hypnotherapy

Evolution/Growth

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Evolution/Growth with Michelle A. Hardwick of Release...PeaceEvolution/Growth

Our evolution/growth is a powerful part of our lives…whether we are aware of it or not; whether we like it or not. Everything we’ve ever done in our lives, the courses, training, experiences, the pain, struggles and suffering have all guided us on our path of evolution/growth. Looking back over my life, I know my own evolution/growth has only ever been during times of crises. When things were going well, I never wanted to change anything.

Each time I found myself at a painful crossroad of some kind or another, I was ‘gently pushed’ (read:forced) to find a new solution: to grow and evolve.

Often, I’ve needed help to understand what was going on in my life from a different perspective e.g. work with other therapists using the tools of Regression, EFT, and NLP to help me ‘see the wood for the trees’.

Understanding My Evolution/Growth

As soon as I was able to understand the reason for the crisis, I then had a choice. I could release and work through my inner challenges – or not. I could let go of the many judgments I’d made about myself as well as others or remain a victim. I could process what had happened and feel compassion to the younger part of myself who did the best she could with the tools she had (or not). I could change my vibration and feel grateful for the necessary changes the crisis brought into my life. All these steps are up to me to make if I choose to take responsibility for my life and my feelings. When that is done, I can come back to reconnecting to my true nature and essence, the real me. It’s then that I take another step in my evolution/growth. Often my ego feels justified in holding onto the hurt/hatred/anger/pain but at some point I have to consider – do I want to be right or be in peace?

Evolution/Growth with Michelle A. HardwickSymptoms of Our Soul

Stubborn, lingering issues are usually symptoms of our soul. They continue to be a problem because they relate to something much deeper within ourselves. Something hidden that needs to be excavated and understood for our souls’ evolution/growth and from our souls’ perspective. Discovering the root of stubborn issues is fundamental to our development and once discovered, they facilitate our reconnection to our self, our soul, our truth. Healing is the result.

Quote

I love this quote by Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free:

“Look around you.
Everything changes.
Everything on this earth is in a continuous state of evolving, refining, improving, adapting, enhancing…changing.
You were not put on this earth to remain stagnant.”

Indeed!

Evolution/Growth with Michelle A. Hardwick of Release...PeaceContact Me

If you are tired of being stuck, feeling stagnant and are ready to make a change, then feel free to contact me by email or by phone: Ireland – 0871492338 or in the
UK – 07857369619 to set up an appointment. If you’d like to explore more but are not living in Ireland or the UK then we do work together online – I offer Skype and Zoom consultations, all from the comfort of your own home. In addition, consultations are available Thursdays in Cork City at the wonderful Natural Clinic. Book a consultation at the Natural clinic, here or call Andrew or Leonard on reception on (00353) 21 4311977 to help.

Why not talk to me first? I offer a free 15 minute chat to see if this type of process really is for you.

Kind Feedback

“Michelle A. Hardwick is one of the most inspirational & motivational practitioners I know. If you have ever met or worked with her in a private session you will know what I mean and agree with me. If you have not yet had the pleasure of doing so – then you better buckle up – because you are in for an incredible journey of personal development/evolution. Michelle’s teachings are profound, full of insight & wisdom which she has acquired over many years.”

Our Ego

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Understanding our ego with Michelle A. HardwickUnderstanding Our Ego

In many spiritual traditions our ego is seen as the false self. It’s the mask we wear in certain situations with particular people (or groups of people); or the role we ‘play’ in our lives. It is an illusion, a mirage. Often we get caught in this false, made-up ‘self-image.’ However as we peel back the layers of who we are not, we no longer need to play ‘roles’ in our lives. Instead we begin to become our real, authentic selves – who we truly are.

Lower Mind

Our ego is connected to our lower rather than our higher mind. It is our head not our heart. Esoteric Science states:

“It keeps us on autopilot; it keeps us half asleep and most of its programs (our beliefs, strategies, thought patterns, emotional reactions and automated behaviours) were initially programmed when we were very young, so many of our reactions to life are immature and inappropriate. Some of our programs were updated and re-written as we became older and more experienced, but the deeper ones were created by and created from a very young, naive, immature and inexperienced consciousness. These old patterns are responsible for most of the unnecessary suffering in our lives, but our fear of venturing into the depths of our being allows our immature core (inner child) to endure and our unnecessary suffering to continue.”

