Dr Hiro Koo Member Interview featured in the APA Division 30 Spring/Summer 2024 newsletter

加入了美国心理协会APA的Division 30，Society of Psychological Hypnosis心理催眠学会10年了，一直都在跟进催眠领域在全世界的学术与实践研究中的发展，没有想到有一天我也可以被采访并在里头发表马来西亚催眠领域的现况与进展。对我来说是个很大的认可啊！也算是10多年催眠实务研究与工作上一个重要的时刻，我感到相当鼓舞。

我的采访发表在APA Division 30在2024年春/夏季Newsletter中的第18页起。我相信并期许马来西亚的催眠工作将在全球各个领域越来越受到认可。

I would like to share with you my recent interview with the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 30, Society of Psychological Hypnosis. My interview is featured in the APA Division 30 Spring/Summer 2024 newsletter on page 18. I believe our hypnosis related efforts in Malaysia will become more visible and recognized worldwide. Enjoy reading!

World Hypnotism Day 2018 in Malaysia

All about the Hypnotism Day - CittaBella Magazine

Hypnotism day awareness booth at the Life Care Diagnostic Medical Centre, Bangsar South

Today is January 4th and many people from various countries around the globe will be celebrating World Hypnotism day. Today actually is all about removing those myths and misconceptions about hypnosis.

Our mission of this hypnotism day workshop is to remove the myths and misconceptions while promoting the truth and benefits of hypnotism to the people of the world.

Welcome to a life-changing opportunity. A way you can choose to write new chapters in your life, put aside fears, and change what you believed was unchangeable.

Let's hear the feedback from all participants of today:

Bernard Sii:

·       I learn a lot about psychology.

Chin Lok Chee:

·       It will help others to understand more about hypnosis as compared to those that are shown on TV and media.

JS:

·       I would say that it actually helps in looking into ourselves and expressing our own feelings. Not a bad way to relax your mind and soul, especially when you’re under quite an amount of stress. Tq Hiro!

Kelly Yeo:

·       I had tried hypnosis before and I found it is effective. Through this workshop, I learn more on hypnosis and understand more on self-emotion.

Khor Zhe Wei:

·       It will help others to feel better. And it will let us know ourselves better and then make some changes on ourselves.

Moi Moi:

·       This workshop has opened up my understanding of hypnotherapy. It is really amazing.

Loh Hui Min:

·       An interesting and unforgettable hypnosis experience. Learned many knowledge about psychology and neuroscience. It gave me a chance to explore my emotion in a correct and efficient way.

Sherlock Tan：

·       Very scientifically based and scientifically proven.

Sook Yee：

·       Learn more about hypnosis knowledge which could improve your lifestyle and a way to overcome the fear of your thoughts. 

Li Li：

·       As an existing patient, the therapy I am currently undergoing has shown excellent and obvious results of improving, and this workshop furthered my understanding of the treatments and how to further improve it.

Vicky Lee:

·       I learned to release my stress and understand the function of brain.

Yee Shan:

·       This workshop enables me to understand what hypnosis really is unlike those portrayed by drama. The brief experiential hypnosis is a very unique experience gained! Thanks.

Integrated Chinese Medicine and Mental Health Services in Malaysia 马来西亚中医与心理治疗综合疗法

Madam Low is currently attached to the largest integrative wellness centre in KL, Malaysia. She has acquired nearly 30 years of traditional chinese medicine as well as counseling (She worked as school counselor before) experience. 

Traditional Chinese Medicine Approach is used alongside with my mental health services because:

1) Free, drugless and Safe: 

Traditional Chinese Medicine is really safe and no side effects. We believe in holistic and natural healing method.

2) Body and Mind Connection: 

Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that our mental health status can be affected by our body state.This is similar to one of the psychology concepts which is psychosomatic issue. Psychosomatic issue revealed that your emotional states can really lead to physical symptoms, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) etc. Traditional Chinese Medicine able to address this psychosomatic issue by used alongside with my practices such as neuro-hypnotherapy,  EEG biofeedback training, psychotherapy, life coaching and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) etc. We provide an explanation in a holistic view of the body and mind connection.

3) Listen: 

Madam Low initial consultation is really practicing the theory of basic counseling skill which is "listening". Not only listen to your problem but also listen to your whole body. Most of my patients enjoy her TCM practices as she is an empathetic practitioner. 

4) Focus on the Core Issue: 

Madam Low and I closely monitor and discuss patient's case history to find out the core issue of their problem. By addressing the core issue, we able to provide a long term solution but not a short term relief. We treat the whole person but not only symptoms.

