Anxiety
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety can have significant impact on us when we experience it. Fears and phobias produce similar symptoms and the physical reactions caused by psychological 'triggers' can produce unwanted effects such as palpitations, breathlessness, perspiration and overwhealming feelings. These are produced by a cycle, the 'trigger' produces a physical/chemical response which goes on to make us feel out of control and that in turn triggers the continuance of the effect. Long term anxiety and stress can have negative impact on our general health and some medical conditions are know to be exacerbated by stress.
How Can Hypnotherapy Help?
Under hypnosis, your therapist works with those feelings in different ways. Sometimes it is useful to look for the cause of the anxiety and deal with that and also work with the subconscious on how the stress or anxiety is dealt with. Many people also benefit from EFT which is often used in clinic alongside hypnotherapy. R
Scotty's Story
Scotty decided to write about her experience with hypnotherapy. She is a successful local musical artist in Swansea and worked on her performance anxiety using hypnotherapy at Deborah Boughey Hypnotherapy.
"Never having being hypnotised before I had made judgements based on the dramatic, sometimes dubious-looking examples I'd seen on television, where some big beefy rugby bloke was running around after an imaginary flower fairy, or people were falling down at a touch from the hypnotist's hand. So it took me a while to separate all that stuff from the hypnotherapy that I was hearing about.
I was to perform at Brangwyn Hall, supporting The Storeys, in late February of 2009, and as the big day drew near I became so overwhelmed with anxiety I was unable to even think about it without my stomach churning. I was nervous at the thought singing in front of what might be a capacity audience of 2000 people, and I knew that practising was the key, but this anxiety I felt was even stopping me from being able to do that. I couldn't breathe properly, I had no strength in my legs, my heart rate was frighteningly fast, and my thoughts were filled with a kind of 'rabbit in the headlights' dread. I felt out of control. I really wanted to do the gig - despite all of this - it was a great opportunity and I didn't want to let myself - or the organisers - down..
I was encouraged by a friend to try hypnotherapy who assured me I wouldn't be running around after fairies or doing anything I didn't want to. It was just going to help me do what I DID want to do.
The first part of the process with Deb is a kind of friendly fact-finding mission. I described the physical effects of my dread and what was going on in my mind, and from this Deb prepared for me a personalised session.
The actual hypnotherapy session was a day or two later. Deb invited me to make myself comfortable, sit down, relax, etc.. and after a brief recap of the issues we had identified, the session began.
Deb - with her instantly soothing voice - guided me into a deep state of relaxation. I didn't have to say or do anything except listen to Deb's voice. There was not a moment where I was not myself - so to speak.
I knew where I was and what was taking place. What WAS taking place is not the easiest to describe but imagine being REALLY comfy, REALLY relaxed, and having someone unpick all your knots, unwind all your worries, and replace the voice of your fears with one of confidence.
I don't know how it worked, I'm not even going to try to explain it. All I can say is, it DID work for me.
After my session, I was able to practise for the gig, and I ENJOYED doing so. It was like the fear had been hijacking me, and now it just didn't have that power.
When it came to the gig, yes I was nervous, but something had shifted, I was in control, and I knew it was going to be alright.
My advice to anyone thinking about hypnotherapy is this:
Don't think about how or why it works. Suspend that question as you might suspend your disbelief at the cinema. If it's possible for you to go to the pictures and let yourself be immersed in the story so much you forget that you're sitting in The Odeon with your car parked outside and an early start in the morning, then hypnotherapy can work for you.
At the very least, you get to relax for an hour or so - and at the very best it can give you a fantastic tool for changing your life in the way YOU want!”
Scotty
www.myspace.com/scottymusic - click the link to hear Scotty sing!