What is Positive Mental Training?

Positive Mental Training is a 12-week training programme for the mind with the purpose of improving the quality of your life, sport or business performance.  The unique aspect of Positive Mental Training is that not only is it a method of developing peak performance but research suggests that it is also an effective treatment for depression and anxiety. The programme is based on the acquisition of mental skills through relaxation, visualisation and self hypnosis techniques. These mental skills, useful in all aspects of our lives, can be thought of as an immunisation against stress, giving us the resilience necessary to deal with stressful events, thereby promoting good mental health.

Positive Mental Training & Depression

Recent research by Dr Dobbin and the University of Edinburgh has showed that these CDs are safe and popular and suggests that they are an effective treatment for depression. This meets the latest NHS recommendations on the treatment of depression (NICE guidelines) which advise that drugs should be a 2nd choice treatment in depression. For more information click here.

If you are depressed and want to use the CDs to help yourself we recommend that you tell a friend or family member. If you don’t feel your mood lifting within 2/3 weeks or if you find your mood getting worse, contact your GP. If you are already seeing your GP please tell him/her that you are using these CDs and how you feel they are helping you. Also please see Important Note.

How does it work?

Positive Mental Training works by using relaxation, visualisation and self-hypnosis techniques. These help your mind to fully explore what you really want from life, to identify the steps you need to take to achieve your goals and help identify and overcome any obstacles in the way of this success. As you work through the series of CDs you will be given the mental tools to help increase relaxation, self-esteem, self-confidence, decision-making, goal setting, self-belief and problem solving. With regular listening, these new skills can become integrated into your life, in the way that you want them to be, and they will be there to automatically help and guide you in the future, building up your resistance to stress.

Positive Mental Training   was first developed in the 1970s in Sweden as a system for improving sports performance. Since then it has been used by millions of Swedish people, for their personal self development, in all walks of life and all sectors of society, benefiting both their professional and personal development.

How does it help depression and anxiety?

Recent research by Dr Alastair Dobbin a GP in Edinburgh in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh has shown that Positive Mental Training is safe and popular and suggests that, for those who choose it, it is significantly more effective than the use of anti-depressants. The treatment was very acceptable to the patients using it, indeed far more people opted to use self hypnosis than to use anti-depressants, and in every case there was an improvement.

Positive Mental Training uses self hypnosis to deliver a number of accepted psychotherapeutic tools to encourage and foster coping skills, so people can find and use those tools that fit their needs best, and in a time and place that suits them best.

Positive Mental Training uses self hypnosis to focus on positive pictures of yourself and positive memories. By using active visualisation (creating pictures in our minds) we increase the ability to experience thoughts as separate from ourselves; that is, to put our thoughts into perspective and to see them as just part of our minds at work and not a truth.  It is not necessary to focus on the negative thoughts, as in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Research shows that it is not the logical analytical questioning of negative thoughts that is effective in standard CBT, what is effective in CBT (and it does reduce relapse) is the fact that it has the effect of encouraging us to experience our thoughts as external events. This has led to the development of ‘Third Wave’ CBT where we eliminate the need to focus on negative thoughts in favour of a change of thinking style, and build access positive memories and experiences, which is exactly what Positive Mental Training does.

Positive Mental Training also helps low mood.  Researchers have found that by encouraging people to focus on external images (e.g. created mental images, pictures in the mind) they can improve their low mood and feelings of despondency.

It seems to be that the problem with depression comes when people are under stress.  Under stress depressed people are not able to find positive mind pictures of themselves, because they cannot find positive memories.

Positive Mental Training also develops coping skills for stress, in particular relaxation training.  We have picked the most effective method of relaxation for depressed individuals - Jacobson relaxation, which exercises the body sequentially and then we have set up a shortcut to this (a trigger) by Pavlovian reflex, for rapid access.  This type of relaxation training allows the relaxation to be experienced rather than sought for, which directly reduces low mood further by reducing self analysis.  Furthermore relaxation allows us access to a better set of memories, which allows us to problem solve by boosting our self confidence as well as producing the physical benefits of relaxation.

Until now Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has been the accepted psychological alternative to antidepressants.  We believe the research calls for a new and more positive approach. Positive Mental Training is a truly holistic and popular method of treatment with a positive outcome. We are able to offer simple training to any group of health professionals to allow them to confidently supervise the use of the CDs by depressed patients and, as this is a self-help program, minimal supervision is usually required.

Important Note

Hypnosis recordings are not recommended for some people with certain rarer mental illnesses such as bi-polar disorder (‘manic depression’) or schizophrenia. Rarely these conditions may present as a depression. Although hypnosis does not cause or worsen these conditions, early recognition and treatment of such problems is most helpful. If you do not find that you are improving within 4 weeks we recommend you consult your doctor.