The goal is simple. Create a range of specific, high-quality hypnotherapy resources and make them accessible and available, free on application to anyone and everyone who has a stroke, or is supporting anyone who has had a stroke. No charge, no obligation, grounded in an ethos of excellence without regard for personal gain and a commitment to serving the community. Achieving the goal is indeed the biggest challenge that the foundation has set itself so far. The STARS campaign has motivated and inspired the foundation, which has stepped up and become even more dynamic, active and innovative, driven by its commitment to fulfil the STARS goal. Phase one 2017-2020 focuses on the USA, UK and Europe. Phase two focuses on rolling out the resource worldwide in multilingual formats.

In the United States, nearly 800,000 people have a stroke every year, with about three in four being first-time strokes. Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death in the United States, killing nearly 130,000 people a year. That’s one in every 20 deaths. Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and the leading preventable cause of disability. According to the National Stroke Association, 10 percent of people who have a stroke recover almost completely, with 25 percent recovering with minor impairments. Another 40 percent experience moderate to severe impairments. More people are surviving stroke than ever before.

There are more than 100,000 strokes in the UK each year, that is around one stroke every five minutes. Stroke is the No. 4 cause of death in the UK with 7% of all deaths in the UK caused by stroke (6% of all deaths in men, and 8% of all deaths in women). In general, people from more deprived areas have an increased risk of stroke and are likely to experience more severe strokes. More people are surviving stroke than ever before. There are over 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK. 85% of stroke patients in the UK survive their stay in hospital, and two thirds of stroke survivors return home or have supported discharge in their community when they leave hospital. 9 out of 10 stroke survivors in the UK are living at home six months after their stroke.

Hypnotherapy – a clinical process into a state of relaxation, calmness, and peace. The impact of hypnosis has been recognised as having a range of tangible effects on peoples’ psychology and physiology. Hypnotherapy has the ability to induce states of relaxation, reducing stress and anxiety and focusing the individuals mind on positive thoughts. It is commonly agreed that relaxation, calmness, reduced stress and anxiety, provide an enhanced foundation for recovery. The hypnotherapy resources that have been specially designed for the STARS campaign include, powerful relaxation and calmness inducing techniques, powerful suggestions and metaphors for increasing confidence and self-belief, and direct suggestions to the subconscious mind for recovery and adaption, all important factors in the stroke recovery process.

The goal of the STARS campaign is very clear; make a great product, then make it available for free, for everyone who needs it. The foundation is equally clear; these hypnotherapy resources are a great support, a complimentary therapy, they are not a replacement or substitution for appropriate medical treatment, care or interventions. The STARS resources can support people to relax and be less stressed, being relaxed and less stressed can oftentimes help with recovery.