Uncommon Knowledge Blog

Uncommon self help articles for anxiety, self esteem, confidence, peak performance and more. Plus everything you need to know about hypnosis and why it can be such an effective tool for mental health.

The Ten Commandments for Parents
All the help books in the world can't prepare you for the real thing...
Overcoming Insecurity in Relationships
"If he's quiet I actually start panicking! I'm thinking: What's he planning? Is he going to finish with me? Has he met someone else? If I don't know exactly where he is I get suspicious. He constantly has to reassure me. What can I do?"
5 Tasks to Overcome Fear of Abandonment
"I used to have this recurring nightmare. I'd be standing on a rain swept street corner - utterly alone - totally abandoned, lost...I always wondered why I had that dream. Then one day, it happened for real. My ma walked out on all of us!"
Am I an Alcoholic?
"Am I an alcoholic?" Lionel asked me with a tinge of desperation. I studied his face. Broken veins, dark under-eye circles, sunken cheeks. Lionel was thirty.
Inflate Your Dating Confidence
Dave felt uncertain about his looks, he thought his conversation was boring and felt he might run out of things to say. He reminded himself that women find confident men attractive. Somehow this thought made him feel even worse. And he knew he was thinking too much. The trouble was he'd known (even...
5 Simple Mind Tricks To Increase Your Self-Belief
A knot of anxiety tightened in my stomach... I knew I had to get more focussed – and quickly. But how?

Instant Inductions: Why Surprise and Shock Put You into Hypnosis
What comes to mind when you think of hypnosis? Comfort? Calm? Deep relaxation and rest? This is the way it is usually done. But there is another kind of hypnosis. One that happens to every one of us in everyday life.
The Truth About Hypnosis and Memory
There are many dangerous assumptions in the idea that you can uncover 'repressed' memories with hypnosis.
Help! I Can't Be Hypnotized
Why you can be hypnotized even if you don't believe in hypnosis...

7 Tips to Overcome the Fear of Rejection
Fear should keep us alert and safe - like the beam from a lighthouse warning ships of submerged dangers. But too much fear, like a super-beam of light blinding the ship's captain, can cause the loss of the very thing we feared losing.
Do Your Relationships Damage Your Self-Esteem? (And what to do about it)
Your self-esteem shouldn't be totally dependent on the person with whom you happen to be in a relationship. But the fact is, relationships do have a big impact on the way you feel. And that includes the way you feel about yourself.
All About Sibling Rivalry
Sibling rivalry can be complex. You might love your sibling but resent them. What's more, the intensity of your resentment can leave you baffled: "I'm an adult now; why does it still hurt so much?!"

Learn Hypnosis in 5 Days
If you want to learn hypnosis online, this short course describing the use of voice tonality, sentence structures and word choice can teach you the fundamentals of hypnosis quickly.
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Ask Mark
Using his own Uncommon brand of psychology, Mark has been a therapist for 25 years and a bit of a superhero to our customers. Ask him a question here.