Therapy | Zack Polanski

Posts Tagged ‘Therapy’

Time for Change

Saturday, 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

Tags: anxiety, Cognitive Hypnotherapy, confidence, Depression, Harley St, Harley Street, hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, London, NLP, Phobias, relaxation, self esteem, Stress, Therapy, UK
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Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

Wow. So it’s been a month of incredible weather which seems to be finishing off with a day or two of rain.

In both my private client work, various work with businesses and corporations and counselling at drama schools – i’ve noticed a real trend of reflectivity at this time of year. As we reach the half way point of 2011, people thinking about where they’ve come from since January and where they would like to be by December.

I’ve seen a variety of people for confidence issues, people who have previously been suffering from anxiety – and a few unusual phobias too. The common theme though has been that clients this month, even more than usual, have been in a place where they just feel stuck.

It’s interesting that idea of being ’stuck’ and how do we know when we are? It’s almost invariably a feeling. It might be an uncomfortable feeling in our stomach, or the heavy weighing down of our shoulders – something that just lets us know that not all is as it could be.

In many ways though – that feeling is helpful to us. It’s an excellent calibration mechanism between the start of treatment and the conclusion. It’s a good way of checking in with ourselves on how we’re feeling – the absence of the feeling of being stuck, or the replacement with an opposite feeling – just confirms that we’re starting to move on with our lives and find new choices.

It’s a little bit like the weather – we only notice the rain because it’s been so sunny or vice versa. It’s all news of difference.

So here’s the question – if you wanted news of difference in your life, how would you notice? What would it be? What differences would you be making from today?

And the most powerful question – how best can you being to implement those changes so you don’t have to feel stuck any longer?

Zack Polanski is a Cognitive Hypnotherapist working at 1 Harley Street. His work with NLP, Hypnosis and Pyschology is powerful in working with peoples confidence, anxiety, phobias, depression, self-esteem issues, relationships and coaching. You can call on 07738088632 or info@zackpolanski.com

Harley Street is just by Oxford Circus Tube and is accessible from North, South, East, West and Central London very easily.

Tags: anxiety, coaching, Depression, Harley St, Harley Street, hypnosis, hypnotherapist, NLP, Phobias, relationships, self esteem, Therapy, Zack, Zack Polanski
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Monday, March 28th, 2011

A client recently sent me this little metaphor; it made me smile so i thought i’d reprint it here;

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a
pole which she carried across her shoulders. One of the pots had a crack in it
while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived
only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only
one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its
accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own
imperfection and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been
made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it
spoke to the woman one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself,
because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.”
The old woman smiled and said, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path,
but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your supposed flaw,
so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.

“For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate
the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this
beauty to grace the house.”

Zack Polanski is a Cognitive Hypnotherapist working at 1 Harley Street, Central London. He deals mainly with issues relating to stress, confidence, anxiety, phobia and life coaching. A unique mix of hypnosis, cognitive therapy and NLP – for more information, just call 07738088632 or e-mail info@zackpolanski.com

Tags: anxiety, Cognitive, Cognitive Hypnotherapy, Confidene, Harley St, Harley Street, hypnosis, Life Coaching, NLP, phobia, Polanski, Stress, Therapy, Zack, Zack Polanski
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Saturday, January 15th, 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.

Tags: Central London, Change, Cognitive Hypnotherapy, confidence, East, focus, Harley St, Harley Street, hypnosis, hypnotherapist, London, North, South, Therapy, West, Zack Polanski
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Resolve?

Saturday, December 11th, 2010

It’s that time of year and it’s almost too easy at this time of year for me to write another blog about your New Year’s Resolutions. I’m going to, though – it just might not be the blog that regular clients, new clients or those who are reading this purely out of inital interest particularly expect.

Increasingly, as the years go by- i’m considering more and more how much of an excuse New Year can often be to create unintended resolutions. It’s almost as if inherent inside the idea of a time bound proposal, is the proposition that actually it doesn’t need to be adhered to. Oh, If I want to eat what I want to eat until New Year, or smoke extra amounts of cigarettes or procrastinate even more – that’s fine because i’ve set myself the target of January 1st. This would be fine (and it completely is fine, if it’s working for you) apart from often unconsciously because we’ve not really dealt with the root consequences of why we want to lose weight, stop smoking, stop procrastinating, boost our self esteem- or whatever it might be- we’re lucky if we get to February.

In Feburary we don’t really beat ourselves up though, as we were never that resolved to do anything in the first place. We were just trying it out- and now all the hype has faded, so does our motivation. This all seems a really gloomy perspective, don’t you think?

So, here’s the deal. In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with New Year’s Resolutions. As an arbitary date in the calendar year when we can start to improve the quality of how we want to live our life- it is quite handy. Other people are doing it, there’s encouragement all around, it’s not a date you’re going to forget for when you started the new you- and if you resolve to have targets really met by January 1st 2012- there’s a real calibration point in which you can compare difference.

Here’s the crux of it, though. Recognise the time scale is arbitary. You’re not making these changes for the magazines, for your friends or family (primarily) or to suit some ancient time keeping system handed down by the ancient Egyptians – you’re making changes for you. Because you want a better quality of life. You want to achieve your maximum potential. And because you are already, and can do so much more of what you want. When you’re ready to make those sorts of changes, give me a call and together we can really smash 2011.

