I have been certified by the Alliance Professional of Naturopaths and Naturotherapists as a Naturotherapist. This means that the majority of health insurance companies will now cover my services under Naturopathic.

Receipts will be given at the time of payment.

If you have made a New Year Resolution, and managed to stick with it, you are reaching a very important time. If you started your New Year Resolution on January 1st yesterday would have marked your 21st day or 3rd week with the new habit. This is an important milestone! It takes 3 weeks or 21 days to make any habit subconscious. It's the turn around time when a habit no longer requires so much conscious effort to keep and becomes much more automatic. Your brain has rewired itself with new positive behaviours and you should feel proud!

There is however, something to watch for. It's the number one reason that people fall out of their new desired behaviour and go back to their old pattern of undesired behaviour.

People tell themselves "Jee I am doing so well at the gym! I have been eating right and working out! I am going to give myself a few days to eat whatever I want and not go to the gym."

Or the ex-smoker tells themselves "It's been 3 weeks since I stopped smoking, I have done so well! When I go out drinking tonight it wouldn't hurt to have just one cigarette as a reward!"

This is one of the ways that the mind can work against us in our quest for betterment of self. The mind never forgets anything it has experienced and as soon as the ex-smoker lights up or the comfort eater starts bindging, those patterns can return rapidly. This can lead to feelings of guilt and remorse which can lead to giving up their resolutions.

To combat this from happening, it is important to focus on the success that you have achieved. Remember the reasons for wanting to make the change in the first place. Remember how you felt before and after you made the change.

Think about what that chocolate cake or cigarette really represent! Are they a reward? Comfort? A way to relax? Think of an alternative way to get the benefit that your mind is seeking! There is a world of ways to reward, comfort and relax yourself that are far more exciting without going back to your old vices. Take a yoga class, go to a movie, visit a good friend or take up a hobby that appeals to you!

Make this the last time you ever have to make the change again....

What makes you happy? Maybe the new cell phone that you just got makes your life a little bit easier....Maybe the new car that you bought looks and drives really good....or maybe those new jeans make you look great...but do they make you happy? I think we have all caught ourselves out shopping looking for that item that we believe will bring more happiness into our life.

Happiness is something that can not be bought or sold in any store. And you can have all the money in the world and still be miserable.

Many people also believe that we will find happiness when we met the "one", the love of our life. The truth is that you can be in a relationship with someone and still not be happy.

If you base your happiness on external circumstances you will continuously fail to find happiness. While success, financial abundance and health relationships can feel good, true happiness is something that needs to be found within.

Instead of directing the search for happiness outwardly, it should be focused inwardly. This can break the viscious cycle of trying to "find" happiness outside of ourselves time and time again.

Here are a few easy tips that can help you become more happy.

1-Start living in the present. Not yesterday or tomorrow. When we focus on the past or the future it takes us out of our "now" experience and can prevent us from experiencing any happiness that we could be experience in the present time.

2-Be Grateful. By expressing gratitude for what we have in our lives, it creates positive thinking. By being grateful it reminds us of the happiness that is already in our lives. Things to be grateful for are your health, good family, a good job, wonderful children....

3-Helping others. Nothing feels quite as good to help another person. When we help someone else, it makes us feel good. It boosts our self esteem and builds a healthy ego!

4-Do things for you. Take time to do things you enjoy. Take time doing activities that make you better. Taking a class, meditating, excercising or doing a favorite hobby are all wonderful.

5-Clear your past baggage. Learning to let go of the past can allow you to live a happier life. By letting go of memories or emotions that no longer serve you, you clear layers that might be preventing you from living a happier life.

Neuroscience is now proving that your brain has the capablity and functionality to change it's wiring. Just 10 years ago, it was believed that once your brain was developed, that was it. Understanding is now changing rapidly, thanks in part to the work of a Toronto M.D, Norman Doidge.

In his book, The Brain That Changes Itself, he talks about how the brain is a plastic, living organ that can actually change its structure and function.  His book has case studies that shows IQ can be raised, aging brains rejuvenated and even a woman who was born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole.

