥胖者的心理。

Sources:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2233302/Woman-46-loses-6-5-stone-hypnotised-believing-fitted-gastric-band.html#ixzz2xuX8ms1T

How acidic foods affect the body?

Read already? Yes, that's right.
So, how to correct high acid pH with high alkali foods?

Maintaining the correct pH balance in your body is very important to overall health. If your body's pH is highly acidic most of the time, you can increase your risk for a variety of diseases. A pH balance of 0 to 6 is acid, a pH balance of 7 is neutral, and a pH balance of 8 to 14 is alkaline. If you have been eating a lot of acidic foods, you can adjust the balance by learning how to correct high acid pH with high alkali foods.

Steps

1.Use a pH testing strip to test your pH balance. You can either test your urine or saliva. Test 60 minutes before eating a meal and 2 hours after eating. This will give you the best range of pH. Test twice a week.

• Testing the pH of your urine will show how well your body is able to remove acids and maintain optimal amounts of minerals that protect the body from becoming too acidic. The "buffer minerals" include sodium, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. If you are acidic, then your body is not doing a good job at using the minerals to protect against the acid, because there is too much acid in your body. For a healthy range, your urine pH should be between 6.0 and 6.5 when you test in the morning, and between 6.5 and 7.0 when you test in the evening.
• Testing the pH of your saliva will help show digestive enzyme activity in the body. For a healthy range, your saliva pH should remain between 6.5 and 7.5 all day.

2.Eat a variety of alkaline foods. This might include green juice, vegetable juice, fruit juice, garlic, berries, oranges, bananas, kale, pumpkins, squash, peas, green tea, and most other fruits and vegetables. These foods may help reduce the acid in your bloodstream and should be a major part of correcting pH balance with food.

3. Change your diet. Eat more alkaline foods and less acidic foods. Acidic foods may include meat (animal protein), dairy, wheat, rice, and cranberries.

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4. Check your medications, as certain medications can cause your pH balance to be acidic. If you are not sure, speak to your doctor. If the medication is necessary and you cannot avoid it, you may help combat the acidic pH by eating alkaline foods.

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5. Monitor your stress level, as stress can be a cause of acidic pH balance. If you made dietary changes and included less acidic foods in your diet and still notice a high acid pH balance, stress could be the culprit. Utilize stress reduction techniques to help reduce acidity.

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Do you know?

• The amount of acid in a food does not reflect how it will impact the acidity of your blood. For example, highly acidic lemon actually helps the bloodstream become more alkaline.
• Most people benefit from eating a diet comprised of 75% alkaline foods and 25% acidic foods.

All retrieved from http://www.wikihow.com/Correct-High-Acid-pH-With-High-Alkali-Foods

[疗法小分享]Applied Psychophysiology

[疗法小分享]

与你分享一些不那么为人知晓的疗法。

如果你认为身边的某人情绪不佳又有忧郁倾向，既不是内科疾病，也不是严重到被认为是精神病的程度。但他又抗拒去见任何类型的治疗师，你可以推荐他来个脑力训练（我的方法是使用Applied Psychophysiology方法并结合临床催眠疗法）。

根据我的经验，这不难被说服；谁不想要提升专注力，IQ或记忆力呢？

针对脑部的训练，除了可以提升IQ能力，增强专注力记忆力等；

根据不同的脑部部位进行针对性训练下，研究显示还能够改善忧郁症呢！让人的情绪变得更正面。我有不少顾客在训练后，家人或有人都会发现他们的情绪都变得正面许多。

我所使用的疗法除了有许多研究论文支持，美国心理学会 (American Psychological Association)也肯定其为Proficiencies in Professional Psychology。

Clinical Hypnotherapy can help with Migraines

Article by Natural News

A migraine is a debilitating form of a headache. Many people suffer from migraines. Various triggers can produce the onset of a migraine. However, reducing the likelihood of a migraine occurring and getting rid of one once it occurs, can be challenging. Studies have been conducted showing that hypnotherapy can be quite beneficial to the migraine sufferer. In many studies, hypnosis has been shown to be more beneficial than medications.

