Difficulty Sleeping??

Having difficulty sleeping?? Here are some ways to get a better night sleep.

It's 2 am and you are tossing and turning wondering when and if you are going

to fall asleep tonight. It is something that happens to most people from time to time but

it begins to affect your life once it goes from an occasional to more frequent. An

estimated 30-50 % of the population suffer from short term insomnia and about 10%

suffer from chronic insomnia. Insomnia is considered chronic after a duration of 3

weeks.

Having a good night of sleep is essential for our physical, mental and emotional

well being. Lack of sleep has been linked to everything from stress and obesity to

disrupted thought patterns. Insomnia effects our mood, our work and our appetite. It

can affect our driving, concentration and memory. A good night sleep is not a luxury, it

is a necessity.

The good news is that there is help!

The first steps to fight insomnia are to create a stress free environment in your

bedroom. With our intense connection to technology this can be very challenging. I

have heard many people say, "I wish I would have read that email tomorrow morning,

it kept me up all night". Learning when to shut off the computer, cell phone and

television are crucial to getting a good night's sleep. Electronics stimulate our mind

and keep us in an alert state which can disrupt our sleep. An activity such as reading is

much more effective in having a good night sleep than an activity that has to do with

electronics before or even in bed. Also, making sure your room is completely dark and

at a comfortable temperature for you. Keeping a notepad and pen near your bed can

also be helpful if there are ideas or concerns that are keeping you up. You can them

just jot them down and know restfully that they will be waiting for you to think about

tomorrow.

A wonderful technique with no side effects that has been proven to help with

insomnia is hypnosis. Hypnosis for insomnia is extremely effective and has long

lasting results. It is easy, painless and has positive results that go way beyond getting

a good night's sleep. Not only will you have more pleasant dreams but you will begin

to remember them more often as well. If you are suffering from insomnia, set up an

appointment for Hypnotherapy at Mind Therapy Group and rest assure that you will

soon be getting a great night's sleep!

Written by:  Mina Sulkowski, LMHC
Email: mina@mindtherapygroup.com

Lose WEIGHT with HYPNOSIS!!

The journey into weight loss begins in the mind, more importantly the unconscious mind. Everybody knows the scientific, research based steps to lose weight, right? Eating less calories and exercising more. So why is this simple concept so challenging to follow? Unfortunately, the unconscious mind gets in the way.

*The unconscious mind is that part of yourself that holds memories, values and your belief system.
*The unconscious is vast with information, where the conscious part of your mind is limited. Imagine an iceberg, the conscious mind is the tip of the iceberg, where the unconscious part is the rest.
*You may consciously want to lose weight but, somewhere in your unconscious mind you are stuck.
*That unconscious part of you may not feel like you deserve it, you may have a false belief that food is your only source of comfort or you may have an insecurity about receiving praise and attention.
*There are millions of unconscious reasons that have kept people overweight and none have to do with consciously wanting to be fat.

The struggle to lose weight doesnt have to exist any longer. Losing weight does not mean that you have to go on a restricted unpleasant diet, eat frozen foods or take pills or shots with harsh side effects. What years of negative experiences, memories and beliefs created, hypnosis can undo. The process of hypnosis, or focused attention, has been researched and proven to aid in weight loss. You can reach your ideal weight effortlessly through the power of your Unconscious mind.

Written by: Denise Wasmer, MHC, C.Ht

Email: denise@mindtherapygroup.com

Do You Suffer from PANIC ATTACKS!!!

Do you suffer from panic attacks? A panic attack could happen without a warning. It happens when something triggers a feeling of intense fear that is followed by physical reactions that in most cases includes:

• heart palpitations
• shortness of breath
• sweating of hands
• feeling weak, faint or dizzy
• tingling or numbness in the hands
• chest pains
• blurred vision
• feeling a loss of control

The fear and terror that a person experiences during a panic attack are not in proportion to the true situation and may be unrelated to what is happening around them.  People who have had one panic attack are at greater risk for having subsequent panic attacks than those who have never experienced a panic attack.

