Over the past couple of decades, mindfulness has moved from the margins to the mainstream—and for good reason. There’s now a solid body of research showing that regular mindfulness practice can do more than just help you “feel calm.” It’s been shown to improve emotional regulation, reduce attentional biases, and help us take a step back to gain broader perspective on life’s challenges.
But the benefits go even deeper—literally. Mindfulness doesn’t just shift how we think and feel; it also creates changes in the body and brain. At the neurological and cardiovascular level, mindfulness practices can help recalibrate how we respond to stress, bringing the autonomic nervous system back into balance. This has far-reaching implications for both mental and physical health.

Interestingly, these effects aren’t exclusive to mindfulness. Meditation and hypnosis, two practices often viewed as very different, share a lot in common when it comes to how they affect brain function. Research has shown that both can lead to structural and functional changes in the brain (Stevens, 2011; Zimmer, 2017), particularly in areas like the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex, which are heavily involved in emotional reactivity and stress responses.

In short? Both meditation and hypnosis can help calm the storm. They also share a common ability to boost something known as metacognitive awareness—that is, our capacity to notice and reflect on our own thoughts and feelings. Depending on the approach, both practices can bring attention inward (helping us tune into bodily sensations and improve physical well-being) or expand it outward into more transcendent, empathic, or big-picture states of mind. Whether it’s guided or self-practice, both hypnosis and meditation can help foster compassion, perspective-taking, and deeper emotional resilience.

One fascinating area of overlap is how both modalities use language. In solution-focused hypnotherapy, for example, guided visualisations often rely on rich metaphor and imagery—an approach influenced by the work of Milton Erickson, who favoured a gentle, non-directive style. These metaphors aren’t just poetic touches—they help people uncover and reframe deeply held, limiting beliefs in ways that feel meaningful and personal.

And the brain loves metaphor. Studies using EEG and fMRI scanning (Comer et al., 2021) have shown that when we hear stories or metaphors, our brains respond differently than when we hear plain, literal language. These imaginative forms of language light up areas of the brain connected to emotion, empathy, creativity, and meaning-making—not just the usual language processing zones.
All this points to a much more widespread—and often unacknowledged—use of trance-like states in modern therapeutic work.

For example, psychologist Michael Yapko (2011) has highlighted the hypnotic elements present in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs, pointing out their philosophical and linguistic similarities to trancework. Aaron Beck, one of the pioneers of CBT, supported the use of guided imagery in therapy. Bessel van der Kolk (2014), a leading figure in trauma research, has spoken about the clinical benefits of inducing “alpha states”—those dreamy, relaxed mental states that often accompany meditation and hypnosis. And in a more recent development, Professor Andrew Huberman introduced a protocol called “Non-Sleep Deep Rest,” which, if you look closely, shares much in common with classic hypnotic induction.

Even major institutions are catching on. A 2022 report from the Wellcome Trust highlighted the clinical potential of mental imagery techniques, reinforcing what many therapists and practitioners have known for years: that the way we use our minds has a powerful impact on how we feel in our bodies—and how we show up in the world.

References:

Comer, C & Taggart, A (2021) Brain, mind and the narrative imagination. Bloomsbury
Stevens, FL et al (2011) Anterior Cingulate Cortex: Unique role in cognition and emotion. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.
wellcome report What-science-has-shown-can-help-young-people-with-anxiety-and-depression.pdf
Yapko, M. D., (2011). Mindfulness and Hypnosis: The Power of Suggestion to Transform Experience.New York, NY: Norton.

Zimmer, C (2017) In patients under hypnosis, scientists find distinctive patterns in the brain. Stat. https://www.statnews.com/2016/07/28/hypnosis-psychiatry-brain-activity/

Have you ever caught yourself staring out the window, totally zoned out—and wondered what your brain is up to in those moments? It turns out, it’s not just idling. It’s actually very busy. Neuroscience has uncovered something fascinating about our brains: we’re wired to wander.

