By helping individuals to understand the addictive process they are in a better position to begin the challenge of overcoming it. It is not necessary to focus exclusively on one form of addiction, but rather to understand the common pattern that lies behind all addictive behaviours and compulsions. The most important requirement for a successful outcome is a genuine wish to live a life free from the addictive behaviour.

Individuals are helped to develop and strengthen the purpose and motivation necessary to bring about positive therapeutic change through application of proven clinical skills, appropriate to each case. Most important is to show the individual how their life will look without the addictive behaviour, and then to help them develop the skills, resources and confidence necessary to bring about that change in the way they live; this will often involve a degree of life skills development alongside more clinical work. The process is very practical and realistic, and many are surprised by how quickly and easily they have been able to free themselves from addictive behaviours.

All addictive behaviours can be worked with successfully in this way, including drug and alcohol addiction (and smoking), eating disorders, self-harming behaviours (which can include direct physical harm as well as risk-taking behaviours), obsessive compulsive disorders and compulsions including gambling, shopping and sex.

See: www.hgi.org.uk/archive/addiction.htm

Inappropriate angry behaviour damages health, increases the likelihood of an early death and can cause misery among relatives, colleagues and innocent bystanders. This therapeutic approach can help individuals understand the process that triggers responses associated with anger behaviours, and set about establishing a plan of prevention. Work can then be developed to help the individual (or others concerned) build a life that is more positive and constructive.

See: www.hgi.org.uk/archive/anger.htm

An understanding of the 'fight or flight' response and how it is triggered, together with a range of relaxation techniques developed using guided imagery quickly allow individuals to deal with anxiety and avoid panic attacks. This work is also used as the basis to successfully treat conditions involving trauma and/or phobias, as well as conditions such as agoraphobia.

See: www.hgi.org.uk/archive/anxiety.htm, www.hgi.org.uk/archive/panicattacks.htm

Bullying represents a chronic problem in the workplace, in the home and in schools that affects millions of people. Practical advice in relation to each individual circumstance is offered, helping to restore self-confidence and offering real and tangible strategies to allow individuals to move forwards in their lives. It is frequently the case that when an individual changes their response to bullying in a way that is positive, the bullying behaviour diminishes, as someone who bullies needs a certain response to continue. In extreme cases and if no other options produce positive change, individuals are helped and supported to seek alternative employment or change their circumstances, as constant criticism can crush the human spirit. However, most find they can be helped through a change in approach and an increase in self-confidence.

Frequently accompanying chronic pain is an underlying depression or anxiety disorder, which results in enormous production of stress-related hormones within the body. This has the effect of keeping 'pain gates' in our bodies open, which can only making things worse. Anxiety, or stress-related pain can be quickly identified and treated; once encouraged, our bodies are capable of producing their own pain killing drugs and responses. By teaching deep relaxation techniques and the use of guided imagery, the individual can successfully learn to manage the pain and discomfort associated with conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome); even chronic pain can be treated successfully in this way. This can also help with conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, asthma and migraine, conditions which often have an emotional component; stressful events often trigger an outbreak because emotions affect health - and vice versa.

Relationship difficulties are often self-perpetuating, as our beliefs about and reactions to one another trigger patterns of behaviour - which can get in the way of us solving them. If both parties in a relationship (this could be couples, parent-child, family or colleagues) are willing to work together, guidance can help recognise the obstacles standing in the way of a healthy relationship, and begin to restore balance and calm. Respect and understanding for the other can be developed so that needs are met in mutually beneficial and supportive ways.

See: www.hgi.org.uk/archive/anger.htm

Depression can be lifted quickly and effectively. Understanding the physiological processes that cause depression is the first step in beginning to feel more in control of our lives and how we feel. Increasing worries and concerns can cause us to become more introspective, taking ourselves away from friends and situations that ordinarily help us lead balanced and healthy lives. This in turn causes disruption to sleep, which results in excessive dreaming and so we become tired and less able to cope and make positive changes – only increasing our worries and concerns further. Building on this understanding, individuals can quickly make improvements to the way they feel. Full recovery can often be achieved in a matter of weeks.

See: www.hgi.org.uk/archive/Depression.htm

Really a form of addictive behaviour, an eating disorder tricks an individual into thinking they are getting their needs met through the use and abuse of food. In fact, eating disorders have very little to do with food, which is why therapeutic approaches that concentrate solely on food and weight often fail to resolve the disorder; the individual affected is held in trance by an 'illusion of control'. With guided imagery, conscious resistance can be by-passed and change instigated at a very subtle and powerful level. This approach helps to dispel that illusion and guide the individual back to a healthy reality. This enables the individual to quickly move away from the 'false gold' of the disorder and towards the 'real gold' of establishing a balanced, healthy life with real meaning and purpose.