What is the solution????
It's all about control! When your mind feels that it has lost control over a situation you will panic. As soon as you feel you are in control again, you'll stop the attacks. Hypnosis works directly with your mind to find out the cause of the attack and to reestablish the sense of balance and control you need to stop suffering from panic attacks once and for all.

With the help of self hypnosis / hypnotherapy you can learn to recognise the feelings that precede your panic attacks and release the hold they have on your life. There is a safe place in which to face these things. A place where you can go any time you wish and truly relax.

Written by: Laraine Marques, C.Ht
email: laraine@mindtherapygroup.com

Get out of GRIEF!!!

Get out of grief and back to life! The lost of a loved one could be devastating emotionally and physically. To grieve is a process of adjusting yourself to deal with absence of a loved one. The grieving process doesn't happen only after the death of someone we love; it also takes place after a divorce, or breakup. Grief can last a few months or even many years, it is up to how fast we accept the disappearance of the other person that the healing can then take place. Sometimes it is hard to accept that the person we love so much is no longer with us. We find ourselves angry, loss, frustrated & confused. Simply because we have not been able to cope with the feeling of abandonment, or rejection. There are ways in which to deal with said feelings.

Hypnosis has ways to bring comfort to your mind by teaching you to think and see other perspectives. Once you take the burden off everything will flow in perfect balance, and you will be able to get out of grief and back to life. So whether your grief is due to the loss of a loved one or simply a break up or divorce, do know that you do not have to go through this process alone.

Written by: Laraine Marques, C.Ht
Email: laraine@mindtherapygroup.com

Sibling Rivalry

Sibling rivalry has been around since the beginning of time but that doesn’t mean that it has to take place in your home. While a certain amount of competition is healthy, sibling rivalry can end up being hurtful to not only the children involved but to the family as a whole. This is often because while there is a fight or disagreements taking place, the children tend to want to include either or both parents in order for them to insure that “justice” is being served. This will put the parents in a compromising position which will force them to see who is “right” and who is “wrong”. It is common for children to become masters at knowing exactly what to say to their parents in order to try to get them to take their side. Once a scenario such as that takes place, it often leads to anger, hurt and even resentment. One of the children may begin saying, “You always take his/her side”. And over time this constant blaming of each other wears down the parents.

Many times after a long days work, it can be very frustrating to have to become a referee over who gets to sit in the front seat on the car ride home. What it comes down to is that what children really want and need is their parent’s attention. On the surface, the fights can be about who gets the remote control or who the “favorite child” is. But unconsciously the children are demanding attention from their parents.

           

So how do already busy parents go about giving even more attention and time to their children when they often may not have enough time to get through their day’s checklist? Well, the good news is that the quality of the time that is spent with their children far outweighs the quantity of the time. Quality time can be spent doing just about anything from going for a walk together to making a puzzle together. But the main factor is that the activity has to be done with each child individually and the parents must give their total attention and focus to that child during the activity. In order to achieve this it can be helpful to turn off the cell phone and also arrange for the other children to be occupied doing a separate activity for that time. For example, if your daughter wants to bake cookies tonight, this would be a great opportunity for quality time. So once the distractions are put aside, the quality time can begin. During this special time with your child, it is a great time to get them to open up to you as well. A great way to facilitate that is by asking them about things that interest them. Another way is by asking them to tell you a funny thing that happened in school that day. Children know when they have your undivided attention and this approach also helps improve the communication with your child as well.

           

Once these quality time activities begin, they will become a time that all the family members will look forward too. These activities often need to be planned in advance because of busy schedules but if one quality time activity is scheduled for each child weekly you will begin to see the positive changes in all relationships in the family. Each child will feel important and special and this will lead to them not feeling the need to compete with their sibling for your attention.

