Blog

May 15th, 2012

It’s been a really busy month at the clinic.

There’s been a large upsurge in people coming specifically with stress or anxiety related issues – and similarly, in individuals wanting to work on raising or having more confidence.

The process for doing this can usually happen within just one session – with people noticing a considerable difference.

Most commonly, people prefer a second session to consolidate the learnings and to introduce new ideas and become even more effective.

And then there are a few people who enter into a longer term coaching arrangement as they also want to look at how they can influence the world around them in terms of business, family, relationships or even politics. This is in no way necessary to the original session – it’s just something that people often become interested in.

I’m happy to talk about any of these areas and how it could work for you.

Just give me a call on 07738088632 or alternatively e-mail me at info@zackpolanski.com

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April 17th, 2012

A friend of mine, John Morgan, asked me recently what three words sum up the way I like to work/what I do.

I had a long think about it and they’re;

Connection. Influence. Experience.

I think the words speak for themselves – but it made sense to blog them to both my clients and fellow therapists for their consideration. They sum up my work both as a Cognitive Hypnotherapist, in working with Counselling or NLP and particularly pertinent to my training work and dealing with people to enhance confidence or reduce stress and anxiety.

It’s a really interesting exercise; On the face of it very simple, but actually I went through quite a few changes to specify what summed up what I really do. Ultimately, I knew when I had the most effective 3 for now because it
just felt right (and sounds good!)

What would yours be?

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April 15th, 2012

Regularly working with people in the Public Eye, this article caught my attention for several reasons.

There’s the obvious association that much of my work whether it be with actors or performers, or with corporate managers is informed a huge amount of the time with making stressful decisions and states of high anxiety. This article discusses an interesting and candid perspective from an individual which we wouldn’t often associate with being doubtful about their decisions.

But also from a Cognitive Hypnotherapy angle, working with anyone from the public or any profession at all – we all experience moments of doubt. For some people we label it as stress, depression, anxiety or it can even manifest itself as panic or a phobia (a heightened stress response towards a stimulus.) To know that other people work through similar processes can often be comforting.

This article is from the BBC website;

‘Tony Blair’s former spokesman Alastair Campbell explains why he thinks that self-doubt should get a better press.

“Where there is doubt, there is no doubt.”

I don’t know where that saying originates, but I heard it first from a good friend and famous football manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. He uses it for transfers and team selections. I’ve used it for a multitude of decisions in my life, like whether or not to work for Tony Blair.

Not just doubt, either – but self-doubt. Cue hollow laughter from some of you – did they just say Alastair Campbell? What does he know about self-doubt, this man who in Downing Street seemed to have self-confidence to a fault, and who would surely think of doubt as a sign of weakness, a fear never to be admitted?

But in fact not only was the sense of self-doubt strong when Tony Blair asked me to be his spokesman and strategist – it was something that stayed with me for much of the time I was with him, and has been a prominent part of my life and make-up before and since.

I see it as a strength, not a weakness, because, usually, I haven’t allowed it to disable me. Instead, it is the means by which I prepare, consider other options and perspectives, strive for clarity about what can be attained and what cannot – and then, critically, stop the doubting, and act.
Alastair Campbell (left) with Tony Blair (right) in an aeroplane Campbell says he felt self-doubt when he was asked to be Tony Blair’s spokesman

Galileo called self-doubt “the father of all invention”. Self-doubt that doesn’t lead to decision or action is ultimately self-defeating, and creates a numbing negativity – whereas self-doubt that leads to resolution of the doubts can be a remarkable source of energy and creativity.

I’m a depressive. When self-doubt is of the negative kind, I’m in a depressive mindset. When it’s a source of energy and creativity, then the words of Galileo seem both valid and wise.

So for all these reasons, when Tony first asked me, I asked for a month to think about it.

