In this latest blog in my series on meeting your psychological needs I am focusing on our need for challenge. 

Not everybody wants to climb Everest, swim the channel or run an ultra-marathon. Some people do these things without thinking, but they are not essential to everybody. When it comes to being creative, which is related to challenge, we don’t all want to become the new Picasso. While it may be true that we all have a novel in us, we might be perfectly happy to keep it there!

However on some level, there is a basic human need to be challenged. If we live a life entirely based on habit, a safe environment, comfort and casual social interaction, over time, it is very likely that our boundaries of what is safe will shift.

Well, the long summer holidays are over – phew! Whether you’ve been away on the holiday of a lifetime, or been coping with little ones who get bored far too quickly; whether you’ve been on “granny duty” or trying to juggle job, home and holidays – now is the time to settle back into a routine.

Now is a good time to focus on you, too. With autumn well on the way, it’s time to get your whole system in shape. Hopefully you’ve topped up with sunshine through the summer – best natural source of vital Vitamin D – and now you should be thinking about those months ahead. Time to build up the immune system, pull the diet back on track, give up smoking instead of just talking about it – and yes, perhaps even a bit of pampering at every level if that’s what your body needs!

At Vinings Natural Health Centre, our team of experienced therapists can take care of body, mind and soul!
Just think how wonderful a relaxing aromatherapy massage with Carole Thornton could be, with specially-selected essential oils to work at deep levels to help you unwind, de-stress and come back to that place of balance.
Or if it’s a deep-tissue-style massage you need to get rid of knots or for rehab, Graham Lines is your man: he specialises in sports massage and offers taping, strapping and ultrasound too.
If you feel you’re out of kilter diet-wise, then our naturopath Kirsty Lander can give you a top-to-toe check-up and help you get back on track, physically, mentally and emotionally. The blend of scientific and traditional healing principles, with kinesiology and practical experience helps with a wide range of imbalances and conditions.
It’s not always easy – whatever your age – to find that path through life, and sometimes we seem to lose our way. Robert Sanders works with a mix of NLP, Timeline Therapy and Life Coaching to help you understand where you are (and who you are!) and how you can get to where you would like to be.
Sometimes, there’s an energy blockage: what better way to release that than with acupuncture with Julia Biggs? Julia’s highly-intuitive approach helps to identify those trouble spots and clear the blockages so that the energy flows smoothly again, easing physical discomfort or that feeling of being stuck.
If you decide that now is the time to tackle that excess weight, or to kick the smoking habit once and for all; if that irrational phobia is getting in the way of your daily life – hypnotherapist Judy Sharp can help! She combines clinical hypnotherapy with past life regression, soul retrieval and other techniques to uncover the real root cause of an issue.
Just because summer is over, don’t forget your feet! They will be tucked into shoes and boots all winter, so treat them well! If you would like regular foot care, Caroline Burton is your lady, while for more clinical / medical advice, our podiatrist / chiropodist Deborah Ferguson can provide the treatments you need.
If you would like to try something completely different – have a consultation with our herbalist Yaso Shan. She is highly experienced in Chinese herbal medicine and also creates her own range of Centella personal care products that contain only natural ingredients. They make fabulous gifts!
And last but not least, if guidance and emotional support is what you need – and most people do at some stage in their lives – then turn to counselling psychologist Dr Lynne Jordan, who is highly experienced in various counselling modalities and will be able to help you through those rocky patches.

This is Time for You – and the team at Vinings Natural Health Centre would be more than happy to help you towards optimal health and wellbeing!
Vinings Natural Health Centre is located in Church Road, Haywards Heath, behind the Orchards Shopping Centre. We have our own parking for clients, and it is a lovely peaceful place to come and unwind as the healing takes place.

As part of the series of Sunday morning Wellbeing talks, Judy Sharp gave a talk last Sunday on how hypnotherapy can be used to help those suffering from a phobia which is affecting their lives.

After a general introduction to hypnotherapy and to phobias – who knew there were so many? – Judy addressed specific issues from those in the audience, including a fear of cats and a fear of being a passenger in a car.  She gave examples from her own case files of phobias that had been successfully dealt with, and answered a number of questions.

The clear conclusion seems to be that hypnotherapy can indeed be highly effective at getting to the root cause of a phobia – wherever and whatever that may be – and resolving it, allowing the client to move forward with their life.

If you would like to know more, contact Judy direct on 01444 459 433 or 07597 020 512.

There are fears and then there are irrational fears – phobias.
When they interfere with your life, your relationships, your career – it’s time to sort them out!
Join Vinings’ resident hypnotherapist Judy Sharp for a talk on Sunday 21st June from 10am to 12 noon as she explores the real root causes of a wide range of fears and phobias. As she explains, this journey frequently takes her clients back to a past life trauma – once uncovered and resolved, the client is free to move on with his / her life.
It’s fascinating, it’s highly effective – and it could remove those blocks that have been holding you back in your career or your personal life.

The talk is totally free, so come along on Sunday 21st June at 10am – and why not bring a friend too?