Hypnosis for Stress and Anxiety
Can Hypnosis Really Help to Deal
with Stress and Anxiety Caused by Bullying at Work
or School?
 |
| Marja
Flick-Buijs |
Dispelling Myths About Hypnosis
When I think of the word 'hypnosis'
the first thing that pops into my head is the image
of a flamboyant stage performer putting hapless volunteers
through their paces by making them cluck like chickens
once he has mesmerized them into a mind controlling
hypnotic trance.
Many of us have these kinds of feelings about hypnosis
but is this reputation justified? There are
several myths that persist about hypnosis
even though it is used by trained hypnotherapists,
psychologists and psychiatrists everyday to deal with
a wide variety of issues -- including stress, anxiety
and depression.
Before we can look at the benefits that hynosis can
offer we need to look at the myths that surround the
subject.
First, the whole stage performance itself lends itself
to incredulity. Considering the setting where these
events occur it is natural for participants to feel
a sense of social obligation or permission to "go
along" with the suggestions of the "hypnotist"
no matter how outlandish.
In that setting it is hard to distinguish between
any real hypnotic effect and participants who are
simply playing a role having been granted social permission
to behave outrageously. It is likely a combination
of factors given that approximately 10 percent
of the population is highly hypnotizable, 80 percent
are to varying degrees, while the remaining 10 percent
are considered more difficult to hypnotize.
These numbers are based on the Stanford
Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale developed by Andre
M. Weitzenhoffer and Ernest R. Hilgard in 1959 and
modified by J.F. Kihlstrom. Another common scale is
the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility
developed by Ronald Shor and Emily Carota Orne in
1962. See the Hypnosis
Measurement page on Dr. Matthew Whalley's site,
Hypnosis and Suggestion: Exploring the Science Behind
Hypnosis, for an overview of hypnotic susceptibility
scales.
Clinical uses of hypnosis have been demonstrated
to be real and to have beneficial effect;
for example, hypnosis for stress and anxiety, phobias
and pain management. But before we can be comfortable
enough to utilize hypnosis for stress and anxiety,
or anything else for that matter, we need to dispel
more myths and misunderstandings about what is really
happening during hypnosis.
Is Hypnosis a Mind Control Technique?
One myth that makes some resistant to using hypnosis
for stress and anxiety is that they believe that hypnosis
is some kind of mind control technique. This is not
supported by research. You never relinquish control
over your actions. You always determine whether
or not to act on suggestions made by the hypnotist.
However, if you do choose to accept the suggestions
it may seem as if things have happened on their own.
In other words, it is you who agrees to accept the
suggestion that your arm is getting heavier, for example,
even though it may seem that your arm simply got heavier
on its own.
Related to this is the concern that a hypnotist could
make you do things against your moral or ethical standards.
However this not how hypnosis works. You are fully
aware of the suggestions being made during hypnosis.
You are in control and can accept or reject whatever
is presented in the session. Hypnosis won't
make you do things that you wouldn't otherwise normaly
do.
What is it Like to Be Hypnotized?
While the word 'hypnosis' originates from Hynos,
the Greek god of sleep, it is not like sleep at all.
The only similarity is the state of relaxation that
is invoked during a hypnosis session. Regardless of
whether you are using hypnosis for stress and anxiety,
boosting confidence, self-esteem or even pain management
hypnosis doesn't involve a state of sleep
or unconsciousness.
Since vivid imagery is often invoked by hypnosis
it can feel very much like you are really experiencing
what is being described in your session. For example
you may be encouraged to imagine yourself on a beach,
to feel the warm sand, to hear the birds or sounds
of other people, to smell the salt air of the ocean,
etc. In doing so, while in a very relaxed state you
can begin to feel as if you are really on a beach
experiencing these things.
People react in different ways to hypnosis.
While some may begin to feel heavy others can have
the opposite reaction and feel very light. There is
no right or wrong response, this is just how you react
to the hypnosis process.
While hypnosis is different for everyone, deep relaxation
and heightened imagination are commonly reported.
Can I Get Stuck in a State of Hypnosis?
It would be difficult to use hypnosis for stress
and anxiety if you had to be afraid of being trapped
in a hypnotic trance. However, this simply does not
happen. Basically, the worst-case-scenario woud be
that you fall asleep and wake up out of the hypnotic
state.
Tests have been done where researchers have induced
participants into a hypnotic state and then left the
room and observed the reponses. All the subjects returned
to their 'normal' state in a short time all on their
own. The 10% of the population that responds particularly
well to hypnosis just took a little longer to 'wake
up'.
Can Hypnosis Help If I'm Being Bullied?
As targets of bullying know, bullying can produce
extreme psychological pain. Bullies undermine and
threaten their targets which can result in severe
effects on self-esteem and self-confidence, creates
worry, anxiety and anger, interrupted sleep patterns,
etc. These factors (and more) cause stress levels
to skyrocket resulting in even more psychological
and physical consequences of stress.
Hypnosis may help you deal with many of these problems
effectively. Hypnosis for stress and anxiety, building
self-esteem and self-confidence, controlling anger,
helping with insomnia, etc. are available through
in-person sessions with a hypnotist or through self-hypnosis
programs that are widely available.
Self-hypnosis for stress and anxiety programs are
easy to access and some can simply be downloaded to
your computer. This is a popular way to benefit from
hypnosis as it is quick and relatively inexpensive.
If you are thinking of trying hypnosis for
stress and anxiety to help with the effects
of bullying we recommend HypnosisDownloads.com.
Their hypnosis downloads are very reasonably priced
but more importantly they have taken the time
to understand the unique problems faced by targets
of bullying. They have even created a hypnosis
download specifically for targets of workplace bullying
called 'Coping
with Workplace Bullying'.
Many of their other hypnosis sessions, which you
download in MP3 format, suit the needs of bullying
targets as well.
For example:
'Dealing
with an Angry Bully' helps you stay calm when
under attack;
'How
to Stop Worrying' frees you from worrying so you
can start living;
'Control
Your Emotions' helps you keep your cool so you
don't "lose it" and fall into the bully's
trap.
Of course there are many other areas of our lives
where we could use a boost. HypnosisDownloads.com
has hundreds of hypnosis sessions available for download
to help you in many areas of your life, including
hypnosis for stress and anxiety. To get an idea of
what programs are available that are of interest to
you you can browse
their sessions here.
There are many options available for using
hypnosis for stress and anxiety caused by bullying.
Hypnosis can be an effective tool to help keep you
mentally, emotionally and physically healthy. But
no matter how you address the effects that bullying,
stress and anxiety are having on you it is
important to find what works best for you.
Suggested Titles:
Suggested CD Packages:
Panic
Attacks
Program
(CD or tape)
Stop panic attacks with this unique program. |
Self
Confidence Trainer
(Double CD)
The Self Confidence Trainer leads you step-by-step
towards greater confidence and self esteem. |
Insomnia
Cure
(Double CD)
Cure insomnia for good with this double CD program. |
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