I agree.
Let’s explore some of these statements:

Understanding our ego with Michelle A. HardwickAutopilot

It “keeps us on autopilot; half asleep” – most of our self-sabotaging behaviour (known in EFT as a Psychological Reversal) stems from our ego. It does not want to move out of it’s comfort zone – even though it can be painful to remain there. Our ego resists, hates change and will fight to keep the status quo. If there is any way our ego can halt our Soul from making changes, evolving or progressing, it will. Our ego will continue to do things as it has always done, it gets what it wants by doing it that way. The ego does not want to take responsibility for itself nor have us take command of our lives, it’s too scary to change.

Reactions to Life

“Many of our immature and inappropriate ‘reactions’ in life” are from our ego. A lot of our reactions are similar to those of a small child. I’m sure you’ve witnessed this, where the ego becomes furious, shouts, cries, lies, attempts to cover up and/or defend itself. Yet the difference between adults and small children is that children are simply be-ing in the moment. As soon as the moment has passed, their attention is diverted, the reaction is forgotten and their focus is on something else. Yet adults can stew over an event, become bitter, resentful, feel justified in their behaviour, doggedly resistant to giving any apology for a reaction.

Updating Programmes

“Some of our programs were updated and re-written as we became older” – absolutely.  Programmes that no longer serve us become extinct as we add new truths or understandings. Think for a moment of the concept of the Easter Bunny or Father Christmas. We believed them as children, and now we don’t. Any outdated belief can be changed if we are ready to change and take responsibility.

Deeper Beliefs

The “deeper ones”/beliefs are often connected with emotions or feelings that are reinforced over time. Our ego collects ‘proof’ about them. It fabricates why we need them or why we can’t (or won’t) change them. We need to excavate a little deeper within the subconscious to discover the roots of these beliefs and their secondary gains either with EFT and Hypnotherapy. Often there can be nervousness around “venturing into the depths of our being” and becoming aware of our ego – for fear of what we might uncover. But nothing bad will surface only our judgement of ourselves. Our ego is not who we truly are, it’s not our truth…we are so much more than our ego. So much bigger, more amazing and more powerful than our ego would allow or have us believe. What we discover is our real self. It’s a very empowering process.

Suffering

Those with a healthy egos endure a lot of “unnecessary suffering”. Their thinking is usually that they are ‘right’ and the other person is ‘wrong’. The ego needs to be in control and so it tries to get power from the other person in order to feel powerful. At the core of our ego is insecurity, anxiety and fear. But when we are balanced, centered and calm we respond to situations and are in command of our thoughts, feelings and emotions. We don’t suffer as much. Life becomes easier.

Becoming Aware

We can identify our ego by following the trail of reactions in our lives. Understanding our ego with Michelle A. Hardwick

Remember a time when you exploded over something that another person felt was seemingly small and insignificant. Reflect on that event. Check to see whether your reaction was a bit too “over the top” for what occurred.  Instead of blaming the other person and/or the drama, think why your ego reacted. What was the belief that caused the explosion? Ask yourself honestly does that belief still serve you? Is it outdated? Here are a few ways our ego shows itself:

  • it takes things personally,
  • feels attacked wants revenge,
  • won’t/can’t forgive,
  • can’t sleep and becomes unwell,
  • remains a victim, renders itself powerless,
  • overthinks, becomes self-obsessed,
  • judges the other person/people and their behaviour.

Einstein wrote:

“The more the Knowledge
Lesser the Ego

Lesser the Knowledge
More the Ego”

Michelle A. HardwickContact Me

Are you ready to break free from the limitations of your ego? If you are, then contact me by email or by phone:
Ireland – 0871492338 or in the UK – 07857369619. Alternatively contact me by email.
If you’d like to explore more – I offer Skype and Zoom consultations, all from the comfort of your own home.

Consultations are also available in Cork City at the Natural Clinic.
Book a consultation at the Natural clinic, here or call Reception on (00353) 21 4311977

Begin your journey of self-discovery and reconnect to your powerful, real, true, authentic Self now!

Addiction

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Addiction

Addiction with Michelle A. HardwickAddiction seems to be a recurring theme in my office lately. August and so far the start of September, have been all about addictions. Those who came to see me were looking for help to overcome an addiction of some sort.

