Hypnotherapy for Anxiety

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a normal response to feeling threatened. People differ as to how vulnerable they feel in different situations: this can be influenced by past experiences as well as by the beliefs and attitudes they hold about these situations.

Some general situations which often cause
anxiety include: 

  • Leaving home

  • Coping with work and exams

  • Dealing with relationships or the lack of relationships

  • Sexuality issues

  • New job

  • Moving to new area

 

But sometimes it is specific situations that are
anxiety provoking:

  • Apprehension about going into new or social situations

  • Having to deal with people in authority

  • Worrying about whether you have chosen the right course or job

  • Panic about preparing for and facing exams or making a presentation

  • Fear about health

The experience of anxiety can range from mild uneasiness and worry to severe panic. If anxiety becomes too severe or chronic, however, it can become debilitating.

Anxiety typically involves an emotional component (ie. Fear, nervousness), a physical component (ie. Trembling, dry mouth, heart racing, stomach churning) and a cognitive component (frightening thoughts, e.g. ‘I’m going to fail / make a fool of myself/ loose control’) These can then affect our behaviour, for example by putting off or stopping work, avoiding people, not sleeping, or drinking too much. 

Circle of anxiety demonstrating how a belief system leads to overcontrol leads to a trigger leads to panic leads to worry and back to belief system.

Panic Attacks

Extreme Anxiety can also cause panic attacks. The symptoms of Panic Attacks are: 

  • Shortness of breath and smothering sensations

  • Choking sensations

  • Palpitations and elevated heart rate

  • Chest discomfort or pain

  • Sweating

  • Dizziness, unsteady feeling, or faintness

  • Nausea or abdominal distress

  • Depersonalization or de-realization

  • Numbness or tingling sensations

  • Flushes or chills

  • Trembling or shaking

  • A fear of dying, having a heart attack or stroke

  • A fear of going crazy or doing something uncontrolled

How Can Hypnosis Help with Anxiety & Panic Attacks?

Hypnotherapy sessions for panic attacks can be used to combat the symptoms above by:

  • Breaking habitual behaviours and mind loops of anxiety, and

  • Desensitizing the sufferer from stressors

  • Removing Anxiety triggers

  • (Once under control) looking back at the original seeding event in a dispassionate calm environment.