I’d say the majority of clients I work with come to see me because of anxiety in some form or another.
Anxiety can manifest itself in many ways: nervousness; panic attacks; insomnia, overly worrying about something that may never happen, etc. It can have a crippling effect by bringing on range of symptoms such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), skin complaints or negative patterns such as over-eating, drinking etc. The symptom list of how anxiety can present itself is pretty long.
Anxiety can build up over a long period of time without us even realising it, alternative it can come on suddenly as a result of something such as illness or a change of circumstances for instance.
At the extreme, people who’ve been fully in control of their lives suddenly find they can’t leave their own home; can’t work; can’t drive their car etc. For some it’s simply a matter of feeling negative or under-confident.
Case study:
Annie (name has been changed for confidentiality) arrived at my clinic having had panic attacks come on over the previous couple of weeks. She’d been stressed at work with a heavy work load, her husband had just been posted overseas plus she hadn’t been very well a few months previously.
In the Initial Consultation, as I explained how the brain works, I could see she began to relax and then through a few tears she said “So this isn’t me, I’m not going mad”?
The brain is a funny and complex thing. It has its own way of ringing alarm bells when it’s had enough of dealing with stress or anxiety and can suddenly change its pattern of reaction. Previously we might have been able to deal with whatever life threw at us, but all of a sudden it all becomes too much.
By teaching clients very basic relaxation and breathing techniques, we start the process of taking back control. The hypnotherapy allows guided relaxation showing a preferred future and because the subconscious part of the brain, the part that’s in charge of our reactions (i.e. the anxiety), doesn’t understand the difference between imagination and reality, the guided relaxation starts to bring calm and control back into our lives.
The number of people suffering stress and anxiety these days is staggering. However people rarely talk about the negative symptoms they’re suffering. Once you do start talking about it, you might be surprised how many other people have suffered the same! Insomnia can frequently be anxiety peeking through, and how many of us suffer from sleepless nights?
If you’re suffering from anxiety try not to focus on it. I know this sounds ridiculous if you’re anxious, but the sooner you distract the subconscious mind onto something more positive, the better you’ll feel. Using a breathing technique such as breathing in to the count of 5 and breathing out to the count of 7 helps regulate the breathing if you’re having a panic attack.
Avoiding alcohol can be very helpful! Watching good things on the TV, comedies etc, rather than watching the news is also very helpful indeed.
Alternatively, if you suffer from any form of anxiety or know someone who does, then get in touch with us here at CPHT. We have students who are currently helping clients, free of charge whilst they are students, and they’re having good success in helping people overcome negative thinking and anxiety.