Back in the 1950s, a researcher named Louis Sokoloff stumbled upon an unexpected discovery. While studying brain activity, he found that the brain used more oxygen during times when it wasn’t actively engaged in a task—like when someone was just daydreaming. That finding sparked decades of intensive research to try and understand what the brain is doing when it seems like we’re doing nothing.
Enter the Default Mode Network (DMN)—a system of brain regions that light up when we’re not focused on the outside world. Neuroscientist Marcus Raichle has been a key figure in uncovering how this network works. Using fMRI scans, he and others have shown that when we’re not concentrating on a goal or task, the DMN becomes highly active, especially along the midline of the brain—from front to back.

What’s even more surprising? This network burns a lot of energy—about 30% more calories (gram for gram) than almost any other part of the brain. But when we switch our attention to something external, like solving a problem or reading a book, this activity dials down.

So, what’s the DMN doing with all that energy? Raichle suggests it’s our brain’s way of “rehearsing” life—imagining future scenarios, reflecting on the past, and checking in on our sense of self. In other words, it’s the mental space where we ponder, daydream, and make sense of the world and ourselves. Supporting this, a study by Mason and colleagues in 2007 found that people often reported daydreaming when their DMN was active.

This “mind wandering” isn’t unique to humans either—other mammals have a DMN too. It’s considered a core cognitive function that forms part of our psychological baseline. It helps us maintain our identity, make decisions, and understand our place in the world. But, like anything in the brain, balance is key.

When the DMN isn’t functioning optimally, it can contribute to mental health issues. If it’s under-activated—often due to constant external stimulation and no time to reflect—it can interfere with our ability to process and integrate experiences. On the other hand, over-activation of the DMN has been linked to excessive rumination and depression. Some people, particularly those with depressive symptoms, struggle to disengage from this internal world, making it harder to shift focus or break out of negative thought patterns. In conditions like Alzheimer’s, the DMN also shows signs of disruption.

So what can be done? The goal isn’t to shut off the DMN—it’s to help people move in and out of that mode more fluidly. That’s where therapy can come in. Supporting someone to find (or re-connect with) healthy, engaging activities or social interactions can help balance this internal-external brain dance.

And here’s where mindfulness and meditation really shine. Studies show that regular meditation can reduce unnecessary mind wandering and actually reshape the brain. For example, research by Farb and colleagues (2007) found that meditation helps calm the parts of the brain involved in this self-referential thinking. Another study by MacLean et al. (2010) showed that meditators improved in tasks that require sustained attention, as seen through both brainwave activity and faster response times.

In short, when you’re sitting quietly and your thoughts drift—you’re not “wasting time.” Your brain is doing one of its most uniquely human jobs: imagining, reflecting, and keeping you grounded in who you are.

References:
Farb NA, Segal ZV, Mayberg H, Bean J, McKeon D, Fatima Z, Anderson AK. Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2007 Dec;2(4):313-22. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsm030. PMID: 18985137; PMCID: PMC2566754

Fox (2008) The secret life of the brain | New Scientist

MacLean KA, Ferrer E, Aichele SR, Bridwell DA, Zanesco AP, Jacobs TL, King BG, Rosenberg EL, Sahdra BK, Shaver PR, Wallace BA,

Mangun GR, Saron CD. Intensive meditation training improves perceptual discrimination and sustained attention. Psychol Sci. 2010 Jun;21(6):829-39. doi: 10.1177/0956797610371339. Epub 2010 May 11. PMID: 20483826; PMCID: PMC3132583.
Raichle ME. (2015) The brain’s default mode network. Annu Rev Neurosci. 8;38:433-47. doi: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-071013-014030. Epub 2015 May 4. PMID: 25938726.

Hypnosis was once a widely used therapeutic tool and has a long and fascinating history. It was used to treat World War I veterans suffering from shell shock, offering a powerful alternative to traditional treatments. However, by the 1940s, hypnosis was largely sidelined. This shift happened as new pharmaceutical treatments for conditions like depression and anxiety began to take centre stage.

For much of the 20th century, medical professionals who continued using hypnosis alongside other treatments often found their practices on the fringes of mainstream medicine. Experts like Dr. David Spiegel (an American Psychiatrist at Stanford University School of Medicine) have shared how his use of hypnosis was often viewed with scepticism, despite its benefits.

