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Now that January is here and the holidays are behind us it is important to remember to have self care at the top of your daily list. Here are a few simple ways to incorporate self care, quickly, into your day.

Be sure to remember to affirm what you need and want each day and be thankful for the abundance in life.

Do not short change your sleep time--you cannot make it up. If you go to bed 2 hours late tonight you can't make it up tomorrow night. Our sleep bank does not work that way. You can try a few natural methods to help with sleep apnea, insomnia, etc by trying an herbal solution, Lobelia, and other essential oils (like a Detox bath of 2C Epsom salts, 1C baking soda, 10 drops essential oils) to relax and have a more restful sleep. Try meditating for 5 minutes before bed to calm the brain and nervous system. Acupuncture is also helpful for pain that may be disrupting your sleep.

Since the tongue is the start of the digestive tract try gentle scraping in the morning to reduce toxins that build up at night. Use a metal tongue scraper before brushing teeth and prior to eating or drinking. This is important as our gut houses our immune system and anything we can do to support out gut health is a bonus.

Be sure to drink plenty of water or healthy fluids. The rule of thumb is to drink 50% of your body weight in HEALTHY fluids to stay hydrated. Our bodies are 70% water, just like the earth, so good hydration is key for cellular health. Sipping warm water throughout the day is also a good way to hydrate. Remember: we hydrate today for tomorrow.

Self massage can be very soothing to our bodies. We live in these bodies and must take care of them ourselves. It is easy to start a self massage routine at bedtime. Whatever we put on our skin is absorbed directly into the bloodstream so be sure to use organic essential oils like sesame oil, sunflower oil, or avocado oil. You can easily massage these oils into your feet which can be relaxing for the entire body due to reflexology in the foot relating to other parts of the body.

We release toxins through out skin, which is our largest organ of elimination. Dry brushing can help speed up cell turnover and recovery by brushing off dead cells. Before bathing use a dry brush to detoxify and improve lymph function. Use long brush strokes on the limbs moving toward your heart. Spend a little extra time over the lymph node areas like the armpits, neck, groin and back of the knees.

You own this body so take good care of it!

In last month's CTS eNews, Anne Shea, PT, DPT, OCS wrote an article on her personal experience with hypnosis as a preparation for surgery. It was a very informative explanation of what one experiences during the hypnotic induction and what to expect following the induction. I thought I would follow up with a Psychologists explanation of what hypnosis is and how it can be useful for a multitude of mental and physical health issues.

The roots of modern hypnotism lie with the 18th century physician Franz Mesmer a controversial figure in early medicine in Paris who interestingly was the personal physician of Marie Antoinette. Without going into a great deal of history it was later discovered that it was probably not his unusual medical practices that were giving his patients relief from their symptoms but the manner in which he related to his patients.

My interest in hypnosis began in undergraduate school when I read my first book on hypnosis. At bedtime while reading various hypnotic induction techniques I found that I was putting myself to sleep, and while I normally read a book in a few evenings it took me a few weeks to finish that book. I soon realized that I was putting myself in a hypnotic trance (self-hypnosis) after just a few pages and then falling into a natural deep sleep. That early experience with hypnosis led to my fascination with psychology and in short order, I changed my major to pursue my new interest.

All of us have experienced the feeling of being "lost in thought." Another way of thinking about hypnosis is when we were children and a parent read us a bedtime story or sung a lullaby, we were going into a trance before falling asleep. A person in a trance state is mentally focused on an image or thought and loses track of external cues. It is state of extreme relaxation and heightened suggestibility, it is under these conditions that hypnotherapists use suggestion and imagery for treating a multitude of problems that may have an underlying emotional or psychological component. Hypnosis has been used to treat chronic pain, stress, anxiety, depression, phobias, habit disorders, weight loss, smoking cessation, low self-concept and numerous other problems. Sometimes we use it to uncover forgotten or repressed memories which can be an important adjunct to more traditional psychotherapy. Hypnosis is totally safe, and most people report it as a very pleasurable experience. I am often asked the question "what if I don't wake up?" The natural state from the hypnotic state is falling into a natural sleep or being fully awake, it has never been the case that someone has not come out of a trance.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Wiesner at drmgw@comprehensivetherapy.com.

Men's Pelvic Pain Support Group
Tuesday, January 21 at 6pm