Linked very much to self-doubt were the scars of my nervous breakdown in 1986. I’d cracked under pressure. If I took this job, I would know far greater pressure – could I cope without breaking down again?
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

Self-doubt can be a remarkable source of energy and creativity”

When I was being interviewed by the BBC’s Stephen Nolan recently, he said: “I just don’t get it.” What he couldn’t get was how I – someone he’d introduced as a “hard man”, someone he’d always thought of as a man of certainty, not doubt – could willingly go on air and describe what had been happening inside my head when it exploded 26 years ago in a cacophony of music, speech and random sound, as I went through a full-blown crack-up.

In answering, I sought to convey that though my experience was an extreme one, it was nonetheless born in the kind of despair and negative self-doubt that all of us may know, because in this context at least, we really are all in this together.

At the time, it helped to hear of others who had been through such experiences and survived. It is partly because I know others are experiencing the same thing now, that I talk about it so freely. I hope it helps. It certainly helps me. Talking is therapy.
Continue reading the main story
The Essay: The Case For Doubt

Alastair Campbell’s essay on self-doubt is one of five to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3, from 9-13 April at 22:45 BST.

Author Mark Vernon said doubt in politics may be more useful and valuable than fixed opinions and beliefs.

Baroness Susan Greenfield argues that doubt in science should be integral as to how scientists think.

Writer Madeleine Bunting says doubt in religion is a “glorious reminder” of mankind’s limitations.

And poet and historian Jennifer Michael Hecht argues that the opinions and beliefs of people genuinely interested in freedom will eventually start giving way to doubt.

More on Radio 3’s The Case For Doubt

It was the worst day of my life – at the time – one during which, from waking with a hangover to rushing for a flight to Scotland, I felt a relentless march towards what, in my developing madness, I imagined was going to be my death.

You will know by now that I didn’t die, which may be a disappointment to some. Instead I was arrested by two plain-clothes policemen, and taken into custody, where my madness saw me strip naked and draw messages on the walls of my barren Hamilton cell. A doctor arrived, and, on condition I sought help, I was taken to Ross Hall hospital in Paisley.

I was sedated, slept, and after several scary days of paranoia, shakes from alcohol withdrawal, and engagement with a kindly psychiatrist called Ernest Bennie, I began the slow road to recovery. It’s a road I continue to tread.

I now look back on 7 March 1986, not as the worst day of my life, but as the best. I faced up to problems, like alcohol. I admitted to obsessions, like politics and a desire to see the back of the Tories.

I came to understand what really mattered – beliefs, values, friendship, above all perhaps the people I hadn’t been kind to as I’d allowed myself, through overwork, over-drink and monomania, to be sucked into a vortex of self-destruction, which of course left others caught up in its wake also close to destruction.

The media tends to delight in black and white, one-dimensional images – caricatures almost. So once I set a tone of being a fairly tough-minded press secretary, the media’s picture of me was never going to allow space for self-doubt. Yet how could a mind that cracked once not know about self-doubt?

In fact, how could any mind, if being honest with itself, not know about it? It’s the most complicated and most sensitive part of our being. To lack self-doubt is to lack humanity, for it’s this that compels us to pose the questions that need answers.
The character of Malcolm Tucker, played by actor Peter Capaldi, in BBC drama The Thick of It, with supporting cast in the background Steely Malcolm Tucker of The Thick of It was reportedly modelled on Alastair Campbell

And as I learned many times when briefing a roomful of journalists, it’s entirely possible to exhibit public positions of strength and clarity while enduring private feelings of anxiety and doubt. Sometimes, I’m sure, the private feelings showed. But the image perhaps blinded those who’d created it.

I’ve learned lessons from my breakdown, and from the depressions since. “Try to get good out of anything bad” is one of my life maxims. When you’re talking about depression, and that strange feeling of being simultaneously dead and alive, you have to get something good from the bad. Otherwise, you really do find yourself asking “what is the point?”, and that’s a dangerous place to be.

I’m the same person I was in 1986. I don’t drink like I used to. But I still get depressed, can still be self-obsessed, obsessive, brooding and introspective, and can still be riddled with self-doubt at times about what I do and why I do it, not to mention what I don’t do and why I don’t do it.

