Therapy Definitions
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy is a biopsychosocial intervention, its overall aim is to support a person to achieve their maximum potential. Occupational therapy’s central belief is that occupational participation is a central force in our development, our health, and our wealth. As human beings our days are filled with occupation, revolving around what we need to do and what we want to do. Action characterises our very existence, because we need do activity to survive and flourish.
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Occupational therapy’s goal is to increase independence in our everyday activities, for example: self-care (hygiene, dressing, sleep, meals, routine, domestic), social (social networks, community involvement), and leisure (creative, physical). An occupational therapist will consider all of the person’s needs, physical, psychological, social and environmental. The therapist will then provide rehabilitation, equipment recommendations and advice to help the client achieve their maximum potential.
Where appropriate occupational therapists also refer onto other agencies, for example, social services, charities, and we may also recommend GP attendance. Research evidences suggests that increasing activity and embedding healthy occupations in lifestyle change has proved to be highly successful in enhancing physical and mental health wellbeing, this support can open up new horizons and change the way a person feels about their situation and the future.
Coaching/Counselling/Psychotherapy
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Lynn at Inspire Health utilises a combination of psychotherapy, counselling and coaching to enable the creation of an individualised therapy plan, designed to be flexible and adapt to the client's needs and goals.
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Confused by the differences between these three modalities? Well yes most people are! Let me clarify that for you.
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There is an overlap between these therapies and their terms are often used indiscriminately. Below is a set of generalised definitions of each modality, please only use them as a guide. It is more important to find out a therapists training, experience and the style of therapy they provide, and then decide if that therapist and their approach suits your needs.
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Psychotherapists are trained to treat mental health issues, they will explore the past and present aspects of the health condition and treatment focuses on increasing awareness, this creates a space for the person to grow and change. There are a variety of different forms of psychotherapy, some include a psycho-educational element and are more proactive, with a future focus for example CBT, NLP and TA. Overall, psychotherapy can be more beneficial for dealing with more significant deeper rooted complex conditions than the other modalities.
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Counsellors training is shorter than psychotherapy and is usually associated with achieving short-term symptomatic relief of a persons’ mental health concern. Therefore it can be more useful for intervention with lighter, less complex conditions. Therapy involves the development of a trusting relationship with the person and therapy is tailored to person’s individual needs, taking social and cultural contexts into account.
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Coaches usually focus on helping people identify their goals, and support people to take manageable steps along the way to achieving these goals. They will often set tasks to help you achieve each of these steps towards your desired outcome. During the sessions they may discuss how the past has affected the present, but they are not trained in mental health issues and therefore coaching can be limited in its effectiveness in treating more significant health issues.
Vocational Rehabilitation
Vocational rehabilitation is usually undertaken by health professionals. They work with people who are experiencing health issues, including, physical, psychological, or social issues, in relation to work. They assist people to overcome their barriers to accessing, maintaining, or returning to work.
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For example vocational rehabilitation professionals work with:-
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With people who are having difficulties entering the workforce due to health conditions. They help people manage their health, identify and improve work skills, apply for jobs and find employment.
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Those who are ‘off sick’ and worried about how they are going to manage to return to work. They can support people manage their health and their return to work, including liaising with managers and occupational health. Their return to work could include, phased returns and reasonable adaptation.
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People who are finding work a struggle, due to a health condition. They can help people manage their health condition at work, including liaising with managers and occupational health.
Vocational rehabilitation professionals can support employers manage their sickness absence and help prevent staff going off sick. This reduces the employers’ costs of sickness absence and increases employee retention, reducing the overall costs of recruitment.
The vocational rehabilitation association identify that interventions can include:
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assessment, appraisal, programme evaluation and research.
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goal setting and intervention planning.
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provision of health advice and promotion, in support of returning to work.
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support for self-management of health conditions.
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making adjustments to the medical and psychological impact of a disability.
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case management, referral, and service co-ordination.
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psychosocial interventions.
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career counselling, job analysis, job development, and placement services.
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functional and work capacity evaluations.
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Neuro Linguistic Programming
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Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) has 3 components:
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Neuro – to do with our minds, both at the conscious and unconscious levels.
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Linguistic – the language we use to communicate; in NLP we use specific language patterns to facilitate change unconsciously.
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Programming – the ability to model and focus on the behaviours we want, i.e. a way to change our way of thinking.
NLP uses the language of the mind to bring about our specific and desired outcomes. NLP is about noticing our conscious and unconscious behaviour patterns and (re-) modelling those patterns to achieve swift and lasting changes in the way we think and act. When doubt creeps in, our limiting beliefs cause changes in our behaviour, thereby creating a vicious circle of diminishing confidence and self-esteem. NLP breaks this cycle quickly and effectively. Furthermore, the self-sabotaging negative self-talk is also eliminated.
