Andrea Aro Hypnotherapy

14/10/2026

💙 When panic feels like a heart attack: how hypnotherapy may help with anxiety

Many people will have been concerned to hear about Alison Hammond's frightening experience on This Morning on 2 October. After suddenly leaving the live programme, she was taken to hospital for checks. She later explained that she had experienced a significant panic attack and had genuinely thought she was having a heart attack.

Her experience highlights just how frightening a panic attack can be, particularly when it happens for the first time.

A racing heart, chest discomfort, breathlessness, dizziness and an overwhelming sense of fear can make you feel as though something terrible is happening.

Panic isn't simply a case of being nervous. It involves a powerful physical and emotional response that can sometimes develop into a cycle of fear about experiencing another attack.

🌿 How might hypnotherapy help?

Clinical hypnotherapy may help you learn to manage stress, practise relaxation, change your response to anxious thoughts and rebuild confidence in your ability to cope.

With a solution-focused approach, sessions can explore what you want to change and help you work towards feeling calmer and more in control.

You don't have to feel embarrassed about experiencing panic, and you don't have to struggle alone.

If anxiety, overthinking or panic attacks are affecting your life, find out more about hypnotherapy with Andrea Aro in Sussex.

🌐 https://www.andreaaro.co.uk

Please remember: New or severe chest pain and breathing difficulties should never automatically be attributed to anxiety. Seek urgent medical help when needed.

10/10/2026

🌍 World Mental Health Day 2026 – Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change

Today, 10 October, is World Mental Health Day.

This year’s theme is a powerful reminder that behind every experience of anxiety, depression, stress, low confidence, overwhelm or emotional difficulty is a real person with a unique story.

Lived experience matters.

Sometimes, what someone needs most is not advice, solutions or someone telling them what they should do.

Sometimes, they need someone to genuinely listen.

💬 Ask how someone really is – and give them time to answer.

👂 Listen without immediately trying to fix things.

❤️ Be curious about their experience rather than making assumptions.

🤝 Let them know they don't have to navigate difficult times completely alone.

Talking about mental health isn't always easy. We may worry about saying the wrong thing, or not know what to say at all. But starting a conversation can be an important first step.

And if you are the person struggling, your experience matters too. You don't have to wait until things become overwhelming before seeking support.

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist, I work with people experiencing a wide range of challenges, including anxiety, stress, confidence difficulties, phobias and unwanted habits. My approach begins with understanding your experience – not simply putting you into a category.

This World Mental Health Day, perhaps the most valuable thing we can give someone is our time, our attention and our willingness to listen.

Real voices. Real experiences. Real change.

05/10/2026

🚭 Stoptober: What could you gain by stopping smoking or va**ng?

When you think about ending smoking or va**ng, you might focus on what you're giving up.

But what about everything you could gain?

✨ Freedom from planning your day around ci******es or va**ng

✨ More money to spend on things you actually want

✨ No longer needing to find somewhere to smoke or v**e

✨ Breaking the automatic habit of reaching for ni****ne

✨ Greater confidence in your ability to change an established habit

✨ Not having the constant thought of when you'll have your next cigarette or v**e

✨ Protecting your health by moving away from smoking to***co

And there's something else that can be surprisingly powerful:

You don't have to spend the rest of your life thinking about quitting.

The aim is to change the relationship with ni****ne so that ci******es or va**ng become something you no longer need.

Hypnotherapy can be useful for people who want to stop smoking or va**ng because it can address not only ni****ne dependence, but also the habits, triggers and associations that have built up around it.

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist in Sussex, I offer support for smoking cessation and va**ng cessation in a confidential, non-judgemental setting.

🍂 Make Stoptober the month you start becoming free from ni****ne.

01/10/2026

🍂 Stoptober: What could happen if you cut down on smoking or va**ng?

Stoptober is a great opportunity to take a fresh look at your relationship with ni****ne.

You may not feel ready to stop smoking or va**ng completely – and that's OK. Cutting down can be a positive first step towards stopping.

Reducing your ni****ne use can mean:

🚭 Fewer ci******es or va**ng sessions becoming part of your daily routine

💷 Less money spent on to***co or va**ng products

🌬️ Less exposure to the harmful substances found in cigarette smoke

👃 Greater awareness of how often and why you reach for ni****ne

🧠 A chance to break some of the automatic habits associated with smoking or va**ng

❤️ A step towards better long-term health

For many people, smoking or va**ng isn't simply about ni****ne. It can become connected with particular moments – your morning coffee, driving, finishing a meal, stress, boredom or needing a break.

That's why stopping smoking or va**ng isn't just about willpower. Changing the learned associations and automatic habits can be an important part of successful smoking cessation.

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist in Sussex, I help people who want to stop smoking, quit va**ng or reduce their reliance on ni****ne.

🍁 This Stoptober, even one small change could be the beginning of something bigger.

01/10/2026

28/09/2026

🍂 Stoptober: What would you like to change?

October is Stoptober – traditionally a time to stop smoking and make a positive change to your health.

But perhaps you're thinking about something slightly different.

Maybe you're tired of being controlled by ci******es or v**es.

Maybe you're drinking more than you'd like.

Or perhaps you don't want to give something up completely – you simply want to feel more in control of it.

Smoking and drinking can become linked with particular situations and emotions:

🚬 "I need a cigarette when I'm stressed."

🍷 "I deserve a drink after the day I've had."

🥂 "I need alcohol to relax."

🚬 "I always smoke when I have a drink."

🍷 "I can't switch off without a drink."

When a behaviour becomes a habit, it can feel almost automatic.

That's why changing it isn't necessarily just about having more willpower. It can be about understanding the pattern and finding new ways of responding.

This Stoptober, ask yourself:

What would I like my relationship with smoking or alcohol to look like?

And perhaps:

What would I gain if I no longer felt that I needed it in the same way?

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist in Sussex, I use solution-focused hypnotherapy to help people work towards positive changes in established habits and behaviours.

My Rethink Your Drinking Program is specifically designed for people who want to explore and change their relationship with alcohol.

If you've been thinking about making a change, Stoptober could be the perfect prompt to start.

💬 Get in touch if you'd like to discuss whether hypnotherapy could help you.



If you drink heavily or experience withdrawal symptoms, please seek medical advice before stopping or significantly reducing your alcohol intake.

21/09/2026

When anxiety takes away your appetite…

We often hear about stress and emotional eating, but anxiety can sometimes have the opposite effect.

You may find yourself:
• forgetting to eat
• feeling unable to face a meal
• getting full very quickly
• gradually eating smaller portions
• losing weight without intending to

And a cycle can develop:

Anxiety → eating less → feeling depleted → reduced resilience → more anxiety.

When your body isn't getting enough fuel, you may feel tired, weak, less able to concentrate and less confident in your ability to cope with everyday challenges.

Over time, eating less can become a habit in its own right. Your appetite may diminish and smaller amounts of food can begin to feel like "normal".

This isn't necessarily an eating disorder such as anorexia. However, prolonged inadequate nutrition can have physical consequences regardless of why someone isn't eating enough.

If anxiety has changed your relationship with food, addressing the anxiety itself may be an important part of breaking the cycle.

🌿 Hypnotherapy can help some people work with anxiety, unhelpful habits and the patterns that have developed around eating.

If you, or someone you know, have experienced significant or unexplained weight loss or persistent loss of appetite, it's important to speak to your GP to rule out physical causes.

Food and mood are more closely connected than we sometimes realise.