And here is perhaps what Nolan found difficult. He only knows the me of three election wins and the Downing Street era – who, amid mayhem in Stormont where Tony Blair was trying to bridge the unbridgeable in Northern Ireland, faced hundreds of doubting journalists with conviction and told them we were inching ever closer to a deal; who, offered the chance to go into the Hutton Inquiry via the back door to avoid loud-hailing protesters, insisted on going through the front door and past them.
Alastair Campbell walks past a group of protesters and photographers as he arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice in London to testify at the Hutton Inquiry, 19 August, 2003. Campbell decided to brave the protesters outside when he arrived to testify at the Hutton Inquiry

But didn’t I have doubts on such occasions? Of course I did. During that Hutton Inquiry, for example.

Doubt that if I did not give a good account of myself, I might bring about not only my own demise, but the government’s.

Doubt that I was putting my family through all kinds of hell, during my absences, but also during times together when on holiday we were invaded by friendly lawyers and hostile journalists, the latter scenting blood.

And did I lie awake and wonder if we could have done something differently, so that Dr David Kelly did not feel his only option was to take his own life? Yes, I did.

Benjamin Franklin once said: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” But by the time I walked through the protesters I had prepared. I had faced up to the doubts. So I felt strong. Self-doubt became creative, enriching, liberating.

The best preparation is always to ask the deepest and most difficult questions of yourself, and to think deeply about the answers. The sleepless nights are part of the preparation.
Continue reading the main story
Are you a doubter?

BBC Lab UK’s Stress Test aims to find out if stress is triggered by genes or lifestyle
This online test takes about 20 minutes
It measures mood, explores how you make decisions, and what helps you cope with stress

Tips on managing stress

Not that this is meant to be said in a tone of triumph. One way forward may emerge, but still carry with it the clutter of self-doubt. If self-doubt waved a flag, its colour would be grey.

Self-doubt remains an essential part of my make-up. But, as I think I’ve made clear, ultimately I see it as a strength and not a weakness.

My partner Fiona is forever asking, “Why can’t you just be happy?’”. But it’s not that simple. In my little e-book The Happy Depressive – that’s me – I advance a rather dark theory. It is that we don’t really know if we’ve lived a happy life until we near its end.

Perhaps that’s a non-believer’s way of trying to stick to values that keep us broadly on the straight and narrow.

Which brings us to God. Now there’s an area riddled with doubt. I was raised to believe, but soon gave it up. It flickers now and then, like when my friend Philip Gould died recently, aged just 61, and I saw the faith resonating from him, and comforting him, and in what he called “the death zone” giving him an equilibrium he lacked for much of his life.

But then my rational mind kicks in. “Where there is doubt, there is no doubt.” This time, the doubt turned me against the proposition, not for it – although, as Philip used to tease, the door is never closed.

Believers in my family are convinced I will “do God” before I go. Tony Blair always said he was sure I was deeply religious deep down, but worried I might become an Islamic fundamentalist.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

Self-doubt remains an essential part of my make-up – but I see it as a strength and not a weakness”

Finally, I want to emphasise what I alluded to earlier – that we really are all in this together. If we think otherwise, we delude ourselves. A little bit of self-awareness, and we soon admit that when the lights switch off and the day closes down, we feel those twinges of self-doubt.

Can I? Should I? Suppose I? Did I really? But that’s normal. It’s what we do with the self-doubt that matters.

That goes for world leaders, too. They are not exempt from self-doubt, whatever a crystal clear soundbite or a beautifully delivered speech may convey, and probably they wouldn’t last long as world leaders if they owned up to self-doubt too often.

Remember how long Barack Obama took to decide on his policy in Afghanistan? His enemies accused him of dithering, but he was going through his doubts, testing them, casting them aside, settling finally for what he hoped would work?
Barack Obama Even the self-assured experience doubt

Before him, Bill Clinton knew all about self-doubt. “The key word is HALT,” he once told me. It means stop. But it also means Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. A US president won’t go hungry. But he or she will get angry, lonely, tired – do things they shouldn’t.

