We spoke to Lili Sinclair-Williams to discuss her expertise in Cognitive Hypnotherapy. This is a much needed skill in the busy times we live in, and most certainly during this time of Covid19 where the disruption to peoples lives can cause added stress and anxiety.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy teaches us techniques we can use to look after our mental health and cope with stress. If we look beyond the initial disturbance of the lockdown and social isolation we begin to see how this period of solitude could be just the time we needed to reset and reflect.
A major upside to isolation is that we gain a few hours here and there every day rather than rushing to the tube on our commutes or dashing to and from meetings! Lili shares her ideas on how we can use this time to get to know ourselves again, to acknowledge how we were really doing before lockdown and what we can take away from this experience to improve our mental health, and how Cognitive Hypnotherapy can help us.
We also discuss the LSW Mind Cards that Lili has created, to help keep us on track and remember to practice self-care principles such as; gratitude, rituals and mindfulness.
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Please can you introduce yourself and LSW London to us?
I’m Lili Sinclair-Williams and I work with clients both in the UK and internationally (via Zoom) as a Cognitive Hypnotherapist and Coach. I trained as a therapist when I noticed colleagues and friends accepting anxiety, burnout and stress as a normal way of life. I was guilty of the same in my old career in the Film and TV Industry, and in a moment of clarity I realised I wasn’t fulfilled in the way that I wanted to be. I wanted to be able to share the power of therapy with people to show that anxiety doesn’t need to just be accepted, we can free ourselves from it and live with a new perspective.
When you embarked on your journey into Cognitive Hypnotherapy did you expect to be working for yourself?
Yes, I always knew I wanted to work for myself. It was something I had wanted for a while and I love the freedom it brings to me. Of course it comes with its difficulties and stresses, but it is rewarding in so many ways and I feel very lucky to do so.
What led you down this path?
I discovered Cognitive Hypnotherapy after being introduced to it by my father many years ago. It completely changed my perspective and helped me to align my values and beliefs to a career more suited to me. I haven’t looked back since.
Please can you tell us a little about the methods you use?
Cognitive Hypnotherapy is very different to traditional hypnotherapy. It draws on recent discoveries and ideas from Evolutionary Psychology, Positive Psychology, Cognitive Theory, and NLP, incorporating them into a modern idea of hypnosis to provide a framework for therapy. We don’t use just one approach as the answer to all of life’s problems. Everyone experiences their issue in a way that is entirely unique to them, for that reason, I tailor my therapy to the specific needs of each client using the most effective tools for lasting change.
We love the concept of the Mind Cards as reminders throughout the day to keep your thoughts focused. Please could you tell us about the principles behind the cards?
When working with clients, I find one of the most effective ways to create positive change in their lives is for them to create small, regular, positive habits that they build on daily. I wanted to make these tools and techniques available on a much wider scale for people who don’t necessarily want therapy but are looking for tips and tricks on creating a more fulfilled and happier life. By combining techniques such as random acts of kindness, gratitude exercises, and journaling prompts, the cards encourage a new perspective that will spread into different areas of your life and help you build a more positive mind set.
We are currently in a very unexpectedly unusual period of time and I think even the people with the most robust mental health will be affected by at least some level of anxiety or worry, even if only briefly. What can we all do to help ourselves and each other through this time?
I think the most important thing to do is to go easy on yourself. These are times like we have never experienced before and so there is no right or wrong way to be coping. If you need to lie in, lie in. If you need to read a book to escape a bit, read a book. If you need to do some colouring in, go for it. If you need to eat a whole packet of biscuits, eat, eat, eat. We will all be coping in the best way we can and the best thing we can do is listen to what our minds and bodies are telling us they need. Do not force yourself to do anything that causes unnecessary stress, be kind to yourself and to others and go easy on yourself.
Relationships will also be impacted, whether you are separated from each other due to travel restrictions or suddenly spending way more time together than ever before! Do you have any techniques that can help ensure this is a positive experience for all?
Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, personal connection is a vital part of being human. These times will be particularly hard for anyone living alone and separated from their friends and families. In a more positive light, it is a good time to get to know ourselves better, to spend more time practising self-care, learning new skills and exercising. We are so blessed to be living in an era of easy access connection, video calls are so easy to do both by phone and computer. Try to stay connected with friends and family as much as possible. I think one positive throughout this is we are learning to connect again, rather than just via text, we are speaking to one another on the phone and this is a lovely thing.
How can we make the most of this moment of solitude and help our mental health/cognitive training so that when we get back to normality we are in a strong place?
Spend some time writing down what is and isn’t helping you throughout this lockdown. Perhaps you are really getting into baking or maybe you have discovered a passion for painting or playing an instrument. Write down the things that are bringing you joy and remember them for when life goes back to normal. These are times in which we have to discover gratitude for the little things, the birdsong, fresh air, a freshly made bed. It is important to remember the sparks of joy we are experiencing right now so we can carry them over when life picks up again. The moments of happiness are the most important. They are the ones that fill our day, make sure you are filling yours with happy ones.
What have you done personally to help your mental health during this time?
I am using my Mind Cards each day to keep my habits positive and my mind set on track. I am trying to fill my time with activities that don’t involve the television, so cooking more, writing, reading, getting my 10,000 steps a day (away from others of course!). I want to use this time to do more yoga and pick up my violin again after 15 years!
Do you have any particular daily routines you follow, which incorporate your practices?
I always make my bed in the morning; that one is very important. I find keeping the house clean and tidy really translates to keeping my mind the same. I have started reading a chapter of my book with breakfast and go for a long walk after lunch. I think it is important to keep work within work hours – try to keep evenings for relaxing. That email can wait till the morning.
What is your favourite quote or phrase that you use to keep you on track during difficult times?
One that I keep coming back to at the moment is an Epictetus classic ‘It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters’. This couldn’t be more fitting for these times, we have absolutely no control over being stuck indoors but we have complete choice over how we respond.
Do you have any exciting plans in the pipeline that you can share with us?
We are very excited to announce that LSW Mind Cards: Kids’ Edition are coming later this year. They have been designed to help parents introduce the power of mindfulness, kindness, gratitude, and affirmations to their children, with techniques and tools to help children understand their feelings and keep calm and present.
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If you are interested in learning more about Cognitive Hypnotheraphy, get in touch with Lili here: https://www.lsw-london.com/