Pain Killers

We often take pain killers for headaches, injuries, aches and pains. But have you ever wondered what pain killers actually do? They are not the same, and each has different affects on the body. And different side effects too.

If you haven’t read my previous blog posts on pain, please do so, as they explain the four sources of pain – learned behaviour, repressed emotions, risk of damage to tissue, and actual damage to tissue. It will provide some nice background reading to understand the remainder of this blog post a little better.

Most pain killers are designed to interrupt the process of nociception. That is, the nerve system that detects damage or risk of damage to tissue through the nociceptors (nerve endings), travelling up the body to the brain where pain is received.

Aspirin and ibuprofen shut the perception of pain down at their source. They stop the signal from reaching the nerves that transport the signal to the brain. They block the nociceptors from ever receiving the stimulus of damage or risk of damage. The nerve endings are blocked from receiving the signal. Aspirin and ibuprofen also are anti-inflammatory. Ibuprofen is considered as a safer alternative to aspirin with fewer side effects.

Paracetamol is still not fully understood. It works by inhibiting the signal of pain in the spinal cord and brain, severing a vital link in the chain of pain signalling. If the signal doesn’t reach the brain, there is no signal to create the perception of pain.

Opiates such as codeine and morphine again work by inhibiting the signal of pain in the spinal cord and brain, though through a different process. Their use prevents the signal of pain reaching the higher levels of the brain where pain is perceived. Therefore, no signal, no perception of pain.

There are many other ways of relieving ourselves of pain, many of which I have described in my previous blogs in respect to pain management. Drugs are just one option to take.

Freeze-flight-fight-fear-faint

I’ve been having a chat with a friend who is neurologically minded. We’ve concurred that most people don’t understand our basic responses to a threat. In fact, even though I’ve trawled through hundreds of academic papers and studied numerous courses it is still hard to get definitive answers as to what happens, and why. So here’s a very brief breakdown, not complete, and just a generalisation, to give you a better understanding.

The freeze is the first reaction we have to a stimulus which may be perceived as a threat. Adrenaline is released throughout the brain which closes down unnecessary activity. The areas of the brain which stay alert are those based on orienting and focusing, like a spotlight on the stimulus. This provides unconscious attention – arousal, orientation and focus. Our attention is focused and orientated on the source of the stimulus to discover if it is a threat

If the threat is perceived, and then increases, we move onto the flight and fight response. Firstly we respond by flight, moving directly away from the source of the threat. As an extreme example this is where people can go into a blind panic, turn and run straight into a wall. If this doesn’t work we escalate through to fight, where we respond to fight off the perceived threat.

If this still isn’t perceived as protecting us from the threat we move to fear. This is a different kind of freeze than earlier, one where fear or terror grips us as we internalise in our minds, our bodies frozen. The emotions you can read on the face are quite different between freeze and fear.

And if fear still doesn’t release the threat then we faint, shutting down all but our life support systems. We drop to the floor.

So in summary we escalate our responses to a perceived threat. Working first from freeze, then to the fight and flight response, before fear, and lastly fainting. Our brain and body activities are different in each of the responses, and work in order.

If you take the time, like I have, to study each of these responses you can apply the knowledge to so many areas of daily life and work. For security, you will be able to perceive if a threat is imminent from a person. For negotiations you can identify whether you are inducing stress or providing relief in the person(s) you are negotiating with. For interrogation or police work you are better placed to identify if a subject is lying. And for fighters like me you can induce these responses in your opponents to exploit them for your own gain.

A Rugby Advantage

Last week I was working with a high-level rugby player. During our work I realised that there was much that Rugby can learn from the fight sports, and vice-versa. In particular my studies of breathing patterns in fighting have a direct correlation for Rugby, and this player had not been made aware of breathing patterns prior to our discussion.

I use the study and application of my opponent’s breathing to give me a massive advantage during fighting. I use it to let me know when it is safe for me to attack and to know when he is about to attack me. In Rugby the distances between the players mean that they cannot quite utilise the complete approach that I use – however there are several direct applications for Rugby.

