Hypnotherapy For
Managing Stress Disorders
Mental Health Professional And Clinic
Hypnotherapy For The Treatment of Stress
Stress changes lives, yours could be one of them!
The type of stress that is most often referred to when we refer to 'stress,' is psychological stress but that is only one of a few types. There is oxidative stress which produces free radicals, metabolic stress, modulating the use and storage of energy, osmotic stress, which balances the internal/external cellular environment and heat shock, which helps cells respond to environmental stressors, bacteria and certain metals. And the probability that you are experiencing many types of stress at the same time is almost a given! So if you would like to know more about managing stress effectively, then a Free Consultation is available to discuss your options, get more details here.
Be the instrument of your own change!
The stress response (fight or flight) affects us all from time to time and its effects are many and varied. However, these are complicated matters, because there are different types of stress, for example, psychological stress and oxidative stress. Psychological stress can be experienced in the form of Eustress (positive stress) and Distress (negative stress).
Oxidative stressors are more environmental, e.g. too hot, cold, noisy, crowded, dusty etc. or through things that we eat. This type of stress creates free radicals, which attack and damage our cells. This is why we need antioxidants in our diet because oxidative stress is a major cause of unnecessary inflammation. However, even oxidative stress is both natural and good, in its own unique way. It's a natural part of cellular respiration and helps in response to foreign invaders in our body's cells e.g. viral or bacterial infection, even accidents or disease etc. It's the body's defensive marshalling system, sending the troops to the front line in an emergency.
Psychological stress can be experienced in the form of Eustress (positive stress) and Distress (negative stress). In a positive sense, we see things as opportunities, challenges, things that, although difficult, are a part of our natural growth! In a negative sense, it is the outcome of overarching mental and emotional responses to the threat of danger, be it real or imagined. Too much of this leads to chronic (dis)stress the form of stress that blights the quality of our lives. However, if we have the added burden of a high ambient level of oxidative stress, well, need I say more? Truth be told, this should be obvious but seemingly isn't. We will occasionally have moderate levels of both types of stress and all things being equal, we learn to adapt and cope. Adapting and coping are natural ways in which we learn and are integral to returning to our homeostatic state of balance. A stress disorder develops when our systems fail to adapt or cope, we become hyperaroused; not a good place to be!
To discover more about stress, what it is, its causes and symptoms, please read on
How Stress Disorders Develop
Of course, the awareness of the effects and consequences of distress is nothing new. We've known about it for years now, but despite that, very little is being done (big picture) to combat the ravaging effects of negative, chronic stress in society as a whole. In fact, with the intrusion of social media into our daily lives, things are actually getting worse. So, if this resonates with you, it may be of value to you, to know what you can do about it?
Fortunately, with the help of hypnotherapy, there are things you can do but you may need to focus a little more on the things that are unique to your particular circumstances? Although it's certainly not as simple as just using hypnosis or thinking of solutions for the future, usually we have to make lifestyle changes and maybe some adjustments to life-limiting aspects of life! First and foremost, we need to address some of the fundamentals, it just makes everything you do a lot harder if you don't. So what are the fundamentals?
No. 1 on the list, is, that we have to learn to breathe properly (more about that here).
No. 2 we have to keep well hydrated. most of our brain is made up of water (55-60%) and we dilute it at our peril.
No. 3, we must feed our brain the, carbs, fats, proteins and 9 amino acids that it cannot synthesise itself.
No. 4 is sleep, sleep helps restore the stresses of the day, rebuild the brain's pharmacy and aid in the process of making new long-term memories and updating old ones.
These essential things can only come from what we eat! Of course, we will manage to survive if we don't do these things properly but surely we want more than mere survival? Of course, we do and to live a fulfilling life, we need to thrive and that's exactly how my stress management programme can help you!
