Life can be filled with challenges. In fact, it’s quite clear that without any challenges we wouldn’t grow at all. But sometimes those challenges can accumulate and unwelcome guests like stress and anxiety can pitch their tents in our lives and make things even harder.

According to The World Health Organisation (quote source here):

“Stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. Stress is a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives. Everyone experiences stress to some degree. The way we respond to stress however, makes a big difference to our overall well-being.”

— World Health Organisation

A 2019 Gallop Poll, found that about one third of the world’s population, reported feeling stressed, angry or worried. (source link here)

However, the incidents of stress appear to be increasing since that poll was carried out, with coronavirus, economic stress, floods, fires, droughts, wars and impacts on travel. And I’m sure many other areas as well.

According to the Mayo Clinic, common effects of stress include the following:

On our bodies

Headache, Muscle tension, pain, chest pain, fatigue, change in sex drive, stomach upset and sleep problems.

On our moods

Anxiety, restlessness, lack of motivation, lack of focus, feeling overwhelmed, irritability, anger, sadness or depression.

On our behaviours

Overeating, undereating, angry outbursts, drug and alcohol misuse, tobacco use, social withdrawal, and exercising less often.

The Mayo Clinic (source link here)

How Can Hypnotherapy Help?

As human beings, we are pattern matchers. We look into our database of information to find things and experiences that resemble whatever situation we find ourselves in. Then we make decisions, based on that information. Decisions about what that is, how safe we feel, and how best to respond. So, when we are faced with something that we believe is a threat, we move to a stress response, so that we can protect ourselves.

However, we don’t always have all the information we need.

This means that the decisions we make are often based on only limited information. And so, when we are faced with threats to our sense of security, in relation to:

Our status,
How we are seen by others,
Our connection to others,
Our ability to find food and shelter,
Our ability to hold onto that food and shelter, the things we already have
To protect those we love,
To hold onto those we love
To hold onto the things we love
and to hold onto our sense of who we are, who we want to be, or who we think we should be

Then stress is triggered as a way of trying to protect us, by generating the energy we need to fight, run or disappear. Even though the information we have, may not be that accurate.

We can often feel overwhelmed and stay in that stress response, uncertain of how to manage. Something exacerbated by the fact that when we are feeling stressed, our access to the parts of ourselves, our brains and nervous system, that help us to think logically, and weigh up different options, and to manage our responses, become restricted.

However, our stress response is an adaptive one, which means we can alter it.

IT CAN CHANGE.

WHICH IS WHERE HYPNOTHERAPY CAN HELP

Our brains are plastic you see. Which may sound strange. But what it means is that our brains are able to learn and adapt to the situations we find ourselves in.

Using hypnotherapy, I can help you communicate with that part of yourself.

I can help you find ways to relax and feel calm. When we are calm, then our access to the logical part of our brain opens up. Making it possible for us to weigh up and manage the problems we meet in far more effective ways.
From that space, I can help you communicate with the database of information you have about the world and yourself.
Then, using strategic psychotherapy, and learnings from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Solution Oriented Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Polyvagal Theory, and Ego State Therapy, I can help you find new ways to see, feel, hear and understand the situation.
From there, I can help you find ways to manage the challenges you are faced with, and make the changes you want to make.