hypnosis for stress reduction

[airwolf282]

I have recently heard about the use of hypnosis as a way to reduce stress and tension. Has anyone had any experiences with that? I read a bit about hypnosis, self hypnosis and relaxation strategies and was surprised to learn that it is a safe and in most cases affective way to reduce stress and anxiety. I also learnt that you are not actually unconscious during it and have full awareness of the environment around you. There was also a lot on focussing on breathing and in the process, 'letting go' of all tension. Apparently you can do all this in your own home if you set aside 20 minutes each day to allow yourself to achieve that relaxed state. I have problems with anxiety and still get panic attacks even with the medication I am on so I was wondering if this might be helpful. If anyone has tried this I would love to hear about your experiences.

[Cyberwitch]

I studied reflexology some time ago and part of the course was relaxation and breathing techniques which I have used frequently since and I do recommend them.
There are also meditations and visualisations you can do to bring you to that relaxed state.
Its definately worth checking out, you don't need to spend a fortune on it either.
I suffer from severe panic attacks where I actually wake up in the night in a full blown attack - not pleasant, but the breathing techniques do help to a certain extent.
Everybody's different though but it doesn't hurt to give it a go!!
Hope that helps:)

[anabelleagain]

I love hypnotherapy. I have issues with anxiety and it definitely helps. Unfortunately, I can't do it to myself-- I think it's harder to self-hypno rather than be guided into it. There's also a difference between mindfulness and being hypnotized. My therapist used to start each session with 20 mins of relaxation and focusing on breathing-- aspects of hypnosis, but I never went into it (hypno).

Have you ever smoked marijuana? To me, it feels a little like that, if I had to compare it to anything-- but without any hint of paranoia or concern. It is the most relaxed state ever. It's like the seconds between being asleep and waking up when you're not fully conscious. It's wonderful.

You should try it. What do you have to lose? :)

[Isoverity]

I studied hypnosis a lot while going after a psychohistory degree. A hypnotist doesn't really hypnotise a person as much as take over and manipulate a pre-existing state. Indeed at demonstrations they have all sorts of techniques for testing who are most suggestible people in the room.

Hypnosis is actually a part of PTSD. A shock or trauma causes a person to lose what hypnotists call "critical functions" or "critical factors". Those are a persons reason and defensive skills to protect psyche. When critical factors are suspended all sorts of impressions and suggestions get in the subconscious - where they drive the intellect and thoughts.

A flashback etc is at heart a hypnotic event, where elements of a person subconscious overwhelm a persons mind and even body. There is a "body memory" or conditioned reflex response. People's bodies can feel past events as if they were going through them anew. Cues can trigger a response.

Struggling with these things actually drives them deeper. Concentration is a factor in hypnosis. When people focus and concentrate on mantras, and breathing, and rythmns, and imagery of calm lakes etc they are creating a trance state they can subject themselves too. They can seem to lose conflicts that way in a kind of absolutions by absorption. However a person in that state can also lose awareness to a lot of other things and create other problems.

Some counseling can even make people with PTSD worse because these people need to "de-focus" but counselling can make them focus more in the wrong way. There are even studies that showed police and fire fighters who had trauma counseling were worse in 5 years than the ones who didn't have it.

I came across a hypnotist who realized people were already hypnotized to act self destructively and -de-hypnotizing them worked much better. Think of a kid who has their parents shock and upset them by calling them "no good" .."should never have been born" etc (happens all the time). When the kid gets upset and angry the negative suggestions get into her head. She thinks "I'm no good..I'm no good" etc over and over. If she gives in to that thinking she resents herself and her life. If she struggles against it she makes the suggestion stronger. In time she can feel demoralised and exhausted and want to just give in to apathy and ennui. The real way of getting free is to stop feeding root cause via fixations to emotions and lreactions that feed thoughts that feed emotions again - and drag the body with it

I used a method of "de-hypnotising" years ago and gave up 7 years of smoking with no withdrawl struggle at all. Other times I tried and makde smoking worse.

What was curious about it is a lot of past thoughts and feelings (many forgotten) bubbled up for review as they left. These were not a hardship since I saw them objectively without reacting to them. A lot of people get upset with any memories and emotions from past that bubble up - a reason they don't go away.

[whirlpools]

wow, thanks, that was really interesting ^

[Isoverity]

Well if you ever want any links to articles and things you can try yourself (free) I can send them. It's not a gimmick though so people need to be a bit serious minded for things to work. Just fooling around wont help.