By developing and building individuals' innate skills and resources (often forgotten in states of anxiety and despair), this therapeutically-based approach can quickly boost self-confidence in practical and useful ways. Individuals can be helped to move on in life and to feel better about themselves and what they do. This approach carefully differentiates 'needs' from 'wants', and aims to have 'needs' met in ways that are balanced and healthy.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is the name given to a condition where people experience uncontrollable and unreasonable obsessions or compulsions that are excessive.

Obsessions can include intrusive or inappropriate thoughts or impulses, and can include: obsessing about dirt and contamination; constantly checking whether something has been done on several (or even hundreds) of occasions, ‘just to be sure’; repetitive behaviour; and behaviours which can include excessive hoarding. Compulsions can best be understood as repetitive behaviours or rituals that the individual feels compelled to do to lower his or her anxiety levels. However, relief is only temporary, and these compulsions can sometimes be woven into daily routine in ways that cause difficulties and distress. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (like all anxiety disorders and highly emotional states), interferes with the ability to think clearly and to concentrate.

As with addictions, individuals are helped to develop and strengthen the purpose and motivation necessary to bring about positive therapeutic change through application of proven clinical skills, appropriate to each case.

See: www.hgi.org.uk/archive/OCD.htm

Using the same techniques proven to effectively relieve trauma, phobias and disproportionate fears and anxieties can also be successfully treated. Successful work has included phobias involving spiders, snakes, heights, flying, public speaking and performance, needles, bullying, small spaces and even certain types of food. These techniques can be applied to any ‘phobic’ response; that is, where there is a disproportionate response to the situation concerned. By this we mean any situation where the response is ‘as if it happened yesterday’, irrespective of the time that has passed since the original event or situation (see also ‘Trauma’).

See: www.hgi.org.uk/archive/trauma.htm

Psychotic episodes can be extremely distressing for those who suffer them, as well as those involved in their care and support. Experiencing a psychotic episode is like dreaming whilst awake – when the ‘reality’ of the dreaming experience breaks out into waking reality. This understanding also helps to explain (and rationalise) the phenomena of ‘hearing voices’. Understanding what is going on when we have such experiences can be a vital first step in ‘normalising’ such experiences. This approach has proved extraordinarily effective in helping to reduce the incidence and severity of psychotic incidents, and to help individuals lead more rewarding and fulfilling lives.

See: www.hgi.org.uk/archive/psychosis.htm

Through an understanding of the natural sleep cycle and the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) state, individuals are quickly helped to understand why the therapeutic approaches we use can quickly re-establish sound and healthy sleeping patterns. A wider understanding of good ‘sleep hygiene’ can also help individuals enjoy a more restful and relaxed quality of sleep at night, and this can involve information, advice and planning within therapeutic work in areas that include nutrition and life style management.

See: www.hgi.org.uk/archive/sleepanddream1.htm

A word too many people are familiar with. Individuals are first helped to clearly recognise where stress is present in their lives, and the important distinction between stress and being 'stretched' in a way that is challenging and stimulating. All individuals need to be 'stretched', to feel a positive sense of development as human beings; Nature then rewards us by flooding our bodies with 'feel-good' chemicals so that we feel encouraged to continue. However, an 'overload' of stress can cause suffering in many different ways; our mood becomes unstable and our immune system becomes suppressed. As a consequence, effectiveness at work diminishes and relationships can suffer; we can no longer 'see the wood for the trees'. By helping individuals to relax deeply and constructively use the imagination to find new ways of reducing stress factors in their lives, they can quickly lessen stress-loads and develop and maintain their lives in healthy balance.

By ‘trauma’ or ‘traumatic’, we mean any situation where the response is ‘as if the traumatic event had happened yesterday’, irrespective of the time that has passed since the original event or situation; this includes Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and can include ‘flashback’ type memories or images. Often, when an individual is away from reminders of (or thoughts associated with) the traumatic event, it is possible to think clearly and even work out how you would want to feel and manage a similar situation calmly and effectively. However, faced with reminders or events associated with the original event, it seems impossible to think clearly and rationally, and we can often feel a rising sense of anxiety and panic.

Our therapeutic approach utilises proven 'visual-kinaesthetic' techniques (which are fully explained) to ‘re-process’ these memories so individuals no longer experience the feeling of being overwhelmed by them (see: www.hgi.org.uk/archive/rewind-technique.htm for further details about this technique). The therapeutic approach used to treat trauma is fast, safe and 'non-voyeuristic'; it does not involve endlessly talking about or ('re-living') the original trauma, in fact the therapist does not need to know the details of the trauma or abuse. Often, a single session is all that's needed to effectively de-traumatise memories and flashbacks that may have been occurring for years.

See: www.hgi.org.uk/archive/trauma.htm