“There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all argument and which cannot fail to keep man in everlasting ignorance. That principle is condemnation prior to investigation.” (Herbert Spenser 1820-1903)

I have never in my life been able to accept as truth any explanation that did not satisfy me. This caused me problems from an early age: expulsion from schools, condemnation from my relations and elders and disinheritance. Later in life, this attitude of mine – call it stubbornness if you will – left me with questions about all the theories of psychology, and evolution that I read about. I wondered at the way people cope with the pains of life in such different ways, and I began to ask myself what more could be achieved if we understood the reasons behind those differences.

When I began studying hypnotherapy, I was curious about what I could do with my mind. Much of what I learned seemed unbelievable and sounded too simple. How could it be that the mind could easily be directed to heal and change, and yet so many people (myself included) could remain stuck and ‘just sick and tired of being sick and tired?' I had known petrifying feelings of despair, demoralisation, loneliness, and utter hopelessness in my own experience of alcoholism.

Without question, hypnosis therapy (all hypnosis is self-hypnosis) is what I love doing. It is true what they say: "Find something you love to do, and you will never work a day in your life." Now I treat people regularly and with great success, by showing them how to unlock their own powers of self-healing. I work alongside the medical profession, treating those cases where modern medicine draws a blank: stress, cancer, HIV, arthritis, and many other ailments which can be healed by the mind.

On meeting clients, I always impress on them that they are not alone with their challenges. We all share fears and needs, and have experienced joys and depressions. In our pursuit of happiness and success we often get angry, bitter and resentful. Put simply. we lose our way. Quite naturally, our bodies cannot handle all of this unresolved emotion, and we get ill.

There is a way to be happy, successful and free!

Everyone knows that life is problematic; life needs to be so we can evolve. In meeting our challenges we are able to grow and realise our fullest capacity . However, not everybody realises that all of us carry around, within ourselves, the resources for survival, personal evolution and success. Happiness can stem from the realisation that we choose to embrace the lessons of life, growing into the person we want to become and feel proud of our ability to take control of our lives, and move on.

Remember that at every moment of your life, you were doing the best you could. With hindsight, you might have done things differently, however, at that time, you did the very best you could with the ‘tools' you had!

By learning self-hypnosis, discover who you are and be that person. Come down the road less travelled, and experience how good it feels to live life with love instead of fear.

Changing does not take time; it's not changing that takes time!

Today could be your day. Carpe Diem!

Rupert Raikes