Does hypnotherapy help with anxiety? 

 

You bet it does! And it is much more quick, effective, and cost-effective than talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, or medication. Hypnotherapy resolves anxiety at its roots.  

  

Most people find their anxiety is greatly reduced after a single session. 

  

What is anxiety? 

 

Anxiety is our nervous system stuck in overdrive. And the brain is part of the nervous system. That’s why anxiety is something we both feel in our bodies (butterflies in stomach, tightness in chest, panic attacks), and experience in our thoughts (racing thoughts, negative thinking, worry). 

  

Anxiety often results in many other symptoms of an overactive mind: insomnia, poor attention and focus (attention-deficit disorder), agitation, frustration, restlessness. While mainstream medicine may prescribe 3 different medications for (1) anxiety, (2) insomnia, and (3) ADD, the truth is that most of the time, anxiety is the only issue that needs attention. 

  

What causes anxiety? 

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Anxiety can be caused by events from our past, life in the present, or worries about the future. The causes of anxiety are as varied as we are! 

  

Events from the past can be experienced as traumas – emotionally upsetting situations that are hard to come to terms with. Such events can instill in our minds a belief that we are not safe. Our mind and nervous system can then get stuck in fear – always on alert for the next disaster. Other events from the past can make us feel like we are not capable of handling what life hands us. This fear of being inadequate or unequipped can make normal life circumstances feel overwhelming. 

  

Life in the present can often get out of control. If we are overworked at our jobs, over scheduled due to work and family, not getting enough alone time to recharge, eating poorly, going through breakups, financial changes, a health crisis, divorce or relationship stress, then we can be thrown into anxiety. The human mind is designed to solve problems, and all biological systems (including the human body) seek homeostasis, or balance. When we have a current life situation out of balance, the mind can continually spin and spin looking for a way to achieve balance. When we don’t take action to do so, or are unable to do so, the constant state of stress and frustration can develop into anxiety. 

  

Worries about the future are similar to having problems we can’t solve. We can’t foretell the future, nor can we control it. If we cannot come to terms with the fact that the future holds an unknown narrative, we can spend a lot of time worrying about it. Worrying is the mind trying to solve an imaginary problem. Since there is no solution, there is long-term stress. When the nervous system is in an extended state of stress, it can get stuck there through chronically elevated levels of adrenaline and cortisol – and this is anxiety. 

  

How does hypnotherapy heal anxiety? 

 

Hypnotherapy meets you wherever you are. Regardless of the source of your anxiety, hypnotherapy can bring you back to peace and calm. 

  

For events from the past, hypnotherapy is used to help the mind file away the past into the past, where it belongs.  

  

For life in the present, hypnotherapy offers a way to move into alternative perspectives, change what you are focusing on, or change your priorities. A hypnotherapist can also teach you self-hypnosis to learn to calm the mind and body. By being able to access a calm state of mind through self-hypnosis, calmer perspectives arrive naturally.  

 

For worries about the future, hypnotherapy is powerful at changing what your mind is focusing on. Optimism can be learned. Trust can be learned. Faith and hope can be cultivated. A bigger picture perspective can be adopted. Hypnosis is a powerful state where the mind is malleable and impressionable to new, more emotionally supportive and resilient perspectives.