These short self help videos will give you a taste of how I approach psychology. I try to keep things light-hearted while being psychologically serious-minded. We add new videos regularly, so to make sure you hear about them, follow me on Twitter or join our Facebook group on the right hand side of the page.
Weight loss video
Published 16 July, 2010 | Weight Loss Help
In this weight loss help video, Mark Tyrrell talks about how losing weight for many people can feel so frustrating. He discusses the traditional approaches to weight loss, such as restrictiing calories and over-exercising. Mark also talks about how important it is to use approaches that lose fat, rather than muscle, which can result from calorie restriction diets.
Why carbohydrates and sugar fuel weight gain, not fat
Mark then goes on to discuss how the usual approaches to weight loss actually make things worse. Carbohydrate-rich diets like those typically consumed in the West, enhance fat storage through stimulating insulin release and make it hard for the body to use fat as energy. The dieter’s metabolism then relies on regular intake of carbohydrate, or sugar, to keep blood sugar levels up as fat is ‘locked’ in cells due to high blood levels of insulin, making the fat unavailable for use as fuel. Mark talks about how fat has been demonized due to its high calorie content, and the mistaken idea that it causes heart disease.
Mark then discusses the emotional side of weight and comfort eating, and where this comes from. He talks about how the primal emotional needs can fuel emotional eating and how understanding them can free you from this viscious cycle.
Obsessions and Compulsions Video
Published 9 July, 2010 | Obsessive / Compulsive?
In this ‘Obsessions and Compulsions’ video, Mark discusses the difference between a compulsion and an obsession - that an obsession is generally the thought that drives the compulsive action. So, for example, if you are obsessed by the idea that your house is dirty, you may follow compulsive cleaning behaviour patterns. He talks about the superstitious element to many obsessive / compulsive conditions. So a person with OCD often feels they have to follow the compulsive behaviour to prevent some disaster happening. Mark tells us why it is the emotion behind the obsession that is important, rather than the thought itself. And he also conveys why the advice to ‘try not to think about it’ is possibly the worse advice you can give to someone with OCD as it can actually make things worse. Mark talks about a case study of treating a woman with obsessive thoughts about her health - hypochondria. He also discusses how it is important to help someone suffering from OCD to meet their emotional needs in a healthy way which will protect them against developing a obsessive condition again.
Marriage Help Video
Published 1 July, 2010 | Marriage Help
In this ‘Marriage Help’ video, Mark Tyrrell talks about the research showing the beneficial physical effects of a happy marriage, on both physical and psychological wellbeing. He also goes into what has been shown to help marriages work, and what sort of behaviours are toxic to marriage.
He discusses the fact that people who are unwilling to ever apologise are have been shown to be unlikely to ever get married, or to stay married if they do. He talks about the reaserch done by John Gottman, the 4 ‘Riders of the Apocalypse’ for an unhappy marriage: criticism, contempt, stonewalling or withdrawal, or over-defensiveness. These all undermine the stability of a relationship and Gottman was able to predict marriage breakdown based on observations of them in couples.
Mark talks about the magic ratio of 5 good interactions to every 1 unpleasant interaction. Arguing itself is not a problem, but it’s the way couples argue that predicts whether they will split up or not.
Work Skills Video
Published 25 June, 2010 | Work Skills
In this Work Skills video, Mark Tyrrell discusses interpersonal and intrapersonal skills that make for an effective and happy work life. He talks about the importance of work in our life, and how vital it is that your work life is something you find satisfying and pleasurable, at least to an extent. He discusses the sort of skills that are useful at work, and how dangerous perfectionism can be when in a leadership or management role. Mark talks about how being flexible and able to alter our expectations are highly valuable work skills. Other skills include the ability to think clearly, to strategize, to manage others and to manage our own emotions.
Bad Habits Video
Published 22 June, 2010 | Bad Habits
In this ‘Bad Habits’ video, Mark Tyrrell of Uncommon Knowledge discusses how humans are habitual beings, and why this is useful in helping us to learn effectively. He goes on to show how bad habits can develop by ‘piggybacking’ on this useful natural process. Mark talks about how emotions drive habits and how that knowledge illustrates how bad habits are best approached therapeutically - by looking at what emotion the habit is attached to. He discusses how the first step to addressing any habit is to identify it in yourself and see how it is working. And then to see if it is meeting any emotional need for you, and how you might otherwise meet that need more healthily, giving a case example of a man who couldn’t stop throat clearing.