Tony Blair was a conviction leader, but that didn’t mean he lacked self-doubt. I recall once in opposition, when he feared that the big beasts – John Prescott, Gordon Brown and Robin Cook – would never accept him as they had his predecessor John Smith. That was self-doubt, and I often saw it. But it was all part of constant self-examination, which ultimately led to an inner strength.

I can recall the exact moment the last vestiges of self-doubt about taking up Tony’s offer of becoming his press secretary vanished. It was when he told me he intended to launch a review of Labour’s constitution, which he hoped would replace the old socialist Clause 4.

Later, as he prepared to announce this to the Labour conference, he asked me what were the chances this could kill his leadership by the end of the day. I said about 10%. It was a risk, but one worth taking.

Here was Galileo’s old maxim at work – self-doubt “the father of all invention”, self-doubt the driving force behind genuine creativity, and ultimate boldness.

And in that moment, in so many ways, New Labour was born.

There it is then.

Self-doubt can be unnerving, scary even, but it need not panic us into thinking it’s an inevitable sign of weakness and failure. It need not paralyse. It offers the chance to slow down, think, work through, test, face alternatives, be realistic about what can be achieved – and then to act.

And if I say that, there must be something in it – why, I’m almost certain of it myself.’

Zack Polanski works with Cognitive Hypnotherapy at 1 Harley Street, Central London. He has a treatment plan for a wide variety of issues that people have in their lives – and his work combines NLP, CBT and Hypnosis.

To contact Zack about an appointment, please call 07738088632 or alternatively e-mail on info@zackpolanski.com

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Spring

April 4th, 2012

Apologies to regular readers that have noticed i’ve not blogged recently. The clinic has been really busy and I’ve been delivering trainings at weekends at LSE (when i’d normally be blogging!)

Something that I’ve become increasingly interested recently is Clean Language.

I’ve always been aware of David Grove’s work but it hasn’t been until recently when teaching therapy skills that some of the more subtle elements have really appealed.

A very quick summary of the idea is that Clean Language is an awareness on the therapists part to not content impose on their client or patient.

It can be very easy for the newer therapist to ask leading questions or to subtly unconsciously influence the answer of the client or patient without positive intention.

Clean Language provides a methodology and a process to minimise this effect.

I often use it when working with all sorts of clients – from those with phobias, to anxiety treatment, depression, stress, loss of self esteem and to help them to build up confidence. It can be incredibly effective in helping someone explore the metaphors they live by which can enhance performance in a variety of ways.

If anyone has any questions or would like some more information, feel free to e-mail me on info@zackpolanski.com

I work from Harley Street and also have clinics available in East London and North. Anyone from the South or West, I’m also happy to make ad hoc arrangements with – just get in touch.

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February 19th, 2012

People often ask me what else I do other than therapy and why indeed do anything else?

I’ll answer the second question, first.

When I first trained years back, I was just seeing clients 1-1 for the first couple of years as it seemed important to gain experience in working with different people with different areas of their life that they wanted change. Gradually over time, I worked out an arsenal of things that often worked and eliminated things that didn’t seem to get the results we wanted.

I noticed very quickly a key component was never to be certain about anything. Everyone is different – and what works for one person, will need tailoring for another individual. In fact, they may need something else entirely. As I’ve gained more and more experience, this trial and error is less and less as it becomes more easy to determine where it’s most effective to tap first.

I noticed over time though, that I was becoming increasingly insular in the therapy world – and things weren’t as experimental. Sure, I was getting good results – but I always question if things can be done even better. What could be even more effective?

Which leads to the first question. Whether I was working with someone to improve their confidence at public speaking, deal with their anxiety, help them grow in confidence, be released from a phobia or overcome the stress in their life – I felt, and still do, that it was important to explore other arenas.