Written By: Mina Sulkowski, LMHC

Email: mina@mindtherapygroup.com

How to Handle Temper Tantrums

The terrible twos don’t have to be so terrible after all. It can be difficult when your child begins to have temper tantrums. It is especially stressful when they happen in public. It causes stress levels to rise which in turn raises them in the child as well. There are many ways to handle these tantrums but I would like to discuss one way that has shown to be very successful. Although this technique is more challenging on the onset. Over time it will not only reduce the amount of tantrums but the severity of them as well.

Well, to get started, you and your family (everyone in your child’s life) have to begin to ignore his bad behavior. And only give attention when they are behaving "good".

I know this is so easy to say and so difficult to do, but I promise it works!

Now if they are having a tantrum the steps that you should take are:

-Make sure that you are calm (Take a moment if you need it)

-Pick them up gently and move them to another area (where they can't hurt themselves).

-Sit them down and completely ignore them, Looking at them counts as attention!

-Once they are calm, you can approach them and say this "I know that you are feeling ____ because of   _______ . It is okay to feel ________ but it is not ok to _______.

Example: “I know you are feeling angry because Tommy took your toy. It is okay to feel angry but it is not okay to scream and throw things.

-Then you drop the subject and move on.

And remember you can never praise them enough when they are behaving well!

Another major part of this process is that since parents are only human and at times get angry as well, it is important that if and when parents lose their temper, they say the same phrase that you tell them when they have their tantrum.

For example: Mommy is feeling angry because that driver took mommy’s parking space. It is okay for mommy to feel angry but it is not ok for mommy to scream names at that car. Mommy is sorry.  This way as parents you are modeling the same behavior and there are no mixed messages sent to your child. It is also important for every adult that interacts with your child to follow these same steps. What often happens if one parent follows these techniques and the other doesn’t is that the child will start to only have the tantrums with the parent that doesn’t. That is usually enough motivation for all adults in the family to use these techniques.

Using these techniques will help ease your child’s terrible twos and continuing these techniques in modified ways throughout your child’s life will motivate your child to behave appropriately because they want to, not out of fear of being punished.

Written by: Mina Sulkowski, LMHC

Email: mina@mindtherapygroup.com

           

           

The ABC's of a Healthy Divorce

With over 40% of first marriages ending in divorce in the United States, it’s no wonder that much attention has been placed on this very difficult process. Divorce is an extremely difficult process which not only affects the couple getting the divorce but also their children, family, friends and even co-workers. While many divorces contain sadness over the loss and concern for the future, unfortunately, many divorces also contain anger, resentment, bitterness and frustration.

It is possible to have a good divorce, or at least one that is done in a healthier way. Here are some ABC's of a Healthy Divorce

(A) Good communication

(B) Emotional closure

(C) Trust

While it is challenging to achieve a healthier divorce, it is indeed possible. One way that has shown to increase this possibility is to involve as little influence from their attorneys and the court system as possible. In many cases it is necessary but it has shown that about 99% of all divorces are settled before the official trial. But, the settlement does not usually occur until the lawyers of both parties have developed the case for this trial. The development of the case is where the couple suffers a great deal financially and emotionally. A different option that has shown to keep this type of suffering to a minimum is by the use of divorce mediation. Using a divorce mediator has shown to keep conflict to a minimum because it comes with the understanding that the couple is eager to resolve the issues of divorce as peacefully and fairly as possible. This also in turn is a more financially feasible option since both parties are not paying for attorneys and therefore not exhausting their finances.

All divorces are challenging but there are additional strenuous challenges when there are children involved. Ways to a healthier divorce when there are children involved are by:

-Neither spouse speaking negatively of each other in front of the children.

-Family members and friends agreeing not to speak negatively of either spouse as well.

-Putting the needs of the children, including visitation rights, in front of the needs of the adults.

-Showing the children that there is no ill feeling between the couple by having friendly interactions in their presence.