When a spate of people arrive in my office like this, it gives me chance to reflect again on what else I still carry about that particular topic (despite already having done enormous amounts of excavation work around it).
On reflection I was surprised to discover how much time I am on Facebook, my ‘non-stop-over-scheduling-work-ethic’, the need to be right/perfect/not make mistakes. Certainly food for thought – and a bit more work left to do for me.

Addiction Article

So as I considered this spate of people – a wonderful colleague and friend based in Malaysia Monika Wyss – shared an article about Addiction, prompting me to write this post.

Escape from Pain

What is clear from the article is that one of the aspects contributing to addiction is the need to escape from our pain – whether that be inside our minds, our past, from life, living, other people or ourselves. That pain we are attempting to escape from is usually unprocessed and in our past. (NB: There are numerous reasons for addiction, however in my post today, I’ll just be focusing in general, on this topic of pain).

Self-Discovery

Many years ago, I read a book written by Robin Norwood titled “Women who Love too Much”. Reading this was a turning point for me. Norwood highlighted that I really did have a problem. (Ok… I’m being modest here – not just one problem – there were loads of them). Addiction with Michelle A. HardwickHer book woke me up from my ‘Denial Slumber’. I realized a lot about my struggles and the painful past I carried. My usual patterns of running, traveling to another country, beginning another relationship doomed for failure, would no longer work. I could no longer ignore, deny or numb my pain. I knew I had to do something, to take responsibility, confront, process and more importantly CHANGE.

As I continued my journey, I began studying Neurolinguistic Programming and then the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). Two very potent therapies for me. They began to change my life for the better, helping me address and release a lot of ‘my painful stuff’. Since that time, I have spent what feels like an entire life time growing, addressing, processing and releasing my past. I have learnt a lot. Now I help others do the same – albeit in a shorter space of time!

Reclaiming our Power

Together, we look at what caused the pain. Often, there’s fear and a belief that the past will be painful to revisit, yet it doesn’t have to be that way. For me, going back to the past is a way to reconnect to our power. It gives us a chance to reclaim and heal a wounded part of ourselves, a part left in the past. It’s the part of us that when triggered, (and we all have been at some stage or other) – reacts, shouts, screams, roars and even becomes abusive. It’s the younger part of ourselves that’s been alone, fighting an inner battle since the pain first occurred.

Part of my work also entails letting go of judgments we make about ourselves (as well as other people) so we can free ourselves from shame, blame, pain and/or guilt. We get to revisit and process what happened through the eyes of the adult we now are, rather than the child we once were. We get to forgive ourselves, to set ourselves free from the prison we’ve been keeping ourselves in, and reconnect to our truth – not who we thought we were, nor who we have been told to be – but to the truth of who we really are.

A powerful journey indeed.

Changing an Addiction

Addiction Michelle A. HardwickI am humbled, when I consider the amount of courage it takes for someone to come to my office. Only when people really have had enough of their addiction, are they ready for change. It takes courage to acknowledge there is a problem, and take responsibility for it. It’s scary to contact someone to work with. Then take that next big step to book an appointment. Finally and probably the biggest achievement of all, is to turn up and make a start.

Addiction Insight

Once in my office we discuss the addiction, explore addiction triggers, release and clear away numerous issues/fears/pains/traumas that contribute to the addiction. Often we need to uncover (or rather dis-cover) more about the past using our subconscious, the deeper mind, through regression.  We travel back in time to the origin of the problem and explore the Emotional Drivers that drive the addiction.

This is a wonderfully insightful process that brings forward powerful, lost, and incredibly vital wisdom to help support change.

Freedom

Armed with new understanding about our past, the pain can be fully released and our perception changes. The final step is to re-programme the mind and strengthen the Self with positive suggestions around connection, self-esteem, confidence, safety, security. The time it takes for this process depends a lot on what occurred and what we discover. The joy and honour for me is being allowed to be a part of such a profound journey of self-discovery and be a witness as the client frees themselves from their past and reclaims their own freedom.

Help is Available

Addiction and Michelle A. Hardwick
Michelle A. Hardwick

I offer a free 15-20 minute phone/online chat if you’d like to connect with me in person before taking the step or booking an appointment.

I also facilitate weekend experiences. Two of the numerous topics covered in the next Weekend are addiction and self-esteem. Held in the beautiful grounds of the Liss Ard Estate in the Lake Lodge in West Cork, Ireland the weekend takes place on 24th & 25th September. Read more here or book your place here. A limited number of places remain.