Go for a walk. As you walk, notice which step you breathe out on. If you are right handed it will be usually your right foot going forward. I’ve tested this on 100’s of people and as a generalisation the majority of people step forward with their dominant side whilst breathing out. There are loads of reasons why they do this, and for this blog post the important thing is that they are breathing out as their dominant foot is moving forward.

Conversely, this means that they breathe in when their non-dominant side is going forward. This is the key for the application of breathing for Rugby – it is possible to know someone’s breathing patterns by which step they place forward.

I attack during fighting when my opponent has started to breathe out. Actually, I attack several breath patterns before then, and that’s my little secret. But for the purposes of this blog post take it that when an opponent is breathing out they are committed to that breath and then need to breathe in again in order to react to your attack. By attacking as they are breathing out you are giving yourself a time advantage over their reaction.

In Rugby you need to be as effective as possible when tackling. It would be great if you can tackle on the opposing player’s ‘off’ breath, meaning they are shocked and less able to respond. They will go down heavier, be more likely to be winded, and therefore less likely to re-engage that flow of play.

It is my suggestion to time your tackle for best effect just as the right foot is landing. This means that the breath is almost all the way out. Hitting them with a tackle now means they need to breathe in again, in order to expel the air as they react. Yet the impact stops them breathing, and if you tackle them with application to their lower stomach, the last little bit of air may be forced out of their lungs also, winding them. This also helps to induce the ‘freeze’ element of the stress response (freeze, flight, fight, fear, and feint).

So, with the majority of people being right handed, a good rule of thumb is to time your Rugby tackle to the moment the right foot hits the ground for best effect.

Of course, this example is only the ‘bare bones’ of the application of the study of breathing on Rugby. I am also developing several models of the application of breathing within Rugby, including the timing of drives in a scrum for example.

I wonder how many applications of breathing you can identify for use in other sports as well?

Client Approach

I always check up on my hypnotherapy clients, and often get testimonials sent through. This one arrived this morning, and I thought it was really nice! It’s a nice perspective on how I like to work.



"I have been to a few therapists previously for a variety of issues and their approach was always to keep either me or my issues at arms length as if they were scratching the surface and providing me with a temporary fix to long term issues and they did have varying degrees of temporary success.

Gary's approach is totally different; it’s a lot more interactive. He encourages you to talk about your challenges and asks subtle but targeted questions enabling you to come up with the answer you didn’t even know you had. As opposed to being prescriptive and standoffish his approach is a lot more collaborative. The buzz word "empower" is very often over used but Gary empowered me to come to the right decisions and it has been a permanent fix.

I am aware my challenges will always be there in one form or another and Gary has given me the tools and empowered me with these skills to deal with these issues and if they do re-appear I am equipped to deal with them so they no longer impact my life."



I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog front, although this will be changing soon! My life has got very busy and there’s lots of exciting news coming, so that means lots of informative blog posts on their way!

Motivation and Encouragement

A friend of mine just emailed me to say she was starting to do ‘BodyPump’ three times a week starting today, and asked if I had any advice or could give any encouragement. So I gave some quick advice, and think its relevant to most people starting to train, as well as those who already do.

Here it is:

“Find somewhere quiet, close your eyes, and see yourself how you will be in 6 months time if you stick on the training plan...notice every detail about yourself, your posture, your health, your skin, your expression, your clothes, your physique...everything...and notice the expression on your face...really make it REAL…add as much detail as possible…

And when you have made that image as real as you can, in as much detail as possible, then step 'inside' your body...see through your own eyes, hear with your own ears, and feel what it will feel like to have this body in 6 months time...really experience this body...notice what it would be like...and notice how good it feels...every part of it…and remember this feeling...

And then you know what you are working towards...what will be if you keep on track...and let that be your motivation to keep going consistently...and the harder and cleverer you work...the more you follow the instructions of your trainer...the more commitment you show...the quicker it will be...

What do you think of that?

Oh, here's another tip - during training, when working on an exercise, don't think of 'how many' or 'how long', just think 'technique' and work on each and every technique getting it perfect - your trainer will take charge of how you are training...

So get out there and enjoy it!!! And keep me posted with progress!!”

