hypnotherapist

Is Hypnotherapy an Effective Treatment for Panic Disorders?

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Many people who suffer from panic disorders are reluctant to treat the disorder with prescription drugs. At least some of that trepidation is justified; the mood-altering medications used to treat depression, anxiety and panic disorders can have some very troubling side effects for some people.

 

Perhaps that is why so many people are turning to alternative treatments like hypnotherapy to treat their panic disorder. Some patients use hypnotherapy alone, while others use this natural treatment as an adjunct to medication, therapies and other traditional approaches to the problem.

 

If you are thinking about seeking treating for your own panic attacks with hypnotherapy, it is important to understand how the process works. During the typical hypnotherapy session, the hypnotist will guide the patient to a relaxed state of mind. Once the patient is feeling calm but still alert, the hypnotherapist draws their attention to the behavior they want to change. That behavior can be virtually anything, from smoking and overeating to succumbing to stress and panic disorders.

 

Research has shown that hypnotism can be particularly well suited to treating stress, anxiety and related conditions. Hypnotherapy has been shown to be one of the most effective treatments for getting rid of phobias, and there is evidence to show that it can be just as good at treating panic disorders.

What is Panic Disorder?

Panic disorders have been found to be a strong presentation of the “flight or fight” reaction of the sympathetic nervous system. An over exaggeration of this reaction that occurs suddenly for no apparent reason or due to a mild stressor. There tends to be a genetic component to the disorder as well. It is believed that the problem lies within the amygdala in the brain. A key to treating the disorder is to calm down the amygdala and thus the flight or fight reaction.  Calming the sympathetic nervous system is key to treating this disorder.

 

Panic attacks tend to come with triggers. Triggers can be anything that brings on a panic attack for the patient.  They may include a sudden stressor, a memory or anticipation of a stressor. Or, in this disorder, an attack or experience may occur out of nowhere, for no apparent reason at all.

 

Panic attacks often involve feelings of being out of control, feels of extreme anxiety, fear, feelings of impending doom or death, feelings of “losing my mind.” Many physiological feelings and symptoms are also experienced such as rapid heartbeat, nausea, shacking, blurred vision and other symptoms of an over active sympathetic nervous system.

 

 

Hypnotherapy for Panic

A good hypnotherapist can guide the patient and help them recognize the triggers that bring on a panic attack and teach the patient how to induce immediate relaxation to overcome the sympathetic flight or fight reaction.  That in turn can help the patient control the trigger, which can help sufferers avoid or lessen their next panic attack. The hypnotherapist teaches the patient how to do self-hypnosis as well.  This is so the patient can master self-relaxation on an ongoing basis and train their nervous system to be in a state of more calm and relaxation and thus lessen over activity of the sympathetic nervous system. Over time this can significantly assist in reducing the number of panic attacks and the severity and the intensity of the attacks.

 

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy work with the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is the “master mind” so to speak and can significantly influence our body’s processes, including our nervous system. Our subconscious mind, through hypnotic suggestions, can be trained to reduce the incidence and severity of inappropriate exaggerated reactions of the sympathetic nervous system.

 

If you suffer from panic attacks or generalized anxiety, it is important to talk to your health care provider before embarking on a course of hypnotherapy. Getting a firm diagnosis from a doctor can help you choose the right course of treatment and get the help you need.

 

A growing number of medical professionals are open to alternative treatments for conditions like stress, anxiety, phobias and panic disorders. In some cases your doctor might recommend hypnotherapy as a first course of treatment to see if it will relieve the symptoms or at least make them less troublesome.

 

Other physicians may prefer to use hypnotherapy in combination with medication, talk therapy and other traditional treatments. The combination of traditional medication and hypnotherapy can be very effective for many patients, and many people have already seen great results.

 

Whether used alone or in combination with other treatments, there is reason to believe hypnotherapy is an effective treatment for panic attacks. If you suffer from these debilitating attacks, you owe it to yourself to talk to your doctor and see if hypnotherapy can help you overcome your fear.

Selecting a Certified Hypnotherapist

When selecting a hypnotherapist to see, it is advised that you seek out a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, one that has gone through an extensive training program and is duly credentialed and certified by an organization or association that provides for high standards for its members. The American College of Hypnotherapy is an Organization that provides an extensive education and training curriculum, as well as official certification for health care professionals seeking to achieve professional certification status as a Clinical Hypnotherapist. You may access information here for more information: Hypnotherapy Certification.

Hypnotherapy for Remembering a Traumatic Event

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Hypnotherapy for remembering a traumatic event

When some people experience a traumatic event, they repress that memory far back in their mind so they don’t have to think about it. This can result in not even remembering the trauma for most people. Unfortunately, repressing a bad event in the back of the mind can result in a lot of future problems. Each person is different, but the mind normally works in similar ways for most people. Hypnotherapy for remembering a traumatic event can be very useful.
Suppressed memories could manifest themselves into making an adult obese, untrustworthy or even a criminal. Sometimes traumatic events can subconsciously change the way a person thinks, which is why these issues arise. There are a lot of people who walk around having absolutely no idea that they had a traumatic event happen in their past. Getting help is important for anyone that wants to recover from issues they are having in the present.