5) Tailored Service: 

The integration of psychological hypnosis with acupuncture, Gua Sha (scraping sha-bruises), chinese herb and EEG biofeedback training is as an avenue for dealing with mental health related problem. Madam Low explained to me that TCM practice addresses the spiritual disharmonies to deal with mental health related issue. By combining our services, we found it works for many patients.

Maybe some of you might skeptical about whether it is research proven method. 

According to an article in the Psychology Today, the Author Leana Wen M.D. mentioned:

Research important? Of course. But research is done on populations, and the TCM treatment is of individuals. It has taken me a while to accept that I may not always be able to explain why—but that the care should be for the individual patient, not a population of patients.

年末了，人总是会不自觉地回顾过往的时光……对我而言，是时候感激一些生活与工作上的伙伴了。自2013至现在近2017年间，我都在KL这所最大型中西自然疗法综合诊疗中心中看诊，刘医师正是其中一位与我并肩努力的伙伴。刘医师亦师亦友，这些年来我不时都会与她讨教及合作，更因此习得如何运用中医心理学等中医疗法原理与中医师配合我的临床催眠，脑波反馈训练与心理治疗。刘医师有近30年的中医与辅导经验，她曾经执教并担任学校辅导老师，好学尽责的她也曾经和临床心理师学习了不少心理咨询技巧来帮助学生。她是位非常有爱心的医师，我真的很感激她这些年来的教诲与鼓励。刘医师，谢谢你！

Insomnia Treatment in Malaysia

Insomnia Meaning:
Insomnia is a lack of sleep due to insufficient sleep quality or quantity. The insomniac’s major complaint is awakening during sleep, followed by difficulty falling asleep. An insomniac may sleep but experience poor sleep quality, also known as nonrestorative sleep. As a result of a lack of quality sleep, impairments are experienced in social and occupational functioning.

The three types of insomnia are sleep insomnia involving difficulty falling asleep, sleep maintenance involving awakening during sleep, and late insomnia involving early morning awakenings. Insomnia can be episodic lasting for a period of one month within 3 months, or persistent lasting longer than 3 months. Recurrent insomnia is two or more episodes within a year. Insomnia disorder is one of the major three groupings of sleep disorders under DSM-5, together with hypersomnia and arousal disorders.


Insomnia Symptoms:
The DSM-5’s major criteria for a diagnosis of insomnia, in brief, are (APA, 2013):

1. Dissatisfaction with sleep quantity or quality, with one or more of the following symptoms: difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, early-morning awakening 
2. The sleep disturbance causes significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, educational, academic, behavioral, or other important areas of functioning 
3. The sleep difficulty occurs at least 3 nights per week, is present for at least 3 months, and despite adequate opportunity for sleep 
4. The insomnia does not co-occur with another sleep disorder 
5. The insomnia is not explained by coexisting mental disorders or medical condition

Insomnia is a precursor to, and comorbid with, a number of mental and medical disorders. To ensure proper treatment, DSM-5 recognizes that one or more disorders may be present at the same time. A medical condition such as chronic pain or mental disorder such as breathing-related sleep disorder may be the cause of the insomnia. However, DSM-5 does stipulate that the insomnia should be clinically significant on its own to warrant a diagnosis.


Insomnia Treatment:
Medication is the most commonly used treatment for insomnia. A class of sedatives called hypnotics is typically prescribed. Benzodiazepine has a high risk of side effects and long-term dependence, and therefore is recommended for short-term use. Nonbenzodiazepines are more commonly prescribed today but still have a risk of side effects and are habit forming. Doctors will first try non-drug approaches to treat insomnia. These may include mind relaxation exercises and avoiding stimulants before bedtime such as caffeine. Despite the complications, insomnia worsens when patients go off medication for insomnia.

Psychotherapy approaches (Such as CBT-I) include stimulus control to teach the association between the bed and sleeping, sleep restriction to restore sleep regulation, and cognitive restructuring to address anxiety-related thoughts that lead to a lack of sleep (Mitchell, 2012).
While almost half of us report being kept awake by stress or worry, increasing evidence suggests that a large proportion of chronic, long-term insomnia is caused not by environmental factors but by the very worry we feel about getting our prescribed eight hours. In short, this sleep performance anxiety – our worries about getting enough sleep – is stopping us from getting the sleep we need. Thus, sleep performance anxiety issue should be addressed first during the therapy session.
Study also finds that those highly suggestible to clinical hypnosis can have deeper sleep after hypnotic suggestion.