Zack Polanski is a Cognitive Hypnotherapist working at The Lewis Clinic, 1 Harley Street. Working mainly with actors, athletes and politicians as well as private clients – he is well known for his ability to achieve lasting results. Phone for a discussion or to book an appointment, on 07738088632 or alternatively e-mail at info@zackpolanski.com

Tags: Actors, Athletes, Change, Cognitive Hypnotherapist, confidence, Harley Street, Lewis Clinic, Life, New Year, Polanski, Politicians, resolution, smoking, Therapy, Weight Loss, Zack, Zack Polanski
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The Pleasure/Pain Principle

Sunday, October 24th, 2010

This was an idea of Aristotle’s that I often find that I talk about with clients, and other therapists.

If the thought of philosophy or science usually makes you want to switch off- hold on there with me because it’s a really simple principle to grab hold of once you’ve heard it.

The idea is simply when we’re motivated to do something- we’re either moving towards something we want or moving away from something we don’t want. There’s been a lot of talk in Politics this month around the Government’s attitude towards Banks- whether to go for the stick or the carrot. Often they’re just deciding whether to help incentivise them or plonk sanctions on them.

It’s worth noticing that almost no one is solely motivated towards, and almost no one is solely motivated away from – they’re contextual. Where it can be useful though is if you’ve become stuck in a pattern for one particular context, it might be worth considering what other options could be available to you if you change your strategy.

Take two people, for example. Alex and Lee. They’re both pretty motivated people when it comes to working out and going to the gym- but they have completely different ways of doing it.

Alex goes to the gym by having a chart on his wall. On this chart, he ticks off how many bench presses he’s done and how many weight’s he’s lifted that week according to his 5×5 programme. Just ticking off the boxes is a huge thing to him, and he really enjoys seeing the progression. He’s really moving TOWARDS those goals that he wants to achieve.

Lee goes to the gym, in another way. She considers how overweight she’s going to look if she doesn’t go. She’s even got a picture of her from 5 years ago wehn she was really unhappy with her weight and she never wants to look like that again- she really wants to move AWAY from that side of her. Anything but that.

Now instinctively when we read these- we often want to consider ourselves TOWARDS people. Society has often moulded us to be positive and optimistic. Those things can be great; but again it’s contextual.

Take a Fireofficer for example. If Mark loves putting out fires and going in places just to rescue people. He loves that feeling of moving TOWARDS saving a life- it can be fantastic. What Mark really needs though for the safety of himself and the rest of the team is Lucy.

Lucy loves saving lives too- it’s why she does the job she chooses to do BUT she’s very good at spotting potential problems. She knows when to move AWAY from the building for the overall safety of everyone amd knows when to nip heroic acts in the bud and do whatever is necessary to be efficent, safe and caring all at the same time.

It’s interesting in the concept of business how towards people (i imagine like Richard Branson or Simon Cowell) are constantly moving towards things and coming up with new projects.

There are often stories of people though who are motivated by moving AWAY from esentially poverty. They come up with a fantastic plan, but then once they’ve made a successful business- they become complacent and self-sabotage it, almost. This is often usually because the criteria for the motivation has been removed from the situation.

And how is this relevant to therapy?

In Cognitive Hypnotherapy, we believe in working with the individual and their behaviours in the current moment. If your behaviour that’s unwanted, still has a positive intention- are you moving towards something you want different even pleasurable or are you moving away from something that’s going to be painful?

Either way, I’m happy to help and your intention is just one piece of the jigsaw. If you’d like to discuss any of these ideas or your personal circumstances, i’d be more than happy to chat to you on the phone (07738088632) or alternatively just drop me an e-mail (info@zackpolanski.com)

That Aristotle really knew his stuff.

Zack Polanski is a Cognitive Hypnotherapist working at The Lewis Clinic on 1 Harley Street. He is also an NLP Trainer having been trained by John Grinder, Carmen Bostic-St Claire and Michael Carroll. He works with a wide range of issues from smoking cessation to trauma, phobias, depression and confidence issues. Every individual is treated as just that- an individual and all work is confidential.

For Media Enquiries or actors/models/politicians, I am happy to liase initally through a recognised agent.

Tags: clinic, Cognitive Hypnotherapy, Depression, Harley St, Harley Street, hypnosis, NLP, Phobias, self esteem, smoking, Therapy, Zack Polanski
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Sunday, March 21st, 2010

Just a quick note that as well as The Lewis Clinic in 1 Harley St, Central London – I am now also practising at weekends in Hampstead, North London. For information about either service or what cognitive therapy can do for you- just give me a call on 07738088632.

Whether it be a confidence issue, anxiety, a phobia, an addiction or something that you imagine i’ve never been asked before; i’m more then happy to have a chat to you on the phone or by e-mail and give you a realistic assessment of what I can do about it and how I can help.

Using hypnosis, NLP and cutting edge techniques from different therapies across the world, we can make huge difference and change in your life in a relatively brief amount of time.

Tags: Addiction, anxiety, Central London, Cognitive, confidence, hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, London, NLP, North London, phobia, Therapy
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