'It was very strange indeed, though not at all unpleasant as I had half expected,' she recorded, 'watching myself as a teenager from a detached, adult viewpoint. I saw this very unhappy 15-year-old; strange also that I thought she looked rather pretty albeit a bit thin, because back then I was convinced I was both unattractive and fat ...'

No doubt there are millions of women - and men too - who still recall similar feelings in their own experience. Everyone has more than enough ‘brain capacity' to store countless emotional images from the past; typically these take second place to the mature person of today - and though they do influence us, they seldom dominate our activities.

But for Claire, the image of herself at 15 was sufficiently strong and lively to drive her into what psychologists call 'obsessive-compulsive' behaviour - irresistible desires without reason, and unstoppable actions bringing no conceivable advantage or reward. And no matter what form obsessive-compulsive behaviour may take - hand-washing and hair-pulling are about as common as bingeing - it makes the victim's life utterly miserable.

In my experience, the underlying causes of most such conditions are remarkably similar to that in the case of Claire - and, almost without exception, highly amenable to treatment under hypnosis. Since hypnotherapy is my profession, I am bound to say that; but what other approach offers a comparable remedy, at such small cost of time and without any risk of deepening the sufferer's distress?

We are all brought up to believe in ourselves as rational beings. When I think of the multitudes who struggle to lose weight by learning how many calories there are in a jar of jam or how much protein there is in an egg, I’m not so sure how rational we can be. But I'm absolutely convinced that anyone who seeks a cure for bingeing in the world of grammes and calories is bound to be disappointed. They are looking in the wrong place.

Michael Joseph

BSCH News

In a new appointment to the BSCH Executive Committee (EC) Tom Connelly has taken over the role of Organising Secretary from Tony Pitcairn. Tom comes from a background of commercial management and is presently engaged in several Internet enterprises. Through a long standing interest in psychology he first became acquainted with the LCCH in 1997 to pursue the possibilities of self development through hypnosis and having enjoyed both the LCCH certificate and diploma courses has been involved in its affairs in one form or another ever since.
Readers may remember from past LCCH newsletters that Tom has been instrumental in developing most of the Internet presence for the college (and hypnoforum.com) and so is well placed to employ this expertise for the BSCH. We know he has several plans to add to the ‘bundle of satisfaction’ for society members and being a pedigree Yorkshireman you can wager he will be looking at value for money on your behalf! He has recently added a new feature to the BSCH web site (http://www.bsch.org.uk) which allows members to post messages, ask questions and make new contacts within the organisation, believing that only through increased networking can we develop as a professional body. The forum is password protected so members wishing to use this facility should e-mail sec@bsch.org.uk for further instructions. The new secretary telephone number is 01262 403103 and Tom will always be happy to receive your calls, especially if you have ideas for the next BSCH Newsletter!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Tony Pitcairn for his sterling efforts on behalf of the BSCH (particularly in developing several invaluable database structures) and are pleased to note that he consented, after a very popular vote, to remain a member of the EC. Tony is using his new found freedom to develop and market an ingenious method of inexpensive advertising using ‘credit card’ sized CD’s which can hold multi-media presentations and even web sites. We wish him every success.
In another new appointment Maggie Chapman now holds the BSCH purse strings as treasurer for the society, employing previous valuable experience in the field of accounts. She replaces Lady Helen Kennedy, who has given selfless service to the society over the past 6 years but must now stand down due to ever growing demands on her time. We offer our sincere gratitude to her.

Growth is a process of change and the BSCH must change in order to grow, so we wish these new appointments well and hope that any growing pains they encounter are not too severe.