Recently, however, there has been a resurgence of interest in hypnosis as new areas of research shine a light on its potential. Studies in the fields of neuroscience and psychoneuroimmunology are helping to reframe how we think about hypnotherapy. With growing evidence supporting its effectiveness, hypnosis is slowly making its way back into medical and therapeutic practices, offering a promising complement to traditional treatments.

Throughout the 20th century, research has greatly improved our understanding of how the brain works. Early models of brain function have evolved into a deeper understanding of how different areas of the brain work together in networks. Today, experts recognize up to seven key brain networks:

1. Sensorimotor System: Controls touch, hearing, and movement.
2. Visual System: Handles sight and visual processing.
3. Limbic System: Regulates emotions, motivation, and memory.
4. Central Executive Network: Manages higher-level thinking and decision-making.
5. Default Mode Network: Responsible for introspection and imagination.
6. Salience Network: Helps with attention and switching between internal and external thoughts.
7. Dorsal Attention Network: Keeps focus on tasks that require external attention.

These networks are made up of different brain areas working together, enabling complex activities like language. As our understanding of these brain networks grows, it has influenced how we think about the brain, mind, and consciousness. It’s now widely accepted that the brain’s circuitry isn’t fixed; it adapts and changes throughout life based on how we interact with the world around us.

Research on human decision-making behaviour is helping us better understand how the brain works in two different ways. This idea, first introduced by Kahneman and Tversky (who were awarded the Nobel prize in Economic Sciences), suggests that we use two modes of thinking: one that’s quick, intuitive, and emotional (System 1) and one that’s slower, more logical, and deliberate (System 2).
The traditional Western view of human rationality, based on the ideas of philosopher Immanuel Kant, is being challenged by studies showing that much of our thinking and decision-making is influenced by emotions. Jonathan Haidt’s important research in social psychology argues that our reasoning is rooted in feelings, with logic often used afterward to justify our gut reactions. This view fits well with Kahneman’s and Tversky’s idea of the two systems of thinking.

These insights into how we think give more insight to the subconscious mind. Additionally, new research is looking into the role of glial cells (which seem to communicate without traditional synapses) and the gut-brain connection (known as the enteric nervous system), which could provide even deeper insights into how our mind works.

The field of hypnotherapy research has not been as well funded as other areas of psychotherapy and there is a smaller base of robust research, but this situation is improving. The research base has been sufficient for hypnotherapy to be recommended as an NHS-funded treatment for irritable bowel syndrome under the NICE clinical guidelines. The field of research is growing, partly due to the wider range of cost-effective research methods to study what the brain is doing in real-time, non-invasively. A recent study by Gillebrand and Froerer using electroencephalogram readings shows how solution focused talk followed by hypnosis activates brain regions associated with creative thinking. And a recent evaluative study of the use of solution focused hypnotherapy, which is offered as a therapeutic service within the Northumbria police force, measured clinical and quality of life outcomes using standardised clinical scales and demonstrated a high level of efficacy by the end of treatment and at follow up (Barney, et al 2024).

As our understanding of the brain and mind continues to evolve, hypnosis seems poised to reclaim its place as a powerful and scientifically supported tool in modern therapeutic practices.

References:

Assen Alladin & Jon Amundson (2016) Cognitive Hypnotherapy as a Transdiagnostic Protocol for Emotional Disorders, International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 64:2, 147-166, DOI: 10.1080/00207144.2016.1131585

Barney, E., Treby, E., Johannes, G., & Seymour, K. (2024). Understanding how online solution–focused hypnotherapy can support the wellbeing of police personnel and treat symptoms of anxiety and depression. The Police Journal, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X241228493

Gillebrand, R & Froehrer A S (2022) The Brain and the Impact of Solution Focused Questions. The Brain and the Impact of Solution Focus Questions | SFiO.org

Kahneman, D (2011) Thinking Fast and Slow. Penguin: London.

What do you call the feeling when you have just been for a long walk but didn’t bring your phone and the steps were not recorded? There are many feelings we don’t have precise words for and the words we choose can ramp up negative feelings or reduce them.