Hypnosis is a tool that can affect and change the way that the brain and mind process information. This in turn can affect change within the individual.

Contemplate this! That you can make whatever changes that you desire...all it takes is a little work to get you there!

The office will be closed starting Dec 23 2010 and will reopen on Jan 2nd 2011. If you would like to book an appointment for January 2011 please visit the home page of my site and click "book now" on the right hand side of the screen. You will be able to access my calander and choose a time that works best for you.

I wish you a happy holiday 2010 and much joy, abundance and prosperity for 2011.

Looking for an interesting gift for someone that has everything? Perhaps you have a friend that is experiencing difficulty and needs some guidance. Maybe you just want to surprise your secret santa with something so unique that they have never received anything quite like it before.

My Holiday Gift Certificates are now available. You can choose between 1 hour sessions or a package of 3 sessions. Each certificate is redeemable for treatement with either Hypnotherapy, NLP or Reiki.

If you would like to order gift certificates please call the office at 416-464-7780. There is no expiry date on my gift certificates!

Whoa, I am already talking about New Years and Christmas hasn't even arrived. I am booking into January and have people already scheduling their appointments for their New Years Resolutions! However, most people don't adhere to the goals they set for themselves at New Years. While their intentions are true, it seems that most people fall off the band wagon by February. It would seem only people with solid resolve seem to make it. So just why is this?

Well, most people try to go from 0 to 100 all at once. They try to lose 60 lbs A.S.A.P and get discouraged when they only lose 3 pounds in one month.

Change is gradual. Change is a process. It is not about getting to your destination quickly. Lifestyle change of any kind takes time. You need to give yourself the time and the space to make the change. And you don't have to do it alone. People are more likely to succeed with professional help with someone that is trained to deal with the issue at hand. Both hypnosis and NLP are tools that can help you develop better habits and behaviours.

So if you are ready to truly make change this coming January 2011, maybe it's time to try something different, something that works!

I have made some changes around the clinic this past few years to ensure it is environmentally friendly.

The electricity is powered by Bullfrog which provides green electricity. There was $1000 of energy efficient lighting installed on the premises by Toronto Hydro ensuring lower energy consumption is lower. And all cleaning products have are green and environmentally friendly.

While these changes have been a step in the right direction, there are still changes to be made.

As of January 1st 2011 I am moving to a paperless office. All notes will be taken on a tablet pc to minimize the use of paper. All client intake forms will now be digital as well.

I feel that the move towards a paperless office is a step in the right direction and will help reduce the impact to the environment.

The Harvard Medical School conducted research on the use of hypnosis to enhance physical healing. Twelve people with a recent bone fracture were divided into two groups. One group received hypnosis and the other group served as control. Both groups received standard orthopedic treatment. The hypnosis group had individual hypnotic sessions and listened to audio tapes designed to increase bone healing. Xray and orthopedic evaluations were made during the 12 weeks of the experiment.

The results showed a faster healing for the hypnosis group at week 9 of the experiment.   Xrays revealed a notable difference at the edge of the fracture at  week 6 of the experiment.  The hypnosis group also had better mobility and used less pain killers. The researchers conclude by saying that "despite a small sample size.... these data suggest that hypnosis may be capable of enhancing both anatomical and functional fracture healing, and that further investigation of hypnosis to accelerate healing is warranted."

The article was "Using hypnosis to accelerate the healing of bone  fractures: a randomized controlled pilot study", by Ginandes, CS,  Rosenthal, DI. Alternative Therapy Health Medicine, 1999,  March, 5(2), pp.67-75.

Mo-vember is taking place this month to help support mens health. Men all over the country are growing mustaches to help raise money to support prostate cancer.

My friend Margot Grant told me about her promotion where she is going to be donating 50% of all proceeds of her product below to the mo-vember cause.

This is the product I use as aftershave. It is wonderful and really does and excellent job at soothing my sensitive skin!

You can now purchase this product AND make a contribution to mens health....just follow the link below.

https://elizabethgrant.com/store/product.php?productid=16368&cat=305&page=1