News from Birmingham
Barry Wyton

David Valencia, LCCH Course Co-ordinator for the Midlands Region writes of the on-going activities of past and present Diploma students.

Barry Wyton, who completed his Diploma with distinction in March 2001, has experienced tinnitus for over twenty years and provides telephone support via the British Tinnitus Association’s (BTA) helpline. Barry is also standing for election to the BTA Council of Management in September of this year.
Here is Barry’s report on a recent talk where he addressed a group of audiologists on alternative methods of treating tinnitus:

“Giving talks on hypnotherapy is something I enjoy tremendously. As an expert tinnitus ‘sufferer’, giving talks on the role of hypnotherapy in it’s treatment is paradise! I can say things about sufferers (been there, done that) that other therapists have to work gently around!

In July I was invited to address audiologists who were attending a course about ‘Alternative Methods of Treating Tinnitus”. This also covered acupuncture, reflexology, psychotherapy, Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, and homeopathy, as well as an update on the mainstream pharmacological research from Ewart Davis, a medical advisor to the British Tinnitus Association.
My talk was structured around:-

• My background (so that listeners can put what I say into their own context).
• My own understanding of what tinnitus is, how people deal with it and use it.
• General points about hypnosis and hypnotherapy.
• Specific points about the use of hypnotherapy with tinnitus sufferers.

At this talk, as with others that I’ve done, there was a huge amount of interest in hypnotherapy, and the Q&A session at the end took longer than the talk itself. Feedback afterwards was that 11 out of 27 people thought the hypnotherapy was one of the best parts of the course, a pleasing result given that, professionally, audiologists are more in tune with the pharmacological approach. Indeed, one of the most interested people was Ewart, who incorporated some of my points in his own talk, and later discussed the possibilities of setting up a research project to explore the use of hypnotherapy with tinnitus. Now that’s exciting stuff! “

 Exciting stuff indeed, and real evidence that clinical hypnosis is now seen by many Health Care Professionals as a serious treatment option for conditions such as tinnitus.
Barry’s remit has also now extended to assisting and supervising students on the current Birmingham Certificate Course. This of course is a first step to becoming a trainee lecturer, so welcome on board, Barry!


LOUISE SMITH

With highly motivated individuals in mind, and going with the maxim of ‘practising what one preaches’, enter Loiuse Smith.
Louise is a student on the current Diploma Course in Birmingham and has been pregnant for most of her studies. Louise has now given birth to Theo, a baby boy who weighed in at 8lb 3oz.
From the beginning of her pregnancy Louise had decided that she would use all she had learned about hypnosis - and more - in order to have as comfortable a time as possible, both before and during labour.
She worked with her supervisor, Angela Everett, and they worked out a plan utilising, in conjunction with self-hypnosis, the various techniques she learned on weekend three of the Diploma Course. Louise created a state of mind in which she was able to use a state of focused concentration for anaesthesia and to create a positive attitude towards her pregnancy. Breathing techniques and favourite place of relaxation were used as a starting point from which to set up future pacing to time of birth and to visualise the birth canal itself.
Louise was able to achieve high levels of pain control using self-hypnosis through the last stages of birth itself. She had no need of any medical pain relief, which by all accounts impressed and inspired the Midwife.
Both Louise and her husband Martin are over the moon with their new addition to the family and Martin is clearly proud of Louise’s new skills.

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