Hypnotherapy and Anxiety
Does Hypnotherapy help with Anxiety?
Absolutely! And many people find it much more quick, effective, and cost-effective than talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, or medication. Hypnotherapy helps clients resolve and heal their 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?
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 help with 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.
Job Burnout and Hypnotherapy
Job burnout is a work-related stress — a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.
How Does Job Burnout Show Up?
Ask yourself:
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Have you become cynical or critical at work?
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Do you feel dread the day before going to work?
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Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started?
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Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers or clients?
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Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
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Do you find it hard to concentrate?
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Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?
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Do you feel disillusioned about your job?
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Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?
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Have your sleep habits changed?
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Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might be experiencing job burnout.
Possible causes of Job Burnout
Job burnout can result from various factors, including:
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Lack of control. An inability to influence decisions that affect your job — such as your schedule, assignments or workload — could lead to job burnout. So could a lack of the resources you need to do your work.
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Unclear job expectations. If you're unclear about the degree of authority you have or what your supervisor or others expect from you, you're not likely to feel comfortable at work.
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Dysfunctional workplace dynamics. Perhaps you work with an office bully, or you feel undermined by colleagues or your boss micromanages your work. This can contribute to job stress.
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Extremes of activity. When a job is monotonous or chaotic, you need constant energy to remain focused — which can lead to fatigue and job burnout.
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Lack of social support. If you feel isolated at work and in your personal life, you might feel more stressed.
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Work-life imbalance. If your work takes up so much of your time and effort that you don't have the energy to spend time with your family and friends, you might burn out quickly.
Consequences of Job Burnout
Ignored or unaddressed job burnout can have significant consequences, including:
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Excessive stress and anxiety
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Feelings of fatigue and depression
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Insomnia
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Feelings of sadness, anger or irritability
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Alcohol or substance misuse
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Heart disease
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High blood pressure
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Type 2 diabetes
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Vulnerability to illness
Hypnosis not only helps you reverse the burnout, but builds resilience for the future, by helping you with relaxation, setting boundaries for work and family, adopting healthy eating, exercising and sleeping habits. Additionally, hypnosis and coaching may also help you determine what is important to you and in re-evaluating your life.
Stress Reduction and Hypnotherapy
We experience stress from both internal and external sources. Internal sources of stress relate to unresolved hurts from the past, and negative or limiting beliefs about the self, others, the world, and life. Another way of looking at stress is as the experience you have anytime you perceive yourself as not having the internal resources you need to meet external circumstances.
External sources of stress related to imbalances in lifestyle, which are often directly resulting from internal imbalances. We engage in a holistic discussion about the stressors you are experiencing, help you identify internal versus external stressors, and help you come up with your own game plan that may involve both internal healing and transformation as well as lifestyle adjustments.
Personal Growth and Development
Beyond solving the more obvious mental and emotional obstacles in life, personal growth and development is about exploring your mind, your emotions, and actively participating in your evolution into the best version of yourself. Those pursuing a path of personal growth and development are looking to achieve emotional freedom, which means being free from a long list of restrictions that encumber nearly everyone in one way or another. We can guide you along a path of liberation from:
the need to please others, to gain approval, to appear perfect, to appear strong, to stay busy
the fear of judgment, of failure, of success
self-doubt and low self-worth/self-esteem/self-confidence
fear of public speaking
fear of trusting
fear of intimacy
fear of looking at the past
fear of the future
anger and sadness about the past
shame, guilt, regret
blaming, holding grudges
and more.
Emotional liberation allows you to step into the best version of yourself. Imagine what a life you can live when you are free of fear, anger, sadness, guilt, regret and blame. Imagine how it can feel to be you when you love and accept yourself fully and completely.
Physical Well-being
So many health challenges people face can be sourced in, or made worse by, chronic stress due to unresolved stressful thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. Furthermore, to cope with stress and unresolved trauma, many people engage in habits and addictions that may provide temporary relief, but cause long-term harm to the body. Through healing old hurts (traumas) and correcting negative or destructive patterns of thought, feeling and behaviour, chronic stress can be alleviated, which opens pathways for physical healing.
A core component of Transformational Hypnotherapy is the cultivation of self-kindness, self-acceptance, and self-love. Following this path naturally leads one to take better care of the vessel carrying one's consciousness. As we heal the mind and the heart, the body heals as well.
Emotional Well-being
Emotions are a huge part of our lives, and yet we are not taught how they work, what their purpose is, and how to transform them when they are running counter to our well-being. Developing real emotional well-being means understanding your emotions, how to live in harmony with them, and having the confidence to skillfully work with them so that you can have the experiences in life that you most want.
Hypnotherapy is a powerful and effective system for exploring the roots of your patterns of thought, feeling, and behaviour and for making profound changes in these areas. As you engage in hypnotherapy to reprocess any past difficult experiences with new insight and wisdom, your mind is freed of limiting beliefs, perceptions and assumptions that may be causing you to suffer.
You can use Hypnotherapy to develop emotional self-mastery. This allows you to increasingly experience inner peace, acceptance, and balance in your life. Transformational hypnotherapy sessions at their fullest are great opportunities to learn, explore and transform.