Phobias
A phobia is an extreme fear of, or anxiety about, a particular object or situation. Common fears, like fear of snakes, are not a major problem for most people. If you have a phobia that interferes with your life, such as fear of heights, fear of flying, or fear of closed spaces (claustrophobia), hypnosis for stress relief can help. You can relieve the stress of the phobia by giving yourself positive suggestions about how you react to the situation without fear and visualize yourself handling the situation normally. The phobia may be caused by an incident in the past. You may be able to recall that and relieve the fear by going over it, or you may want to see a qualified hypnotist to help you get rid of the phobia.
The Difference Between Meditation and Hypnosis For Relaxation
At first blush, meditation and hypnosis may appear to be similar relaxation techniques. Both involve quieting the conscious mind, which works constantly throughout the day and needs a break in order for us to avoid "burnout." However, hypnosis relaxation is a bit more goal-oriented than meditation. It typically involves incorporating thoughts, images and/or sounds while you are under hypnosis. Think of meditation as an instrumental version of your favorite pop song and hypnosis as that same song you love but with the words included. Both are effective tools; you need only decide which is appropriate for your relaxation needs at that time.
Relaxation Is Central
It may be that the active ingredient in achieving stress relief is relaxation. The Institute for the Study of Healthcare Organizations and Transactions explains that Herbert Benson's relaxation response technique can alter blood pressure, heart rate, and levels of neurotransmitters, and thereby reduce stress. This is not hypnosis, but hypnosis may achieve the same effects through deep relaxation. It appears that achieving relaxation is important to stress management.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a generalized fear or uneasiness. Sometimes, you may not even know why you are anxious. Using hypnosis for stress management can help relieve anxiety because it helps you feel in control. Try using hypnosis tapes or CDs. If the anxiety is especially deep seated and interferes with your life, see a qualified hypnotherapist who will help you find the underlying cause of your anxiety.
Public Speaking
You may have read about the survey that showed fear of public speaking is the second most common fear. The first is fear of being burned alive. The ability to speak before a group is important, even if you are not going to be a professional public speaker. You may have to give a talk in class, want to give a presentation to a group, or even speak before a large audience. Success in business often requires public speaking skills. You should take whatever opportunity you can to practice public speaking before a friendly audience, and use self hypnosis relaxation for stress relief to calm yourself down before you start. Take a few minutes by yourself before you start speaking to concentrate on your breath and focus your thoughts. You can use notes, but don't read from a script.
Headaches and Hypnosis
It's no secret that the most common cause for headaches is stress. Did you know that hypnosis stress reduction can help eliminate those headaches quickly and effectively? The equation is simple: stress brings on headaches and headaches and hypnosis can release stress. the first step is to create a calm peaceful environment for hypnosis, either with a therapist or alone, using self-hypnosis. Hypnosis geared specifically to reduce headaches has been proven to help balance the immune system, alter the chemicals released in the brain, and create a different physiological state when a person is subjected to stress. All this adds up to being headache-free...for good!
Pay Attention to Your Breathing
Another way to put yourself into a light trance is to pay attention to your breathing. Breathe normally. Do not make yourself tense by wondering if you are doing it correctly. Place your hand on your stomach. With relaxed breathing it should go out with the inhale and in with the exhale. Say to yourself in, out, in, out as you breathe. You can use this for stress relief by itself or to relax enough that you can give yourself helpful suggestions. Be careful not to hold your breath when you are upset, as this can interfere with your stress management efforts.
Why Not to Worry
Worry is being overly concerned about a particular event. In most cases, that event is in past, will never happen, or is otherwise beyond your control. Hypnosis can help overcome excessive worry. Getting over a tendency to worry too much is a form of stress relief, as worry causes much stress. One way to use hypnosis for stress management is to use suggestion to emphasize what is realistic. For instance, if you're worried that rain will spoil your picnic, give yourself suggestions that the picnic will be a great success, rain or shine. Of course, you have to make contingency plans to move the picnic indoors, if necessary.
Stay in the Present
When you use self hypnosis for stress management, stay in the present. Do not make your suggestions in the future. If you say, "I will remain calm at the meeting," your subconscious may register it as something yet to come. You can, however, say, "I am calm when I am at the meeting."
Stress, Anger Management, and Hypnosis
Many factors can contribute to stress and inability to manage your anger: Post Traumatic Stress, the workplace, home life, abuse, and more. Relaxation hypnosis can reduce current levels of agitation or stress. As a result, your ability to channel feelings of anger into positive coping techniques is greatly improved. When hypnotherapy is used in conjunction with psychotherapy and counseling, underlying issues are addressed, behaviors are changed, and you can choose new and appropriate methods to react to anger-causing stimuli.
Stuttering Modification Using Hypnosis
As early as the 19th century, anxiety hypnotherapy has been used in the treatment of stuttering and other communication disorders. Hypnotic techniques administered by a therapist help establish deep relaxation. Self-hypnosis is later taught to enable the stutterer to benefit from the effects of relaxation on his/her own. Even with the first treatment, fluency improves significantly, at least during the trance experience. This demonstration of symptom relief can serve to increase the stutterer's motivation to continue his/her treatment.
Using Hypnosis To Relieve Stress
Our daily lives can be very stressful. Medical research has shown that repressed stress caused by the inability to deal with difficult situations can lead to depression and even physical ailments as serious as cancer. Hypnosis is really a form of meditation. In other words, hypnosis places you in a state of deep relaxation. Whether you practice hypnosis with the aid of a therapist or on your own, there is no doubt this skill is an invaluable one to have.
Overcoming Insomnia
Insomnia can be a stress-related condition. Excessive stress in your life can interfere with getting good sleep, and not being able to sleep can make you feel stressed. Stress relief can relieve insomnia as well. Use self hypnosis relaxation when you get into bed. Stress management tapes or CDs will help manage the underlying stress that is keeping you awake. A study showed that patients taught relaxation and other behavioral techniques fell asleep four times faster than before they learned the techniques, per the Healthy Mind Healthy Body Handbook, by Sobel and Ornstein.
Learn to Relax
Relaxation is a part of self hypnosis and stress management. You feel relaxed and content when you are in a state of hypnosis. You can use relaxation as a form of hypnotic induction. Sit quietly and relax your muscles sequentially, from your toes to your scalp. When you are completely relaxed, give yourself a suggestion that you will recapture this state of relaxation when you say a certain word to yourself. It can be relax, peace, love--anything that seems right to you. With practice, you will be able to relax just by repeating the word. You can use this quick relaxation technique in many instances, including test anxiety, dental anxiety, and similar cases.
Test Anxiety
Test anxiety can be a real problem, but is one that can be helped by stress management hypnosis. Before you take the test, put yourself in a light trance or state of relaxation and give yourself suggestions saying that you are confident that you know the material and that you complete the test easily. Make it present tense. Tell yourself that you will remember to check your answers and feel confident as you successfully complete the test. On the day of the test, take a few minutes to relax before you begin. This will work for a mid-term, the SATs,the bar exam, or whatever other test you are taking. It works better than staying up all night cramming, which just makes your mind feel fuzzy and increases your anxiety.