Divorce overall is a very challenging and difficult experience but when handled in a healthy way can be easier on everyone involved. This will not only result in the current process going more smoothly but the future as well.

Written by:

Mina Sulkowski, LMHC

Email: mina@mindtherapygroup.com

Want to help increase your childs SELF-ESTEEM??

Having a healthy self -esteem is important for everyone in every stage of their life and it begins developing during our childhood. With all of the obstacles that children have to face from peer pressure, society pressure and even media pressure it can be especially challenging to develop and maintain a healthy self-esteem. As parents, you have a very important and powerful role in this development.

Each child is different and unique, with their own individual talents, interests and skills. Not all children excel in the same categories but that does not mean that each one shouldn't be praised and rewarded showing importance and value.

Here are some ways to help boost their self-esteem:

·       If your child has a talent such as playing a sport, an instrument, art or any related, show an interest in their talent, supporting this would be a wonderful way to boost their self-esteem. Not only is it a fantastic way for them to stimulate and further develop certain areas of their brain but it is also a great way for the them to express themselves resulting in feeling special which all leads to a healthy self-esteem.

·       Another way to help your child boost their self-esteem is by praising their efforts. For example, not all children excel in Math, but if you see your child trying to improve in this subject it is as equally important to praise and value effort.

     The goal is for them to feel good enough about themselves to know that they can trust their own judgment when faced with different situations that involves any such pressures.

Written by:  Mina Sulkowsky, LMHC

Email: mina@mindtherapygroup.com

Do you talk to yourself?? Maybe its time you should

Do you talk to yourself? Did you know that you should? 

Yes, you should talk to yourself every day, as often as you can.  It’s called “self-talk”.  You should talk to yourself in a positive, loving, caring manner, to reassure your mind how unique, smart, and perfect you are. 

Always talk to yourself in present time, not in future time. For example:  “I achieve all my goals with ease” instead of “I will learn to achieve my goals”.  This is an excellent technique that with practice will help you to maintain positive at all times & lift your self-esteem. 

We've all heard of self-fulfilling prophecy, well every time you talk to yourself in a negative way you are increasing the chance of not only making it real but also of believing it. If you say it enough times, you will believe it.

 

Possitive affirmations is also a great exercise to bring help you speak mor epositively about yourslef. Learn how to talk to yourself, practice it for a while, and see the incredible results in a few weeks. 

Here are a few positive self-talk affirmations for you to practice on:

• I can do it
• Nothing is impossible for me
• Im feeling great today & everyday
• Today is a new beginning
• I believe in myself
• My life is full of opportunities

Written by: Laraine Marques, C.Ht

Email:  laraine@mindtherapygroup.com

Do you want to stop a habit? Biting your nails, compulsive shopper, or excessiveness of anything at all?

Do you want to stop a habit? Biting your nails, compulsive shopper, or excessiveness of anything at all?

Here's a tip to clear your mind and put everything in order; your priorities, your needs, and your wants! 

Once you have accepted the unwanted behavior, it is easy to make your mind understand that it is time to let go and replace that behavior with a positive healthier one but first ask yourself these 2 simple questions......... 

1. Does biting your nails really keep you from showing fear or anxiety? 

2. Does buying everything you see makes you feel appreciated or loved? 

A habit can give you a false sense of security, if that’s what you are basing your life on…then it is all fake, just part of your false reality.  Do you want to live in a world where your feelings and ideas are an illusion?  I don’t think so! 

You don’t deserve to have hands you are ashamed of, or to be broke at the end of every week!  It’s time you do something that is really rewarding for you!  Hypnosis will help you let go of those habits.  What’s keeping you from doing so, you probably havent considered HYPNOSIS have you?  Maybe its time you did. Hypnosis will help get rid of all your unwanted habits in just a few sessions, its easy, fun & it works.

By: Laraine Marques, CH.t

laraine@mindtherapygroup.com

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Understanding Your Recurring Dreams!!