The language we use to describe how we feel is powerful and our self-talk is one of the ways we manage our emotions. Think about how you would be feeling if you were just about to give a presentation at a work event. It is likely that your heart rate would have increased, your palms might be sweaty, and your mouth might feel a bit dry. You might describe this feeling as ‘anxious’ and this interpretation might impact negatively on your memory, motivation and performance.

A friend or colleague might encourage you to ‘calm down’ but research suggests that this is counterproductive. A more helpful response would be to reappraise this energised feeling as ‘excitement’. Harvard Psychologist Alison Wood Brooks ran a series of experiments where she asked to people to perform a karaoke song, give a speech to work colleagues or take a maths test. In each context, the people who were asked to say ‘I am excited’ before the task performed more accurately and felt more effective during the task.

Neuroscientist Lisa Feldmann Barrett talks about the importance of ‘emotional granularity’ to make fine-grained distinctions in the way we interpret our feelings. Becoming more skilled and creative in the language we use can have physical benefits and can reduce the stress response. Author Glennon Doyle gives a great example of this in a word she created to describe the feeling of nervous anticipation when she gets up to speak at events when on book tours. She finds that using the word ‘scited’ (scared + excited) helps to acknowledge the physiologically heightened state she feels just before getting up to speak which helps her feel more energised and effective.

So I’m going create ‘mid-gruntled’ after my walk to capture the feeling of being pleased that I didn’t need to bring my phone but a bit disappointed that my steps average will drop this week.

In solution focused therapy we explore how language is used to describe a problem and how changing the language can reframe the issue in constructive ways.

We had a really good book group discussion yesterday about the Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté. Huge thanks to Andy Hill @behypnotherapy for hosting it.

We began by sharing our one-word reactions to the book which included: ‘unsettling’, ‘revealing’, ‘profound’ and ‘important’. Following our usual format, we discussed what we liked/disliked about the book, implications for clinical practice and for self-care as therapists.

There were many things we liked. We appreciated the compassion of the author as he talked about his family background, his client work and to his own limitations as a parent and physician. We felt the book achieved a good balance between scientific evidence, clinical practice and personal insight. In developing a holistic societal view of health Maté draws from a wide range of academic disciplines including: neuroscience, pharmacology, immunology, neurobiology, neurocardiology, epigenetics and socioeconomics.

The book offers new perspectives on disease, trauma and healing. Rather than seeing disease as a pathological entity invading the body it can be understood as an imbalance of the organism and a long-term dynamic process of interaction with the wider context. Using a petri-dish metaphor, the same set of cells would fare differently when placed into different solutions (benign and toxic). When we think about ‘Trauma’ we should also acknowledge ‘trauma’ to provide a more expansive understanding of those situations that inflict harm but also those situations which are marked by an absence of attention and attachment. He draws attention to the mechanisms through which stress and trauma can transmit intergenerationally. It is emphasised that healing and cure are not the same thing. ‘Healing’ can be understood as gaining new understanding, being active in the process of recovery and recovering self-compassion which is often lost through trauma.

We had few dislikes about the book although we agreed it was a tough and confronting read. Maté points to many pathological practices that have been normalised within society through political, economic and educational systems. I felt an unsettling response to the evidence presented in the book on the adverse physical effects of repressed or suppressed emotion. However, the author repeatedly emphasises that these insights should not invite blame of ourselves or our caregivers. It is an outlook that encourages compassionate understanding of and response to the social forces that condition us.

The following extract captures the essence of the book for me:
‘Everything within us, no matter how distressing, exists for a purpose; there is nothing that shouldn’t be there, troubling and even debilitating though it may be. The question shifts from “how do I get rid of this?” to “what is this for?”… we endeavour to get to know these irksome aspects of ourselves and then, a best we can, to turn them from foes into friends…. Healing does not require their disappearance, only their realignment – or perhaps their reassignment’. (pp 431-432)

We agreed that there were a lot of messages to take from the book both, in client work and personal life. As therapists, it encourages a heightened sensitivity and a compassionate trauma-informed perspective. As parents we all felt it was an important read. For self-care, the book is a reminder of how we all function as ‘shock-absorbers’ to each other in daily life and the value of noticing and responding to our own needs when feeling depleted.