Contact Me

To begin your journey of self-discovery contact me by phone:
Ireland – 0871492338 or in the UK – 07857369619. Alternatively contact me by email.

Consultations are also available in Cork City at the Natural Clinic. Book a consultation at the Natural clinic, here or call Reception on (00353) 21 4311977

Insomnia

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Insomnia

I have been meaning to write for a while about sleep and insomnia. So when I saw that the Guardian Newspaper recently ran a story about the former ‘Sex and the City’ star Kim Cattrall and her battle with insomnia, it spurned me into taking action. According to the Surrey Sleep Research Centre  “Sleep disorders are prevalent, with approximately 10 to 20 per cent of the European and US population reporting frequent sleep disruption.” That’s a lot of people awake at night. So what’s happening?

Insomnia and feeling Safe

We sleep best when we feel safe and content. Worrying e.g. about our difficulties at work, our relationships, things we have to get done tomorrow – won’t help us fall asleep. Worrying actually accelerates our brain sending our mind into overdrive, our body tenses up, we hold our breath and stress hormones are excreted. Instead of sleeping we prepare to ‘fight or flight’ and we therefore suffer from what is known as insomnia.

Frustration fuels Insomnia

Insomnia
Insomnia

The fight continues when we lie in bed for hours getting stressed and more annoyed with ourselves. We add salt to our wounds by watching the clock – calculating (still more brain stimulation) – how many hours we have left until we have to get up. When we wake the next day, we feel exhausted, irritated and annoyed. Instead of bouncing out of bed refreshed, we feel frustrated and tired. Then we use coffee, chocolate or sugary drinks to keep ourselves awake. We begin negatively programming our mind with statements like: “I won’t be able to sleep tonight”, “I’ll be awake all night just like last night” etc. etc. As night falls we start to worry more and again our levels of stress increase. This quickly becomes a pattern.

Insomnia and Stress

Our sleep is directly affected by stress. It is impossible to solve stress with stress. Feeling insecure creates stress, feeling secure naturally counteracts stress. What is also important is to be relaxed during the day, to change our beliefs and habits about sleep.

Switch Off & Relax

Try this simple exercise. It’s a great way to turn off the activity in your nervous system and relax for a brief moment:

Switching Off For a Moment – Turn your phone off for 5 minutes. Sit with your back upright and put both your feet on the floor. Take a deep breath (a deep one right down into your belly). Let your shoulders drop. Breathe deeply again. Focus on your jaw, part your jaw, relax your tongue and mouth. Continue to breathe deeply from your belly/abdomen for about 3 to 5 breaths and close your eyes. Just be still for a few more moments. Then open your eyes, have a sip of water…and notice how you feel. [Remember to turn your phone back on too].

Hypnotherapy and Insomnia

Changing Insomnia with Michelle A. Hardwick
Sleep like a baby

I have to admit I love my job. My passion is helping clients relax and let go of stress. During a consultation for insomnia we spend time discussing a variety of potent strategies to help clients prepare for sleep. Then together we create positive suggestions that are integrated into a tailor-made hypnotherapy MP3 recording to re-programme the mind away from insomnia towards sleeping deeply through the night. Changing a habit takes more than one day, so continued listening of this recording is essential. As with all new skills, be persistent – some people notice immediate relief, others after a week or more.

It is possible to change your mind, your sleep behaviour and patterns. If you struggle with insomnia are unable to get to sleep, or wake up regularly during the night, or are disturbed by someone snoring while you sleep, help is at hand.  Contact me to take your first step towards being able to sleep like a baby again!

Kind Feedback
My thanks to Jody (not her real name) for her kind feedback:
“I have had a huge shift in that I AM OFF MY SLEEP MEDS AFTER 1 and half yrs. I can’t describe the feeling of utter joy and empowerment I have since the last 2 days. It means so much to be finally in control of my life. That was the last piece of the puzzle I needed to fit in the ‘my empowerment series’. I can’t thank you enough.”

Change Insomnia Michelle A. Hardwick helps you Sleep Deeply
Michelle A. Hardwick

Contact

To free yourself from insomnia contact me Michelle A. Hardwick for a consultation either in person in the UK: Phone – 07857369619 or in Ireland: Phone – 0871492338.

Alternatively contact me, Michelle here to book your private consultation via Skype/Zoom.