In the current climate, it's safe to say we've all had an anxious moment, but severe or prolonged Anxiety is affecting ever increasing numbers throughout society. An NHS survey of mental health and wellbeing conducted in March of this year, revealed that almost half of the population studied was between 6 and 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. This is an increase of 21% from 2019, which means that over 100 million people are suffering from Anxiety! 

Anxiety is a natural response to threatening or overwhelming situations. If our brain identifies danger, or a direst threat, it releases certain hormones to prepare us to either "fight-flight-or freeze". these hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) force us to feel on "high-alert", our hearts beat faster so that blood is quickly distributed to where it is vitally needed when under attack. 

Today's modern day threats, such as loss of employment, fear of illness, financial instability, performance issues, or even an overwhelming "to-do list" can escalate to irrational fear. We then end up suppressing those feelings and find ourselves, even in social situations, with our hearts racing and no idea how to control it, or stop it.

Anxiety manifests itself in a variety of ways, such as: Digestive problems, stomach ache/pain, lack of appetite, Migraines, exhaustion, insomnia, overthinking, pain in chest, shaking or sweating episodes, feeling tense, restless or faint, nausea, panic attacks, teeth grinding, nail biting, self-harming and a constant sense of disaster. 

Anxiety can be caused by a range of factors, such as: Stress from a major event in your life ( a relationship breakdown, job loss, bereavement), Childhood trauma (something that happened to you in your past that is unresolved) Hormonal changes (As we age, pregnancy, etc.) Drugs, including alcohol, and Medical conditions. 

When I treat clients for anxiety, I look at the whole picture. As more often than not, the presenting problem ( what the client states is making them anxious) is being caused by something else.

What is Hypnotherapy and how does it help with Anxiety?

Hypnotherapy is a reliable and safe treatment that is now recognized by many branches of orthodox medicine as an extremely effective therapy. Hypnosis itself does not relieve the symptoms; it is the therapy applied by a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist while under hypnosis that attains the desired results. Hypnosis enables the client to experience very deep levels of relaxation which helps to reduce levels of stress, uneasiness, angst and apprehension. Under hypnosis the therapist speaks to the subconscious mind (The Inner You), rather than the conscious mind (The part of you that you show to the world) which makes Hypnotherapy a fast method of treatment, requiring less sessions then a conventional "talk therapy". 

Why? Because the subconscious mind only tells the truth and holds every memory from the day you were born, which enables the therapist to quickly and effectively treat the client, as we have access to all the correct information and history of the client first-hand. Hypnosis acts as a vehicle to transport the therapist, with the client, back to the memory or "casual event" that is creating the issue, in order to treat it accordingly. I then alter the emotion attached to it, so that the memory is retained, but the feelings and emotions connected to it have switched, known as "reframing". 

Hypnotherapy for anxiety can instill and boost feelings of self-worth and confidence and can eliminate strong feelings of panic and worry. Suggestions given under hypnosis can be tailored to treat the specific triggers of the anxiety and the reason for it. I tailor a physical anchor or coping mechanism to take with the client so that when the anxiety causing situation occurs, the client uses that anchor which immediately overtakes the anxiety and brings about feelings of calm already subconsciously instilled in the client. 

How does a I treat Anxiety:

To begin with we will chat about what is interfering negatively with your daily life. I will ask about the situations that are causing you to feel anxious. I will then explain the process of Hypnotherapy to you, so that you are fully aware of what the treatment will entail. 

Following an initial consultation, I will help you achieve a very deeply relaxed state. We will look at a time in your past when you felt anxious and I will ask how you felt physically in that situation and from that and other details, we will be able to to ascertain the main trigger of your anxiety. We may look at several instances to see if there's a pattern, or whether it is one main "casual event". Once we have pi-pointed the physical sensations in the event or instances, I will put forward positive suggestions ( specifically tailored words to calm you in the situation)). We will work through the various instances "reframing" the memory and changing the emotion connected to the triggers. 

This method works so that when you are in a situation where you may be triggered, and are starting to feel panicked, the positive suggestions that I have given you will come to the forefront of your conscious mind, offering you the mechanisms to manage it. I will also have given you certain techniques that will enable you to calm yourself down and feel more relaxed when you feel anxiety rising. Within several sessions, you will see yourself react in a totally different way to what used to be a very challenging situation.