Hypnotherapy For Treating
Depression and Mood Disorders
Mental Health Professional And Clinic
Depression Counselling, Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy
He grew up in a family that had experienced years of fear, shell shock (now PTSD), anxiety and bouts of depression. So he became acutely aware of how these psychological conditions impact other family members and the intense feelings for the people suffering from them. Of course, in post-WWII Britain, mental health issues were more the rule than the exception. So what we are seeing today, is not a new or unexperienced period of history; it's the same old, same old but merely for different reasons. However, despite the periodic differences, depression is still relatively the same; it sucks! For these reasons, Thom has been specialising in helping treat people with Depression. The primary way he does this is by treating depression, and the accompanying anxiety, with Hypnotherapy. However, he occasionally uses various additional psychotherapeutic interventions and meridian therapies, like EFT (emotional freedom techniques). So, since he has been doing this work for many years now, the hope is, should you meet, that he can be of help to you!
How we define depression
At its basic level, life is mostly a consequence of experience, trial and error and because of that, we tend to judge life by how it feels. Unfortunately, for those with depression, it usually feels quite bad and to make matters worse, there is often little or no foreseeable prospect of it getting better! So where do we start in treating depression? To function well, we need some sense of hope, hope for our present and hope for our future because, without it, life seems to lose its purpose and meaning! Without purpose and meaning, life can often feel untenable and, very sadly, this has led to many people taking their own life! But take heart because help is available by using a unique style of psychotherapy, hypnotherapy and brain-based strategies that I call Trans4mational Therapy. Using this unique style of Hypnosis-Therapy, you can begin to discover or rediscover hope, hope for the present and hope for the future!
So let's look at the dynamics of depression
What Is Depression?
Many clients tell me they are depressed but mostly base their diagnosis on the way they feel, rather than being a clinical diagnosis by a medical professional. Depression (major depressive disorder) is a varied condition, varied in that it can range from mild to very severe and on the severe end of the spectrum, it is a serious medical illness that affects how we feel, think and behave This often affects the way we believe that others view us and this can further lower our sense of self-esteem and confidence, which often makes us feel worse, as in, more depressed. Depression often causes us to have feelings of sadness or a loss of personal interest in ourselves, and others, as well as our general hygiene or in activities we once enjoyed. Left unchecked it can create a whole host of unwanted emotional and physical problems which decrease our ability to function in almost every area of our life. Fortunately, depressive disorders are treatable and by using hypnotherapy I've had consistent and excellent results.
What Does Depression feel like?
- The symptoms of depression vary from mild to very severe and include:
- Feeling sad or having a depressed mood.
- Loss of interest, maybe a lack of pleasure in things we once enjoyed.
- Having feelings of worthlessness, shame or guilt.
- Swings in our appetite — we can gain or lose weight suddenly even if we are not dieting.
- Have difficulty getting or staying asleep or occasionally oversleeping.
- Difficulty in concentrating or making decisions, even simple ones.
- Experiencing a loss of energy or maybe feeling totally fatigued.
- Having an awareness of a seeming loss of purpose or meaning in life.
- Exaggerated physical activity (e.g., being fidgety or using excessive hand or foot gestures), dulled changes in the way we gesture or talk i.e. our physical movements or speech, most notable when seen by others.
- Having passive or active thoughts about not wanting to live or committing suicide.
Confirming a clinical diagnosis
Symptoms must be present for at least two weeks and must represent a change in your previous normal level of functioning for a proper diagnosis of depression. However, other factors must be considered, e.g. existing medical conditions, such as hyper or hypo-thyroid dysfunction, mineral or vitamin deficiency, Cushing syndrome, cancer (or its treatment) or neurological issues, including tumours). This is because these conditions can mimic some of the feelings of depression. Consequently, it is important to seek the advice of your GP or other medical professionals to eliminate these as a possibility. Depression affects a lot of people and many don’t even get it properly diagnosed so they're not statistically accounted for. Some health professionals speculate that around 18% of people will experience depression at some point in their life. And while depression is seen as a condition that can happen at any point in life, it most often occurs during our teens to mid-20s. And for unknown reasons, women are more susceptible to depression. Research shows that up to a third of all women will experience a major depressive disorder during their lifetime. Evidence suggests a relatively high level of heredity is involved (approximately 44%) where close family relatives have previously been diagnosed with clinical depression.
So, is there a solution?