Don’t Dream – Act!

Whether I am working in Hypnotherapy, Personal Training, Business Consultancy, and even when giving Seminars, I find a common theme keeps happening:

People focus on what they want, and not on the how and what they need to do in order to get what they want. And sometimes they don’t even get as far as knowing what they want – they remain stuck in what they don’t want.

For example, think about “I want a million pounds.” That’s a great want, a desirable want. And it is achievable, and many people dream it. And yet why do so many people not achieve it?

In my experience people concentrate too much on what they want and not on the important parts – the ‘how’ and the ‘what’ that helps them actually achieve that want. Miss this out and you can want all you like, you’ll probably never achieve it. You’ll remain a dreamer.

So what do you actually want? And with that want, have you even worked out on the how and what you need to do in order to actually achieve it?

In Hypnotherapy clients come to me wanting the end to their depression, anxieties, phobias, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, performance issues amongst so much more – and the majority of the time they are focusing on what they don’t want. Some focus on what they do want. But very few actually focus on the all important journey to get to where they want.

Another example is within fighting. An example I often demonstrate during my fight seminars is how people tend to concentrate on what they don’t want rather than on what they need to do. For example, an ankle lock could be applied, and the fighter struggles like mad to escape, concentrating on the ‘want’ to escape. Yet their focus would be better directed by concentrating on what they need to do in order to actually escape. Its about focusing on what you need to do in order to achieve the want.

This is where I give assistance with coaching as part of my Hypnotherapy service. We work out where people are now, and where they want to be. The points ‘A’ and ‘B’. We work out the further direction for when they have achieved point B. Now we have the journey direction we work on the how and what they need to do to achieve point B and beyond. We remove limitations and add resources so that the client has a clear journey ahead of them. We add emotion to fuel the motivation. We look at the processes to make sure that they are congruent with whom that person is and to mitigate any adverse reactions in their wider ecology – how they live their life and the interactions within.

My good friend and mentor Tom Mullins was told me that you ‘vote with your feet’. Unless you take that first step, you’ll never achieve. So are you taking that first step, and gaining momentum, focusing on the ‘how’ and the ‘what’ that will achieve what you want?

Hypnotic Focus

I’m currently working with a journalist, Mark Carling, on his latest epic journey – from being unfit and a non-fighter to taking his first professional MMA (cage fighting) bout, all within 12 weeks. A television programme ‘Unfit2Fight’ is being made documenting him every step of the way.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have been invited on the ride, and I am, amongst other things, helping him through my Sports Hypnosis. Through hypnosis I am helping Mark become the very best fighter he can be, providing a support structure to the physical and technical training, helping him train better, removing limitations, to improve faster, and focus on the tasks at hand. And the work is starting to pay off big time.

A great example of the effects of our working together happened on Tuesday during one of Mark’s training sessions. We’d done various bits of filming Mark training and then it was time for him to do a killer physical conditioning circuit at the end. I had the pleasure of watching this whilst sitting on a boxing ring apron with his personal trainer, and we were chatting about the effects the hypnosis was having on his preparation.

Halfway through the circuit Mark was doing an abdominal exercise and was pushing himself every step of the way. His face was screwed up in pain, he was ‘forcing’ himself through the pain barrier and I could feel the burning his abs were going through!

“Watch Mark”, I said, before issuing one clear voice command – “technique”. Mark’s face instantly softened, the pain seemed to disappear straight away, his technique got better, smoother, more effortless, better posture – it was as though he had a new lease of life, a massive change in his physiology. His whole focus changed. And he maintained that focus. His Personal Trainer remarked that he was amazed at the instant transformation.

And all this came from just one word.

Before the session I had anchored the word “technique” during hypnosis. The moment Mark now hears this ‘trigger’ word from his coach he enters the required state of mind that allows him to focus completely on the perfect execution of the technique. It is not about focusing on what he wants, but instead on what he needs to focus on to fulfil that want.

It was a perfect demonstration of the effects of a tiny part of my work with Mark via hypnosis. It was a clear and precise influence with tangible effects for all to see.

Next time we just need the cameras rolling while we do it!