Are you one of those white-knuckled passengers who is not actually afraid of flying, just the take-offs and landings? Perhaps you are an effective employee or a truly diligent manager but then you get "the memo." You have to introduce the next kick-off campaign at the annual company conference and you suddenly feel as if you are under a giant microscope. Maybe your particular trigger for anxiety is the dread of death. Your concern might be centered on your own demise or your loved ones. In nearly 20 years of private practice, I have never been surprised by what terrifies an otherwise rational adult.
You are not alone. Anxiety is one of those phenomenons that everyone has to face at some time in life, with sweaty palms, pounding pulse, queasy stomach, ringing or buzzing in the ears, dizziness and even shortness of breath. For many people it has nothing to do with whether they are alone or in a crowd, when the anxiety reaches its zenith. It seems as if the whole world shrinks as you and your greatest fears loom larger than life. It does not seem to matter if the anxiety-producing fear is real or imaginary. The symptoms can be equally debilitating. Loss of sleep, compulsive overeating or loss of appetite are common results of anxious thoughts and can lead to more serious health risks.
Now you can take back control of your life, using the power of your own mind with self-hypnosis. You can rest assured that you have the ability to use self-hypnosis to defeat anxiety. We all tap into a kind of mind-over-matter when we feel a head cold starting up the day before a big deadline or exam. We manage to put those annoying symptoms on hold until we meet the demand, and then we really get sick, taking to our bed.
Here are five steps to use self-hypnosis for anxiety relief:
This is your power. You have the capacity to create the most pleasing escape that appeals to your inner self. Now you have subdued that rising sense of panic that surrounds the anxious dread of that certain event. You have also taken back control over the one area where you really are in charge. Your own mind.
Valorie J. Wells, Ph.D. has been in practice as a clinical hypnotherapist for nearly 20 years. Her educational background in industrial psychology, coupled with advanced hypnosis studies, creates an alternative healing environment that appeals to today's informed consumers as clients. Her determination to limit her practice to hypnotherapy has forged a secure bond between area health care providers, hospitals and their referrals. This innovative, cross-discipline approach to patient care serves as a vital link for the integrative chain of careful attention to the individual's needs. Moreover, the rapport between providers and patients encourages participation, dialogue and continuity of care. To find out more about Valorie and her work, read her blog on Red Room.
Valorie J. Wells, Ph.D.: Self-Hypnosis for Weight Control: Three Steps to Avoid the Buffet Binge
Hypnosis of course is simply an altered state of consciousness, one in which we can tap into our inner mental/spiritual reserves to marshal, magnify and exploit our own emotional/cognitive powers to control and master our bodies and our minds. Hypnosis may not work for everyone, but, it can work, it does work, and, by jove, it worked like magic for me.
I also recommend trying this method inside a flotation tank (sensory deprivation chamber, although don't expect a rerun of the movie "Altered States") for maximum induction.