Recently, a client asked if I could hypnotise my dog as he has a habit of barking in an agitated way when people walk up the path. My intuitive answer was ‘no’ but it made me curious to go back to a chapter (‘Is a growling dog angry?’) in a book I read a while ago.

The question begins with trying to understand how my dog is feeling when people walk up the path. In the book ‘How emotions are made’, Professor Lisa Feldman-Barret suggests that emotions are shaped by language and culture much more than we used to think.
The book explains that emotions are formed initially through our interoceptive network. This is the system of neural pathways and circuits that provide information on the internal state of our body. Feldmann-Barrett acknowledges that dogs have a similar brain circuitry and nervous system to humans. However, for dogs to experience the emotion of anxiety (in the way we would perceive it) it would require: interoceptive awareness, the ability to learn emotional concepts and the capability to communicate these concepts in wider social groups. Based on the research evidence it is likely that dogs display the first two capabilities.

Rather than experiencing emotion, it might be more accurate to say that they experience ‘affect’. Research with macaque monkeys shows that they experience same bodily changes as humans do when watching positive and negative events. By tracking their eye movements and cardio-vascular responses researchers observed different responses when macaques observed video footage of monkeys foraging and grooming than when the other monkeys appeared distressed.

Animals use olfactory and visual cues, or ‘concepts’ (such as tail wagging) to identify friend or foe and Feldmann Barrett suggests animals can learn additional concepts if they are rewarded. When interacting with humans, dogs are attentive to gaze, tone of voice and some learned commands (‘sit’, ‘stay’, ‘heel’, ‘teddy’ etc). In this sense, animals show a capacity for understanding concrete objects and action-based concepts. However, humans have an additional capacity for goal-based concepts. For example, a dog may learn the concept ‘to climb’ in a literal and context-dependent sense whereas humans can perceive that different contexts of climbing (a tree, a staircase and rockface) share a similar mental goal.

We have a natural tendency to anthropomorphise animal behaviour and infer a ‘guilty look’ when our pet has guzzled a piece of food from the table. However, it seems that emotion is in the eye of the beholder. In one experiment the owner instructs the dog not to take the biscuit from the bowl and then leaves the room. In the next step, the experimenter enters room and either gives dog the biscuit or reinforces the command not to take the biscuit. When the owner comes back into the room the experimenter tells the owner either that the dog has or hasn’t taken the biscuit. They found that the scolded dog was perceived to display guilty behaviour regardless of whether the dog had taken the biscuit.

Feldmann Barrett stresses that it’s not a question of superior/inferior cognitive capacity. Humans and dogs are just well adapted to their environmental ‘niche’ and she encourages us to learn more about our animals on their own terms.
So, in response to the original question, my hunch is that hypnosis would not be an effective way of changing my dog’s behaviour. Hypnosis is an active mental state which enables clients to reconnect with a positive experience, disassociate from negative ones and visualise positive change. We use positive language, imagery and metaphor to help the client reframe problems and find solutions. Therefore, my dog might enjoy hypnosis in a limited way (such as the calming pace and soft tone of my voice!) but there would be limitations in our shared conceptual vocabulary to bring about the desired change.
He often lies on the floor outside my therapy room, and occasionally is invited into the session by some of my younger clients. But I will stay in my lane and consult the dog behaviour experts on this!

I was in Sheffield at the weekend, a city I lived in thirty years ago. Lots had changed but some things seemed the same. I met my husband there, and we went for a nostalgic drink in the pub where we first met (the Bath Hotel). So many good memories came flooding back.

The feeling of nostalgia is good for us. Researchers have found that nostalgic people are more optimistic and find greater meaning in their lives. Nostalgia feels like time travel. It can take us back to a mood, a feeling, an outlook. It can be evoked in many ways.