Everything you need to know about managing your stress is included in my programme and that includes an advanced hypnotherapy technique. In fact, this is an integral part of what you will experience in my therapy This method is tried and tested and it is much more effective than just focusing on the roots of the problem or focusing on the future. For sure the past very likely played a part in creating the challenges you are facing and the future will play a part too. But life is a "now, in the moment experience" and that is an area I pay particular attention to. Life is a trilogy of the past, present and future and this means that learning to experience life as it is happening becomes imperative. The past merely guides us to where we need to go to understand the probable root causes and how they evolved over time. As we progress, becoming mindful of now, we begin to learn new ways of being, and then, observe and experience life. This enhanced method of self-discovery and inner learning is what allows us to hone, polish and tap into the process of life. So, as we increase the awareness of life, as it is happening, from there a better future becomes the collateral effect of that process! Incidentally, when you have more awareness of 'Now' you actually have the potential to make better memories of this new experience! Ultimately, this means your memory recall of that past, will be an enhanced memory, simply because you were both at home and the lights were on!
Because there are many ways to help people in distress, you'll naturally want to know which is the best for you; won't you? Well, I can tell you from experience, as a client myself and as a therapist, that hypnotherapy is one of the most effective ways and here's why!
Stress is perhaps, the most pervasive feeling of the modern-day lifestyle and yet, it is as old as life itself. Stress is the brain's response to sensory stimuli, (anything that is, or perceived as, dangerous or life-threatening), this occurs naturally-nonconsciously, i.e. outside of your conscious awareness. In addition to this sensory stimulation, memory records the narrative of these types of events. This simply means the sensory stimulus has a fast and effective shortcut (memory) to the desired or undesired outcome, meaning, it happens lightning fast! However, just to confuse things a little, the feelings that we associate with being stressed are something else entirely. The physical feelings of stress are actually a part of several separate brain systems working together and independently. Collectively the awareness of the subjective experience of fear is fairly unique to humans. For us, this means it is actually possible to be (dis)stressed without having any conscious awareness of it! It also means that we may be unaware of the specific causes of our distress. This lack of conscious awareness can affect our behaviour in ways that may allow us to believe that others are the source of our problems? Technically, I call this, 'if it wasn't for you syndrome,' however, they may just be responding to what they see as our dysfunctional behaviour! Overreacting in ways that are out of context or too severe, i.e. above and beyond what would be a reasonable response etc. are characteristic traits of a chronically stressed person. As is tardiness, making more mistakes than normal, poor judgments, bad decisions or irrational emotional responses etc.
To discover more about stress, what it is, its causes and symptoms, please read on
Treating stress is essential to managing life
Some examples of modern life stressors are:
1. you are in debt and interest rates rise, making an already bad situation worse
2. you're in your late 40'/50' etc. and get retrenched and feel threatened by younger people in the job market.
3. You become obsessed with the amount of negative news you hear every day but look at the news sources even more ( confirmation bias)
4. you are in line for a promotion and a someone new, maybe a colleague, that everyone likes, including your boss, shows up and you feel threatened
5. you grow distant from your family and believe your spouse or partner may be cheating on you
6. you begin to get feelings of paranoia and believe people are out to get you
7. you start having some health issues, e.g. forgetfulness (which is a symptom of stress) and think you may have the onset of dementia
8. you seem to have more arguments than usual and people start avoiding you
9. you may have an undiagnosed condition or suspect you have one (hypochondria) etc. etc.
These are just a few ways that modern life affects our mental health but there are many more variable symptoms of stress. This can be paradoxical because the stress response follows a known and predictable pathway (as mentioned above, the HPA axis). However, the way we each experience and respond to the stress response can take many forms and affects us in many different ways.
The stress response (fight or flight), which occurs within a few milliseconds, happens outside of and before we could possibly have conscious awareness of it. However, it has to be said, that under normal circumstances, this system works extremely well to keep us safe and has no known long term effects. Of course, there is a caveat to that! The caveat is, that we should only experience it when we are in danger, under the threat of attack or if there is potential for injury. When we become chronically stressed (unless we're in a dangerous environment, e.g. Iraq, or Syria), the system malfunctions, and we become hyperaroused, overreactive and snap at the slightest thing!
To discover more about stress, what it is, its causes and symptoms, please read on
Why is stress a problem?