Common triggers of migraines include hormonal changes, stress, food, changes in sleep patterns, medications, and changes in the surrounding environment. Symptoms of migraines vary from person to person, but many people report moderate to severe pain that pulsates, worsens with physical activity and interferes with day-to-day activity, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and/or sound, and sometimes experiencing auras. A migraine can last for 4 to 72 hours, but frequency varies greatly.

One study compared the effect of hypnotherapy versus the prescription medication prochlorperazine (Stemetil). The study consisted of 47 participants who reported feedback every month for a year. They reported number of attacks per month, severity of attacks, and complete remission. Results of the study showed that those who received hypnotherapy reported far fewer migraine attacks compared to those who received medication. Out of 23 participants who received hypnotherapy, 10 of them ceased to experience migraines. Out of the 24 participants who used medication, 3 of them ceased to experience migraines.

Another study reported the benefits of behavioral therapy. These approaches include relaxation, biofeedback, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and hypnosis. Hypnosis can help migraine sufferers avoid triggers such as controlling stress and avoiding certain foods.

Two hypnotherapy techniques used in treating migraines include the hand warming and glove anesthesia. These techniques put migraine sufferers in control of their pain by helping them transfer warmth or numbness to their head where their head hurts. These techniques were shown to be more beneficial than simple relaxation exercises. This study concluded that medication is ineffective in treating chronic migraines and supports psychological treatment because there are no side effects.

These studies show that hypnotherapy and natural methods of treating migraine headaches are more effective than using medication. The fact that hypnosis has no side effects and many prescription medications have many side effects makes hypnotherapy a more natural and safe approach to treating migraines. In addition to no side effects, many studies have shown that the effects of hypnosis are more lasting and beneficial compared to the use of medication.
Sources

Anderson, J.A., Basker, M.A., & Dalton, R. (1975). Migraine and hypnotherapy. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 23(1), 48-58.
Heap, M. (1988). Hypnosis: current clinical, experimental and forensic practices. Taylor & Francis.
Sandor, P.S. & Afra, J. (2007). Nonpharmacologic treatment of migraine. Current Pain and Headache Reports, 9(3), 202-205.

NHS study tests effectiveness of 'hypnobirthing'

For more info: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13451452

NHS should offer hypnosis as standard says new report

For more info:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13664587

抑郁症患者容易引发心脏病

[抑郁症患者容易引发心脏病]
美国哥伦比亚大学研究人员在最新出版的《美国心脏病学院周刊》上报告说，他们在1992年至2004年间对6.3万名妇女进行了跟踪研究。研究开始时，被调查者中没有心脏病患者，但近8%的人患严重抑郁症。

12年后，研究人员发现，患抑郁症的妇女要比其他妇女更容易患心脏病，前者发生心脏病猝死的几率要比后者高两倍。研究还发现，在患抑郁症的妇女中，因病情严重而服用抗抑郁症药物的妇女更容易发生心脏病猝死。

研究人员由此推断，抑郁症越严重，患者的心脏就越容易受到伤害，因此发生猝死的可能性也就越大。

Adele visits hypnotherapist to cure stage fright

Adele has visited a hypnotherapist to cure herself of stage fright, according to a tabloid report.

The singer is confirmed to perform her James Bond theme 'Skyfall' at this year's Oscar ceremony and, according to The Sun, she's getting intensive hypnotherapy treatment so that she can overcome her fears to play.

A source told the newspaper: "A friend in LA recommended the hypnotherapist because Adele was getting so nervous about the gig. She has been rehearsing for the show with an orchestra, but all the preparation in the world isn't enough to keep her calm. She was so nervous before last year's Grammys that she was sick before going on stage. She doesn’t want a repeat of that."

Adele will be performing the title track from the twenty third Bond movie at this year's Oscar ceremony, which takes place in LA on February 26. Barbara Streisand is also scheduled to perform at the annual Hollywood event.

Last month, Adele picked up a Golden Globe for 'Skyfall'. Taking to the stage to collect her award for best original song, she said: "Oh my God. Oh my God. Honestly, I've come out for a night out with my friend. We're new Mums. We've literally come for a night out, I was not expecting this."

The 2013 Academy Awards take place on Sunday, February 24 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

All retrieved from NME.com

Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/adele/68506#ClqPX5Yc9idLfJ31.99