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It has been said that NLP is an instruction manual for the mind. NLP allows us to run strategies or programmes in our minds to achieve the desired results. In place of anxiety we install compelling, achievable goals.
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NLP for Equestrians
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NLP is a superb aid to overcome our worries. Anxiety, fear and other negative emotions are a warning signal from our unconscious minds that we’re focussing on what we don’t want, rather than what we do want. NLP is a series of techniques that overcome the self-doubt, fears and worries that erode our confidence. We work through bespoke programmes to ensure that our clients feel utterly calm and able to view their riding from a relaxed perspective, thus leading to enhanced performance and enjoyment.
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NLP Coaching
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NLP coaching is a collaborative relationship between the coach and coachee. The focus is entirely on the coachee, with the coach assisting them in removing barriers which hold them back. Coaching starts with goal setting and then a step-by-step programme is designed to enable the coachee to move towards their goals, in an emotionally balanced, motivated manner. Being aware of negative emotions that drain us (fear, disappointment, frustration etc.) and being able to deal with such emotions enable us to avoid stagnation or even failure. Coaching stimulates creativity, problem solving and aids tremendously in honing and perfecting acquired skills.
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Coaching is a longer-term intervention; an initial 6 sessions are planned, this can be one session per fortnight or, more usually, one per month. NLP Coaches meet or exceed all published competency standards in the coaching profession (e.g., ICF Core Competencies). Examples of how Coaching can help would be in reaching career and personal goals, including weight management and healthy lifestyle.
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Time-Line Therapy
Do you want to feel good about yourself and put a stop to believing you’re not good enough? Time Line Therapy®, also known as Create Your Future®, removes limiting decisions and beliefs, as well as negative emotions.
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It is perfect for relieving trauma, stress, anxiety, frustration, depression, phobias and any lingering negative emotions such as fear, hurt, sadness, anger and guilt. It lends itself well to enhancing sporting performance – how can anyone perform well when carrying fear, anxiety, anger, regret or disappointment?
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Time Line Therapy® provides the mental clarity required for focus and success. The ability to eliminate these negative emotions, whilst learning from our past, affords us the opportunity to move on and not stay in an unhealthy rut. Importantly, this is a powerful and wonderfully effective technique that restores balance, enabling us to de-clutter and eliminate baggage in a healthy and easy manner. Moreover, it can be used to regain confidence, self-belief and self-esteem after distressing or traumatic experiences. We work through the negative emotions together in a totally innovative, yet simple manner: this technique is content free. This means that we guide you gently through visualisations that do not require that you ‘face your fear’; no recall of painful memories is necessary. The results are profound and, importantly, self-maintained by you.
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Time-Line Therapy for Equestrians
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What is Time Line Therapy® for equestrians? A technique to make you feel good about your riding confidence and put a stop to self-sabotaging thoughts and ideas.
Time Line Therapy® for equestrians is perfect for enhancing sporting performance – how can anyone perform well when carrying fear, anxiety, anger, regret or disappointment? Time Line Therapy® for equestrians provides the mental clarity required for focus and success. The ability to control the mind when in the highly stressful and pressurised competition environment can be the fine line between triumph and mediocrity.
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This is a powerful and wonderfully effective technique that restores balance, enabling equestrians to compete at their best and put in winning performances. Moreover, it can be used by all riders to regain confidence, self-belief and self-esteem after distressing or traumatic experiences. We work through the negative emotions together in a totally innovative, yet simple manner: this technique is content free. This means that we guide you gently through visualisations that do not require that you ‘face your fear’; no recall is necessary. The results are profound and, importantly, self-maintained by you.
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Time Line Therapy® for equestrians is perfect for all equestrians, but particularly useful post-injury or traumatic experience.
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Hypnosis
Hypnosis is simply a form of deep relaxation. During the initial part of the hypnosis, your body is encouraged to relax, then your mind, using gentle suggestions. When our minds and bodies relax, the conscious mind, (the analytical mind) is distracted, allowing you to enter a day-dream like state, where your unconscious mind becomes more receptive and suggestions are added. The suggestions and metaphors are designed to be personal to you, i.e. stories and imagery that resonate with you are added in (places, music, people, activities that you like). In this vein, your mind relaxes and is more accepting of change. Hypnotherapy uses imagery and indirect suggestions via metaphors to bring about the changes you want. At the end of the session, you are brought gently back to being fully awake.
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Do you want to put a stop to your issues? Do you want to experience lasting changes in a relaxing atmosphere? Hypnosis is a gentle, yet effective means of communication with the unconscious mind, the part of us that stores all the memories, emotions, self-belief, fears and doubts.
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Clients often worry that during hypnosis, they will be ‘giving away’ control to the hypnotherapist, however, nothing could be further from the truth. You remain in charge throughout. All hypnosis is actually self-hypnosis. Nobody could make you do something you wouldn’t ordinarily want to do.
