Oct 15, 2022
hypnosis hypnotherapy anxiety

Is hypnosis good for anxiety?

Hypnosis or more accurately hypnotherapy is highly effective treatment option for stress and anxiety.

In general people have heard about using hypnosis for correcting unwanted habits like smoking and overeating, but there is more data being gathered by researchers showing that hypnosis is a powerful approach for anxiety relief. Hypnosis for anxiety can vastly improve a person’s quality of life.

Common symptoms might include, feeling overwhelmed, inability to concentrate, recurring thoughts, heightened emotions, a continual sense of dread, difficulty maintaining meaning relationships, a lack of optimism and feeling stuck.

And there’s also the many physical conditions that are known to be exacerbated by stress. For example, hypnotherapy is now a first line approach by doctors for treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Migraines, chronic pain, and insomnia have all been shown to be reduced using hypnotherapy.

For a long time now the prevalence of anxiety and problems created by ongoing stress have been increasing each year. Family doctors report that anxiety is the most common mental health disorder requiring appointments. The past few challenging years have seen numbers of people suffering skyrocket. Anxiety has reached pandemic proportions. And the availability of mental health professionals using a longer-term approach, are not able to keep up with demand.

Why is Hypnosis good for anxiety?

There are several benefits to choosing hypnotherapy as the treatment of choice:

• It is entirely natural. Hypnosis doesn’t involve medications that can have side effects that impact other areas of your life.

• Hypnotherapy deals with anxiety on a subconscious level. This means the underlying thoughts and beliefs that trigger anxious thoughts can be transformed quickly and effortlessly.

• Hypnotherapy is a short-term solution focused therapy, meaning we get to the heart of the problem early on and look at finding useful permanent solutions. This results in reducing the time before you feel better AND saves you money because you don’t need ongoing appointments for months, before you start to notice the difference.

• A good hypnotherapist will also educate you with skills to enable you to have a new response to triggers.

• Hypnotherapy is profoundly different than other talking therapies. It’s more than a chat. It’s more than offloading your thoughts. It’s more than a shoulder to cry on.

• Hypnotherapy actively changes how you think. It interrupts the old way of thinking and enables a new more resourceful approach to familiar issues.

There is evidence that living with chronic anxiety for years is likely to lead to depression. So it’s never too late to seek help for anxiety relief

Do all hypnotherapists treat anxiety?

The short answer is no. Like any professional service, therapists will have their areas of expertise. Some will specialise in weight loss and smoking cessation, some will have additional qualification and experiences that will make them much more suitable for a particular area of interest.

The past couple of years with Covid has brought many challenges, but one massive advantage has been that people were in need of help for relief from the crippling symptoms of stress and anxiety, and so they were willing to give online telehealth sessions a go. And it has come as no surprise to therapists that because the value of hypnosis is in the spoken word. Online therapy is equally as effective and brings with it so many more benefits. Perhaps the most useful benefit is the convenience of being able to choose a therapist without having to default to the one nearest to you. With online appointments you can select the therapist that can best help you with your issue. Regardless of their location. You should select a person you will feel comfortable discussing personal thoughts and feelings with.

Some hypnotherapists have a treatment protocol that they apply to every person with the same problem. At You Hypnotherapy my approach is implied in the name. I look at how anxiety is a problem for YOU. Every person experiences stress and anxiety differently. And so I ensure through strategic consultation that your treatment is tailored to your unique experience. Solutions and techniques will be tailored to your individual needs.

What should I expect from a hypnosis session?

It’s natural to have some sense of trepidation about what to expect, especially when there are many misconceptions about what hypnosis is.

Initially we’ll start with a chat. You can tell me what led you to make the appointment, and what your life will be like when you are free of the problem. We’ll discuss what triggers your anxious thoughts and feelings and eventually we’ll move on to your treatment goals and how will you know when you’ve had a positive outcome as a result of hypnotherapy.

When we have established what you want to achieve, we’ll do some simple brief rapid change techniques and then move onto your hypnotic experience, where those unhelpful thoughts and feelings can be replaced with positive ones. This really is no more than a highly relaxed state where you can still be aware of your surroundings and have focus on what I’m saying. Simply put- its listening with intention.

Many clients are pleasantly surprised at how wonderful it feels to be deeply relaxed. They often report feeling refreshed or somehow lighter- like a weight has been lifted or a dark cloud shifted.

What’s your next step to anxiety relief?

If you have anxiety and you feel ready to seek support, please contact me. We’ll have a confidential chat about how hypnotherapy can help overcome anxiety, and take it from there. In a few hours you can look forward to a more positive future. So give me a call or book a time to have an obligation free conversation about what you are ready to change.