Professor Catherine Loveday researches the positive effects of musical nostalgia and finds the music we encounter during the ages of 10-30 has the most powerful impact. This is a formative period when we make a lot of life decisions and gain a clearer sense of who we are. I felt musical nostalgia when I went to see Pulp recently. By the end of the concert, I was bopping around like I was in my teens again.

The nostalgic state provides a valuable resource for wellbeing and a point of connection both with people we care about and with ourselves. And nostalgia can be practised rather than waiting for it to happen organically. Recent research* shows the positive impact of nostalgia-based therapy with people who are bereaved, displaced, or living with dementia. It was found to increase social connectedness and reduced intrusive thoughts.

Hypnotherapy clients often talk about how they want to feel (‘less anxious’, ‘more confident’, ‘more able to relax’). The solution focused approach encourages them to recall times these positive emotional states were present in their lives. This is not to be sentimental but to reconnect with positive inner states in a restorative way. Hypnosis helps to deepen this experience so that they can begin to make positive changes in their lives. Contact me to find out more.

*Tim Wildschut & Constantine Sedikides (2023) Benefits of nostalgia in vulnerable populations, European Review of Social Psychology, 34:1, 44-91, DOI: 10.1080/10463283.2022.2036005

#thebathhotelsheffield #nostalgia #nostalgiaisgoodforyou #hypnotherapy #manchester #renewal_hypnotherapy #didsbury #mentalhealthmatters

I read a great article yesterday by DJ/author Annie Mac about loneliness. She described how, in the ebb and flow of (post-pandemic) life, some friendship groups had splintered and a switch to homeworking had created an unfamiliar sense of loneliness.

Her story resonated with a book I have been reading recently. In the New Psychology of Health Catherine Haslam and colleagues explain the important psychological resources and sense of identity we draw from social groups. The book draws on research showing that being socially connected is associated with good physical and mental health. It is not social connectedness generally, but identifying positively with these groups that is associated with positive outcomes across a wide range of chronic health conditions (including stroke and heart disease) by providing people with more resources to cope with challenging life circumstances.

The benefits of group membership were previously thought by to be transactional in psychological terms: allowing for division of labour and providing safety in numbers. During the 1950-60s psychologists Milgram and Asch highlighted the negative social influence of groups on individual behaviour. In the 1970s Henri Tajfel (a holocaust survivor) began to show some of the positive influences of group membership on individual behaviour and identity. His research showed the minimal group conditions where people begin to identify with a group and show positive behaviour towards other group members.

Building on Tajfel’s social identity theory the book by Haslam and colleagues explains why people who are more socially connected have better physical and mental health. For example, a study of local football clubs in Australia showed that group membership (for players, supporters and volunteers) was associated with positive physical and mental health status, highlighting that it is psychological benefits of membership rather than the physical benefits alone.

Social identity theory helps to explain variations in how people experience stress. When we are socially connected, we appraise stressors differently. The question ‘can I cope with this?’ becomes ‘can we cope with this?’ and, at a physiological level, group belonging helps to regulate our nervous system, lower cortisol and reduce inflammation. The more groups a person belongs to the lower the risk of depression, whereas lack of social connections reduces our physical and mental resilience. A study of ‘frequent attenders’ of GP services showed that loneliness was a factor. These research findings are having an impact on health policy and there has been a rise in ‘social prescribing’. Nowadays GPs might prescribe joining a choir or a gardening allotment community as a way of managing health conditions such as chronic pain.

In her article, Annie Mac describes how she confronted her own sense of loneliness by gathering a group of friends for an in-person catch-up once a fortnight. In my therapy work clients often identify changes that have happened gradually (due to new working patterns or family commitments) that have eroded their social connections. The sessions help them identify ways to create new social connections and to benefit from the physical and mental wellbeing.

“Spark: How exercise will improve the performance of your brain” by Professor John Ratey is an inspiring read.  I ‘skim read’ it a couple of years ago but read it again recently as we were discussing it at book group.  Andy Hill (@behypnotherapy) hosts the book group every couple of months and the discussions are fascinating as people bring so much expertise.  Hypnotherapy tends to be a second (or third) career for people, so we had early years specialists, nursing professionals, teachers, university lecturers and a professional athlete in the discussion.

