Stress and Anxiety

Most people will experience stress and/or anxiety at some point in their life. Stress comes from a situation where we feel frustrated, angry or anxious. When encountering a stressful situation or an individual is feeling anxiety, a cascade of stress hormones are triggered that produce physiological changes in the body. This reaction is known as the 'fight' or 'flight' response. Although this response was once a very adaptive behavior (because it kept early humans alive) and a beneficial biochemical response, it has become highly maladaptive in our busy and stressful lives, as we are capable of turning on the stress response by thought alone . The brain doesn't know the difference between a real or imagined threat.

Anxiety can present as more chronic than stress, it comes from fear or apprehension and the source is not always identifiable. Anxiety derives from a number of circumstances including environmental factors, such as previous life experiences that are stored within the subconscious mind. It will reproduce the 'fight' or 'flight' response in situations which it feels are similar to ones that have made us feel anxious in the past. In addition, a person may be hypervigilant to perceived threats within their surroundings, in a state of increased alertness.

How Can Hypnotherapy Help?

Hypnotherapy for stress and anxiety can help boost feelings of self-belief and confidence, whilst reducing feelings of fear and intense worry. It aims to break negative thought patterns and reprogramme your unhealthy responses to stress and anxiety.

I work with my clients to identify the cause and triggers of stress and anxiety, including how it manifests in the person's life. The treatment of stress and anxiety through hypnotherapy is similar in that it aims to induce relaxation.

Hypnosis allows you to experience deep levels of relaxation, which can help reduce levels of stress and anxiety.

During hypnosis your mind is so relaxed that your subconscious is able to receive gentle suggestions allowing us to correct any negative thought patterns and beliefs that you may have, promoting positive change.