Message from Hiro Koo:
Our psychological hypnosis approach will combine psychotherapy and clinical hypnosis methods to deal with your insomnia problem. First, we will do an initial consultation (Include brainwaves analysis method) to find out the root cause of your insomnia problem. After that, we will recommend the most helpful method to deal with your insomnia. Please drop me an email if you need more info: [email protected]



Source:
http://www.theravive.com/therapedia/Insomnia-Disorder-DSM--5-780.52-(G47.00)
http://www.healthista.com/want-better-sleep-worry-less-about-how-much-youre-getting/

Agoraphobia and Panic Disorder Treatment in Malaysia - Psychological Hypnosis Method

What is Agoraphobia?

Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety disorder in which you fear and often avoid places or situations that might cause you to panic and make you feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed.

With agoraphobia, you fear an actual or anticipated situation, such as using public transportation, being in open or enclosed spaces, standing in line or being in a crowd. The anxiety is caused by fear that there's no easy way to escape or seek help if intense anxiety develops. Most people who have agoraphobia develop it after having one or more panic attacks, causing them to fear another attack and avoid the place where it occurred.

Agoraphobia treatment usually includes both psychotherapy and medication. It may take some time, but treatment can help you get better.

Typical agoraphobia symptoms include:

• Fear of being alone in any situation
• Fear of being in crowded places
• Fear of losing control in a public place
• Fear of being in places where it may be hard to leave, such as an elevator or train
• Inability to leave your home (housebound) or only able to leave it if someone else goes with you
• Sense of helplessness
• Overdependence on others

In addition, you may have signs and symptoms of a panic attack, such as:

• Rapid heart rate
• Excessive sweating
• Trouble breathing
• Feeling shaky, numb or tingling
• Chest pain or pressure
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Sudden flushing or chills
• Upset stomach or diarrhea
• Feeling a loss of control
• Fear of dying

Panic disorder and agoraphobia

Some people have a panic disorder in addition to agoraphobia. Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder in which you experience sudden attacks of extreme fear that reach a peak within a few minutes and trigger intense physical symptoms (panic attacks). You might think that you're totally losing control, having a heart attack or even dying.

Fear of another panic attack can lead to avoiding similar circumstances or the place where it occurred in an attempt to prevent future panic attacks.

Psychotherapy

Also known as talk therapy or psychological counseling, psychotherapy involves working with a therapist to reduce your anxiety symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most effective forms of psychotherapy for anxiety disorders, including agoraphobia.

Generally a short-term treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on teaching you specific skills to gradually return to the activities you've avoided because of anxiety. Through this process, your symptoms improve as you build upon your initial success.

You can learn:

• That your fears are unlikely to come true
• That your anxiety gradually decreases if you remain in public and you can manage those symptoms until they do
• What factors may trigger a panic attack or panic-like symptoms and what makes them worse
• How to cope with these symptoms
• How to change unwanted or unhealthy behaviors through desensitization, also called exposure therapy, to safely face the places and situations that cause fear and anxiety

If you have trouble leaving your home, you may wonder how you could possibly go to a therapist's office. Therapists who treat agoraphobia will be well aware of this problem. They may offer to see you first in your home, or they may meet you in what you consider a safe place (safe zones). They may also offer some sessions over the phone, through email, or using computer programs or other media.

Look for a therapist who can help you find alternatives to in-office appointments, at least in the early part of your treatment. You may also want to take a trusted relative or friend to your appointment who can offer comfort and help, if needed.

Message from your clinical hypnotherapist (Hiro Koo):

"Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day; teach him how to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime,"

I will use clinical hypnosis as an adjunct to psychotherapy session (Psychological hypnosis method): Hypnosis method is used to help patients to reduce cognitive and physical symptoms of anxiety (Frankel and Macfie, 2010; Elkins and Perfect, 2008), and provides you with more control in every day situations (Baker and Nash, 2008). I will also teach you self-hypnosis techniques so you can continue your treatment at home. So next time you feel anxious or overwhelmed, you can practice a brief self hypnosis method and trigger a sensation of calm. 

You can complete the self rating assessment below to understand your condition better (Welcome to email me your result, it will be kept as P&C):
Panic And Agoraphobia Scale

Source:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/agoraphobia/basics/definition/con-20029996

http://www.londonhypnotherapyuk.com/agoraphobia-social-phobia/