The Coronavirus pandemic has affected the whole world, causing disruption and devastation. Thankfully, we see less dramatic COVID related scenes on the news as we continue to do our part in limiting the spread of the virus.
Several months on and with many restrictions lifted, we are looking forward to our new sense of normal. The pain, loss and trauma are still there and are very real. Can hypnotherapy for anxiety relief help us heal emotionally?
The Emotional Toll
The virus has taken a heavy toll on our health, both physically and mentally. When news broke that lockdowns were announced across the world, communities found themselves in the middle of a panic buying frenzy. People were afraid they would not have enough food or medicine to sustain their families for what was then, an unknown amount of time. The uncertainty was palpable.
The sudden change in daily living created huge amounts of stress and anxiety for some and a new way of thinking for others. It can be compared to pulling the rug from under our feet; a loss of control.
Now that we are slowly returning to the way things were before many are filled with trepidation. How do we know it is safe to leave the security of our homes when just a few short months ago unnecessary trips out were deemed too risky?
This is where Covid hypnotherapy can help.
Hypnotherapy for anxiety can make the transition smoother by reducing the fear and helping you to change negative thinking patterns into positive ones.
2020 to date has been a traumatic year, and each of us has dealt with it in our unique way. Some may have experienced old or new symptoms as a result, including:
Worries | Unwanted or intrusive thoughts | Paranoia | Panic attacks | Insomnia or Hypersomnia (sleeping too much) | Guilt | Agoraphobia | Anxiety | OCD | Change in eating habits | Anger
Hypnotherapy is a universal tool and can be adapted to support anyone in almost any area of their life. The basis of treatment is trust in your practitioner and relaxation.
Post-Traumatic Stress
When you ask a person what they think post-traumatic stress is the majority will relate it to the war. The truth is the disorder can occur in survivors of illness or events such as the Coronavirus pandemic. The SARS outbreak in Hong Kong in 2003 saw nearly three thousand people infected. Afterwards, 35% of the survivors were left with psychological distress, including anxiety and depression.
After being in, or experiencing, a traumatic event, many people experience:
Worries | Unwanted negative thoughts | Bad dreams | Heart racing | Sweating | Anxiety | Avoiding situations that may trigger a memory | Isolating themselves | Anger | Moodiness | Panic Attacks
Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool for easing lingering worries and fears. You can work through the negative feelings, the reasoning behind them and replace them with a positive frame of mind at an unconscious level.
Trauma is not Limited to Survivors.
Quite often, those that have been by the side of someone having been through a traumatic experience, the support network if often overlooked. Just because you have not been through the person’s experience does not mean that you have not been through an experience that could be post-traumatic.
Taking the current pandemic as an example. Those that were not infected can still suffer lasting effects as a result of the virus. Examples include:
Worries over loved ones | Uncertainty | Financial worries | Job security | Loneliness | Isolation | Lost freedom | Boredom | Grief from personal losses | Fear | Separation from family especially children
Those that have had significant life changes lost their jobs, or suffered major financial problems are at higher risk of experiencing psychological distress.
Quarantine and social distancing has shown to increase acute stress disorder, increasing anxiety and irritability. Routines and concentration levels have shown to be awry, especially for those working from home who usually do not.
While there is no quick fix to securing our emotional healing and wellbeing, hypnotherapy can help you manage anxieties and ease your Grief. By working with a professional, you can work through your difficulties and build healthy coping mechanisms to enable you to better manage your thinking patterns.
Hypnotherapy for Post-COVID Anxiety and Stress
Hypnotherapy is a useful tool for treating post-traumatic stress disorder as it reframes negative or traumatic memories providing broader perspectives on working through difficult experiences.
The trauma of a pandemic brings different but equally painful challenges. Hypnotherapy can offer a framework to rebuild a renewed sense of hope and togetherness nurturing positivity and growth as we move forward.
How does it Work?
Hypnotherapy is a natural state of mind. We often experience moments of it daily. Take getting to work, for example. You know the route so well you automatically make the journey without having to plan it. On the journey, your mind wonders thinking of other matters, perhaps you are thinking of what you will achieve today or what you will do that evening. The next thing you know, you have arrived. You were conscious and aware the entire time, but your mind did not need to make you aware of every action as you have done them hundreds of times before. Those thoughts came from your subconscious, and that is where hypnotherapy works from. It is also why hypnotherapists say you will always remember what was said during a hypnotherapy session.
Hypnotherapy works from a state of deep relaxation. Think of it as turning everything off so that only what is necessary is left on. Following the hypnotherapist’s voice, you will be guided on a visualisation journey enabling you to plant positive suggestions where once only negative thoughts stood.
To try hypnotherapy for yourself complete the form below or use the contact us page.
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