One aspect of my work that I absolutely love is working at a Drama School with actors and musicians. The creativity of the students often spurs me to be creative in my output – so that together we are creating something entirely new every time we engage in the therapeutic process. Sometimes it seems like much more traditional pyschotherapy or counselling – often it’s something much more new in the NLP or CBT field utilising hypnosis and feels much more like coaching or mentoring to both me and the participant.

To make sure though things weren’t just airy fairy, I also work a lot in business coaching. Helping anyone in a corporate or smaller company from the frontline staff to the MD’s to help business productivity – this almost universally comes down to the relationship and the effectiveness of communication within the system. Although this can seem to be a world away from the therapeutic process, the principles of communication and the philosophy of helping people create changes in their environment and ultimately their personal life are often very similar – if not sometimes, identical.

So in a nutshell – I work in various arenas to not just keep things interesting for myself but because my work informs each other in different arenas and ultimately benefits whoever I’m working with for the results they want.

I’m always happy to engage in dialogue or answer questions with anyone who is interested in us working together. And whilst, I can’t give an exact answer about what we’ll specifically do in our time together, I can always give an answer about the process and which direction we’d go in before you book an appointment so we can move forward.

Zack Polanski is a Cognitive Hypnotherapist and NLP Trainer. His clinic is at 1 Harley Street, London. 07738088632 or email info@zackpolanski.com

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Time for Change

January 7th, 2012

I love my job. I love working with people. It’s one of those jobs that even when I’m out socially, people inevitably have questions. They’re curious about my work – I’m curious about people in general and so I often find myself in chatty conversation about what it would be like to work together.

As I run training courses both in therapy and business communication skills all around the UK and Europe, I meet a lot of new people. And that’s a lot of curious people from a complete range of different backgrounds.

One aspect of my work that I really wanted to get across on my Website was the question I’m most frequently asked.

‘What happens in a Cognitive Hypnotherapy session?’

I’m not sure I’ve ever managed to explain it sufficently no matter how many years and edits the website can go through.

Sure, I could outline the basic format. We start with a conversation about what you’d like to change or improve in your life. Then, we’ll work through a therapeutic exercise together and the session will usually finish with some relaxation work.

This seems so vague though – and that’s the challenge. As the sessions are bespoke for the individual who comes to see me, no two sessions are the same.

There’s often overlaps – there’s certainly patterns and behaviours that some people repeat where i’ve seen many similar before. Yet, no matter how many clients I see and work with – there is always something new. And that’s what makes us so wonderful as human beings.
We don’t fit into a manual or a textbook. There isn’t a magic formula – it’s only through a process of engagement that is two ways that your life can really change.

I frequently get phone calls/emails ‘My friend came to see you and you did X and Y, will we do the same thing?’ And the most honest, congruent answer I can give is ‘I don’t know.’

It’s not until we’re in the therapy office, having a conversation in which you outline what you’d like to change and how you’d like it to be different – that I’ll be able to determine the best course of action that will help.

There’s not one magic formula for working with people with confidence issues or low self esteem, every phobia is different. Our anxiety or depressions are unique to us and we all cope with stress in different ways.

Cognitive Hypnotherapy takes the best elements of different therapies such as CBT, NLP, Pyschotherapy, Jungian Theory, Gestalt work and I find the right combination to get the most effective results at the fastest rate possible for you.

I believe strongly in a dialogue during our time together – to find out how you’re finding the experience both in and out of the therapy/coaching room during our work together.

So I’m still not there in explaining it quite as succinctly as I’d like – but I think we know why. It’s very much something that talking about can be limiting, but actually for the benefits – it’s there to be experienced.

Zack Polanski is a Cognitive Hypnotherapist and NLP Trainer working at 1 Harley Street, London. He works with a variety of issues ranging from building confidence to low self esteem.Dea ling with stress and anxiety, phobic reactions and performance improvement.
To find out more about his unique mix of formal therapy, a conversational style and hypnosis – please call on 07738088632 or email at info@zackpolanski.com

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Derren Brown

October 25th, 2011

Of all the enquiries I usually get every week asking me questions about stopping smoking, dealing with a phobia or wondering if it’s possible to grow in confidence, increase self esteem or deal with stress- the majority the past few days have been about Derren Brown’s ‘The Assassin.’