Do you have recurrent dreams? Are you dreaming the same or similar things over & over again. Perhaps this has been happening now for some time. You try to forget it, dismiss it as "unimportant". What if there's more to your dreams.

Everyone dreams, but few people find sufficient interest in their dreams to move beyond mere curiosity. Exploring these aspects, however, can help provide insight.

In order to understand your dreams better you should try a Past Life Regression!  With a (PLR) Past Life Regressions you can discover if your “recurrent dream” is actually a memory hunting you from another life time.  Perhaps this dreams continues to linger because it has a lesson for you to unleash in order to resolve an issue in your present life.  In many occasions there many answers being revealed in your dreams connecting you to a previous life experience.

After you touch on that memory through a (PLR) your mind will be able to distinguish between the past and the present, and that dream will be put to rest once and for all. Give it a try!  You’ll love the experience!

Blog by: Laraine Marques, C.Ht 

Email:laraine@mindtherapygroup.com                                                                             

Are you spending more than you make in order to feel better?

Are you spending more than you make in order to feel better? 


Is it hard for you to cut down now that our economy is not at its best? Do you know what’s wrong with you? You are having problems adapting to a new trend of life. Somehow some of us have learned to believe that spending is a reward and it is the only external pleasure we get to feel good about ourselves. 

Hypnosis will train your mind to think different and to maintain the will power not to over spend.  Hypnosis works deeply with your unconscious mind to establish new patterns in your habits, creating a new conception about the way you shop, invest, or gamble.  Hypnosis helps by “teaching” your mind that you are not the person you used to be a few years ago, that for now you need to cut down on your expenses, and most important to identify your “needs” and your “wants”.  You will also learn of other external stimulus that could be a substitute for the ‘reward’ you are seeking. Give yourself a chance to make a positive change and you’ll see how this ‘financial hardship’ will slowly get better and better until you’re back on your feet again!

By: Laraine Marques, C.Ht

email: laraine@mindtherapygroup.com

Stressed out to the MAX!!!!!!!!!!

Are you stressed?  Frustrated? Wish you could escape from work, home, kids, spouse, for at least an hour?  Well you can with hypnosis! 

Under hypnosis you can bring your mind and body to perfect harmony.  You deserve time for yourself to be free and to let go! As your mind disconnects from all the stressors in your life your body lets go of the physical pressure in your muscles and you achieve a perfect state of relaxation at a much deeper level than going to a spa. Why?  Because when you go to the spa you relax while you are receiving a body massage maybe your mind wonders off for a few minutes but once you are out on the street your worries come back to you and you end up feeling physically better but not mentally relaxed. 

With hypnosis you experience your relaxation at a deeper level because you visualize your body relaxing and your stressors fading away slowly.  We cannot take your problems away but we leave you at a mental state where you can deal with them when the time comes without over worrying before time.  Wouldn’t you like to learn how to worry less?  Of course you do!  Come over, and give it a try today, you’ll be 100 times more relaxed than ever!

Written by: Laraine Marques, C.Ht

email: laraine@mindtherapygroup.com

Hypnosis can help with FCAT

FCAT SPECIAL $50/ session- FCAT Only

Parents!  FCAT testing is near! 

Did you know that hypnosis can help your child concentrate and remember facts that will help him/her pass the FCAT?  According to William Glasser, internationally recognized psychiatrist, we Learn 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, 70% of what we discuss, 80% of what we experience, 95% of what we teach others.

Now you do the math!  Your child is exposed to an estimate of 8 hours or instruction based mainly on the teacher talking and the students reading.  At the end of the day he/she learned only 30% of what he/she was exposed to. Can you blame your child for scoring low on a test? No! Hypnosis makes a difference because we open the mind to combine what he/she hears with visualizations, and two way discussions.  Your child will be combining all the experiences he/she has and will be able to apply his/her knowledge up to 90%. 