One of the book’s key messages is that physical exercise alters our brain chemistry in a positive way.  We produce more dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine through aerobic activity.  These neurochemicals reduce cortisol levels, improve signalling between brain cells and promote cell growth in the form of BDNF (a protein which builds and maintains cell circuitry).  Andy had a good metaphor for this. If we think of the synapses between brain neurones as the English Channel, then we are improving the travel routes from Dover to Calais but also improving the infrastructure of the ports so that more information can pass through.

Our brain structure and function are shaped by the way we are interact with our environment.  When we are stressed and anxious the amygdala (which is associated with emotional processing), becomes larger and denser.  When depressed, the hippocampus brain region (which is associated with context and memory) shrinks by approximately 15%. But these effects can be counteracted through exercise and Professor Ratey provides an inspiring chapter on the effects of exercise in reducing cognitive decline as we grow older.

In a way, exercise acts like a brain fertiliser by:

• improving alertness and motivation
• strengthening brain cells
• increasing cognitive flexibility
• acting as a circuit breaker (like a natural ‘beta blocker’)
• activating the parasympathetic nervous system

Professor Ratey is well known for his books on Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (and has ADHD himself). Research studies show the positive effects of exercise on improving attention, mental focus and regulating mood, particularly through exercise that is aerobic and includes complex motor skills (eg. tennis, taekwondo).

The key message in the book is that we should see exercise as a resource for improving mental fitness and resilience. Interestingly, everyone at the book group said they had increased their level of physical activity after reading ‘Spark’.  However, when chronically stressed or experiencing low mood it is not always easy to self-motivate and Hypnotherapy can be an effective method for overcoming subconscious mental blocks that can deter us from exercise.

Ratey, J (2009) Spark: how exercise will improve the performance of your brain.  Quercus.

Spark learning and creativity: SPARK by Dr. John Ratey – YouTube

Recently a client asked me for some book recommendations. This followed a conversation about how much they had enjoyed reading the novel ‘The Alchemist’ (Paul Coehlo) which I had read many years ago. We agreed that a good book can stir the emotions and provide lasting thoughts and insights on our own lives.

Recent research helps to explain how fiction can move us emotionally and affect our brain at a physical level. Research studies using EEG and fMRI brain scanning techniques show that we respond differently to narrative fiction than non-fiction due to the use of metaphor and imagery. Professor Philip Davies (University of Liverpool) has studied the effect of reading Shakespeare from a neuroscientific perspective. Brain imaging techniques helped to pinpoint the parts of Shakespeare’s writing that cause a gear shift (metaphorically) in the brain. The playwright’s use of ‘functional shifts’, the use of one part of speech to stand in for another such as when a noun is used in place of a verb – for example, ‘strong wines thick my thoughts’, produces a higher voltage in our brains.

The research shows that Shakespeare’s literary techniques activate not only the parts of the brain associated with routine language processing but also areas of the brain associated with emotion, empathy, creativity and search for meaning. His techniques, which were novel at the time, are now used by many other writers and have been found to activate the brain’s default mode network which is associated with autobiographical thinking and creativity. It seems that fictional stories push the brain beyond habit-based, literal thinking and stimulate the imagination. The evidence is growing that both reading (and listening to) fiction is a good way to enhance social skills and foster empathy which is great news for bookworms!

In solution focused hypnotherapy we use metaphor in various elements of the session which can help clients identify deeply-held personal narratives that can be negative and constraining and to reframe in more positive and constructive ways.

It took me a few days to mull over book recommendations for my client. It made me realise I have been reading more non-fiction lately and I now feel eager to get back to stories. Here is the list I sent my client of memorable books which have taken me through the full gamut of emotions over the years and found a lasting place in my thoughts:

A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
One Fine Day (David Nicholls)
The Art of Fielding (Chad Harbach)
Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel)
The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy)
100 Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
Number 9 Dream (David Mitchell)
Hamnett (Maggie O’Farrell)

*Source: Comer, C & Taggart, A (2021) Brain, mind and the narrative imagination. Bloomsbury