Anxiety comes in many forms and intensities. You may notice anxiety comes up only when doing certain things such as driving, speaking in public, or attending social events. Or perhaps you notice anxiety coming up at seemingly random times, such as walking through the grocery store. When you don’t understand anxiety, it can feel like an unpredictable beast that’s impossible to tame.
However, when you become aware of what your anxiety really is, and use techniques and strategies that work, you can quickly decrease the frequency and intensity of your anxiety, or even eliminate it all together.
I’d like to shed some light on what anxiety is, and how you can use hypnotherapy for anxiety relief.
Why do I get Anxious?
To put it simply, anxiety is your body’s physical reaction to a perceived threat. This might make sense if your anxiety comes up when you’re doing something that naturally evokes a stressful reaction, like being late for work, or presenting in front of your colleagues.
However, it makes less sense when your anxiety rises in the face of no stressful event. Many people who suffer from high anxiety and even anxiety or panic attacks find they come on at very unpredictable times.
To understand why your anxiety might seem unpredictable, you need to understand how your mind works. Anxiety is felt in the body, but starts in the subconscious mind.
Your subconscious mind is the part of your mind that stores information like memories, experiences, and negative and positive associations.
For example, when you learned how to tie your shoes, that information became stored in your subconscious so that going forward, you don’t need to think about how to tie your shoes consciously, that subconscious “program” kicks in and you do it on autopilot.
How this relates to your anxiety is very similar. At some point in your life, your subconscious created a “program” that elicits a fearful reaction in your body, leading to the physical sensations of anxiety. This “program” is different for everybody, but essentially it’s a core belief that ‘I am not safe’.
This could have been picked up at anytime during your life, from extremely stressful events, trauma, or even imprinted on you in childhood. During those times, you felt unsafe and your subconscious created a negative association that now becomes triggered at seemingly random times.
What is Triggering My Anxiety?
To give you an idea of what this really looks like, here are a few examples from real clients I’ve worked with over the years. (Names have been changed to protect the privacy of my clients)
Carmen struggled with anxiety that would send her thoughts spiraling until her whole body was experiencing an anxiety attack. She always found herself ruminating and that seemed to trigger anxiety that could escalate to quickly becoming overwhelming.
Carmen grew up in a household where her Mother suffered from depression and alcohol abuse. This created a very unpredictable environment for Carmen where she never knew if how her Mother would react in any given situation. As a small child, Carmen became very fearful of her Mother’s disapproval because it could mean being subject to her Mothers unpredictable temper and rage.
Over time, Carmen’s subconscious mind created a “program” that said ‘I am not safe’ and caused her body to react in a fearful manner any time she felt like she could be ‘in trouble’ or have done something wrong.
Even after growing up and moving out of her Mother’s house, Carmen still carried the fear of being in trouble and her anxiety grew more and more intense. Soon she was experiencing nearly daily anxiety and overwhelming anxiety attacks that would send her body into a frenzy and her mind spiraling.
The key to releasing Carmen’s anxiety was getting to the root of the fear and releasing it with the use of hypnotherapy. After addressing the childhood fear in the session, Carmen's anxiety decreased significantly and her anxiety attacks became extremely rare.
Or take Annie. Annie was experiencing daily anxiety attacks when she would drop her child off at school. It was greatly impacting her mornings, and there were even days it would get so intense, she would rush back to the school to pick her child up. She didn’t know what was causing the anxiety attacks or how to stop them.
Annie was sexually abused as a small child. Although she survived and felt that she had dealt with it, that experience created a powerful association in her subconscious. From that traumatic experience, her subconscious created a negative association about being left without protection, which was being triggered each time she dropped her child off at school.
The act of driving away without him unconsciously triggered the fearful emotion that she felt as a child being unprotected. Although Annie didn’t think about her trauma at school drop off, her subconscious mind was detecting danger and setting off the alarm. When we resolved the fear that had been stored in her subconscious from that childhood trauma, the anxiety at school drop off completely disappeared.
The key to releasing Annie’s anxiety was to release the fear from childhood events that was being triggered in her daily routines.
What is Hypnotherapy and Why does it Work for Anxiety?
Hypnotherapy is a technique that allows us to temporarily quiet the conscious mind to connect directly with the subconscious mind where we can clear emotional distress and establish new ideas and beneficial thought-patterns.
When you enter a state of hypnosis, you are entering a state of deepened focus or heightened consciousness where you can begin to reshape learned behaviors, triggers, and negative associations to bring about immediate and permanent changes.
Entering a state of hypnosis is as easy as following along to the sound of the Hypnotherapist’s voice. Much like meditation, you are being directed to bring your awareness within, thinking about your breath, sensations in your body, or even using your imagination to visualize. It's a very gentle method for healing and personal growth.
The reason hypnotherapy works so well for anxiety is because it allows you to get to the root of the fear that’s causing anxiety. Using therapeutic techniques, we are able to release the distressing emotion and reprogram your mind to feel safe.
A hypnotherapy session typically lasts 60-90 minutes, where I (the Hypnotherapist) would be guiding you into hypnosis, then walking you through the steps to release the emotion behind the anxiety.
Interactive Hypnosis vs. Direct Suggestion Hypnosis
There are two types of hypnosis that you could expect in a session. The first is called Interactive Hypnosis, which is a session where your Hypnotherapist would ask you questions, and you would answer them aloud. These are the sessions where you can expect to gain a deeper understanding of where your anxiety is coming from and have that sense of resolution by the end.
The second type of hypnosis is called Direct Suggestion Hypnosis, which is very similar to a guided meditation. Direct suggestion hypnosis is most beneficial when used for reinforcing positive ideas and thought-patterns after an interactive session.
Both types of hypnosis are extremely helpful when using hypnotherapy for anxiety. My approach is to get to the root cause in an interactive session and release the fear that triggering anxiety. Then follow up with direct suggestion to reinforce safety and positive thought patterns.
How Many Hypnotherapy Sessions will I Need for Anxiety?
The number of sessions needed will vary with each person, however, typically results can be felt within 3-6 sessions. The best way to know how many sessions you’ll need is to speak with a Hypnotherapist directly. By explaining things like frequency and intensity of your anxiety, as well as a brief history, your Hypnotherapist will be able to assess how many sessions might be needed.
I offer a free, no obligation 30-minute consultation which you can take advantage of to ask any questions about hypnosis and start to feel more comfortable with the process. If this interests you, you can book your Free Consultation HERE.
I work with clients from all around the world in many different countries and time zones. If you don’t see something that works on my calendar, you can send me a note on my Contacts Page and I’ll work with you to find a time that does.
Start Healing with Hypnotherapy Today
Anxiety doesn’t have to control your life. I’ve worked with clients who have suffered with extreme anxiety for decades, only to have it all but disappear after just a few hypnotherapy sessions. There is hope for you, too.
Visit my Testimonial page to read dozens of success stories from regular people just like you. Or feel free to book yourself a Hypnotherapy Session and start your healing journey today.
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