It’s just a matter of activating the knowledge thru the subconscious mind under a hypnotic state that will leave him/her relaxed and confident.  It doesn’t hurt; there are no side effects, no pills to take, just an improvement that will make a difference. 

Bring your kids in for a Hypnosis session to get rid of test anxiety, memory improvement, confidence & much more. FCAT is around the corner. Exp: April 8th

Written by: Laraine Marquews, C.Ht
Clinical Hypnotherapist @ Mind Therapy Group
Contact Email: laraine@mindtherapygroup.com
Tel: 305.275.0707

Do Something Out of Your Element this VDAY

What can you do this Valentine’s Day to show your better half how much you love he/she?

Do something totally out of your element

Ø  Hide the gift and have them search for it all over the house ( hot, cold)

Ø  Take a quick overnight get away ( it doesn’t have to be far) 30 minutes away and a different   scene is all it takes

Ø  Surprise them by showing up at their job with the flowers/chocolate, not the flower company delivery guy

Ø  Show up at work to take them to lunch

Ø  Write them a letter by hand expressing everything that you love about them and leave it in their   car the night before, so when they get in their car Valentine’s morning it’s the first thing they see

Ø  Book a couples massage

Ø  If the gift is small (piece of jewelry) wrap it in a large box so you confuse their expectations

Share with us, what do you have planned for your loved one this Valentine’s or what would you like your Valentine’s to do for you?

We all need good ideas!!!

Blog Post By: Nicole Velez, LMHC

Mind Therapy Group

nicole@mindtherapygroup.com

- Family & Couples Counseling

- Adolescents/ Teens

  

Weeding out the negative people in our lives

Weeding out the negative people in our lives!!!

How do you know who are the good influences in your life and the toxic relationships? We all have people in our lives that we love, who make us feel good about ourselves and we also have those that push us down or belittle our accomplishments. In order to reach our goals and our maximum potential recognizing who is not a motivator and one who lifts you up, in your world, is the first step.

With that said, here are some of the signs you look for to recognize these toxic people in your life:

*Usually share the negative views of the topic being discussed, rarely positive views

*Encourage not speaking up/sharing your views/ standing up for yourself

*Gossip about others often

*Criticize and complain constantly

*Constantly angry

* Every time you leave their presence you feel drained, tired, and in a bad mood

Now off course with all of this said, let’s not forget that we are not perfect, and sometimes people tell us things we don’t like to here, not to make us feel bad, but to help us grow and change character flaws.

If you as a person are in touch with your mind, body, and soul, you will know from the feelings in your soul, the tension in your body and the thinking in your mind that the person you’re with is or is not a good influence for you!

Share with us, how do you deal with these negative people in your life?

Come see me to learn more about how to stand strong and not allow these people to push you down

 Nicole Velez, LMHC at Mind Therapy Group

www.mindtherapygroup.com

305-275-0707

Do You Have a Purpose?

Do you have a purpose, a direction, a mission for your life?

If not, it’s time to find it! In order to feel truly completely fulfilled you must identify your goals. Whether it is to start a family, change career paths, start your own business, travel, lose weight, you can make it happen once you identify what you want to achieve and when. Goals provide a sense of direction and meaning in the journey of life. In order to feel like there is a reason for living, you need to have something to look forward to, to motivate you.

Share with us,  what is that goal, purpose, and mission for you?

By: Nicole Veles, LMHC @ Mind Therapy Group

Email: nicole@mindtherapygroup.com

Spiritual Growth- Embracing Your Inner Guru

Start with a daily spiritual practice, such as meditating or reading a spiritual book, when you wake.

It will make you mindful whether you're going about your life peacefully or in a hectic way or what kind of people you're attracting. We are a product of what we spend MOST of our time doing.

Focus on generating positive energy around you from the moment you  step out of the door.  Smiles will almost always get returned and nice gestures seldomly go unnoticed.

"Give light and people will find the way"

By: Erika Wynne

Life Coach- Mind Therapy Group

erika@mindtherapygroup.com