Relationship advice video
Published 4 June, 2010 | Relationship Advice
In this short relationship advice video, Mark talks about how important relationships are for both our physical and mental health. He talks about findings from the nurses health study, involving over 50,000 women, that showed improved healthy aging in women with good social connection. Mark talks about why having friends is in a large part about being a good friend, and how this is largely down to how we treat others. See also his article on How to make friends
Communication Skills Video
Published 28 May, 2010 | Communication Skills
In this video on Communication Skills, Mark Tyrrell discusses how different communication styles are suited to different people and different situations. He presents specific ways of communicating your ideas, and why one might work when another would fail. Mark talks about how to sound confident when you communicate, and what to watch out for in the way you come across that might make people take you less seriously.
Mark’s experience as a hypnotherapist has led to years of study on the best way to convey ideas persuasively and he outlines several of these communication techniques in the video. He talks about the need for ‘clean language’ in therapy and why therapists need to be aware of the impact of the words they use. And he tell you how you can prepare your listener to receive the message you have for them.
Stress reduction video
Published 14 May, 2010 | Stress Reduction
In this video on Stress Reduction, Mark Tyrrell discusses what we actually mean by ‘stress’. It’s a much-used word nowadays and it’s easy to lose sight of what stress really is and what causes is. He illustrates the difference between an external stressor (something ‘real’ in the environment) and an internal stressor (something we have created in our imagination) and how this latter cause of stress causes so many problems in the modern world. Mark talks about why the stress response evolved and the effects that stress has upon the body and our psychology in the short and long term. Mark also discusses the phenomenon of modern stress where we feel that we cannot cope with the demands of our everyday life. Stress reduction can be achieved in many ways, and Mark notes some of these too.
Pain relief Video
Published 7 May, 2010 | Pain Relief
In this video on Pain Relief, Mark Tyrrell discussed the fact that although pain is a physical experience, psychology can greatly influence the experience of pain. We’ve all hurt ourselves and not noticed until later, proving that distraction can be one effective pain management technique. Mark talks about how this can be used in hypnotherapy, using a story to illustrate the technique. He also talks about how anaesthesia can be induced using hypnosis, utilising natural experiences of numbness to ‘remind’ the brain how to produce a lack of feeling in a specific area for surgery and other applications. He goes onto dicuss other psychological aspects of pain and how these can be modulated in a therapy session to produce pain relief.
Exercise and Fitness Video
Published 15 April, 2010 | Exercise and Fitness
In this video on exercise motivation, Mark discusses how our needs as human beings are still the same as when we were living in caves. Our bodies still need to move regularly to maintain health, although over-exercising can be just as bad. He describes the sort of exercise that has been shown to be most effective and healthy, and discusses the benefits of regular exercise. Exercise motivation is therefore an essential part of your psychological makeup.
Sleep Problems Video
Published 26 March, 2010 | Sleep Problems
In this video on sleep problems, Mark discusses the different types of sleep disorders and some ideas you can use to improve your chances of having a good night’s sleep. Mark talks about how stress interacts with our sleep patterns, how worry interferes with sleep and what you can do about that. Mark discusses the function of the different types of sleep - slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and how these different sleep stages are affected by interrupted sleep.
Social Anxiety Video
Published 16 March, 2010 | Social Anxiety
In this ‘Overcoming Social Anxiety’ video, Mark Tyrrell discusses how the problem develops and reveals his first experience of social anxiety at the age of 9. Mark talks about how hypnosis can be used to build social confidence, whether at work, with friends or in other situations.
Confidence and Self Esteem Video
Published 16 March, 2010 | Confidence and Self Esteem
In this confidence and self esteem video, Mark Tyrrell discusses how a lack of self confidence and self esteem can stop us achieving our goals and seizing opportunities. Mark uses the traditional tale of ‘The lion who saw himself in the water’ to illustrate how confidence works and talks about what good self confidence actually is. He discusses common misconceptions people have about how confident people actually feel and illustrates ways to improve your own confidence and self esteem.
Get help unlike any other from Mark Tyrrell, therapist and co-founder of Uncommon Knowledge.
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