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Don’t expect to feel hypnotised! You will enter a light trance, rather like a daydream or the feeling we have when engrossed in a good film. This delightfully natural feeling of total relaxation can be used as a tonic or treat to allow yourself time away from your busy everyday life, giving yourself time for you mind and body to restore themselves.
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Alternatively, hypnosis can be used therapeutically to open the door to focussing on what you want and giving the positive expectation of reaching your goals. Hypnosis practitioners work closely with the client to design bespoke hypnotic inductions. This mean that they chat to the client about their specific goals and success criteria, as well as their general interests and aims, so that they can provide a more effective result. Moreover, the pre-session chat ensures clients are comfortable with the process, excited about the benefits and convinced they will achieve results.
Equestrian Hypnotherapy
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Whether you are a recreational or professional rider, in whatever discipline, hypnotherapy can eliminate your fears more easily, more effortlessly. Our bespoke hypnotherapy also caters for those riders for whom confidence is not a problem: they wish to enhance their performance and achieve more.
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Personalised equestrian hypnotherapy works especially well for riders, as we all have very particular anxieties or worries, aspirations and dreams, not least because as riders we’re individuals, but our horses are too! More general hypnotherapy can help some riders to gain confidence or enhance their performance, but tailor-made recordings have a deeper, faster effect. Imagine that your problem centres around cantering. In your mind, you’re thinking about your horse and when/where/how you want to canter. You might be picturing an arena or field that you ride in, whether you’re alone or in company. That’s quite specific; by describing your situation, we can customise your hypnosis so that it’s meaningful to you and not a generic answer to a generic issue. A recording that’s exclusive to you and your needs to bring about the best possible results. There’s a confident competent rider in all of us. Hypnotherapy helps to unleash that potential.
Hypnotherapy FAQs
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Does hypnosis work for everyone?
Hypnosis is quite an individual experience. Some people may go into a deeper trance more easily than others. Some will experience light trance. For your hypnotherapy to work, a deep trance is not necessary, you don’t have to feel like you’re asleep. Each time you practise hypnosis, however, as you become accustomed to the process, you may drift a little deeper into relaxation.
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​I’m not sure anyone could hypnotise me, can they?
All hypnosis is actually self-hypnosis, so no, nobody can hypnotise you but yourself. If you don’t want to be hypnotised, you won’t be. Don’t expect to feel that you’re in a deep sleep, you probably won’t feel like this until you want to. Remember you’re in control and the results are your results.
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Who shouldn’t use hypnosis?
Those suffering from medical conditions such as epilepsy or those with psychiatric conditions (for example, psychosis, personality disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar, hysteria) should not engage in hypnotherapy. People with life-threatening diseases should consult their GP/doctor before using hypnotherapy. For anyone who suffering from highly traumatic or repressed memories, other techniques such as Time Line Therapy™ are more suitable and I’d advise against using hypnotherapy beforehand. Anyone who is unsure about whether hypnotherapy would suit their issue/medication can be put at ease by consulting their GP/doctor.
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Can I get stuck in a trance?
No, absolutely not. You are in control at all times, as such you control not only how deep your trance state, but also when you want to come out of trance. Nobody can force you into a trance or make you stay there, that’s impossible.
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How long does it take for the results to be evident? Are the results immediate?
Not always! Everyone is different, you may notice changes quickly, you may need to listen to the recording several times. You may not notice the changes at first. Then, presented with a certain situation, you’ll act differently and realize that all the change work has come together!
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How often and when should I listen to the recordings?
The more you listen, the more the hypnotic suggestions are embedded in the unconscious mind. Repetition is good for the unconscious mind and new ways of thinking turn into new habits. I suggest listening every day – or every other day if you can’t find the time – for about a month to see and feel differently.
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Can I change several aspects about myself at once using hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy works best when unrelated issues are dealt with one at a time.
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What happens if I fall asleep or don’t remember much of what was said?
Your unconscious mind is listening all the time and remembers all that is said, even if you don’t and even if you fall asleep. So don’t worry, rest assured your hypnotherapy is having a positive effect.
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I’ve tried hypnosis before and I just couldn’t relax
Relaxation is actually not necessary, the suggestions will enter your unconscious mind whether your muscles in your body relax or not! The hypnosis is, however more beneficial if you can learn to relax.
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NLP, Time Line Therapy and Hypnosis
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NLP, Time Line Therapy™ and Hypnosis work to eliminate stress and anxiety, rather than merely manage it. These gentle, yet powerful techniques are not coping mechanisms, but rather abolishing mechanisms. We provide alternative strategies for the unconscious mind, giving us more clarity, positivity and control. We also take the much needed time to relax and allow the mind to sample a different, empowering and compelling perspective.
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