 How Hypnotherapy for Remembering a Traumatic Event Works

When someone goes to therapy like this, otherwise known as regression therapy, they will be put in a relaxed state. This isn’t like hypnosis that is seen on television when someone has to walk around and act like a chicken. The Hypnotherapist will gradually work up to accessing different memories. This works much like a tape recorder does since most memories will be played back with vivid detail. The patient will still be awake and able to respond, but they will be accessing different parts of their memory.
Normally these memories are huge events that happened during childhood. This could mean being raped, being abused, having a family member die or a number of other things. The therapist is going to ask questions that will lead to the patient remembering these things from their past. Sometimes it can be too much for them to handle; which means it could take several sessions to fully get the entire story. When the patient is woken up out of the relaxed state, they will be able to remember all the memories they pulled from their past.

 How Hypnotherapy can help Someone?

This therapy can help people navigate through their past and find out why they act the way they do today. For example, some people who are dangerously obese eat their feelings because they were raped in the past. Instead of dealing with the emotions of being physically abused, they repressed all of them and started eating. Normally this is a gradual weight gain that is obvious from right after the abuse happened. This is just one example of how trauma can affect someone without them even knowing it. There are a lot of other ways this can affect each individual and change their life. In fact, many serial killers have pasts that involved traumatic events. These events and not dealing with their emotions are what make them so violent and unhinged.
Being able to work out feelings with a therapist is extremely important. Once all the memories have been brought to the conscious mind, they can start to work themselves out. The therapist is going to work with their patient to determine what needs to be done. It is going to take many sessions for most people to come to terms with the events that happened in their past. Talking out these things can make a big difference with the way someone acts in the present and future. Most patients end up shedding a lot of tears and feeling relief by letting these memories come to surface.
Therapy can result in a person having a better attitude, not being violent, quitting certain behaviors and so much more. The patient is able to talk out memories and feelings, which is probably something they weren’t able to do in the past. The therapist is going to ask a lot of questions and become an active role in their life. Having a safe space where the patient can talk about their trauma is extremely important when it comes to the healing process. After the emotions from the past have been worked out, the future can become a lot brighter. It does take a while to re-build, but it can be done with the help of a therapist. Without hypnotherapy it might be impossible for some individuals to remember any trauma at all.
Interested in learning more, click this link: Hypnotherapy

What Is The Difference Between Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy?

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

What is the difference between hypnosis and hypnotherapy? This is a common question that most of us ask while seeking options to better our health and our lives in general. Although these two terms sound just about the same, each stands for an entirely different meaning, with the common relationship between the two being that they both refer to ways of altering the state of the mind. So, what exactly is the difference between these two terms?
The Difference between Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy
The simplest way to go about expressing the actual difference between hypnosis and hypnotherapy is by defining them. The definitions provide a hint for the different meanings of these two terms in relation to the mind and consciousness.
To start with, hypnosis is simply a consciousness state where your mind becomes receptive and open to suggestions. It is a state of mind that most of us go through on a daily basis, for instance when daydreaming, when watching a movie, or when you fall asleep while reading a book!
Hypnotherapy, on the other hand, is a therapy form whereby a hypnotherapist and you both apply the hypnosis technique to try and identify your false beliefs with an intention of changing them so that you may move on in life.
Using a garden analogy to explain the difference in the above definitions, hypnosis is like sowing the seed and watering it so that it can germinate and grow in to a healthy plant. Hypnotherapy, on the other hand, is like weeding the garden so that you can remove any unwanted plants, the weeds.
What do each of these techniques do?
With hypnosis, there is an induction process, just like the process of sowing a seed, where you move in to a state of consciousness and through positive affirmations and suggestions, you change the things in your life that you are ready to change. You can get in to this conscious and relaxed state yourself or through the help of a therapist. The end result is a relaxed mind, a pleasant feeling, and openness to thought and behavioral changes.
Though not a substitute to professional medical and health care but a complimentary procedure, hypnotherapy is used to help people improve their lives through a number of ways. These include simple stress reduction and relaxation, helping individuals to withstand and manage pain, helping with trauma, coping with medical procedures, reducing functional disorder symptoms and the general well being of a person. It is a therapy option used to help people cope with emotions and trauma.
Who practices these techniques?
Anyone can go through hypnosis without the assistance of a second party. It is a relatively simple technique that can come in to play even when one is doing the simple daily activities like watching movies or reading books, with better effects being achieved if it is practiced consciously. However, a person who practices hypnosis on others is called a hypnotist.
With hypnotherapy however, you need the help of a hypnotherapist, who is a trained person to assist others with this technique. Besides hypnotherapy, a hypnotherapist usually has certifications and qualifications in some other professional training like mind science, counseling and therapy.
These qualifications allow a hypnotherapist to provide very in-depth inquiries and consultations before the actual therapy sessions so that they can tailor the most appropriate care procedures for a particular patient. Actually, most of these hypnotherapists work together with physicians where they receive referrals for patients who need such care.
Good to note here is that hypnosis should not be confused with the kind of hypnosis employed in entertainment, otherwise called stage hypnosis. This discussion focuses on the therapeutic hypnosis that helps a person to improve on a certain area of their life by clearing their mind and concentrating on activities and a mindset that may lead to possible solutions to their problems, which is more like meditation.

Are these techniques right for you?
Truth be told, hypnosis and hypnotherapy have had their share of controversies. However, they have been proven, time and time again, to produce much better results in resolving some disorders and diseases. For instance, hypnotherapy has been shown to be more effective than medication at treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). These methods are safe, side effects free, and if anything, they lead to a better sleep and a more relaxed you.
To answer the question of what is the difference between hypnosis and hypnotherapy, we can simply conclude that it is the approach and the intended purpose, with the basics being almost the same. For information on hypnotherapy courses, access here.