For those of you who didn’t see the show on Channel 4, Derren essentially took a member of the public and hypnotised them into assasinating a well known celebrity and forgetting they ever did.

As with most of Derren Brown’s shows with hypnosis, it was a coup of television! It was beautifully done and  the tension was wracked up to the max.

Cognitive Hypnotherapy and the client/therapist relationship is obviously very different. It’s a lot more permissive and centred around what the individual wants as opposed to any ideas of what the therapist thinks they should have.

The show was excellent in giving demonstrations of the power of Hypnosis. The creativity of our imaginations and how focused and determined we can be when we decide to fix our attention on something.

It’s simply not the reality of the therapy room, though. In my clinic at 1 Harley Street (and the Clerkenwell Rooms) – the session is bespoke. It’s entirely client and solution focused. It’s about what you feel you need to move on in life in the ways that you want to do it.

Although killing celebrities may sometimes seem like a tempting use of persuasion, I’m far more interested in seeing people become happier in their lives and moving forward in new ways.

Zack Polanski is an NLP Trainer and a Cognitive Hypnotherapist. Working with several corporate organisations and some of the top educational institutions in the country, his work is always confidential and based on what the client needs. E-mail – info@zackpolanski.com or Phone on 07738088632

Hemispheres

October 6th, 2011

I tend not to recommend books on my blog as I get all sorts of requests from people asking me to  link to their work. However, on this occasion, I’m happy to make an exception.

The Master and his Emissary by Ian Mcgilhurst.

To any therapist – I would suggest this book will vastly enhance the way that you work. I frequently get emails asking for suggestions, and for the forseeable future, I shall point people in this direction.

I do have a caveat here – that the book is heavy. It’s certainly not light reading and will require absolute engagement. When the lightbulbs do start to flicker though and jigsaw pieces fall into place, to mix metaphors, it really is a wonderful moment.

The basic premise of the book is about the hemispheric differences in our brain and how these are represented in society. Simplistically, in this blog, the left hemisphere representing logic, reason, specificity and more recently – our business/commerical brain.

The right hemisphere representing creativity, wholeness and an entry point into the wider world. The artistic brain.

Traditionally, there was a balance between the two hemispheres – with information entering through the right, being assessed by the left and returning to the right for consideration. This, the book argues, is the healthiest way in which our mind/brain can work and is conducive to a balanced existence.

Over the past hundred years, mainly since the industrial revolution, the left side of the brain has gradually crept up and placed it’s influence on our thinking. This has resulted in short sightnedness, unfettered individualism and a rise in selfish greed. The book goes on to wax lyrical about political philosophy and tracks the differences in our ‘culture’ through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Reformation – tying in with neuroscience and the different implications this can have in how we percieve our world.

For the therapist, frequently when we work with issues whether it be phobias, lack of confidence or self esteem, depression or anxiety – more often than not, the underlying problem is that of hemispheric dissonance (or in other terms, a misalignment between the conscious and the unconscious mind) – although the book is not targeted at therapists, it’s clear where the dots can be connected and the future of our industry can be percieved to outline where we would like to go next.

If anyone would like to discuss any areas of the book with me, I’m always more than happy to recieve correspondence – on info@Zackpolanski.com

Zack Polanski is a Cognitive Hypnotherapist working in Central London at 1 Harley Street. He works both as a therapist and delivers training programmes to companies. Specialising in issues around confidence and self esteem, Zack also works utilising hypnosis and NLP around issues of anxiety and depression. Get in contact on 07738086632.

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Ethics

September 14th, 2011

In the work I do, as there often is in life,there’s often a real push and pull between what clients want and their willingness to get it.

I make it clear on the site – and always whenever people phone me for an appointment – that Cognitive Hypnotherapy is not a magic bullet. It’s not a miracle cure yet it can do incredibly, effective things and has helped countless amounts of people move on in their lives within that parameter.

