The modern world can cause a lot of mental distress. The latest figures suggest that 1 in 10 Australians are currently taking antidepressant medication to treat depression and anxiety. However, if you are feeling depressed or anxious, you can also try alternative treatments such as hypnosis. Below is a guide to everything you need to know about how hypnosis can be used to treat anxiety.
What is hypnosis?
A trained individual performs hypnosis. Hypnosis aims to relax your body and your mind so that your thoughts and feelings can be altered to deal with difficult emotions. A lot of what occurs in your mind is beyond your reach in the dark unconscious. It is believed that hypnosis opens up access to the unconscious parts of your mind, allowing you to deal with the root of your emotional difficulties.
Before your session begins, the hypnotherapist will work with you to establish the precise problem. This knowledge will allow them to tailor the session to your individual needs.
What can I expect at a hypnosis session?
The popular image of a hypnotist involves them swinging a watch on a chain in front of a person's eyes to get them to go into a trance. Stage hypnotists will sometimes hypnotise members of the audience and get them to do silly things, such as pretend to be a chicken. However, none of this will happen when you visit a professional for anxiety hypnotherapy.
Therapeutic hypnotists typically operate out of professional offices which contain a couch where you can recline. The hypnotist will ask you to close your eyes and will speak to you in a very deliberate way. You will be asked to perform a visualisation. A visualisation involves imagining a scene and picturing it in your mind's eye. For example, you may be asked to imagine walking down a road which is descending into a deep valley or to picture yourself slowly sinking back into the soft sand of a beach. As you proceed to visualise this scene, the hypnotist will continue to give you instructions which will allow you to enter a hypnotic state.
Once you are in a hypnotic state, the hypnotist will ask you to imagine feeling calm and peaceful even when faced with the situation which is causing you anxiety. The hypnotist will then gently bring you out of the hypnotic state, and you should wake feeling refreshed and rested.
For more information, contact a counsellor who specialises in hypnotherapy.
