Anxiety is extremely prevalent in today’s society, affecting everyone from all ages and walks of life. What exactly is anxiety? It’s a sense of impending physical or psychological danger, resulting from the narrative we tell ourselves. It’s cousin, fear, is the result of a known, specific threat, whereas anxiety is a general uneasiness about something we worry may happen. This narrative (what I call the "life script"- more on that in a future post!) is largely unconscious and formed very early in life. There are three major types of anxiety: free floating (anxiety that is sporadic and not related to a particular topic); anticipatory (anxiety about something specific that may or may not happen in the future); and static (anxiety that's always there and is linked to a specific cause).
How does hypnotherapy help one overcome anxiety? Experiencing hypnosis in and of itself, even once, reduces anxiety. Hypnosis has this effect because, by entering trance, one's mind and body automatically become acclimated to a state of calm, comfort, and relaxation. Specific techniques used to treat anxiety in hypnotherapy include altering one's unconscious life script, in which we change the unconscious story we’re telling themselves to a story that is more positive and desirable; visualization, in which, during the trance state, the client sees themselves as calm, relaxed, (or whatever desired feeling they want) in great detail. The subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between imagination and reality, therefore in hypnotherapy we use that to our advantage; desensitization, which is a conditioning process where we replace anxiety with a different, healthier response; and finally, dream therapy, a process in which anxiety is released through dream symbology (also more on this in an upcoming blog post!). These are only a few techniques out of many we as hypnotherapists use to treat the often paralyzing issue of anxiety.
I've had a lot of success in utilizing the healing power of hypnosis to help my clients feel calmer, more relaxed, happier, and more in control of their lives. With anxiety reaching a fever pitch in our progressively stressed out world, it's time we allow ourselves the opportunity to feel truly happy and comfortable. Luckily, hypnotherapy is the perfect tool for that. For more information, please visit www.westsidehypnosisassociates.com.
Simone Gordon, C.Ht.