When it comes to helping people with depression, professional training and clinical experience really do count. And that is fortuitous because I currently have just that, with 22 years and over 24,400 hours of client experience in clinical hypnotherapy. Because of that, I can assure you that you are in safe, caring and competent hands! And for those who suffer from this terrible condition, you can find comfort in the knowledge, that I've been specialising in helping people like you for the last 18 of those 22 years. I came to Singapore, in 2007 and brought with me all the training, clinical and life experience I learned in the UK. Apart from my 500-hour Diploma in Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy, I also attained a specialist Certificate in Anxiety Management at the prestigious UK Academy of Therapeutic Arts (run by Shaun Brookhouse and Fiona Biddle (legends in the field). This is important because anyone who has depression will also have a lot of anxiety and stress in their life, they go hand in hand!
It's naive to pretend depression is easy to treat!
Fortunately, though, there are other very effective approaches, for example, psychotherapy, counselling, CBT and, of course, hypnotherapy! My approach is a combination of psychotherapy and hypnotherapy, two of the best, in my opinion. Essentially, Hypno-Psychotherapy works at both the conscious and subconscious levels of the brain. The conscious level helps with our logical and analytical need for things to make sense and the subconscious level helps with the brain's need to survive! As illogical as it may seem, anxiety, stress disorders, and depression are most often a consequence of the brain's defensive mechanisms being off-kilter! Other reasons are damage to various brain regions, mental or neurological disorders, as well as mineral/vitamin/nutritional and sleep deficiencies. Some of the other reasons are just a consequence of the enormous challenge some people face in life but even then, hypnotherapy can help us tap into that inner resource that so often defines us!
Nevertheless, it is treatable!
In my particular field, hypnotherapy, there are also many approaches, some hypnotherapists work on the future, thus avoiding the past and others work solely on the past. However, experientially, I have found that one's past and present are intricate parts of an ever-evolving puzzle and consequently, intrinsically linked to their future. So, if the past is in any way implicated in the creation of the depression, then it will most likely have a part to play in the creation of the solution. As a former sufferer of depression, I have some experience of what it feels like at your end and having experience of both sides of this equation, it gives me a unique perspective and that, naturally, makes me your obvious choice! And it doesn't end there because, to make your choice even easier, I provide a free 1-hour consultation, where you get to meet me, discuss your issue and try hypnosis, free of any obligation!
In addition to the above, it may help by giving you a little more information about hypnotherapy and how it can help in treating depression. While many people can experience hypnosis, we all experience it differently and the main purpose of my free consultation, is, that you can empirically understand it and properly evaluate your experience. One of the challenges for people with depression, however, is that their life is already on a low ebb, things that should be relatively easy, pleasant or enjoyable, just aren’t, basically, life just doesn’t feel good. That is why I go to great lengths to explain what is happening in your brain, this actually helps to depersonalise the condition, which can be helpful as many people think it is "them" per se. Essentially I separate the person from the condition and by focusing on the person, we can bring about, through hypnosis, the changes necessary to reestablish normal brain/life functioning.
By the same token, I don’t want to make this sound simple or trivialise the condition because, when you get right down to it, depression is a real-life changer and it's very often really difficult for others to live with too, but it's not necessarily difficult to treat!
Balance Is Not A Given!
Hypnotherapy Helps To Create Balance
The causes of depression are many and varied, for example, it can be genetic, environmental, biological and/or psychological. Read more about the causes of depression here. The above causes somehow affect parts of our brain's architecture and cause them to be in either a hyperactive state of synaptic transmission, known as long term potentiation or a hypoactive state, known as long term depression (not related to depression itself)). Essentially it is the existence of an imbalance in our brain's chemical makeup, i.e. its neuro-synaptic transmission, that is believed to be a cause of much depression! Treatment can be psychological or by medication or both (one doesn't preclude the other).
Also, depression very often co-exists with other disorders, e.g. anxiety or stress disorders; or can even be confused with physical disorders, such as hypothyroidism. Major illness can be a cause or precursor of depression and vice versa. These factors can often slow down or impair recovery rates. Other factors like the loss of your job, home or fortune, or maybe the loss of a loved one, be it through death or the break up of a loving relationship can also lead to depression.
Under these circumstances, it is quite normal to feel sad, blue or depressed. It is when the depression goes on for a long time that we need to become concerned. Very often the person with depression does not realise they are suffering from it or even if they do, they may not seek help. That is why loved ones or friends can play an important role in getting someone with depression into treatment.
So it is always wise to be mindful, as a person, a relative or a friend. Make time to visit your GP, for yourself or someone you care for, to discuss the matter in-depth and onward to that, to get a proper diagnosis!
In addition to the above, depression affects us in different ways.
SPECIFICS ABOUT DEPRESSION IN MEN, GO HERE FOR MORE
So, if you or someone you know are suffering from depression, why not take that first important step toward recovery and healing; Book an Appointment here
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