Often it can look like magic,and change can more often than not feel effortless and people are amazed at the results – it does require work from the client, though. Or at least their attention and effort in bringing about the changes they want on an unconscious level.

This might make it sound a little less cool or sellable – I have no problem with that, though. It’’s honest; and it doesn’t take anything away from the fact that it’s still an incredible tool for change.

This isn’t unique to Cognitive Hypnotherapy. In other areas I have worked, studied and researched – whether it be more traditional modes like pyschotherapy, counselling or CBT – there’s often this parallel between really great results emerging not from the therapist,but the client. The therapist acts as a guide to reach the areas that the client didn’t even know were accessible previously.

This is particularly prevalent with something like ‘Stop Smoking.’ People phone me up and want a success rate percentage. That’s easy,I say. It’s 100% of the time when the person is committed to the work, and 0% of the time when they’re not. It sounds playful -  I also think it’s fair, honest and ethical.

Cognitive Hypnotherapy is made up of truly effective principles and techniques to ensure that people get the result they want especially when it’s important to them. I don’t just not guarantee because it’s more ethical – I do it because it makes me life easier as well.

How? Well, I generally only want someone in the room with me during treatment who genuinely wants to make a change – and is willing to take responsibility for that change too. This is how truly transformational change happens.

Sometimes someone has the absolute desire to change but doesn’t quite believe it can happen – this is completely different again. If the desire is there, then we can find the how and we can move to engage and work together. The belief is helpful, but not necessary for a positive outcome.

And those positive outcomes when they’re met are often far and beyond what the individual thought could happen in such a relatively brief amount of time – and it’s lovely because they’ve always been met in an ethical way, which emphasised not the skill of the therapist alone, but the autonomy of the client and the inner resources available to them.

Zack Polanski is a Cognitive Hypnotherapist working at 1 Harley Street. He works with a variety of issues including confidence, self-esteem, phobias, smoking cessation, addictions, public speaking, PTSD and body disorders. Sessions must be booked 7 days in advance. Phone: 07738088632 or E-mail: info@zackpolanski.com

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August 19th, 2011

This week has been a really interesting week of working with people; From seeing people with phobias, to anxiety disorders, addictions, depression and obsessive behaviour.

Something that’s really struck me about the work I do with people is their bravery. There are very few universals in the clients that I see- and everyone is very unique and different- but there’s something deeply touching about people’s wants, needs and desires to change. Often when people have come to see me, they’ve given up in the past and that’s how they’ve let their problem(s)/issue(s) get to a level where they really desire to make a change or they’re so keen to improve their lives from the state they feel they’re already in- that they go at it with full force.

I was reflecting on this when I read a passage last night from Irvin Yalom’s “The Gift Of Therapy” and there was a short passage which really struck a chord;

“Heddeger spoke of two modes of existence; the everyday mode and the ontological mode. In the everyday mode we are consumed with and distracted by material surroundings- we are filled with wonderment about how things are in the world. In the ontological mode we are focused on being per se- that is , we are filled with wonderment that things are in the world. When we exist in the ontological mode- the realm beyond everyday concerns- we are in a state of particular readiness for personal change.”

The key phrase I believe is the latter. Clients don’t usually get through my door until they’re already ready to begin to make that personal change- and being ready to make a difference in any aspect of your life often requires bravery.

The Catch 22 is that i’m not wholly sure if it’s the bravery that creates readiness or vice versa or if actually they’re both just fueling along. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter- the important part is the decision. Are you ready, and indeed brave enough, to make changes in your life?

Zack Polanski is a Cognitive Hypnotherapist at 1 Harley Street, London. W1G 9QD

The Lewis Clinic is a clinic of hypnotherapists working from the centre of London at Harley St, but also includes many clients from North, South, East and West.

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Zack Polanski M.N.C.H (Lic) Dip CHyp HPD PNLP

Cognitive Hypnotherapist and NLP New Code Practitioner

1 Harley Street, W1G 9QD

Mobile: 07738088632

Email: info@zackpolanski.com