Some examples of modern life stressors are:
1. you are in debt and interest rates rise, making an already bad situation worse
2. you're in your late 40'/50' etc. and get retrenched and feel threatened by younger people in the job market.
3. You become obsessed with the amount of negative news you hear every day but look at the news sources even more ( confirmation bias)
4. you are in line for a promotion and a someone new, maybe a colleague, that everyone likes, including your boss, shows up and you feel threatened
5. you grow distant from your family and believe your spouse or partner may be cheating on you
6. you begin to get feelings of paranoia and believe people are out to get you
7. you start having some health issues, e.g. forgetfulness (which is a symptom of stress) and think you may have the onset of dementia
8. you seem to have more arguments than usual and people start avoiding you
9. you may have an undiagnosed condition or suspect you have one (hypochondria) etc. etc.
These are just a few ways that modern life affects our mental health but there are many more variable symptoms of stress. This can be paradoxical because the stress response follows a known and predictable pathway (as mentioned above, the HPA axis). However, the way we each experience and respond to the stress response can take many forms and affects us in many different ways.
The stress response (fight or flight), which occurs within a few milliseconds, happens outside of and before we could possibly have conscious awareness of it. However, it has to be said, that under normal circumstances, this system works extremely well to keep us safe and has no known long term effects. Of course, there is a caveat to that! The caveat is, that we should only experience it when we are in danger, under the threat of attack or if there is potential for injury. When we become chronically stressed (unless we're in a dangerous environment, e.g. Iraq, or Syria), the system malfunctions, and we become hyperaroused, overreactive and snap at the slightest thing!
To discover more about stress, what it is, its causes and symptoms, please read on
The structure of language and neural communication
Essentially, the instrument of hypnotic change is derived via communication via the auditory cortex (my voice to your brain). This then stimulates a process of electrochemical transmission that occurs within the primordial brain. This is actually what other hypnotists call, the 'subconscious mind.' But it is slightly misleading because the place where all of our emotions, memories and behaviours live, is in the physical brain itself. Although thought can usefully be considered an aspect of the mind! The mind (brain language) is merely the communication system that alerts different brain systems to become active (excitatory) or inactive (inhibitory). What, I believe, makes us different from other mammals, is that we have a complex system of spoken language. Language thus becomes the interface between the world we live in and how we process, and then express that experience in the brain. That is why nice pleasant and complimentary words generally make us feel good (although in some minds they can arouse suspicion). And harsh hurtful, derogatory ones make us feel bad, maybe angry too! In essence, the mind can omit, distort and/or generalise language at deeper levels, what John Grinder/Richard Bandler referred to as deep structure language. In essence, hypnotherapy rebalances the structure of our deeper, nonconscious, language and that allows the mind to better communicate with its host, the brain!
To expand upon my theory of the mind, I have come to the point of separating what we call the subconscious mind from the brain. What we term, "the mind" is not an anatomical construct, it is merely a theory that explains something, somewhat beyond comprehension, that brings about action. Imagine you are at the scene of an accident, someone (brain region A) telephones the ambulance service (brain region B), which initiates an action being taken. The action being taken by regions A and B caused an outcome, the telephone call (the mind). That which initiated both actions was the method of communication that made it happen yet it was not a part of the physical action. So, in the case of stress, the parts of the brain involved are, among others, the amygdala, hypothalamus, pituitary gland and, in the body, the adrenal medulla. When stress becomes a disorder, is when memory and sensory systems in the brain (real anatomical structures) become adversely affected. The mind (brain language) then communicates a message, across several regions, that elicits a feeling at a level perceived in consciousness. This then perpetuates itself through memory and sensory stimulation and arises as conscious aspects that are construed as thoughts!
We can't always choose our circumstances, and sometimes we can't change the ones we choose either! But Trans4mational Therapy Centre's, brain stimulation stress management programme provides you with new ways to choose how you respond to the way your life unfolds. Because, it's when we make better choices that life becomes more pleasant, more exciting and more fun! So, if you want to change the way your "inside", responds to your "outside," hypnotherapy is well worth a try; all you have to lose is "Your Stress!"
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