Anxiety and hypnotherapy
Anxiety is an essential emotion that helps you respond to danger. The body enters a heightened state of alertness: your heart starts beating faster, breathing quickens, blood pressure rises, and muscles tense up, ready for action. This is a healthy reaction to imminent danger. But what if your body has the same response when there is no real danger? Up to one in five people in the Netherlands suffer, consciously or unconsciously, from anxiety, an anxiety disorder, or a phobia.
The problem with anxiety arises when there is no immediate danger, but we still feel afraid. This is how healthy anxiety becomes ‘unhealthy,’ also known as an anxiety disorder. This means that the anxiety system has become disrupted, being triggered in situations that are not dangerous.
Personally, I experienced this when I developed a fear of flying a few years ago after suddenly having a panic attack during takeoff on a flight to Paris. From that moment on, I felt anxious and stressed days before I had to fly. I received various pieces of advice: “Just think about something else,” “It will probably be fine,” or the most common one, “Flying is the safest way to travel!” All well-intentioned advice, but it rarely helps.
The Role of Imagination in Anxiety
Anxiety, often tightly woven with our perceptions of the future, manifests through mental images, thoughts, and projections. This intricate dance between our present and potential futures creates a persistent state of unease. The fear of the unknown, anticipated challenges, or potential outcomes can contribute to the 'gap' that Fritz Perls refers to—'Anxiety is the gap between the now and the later.' In this gap, our minds generate scenarios we fervently wish to avoid.
Our imagination generates anxiety by crafting scenarios that don’t actually exist. It’s like watching a frightening movie in your head where you’re in constant peril, even when there’s no real threat. This mental imagery triggers your body’s stress response, making you feel unsafe even when there’s nothing to fear.
'Anxiety is the gap between the now and the later.'
Importantly, this often happens without us being consciously aware of these mental images. These subconscious patterns, formed over time, influence our emotional responses and behaviors, shaping the lens through which we view the world. Understanding that mental images, thoughts, and projections play a pivotal role in anxiety, my approach involves exploring and reframing these patterns. Through personalized strategies and therapeutic techniques, I aim to empower individuals to navigate the uncertainties ahead with resilience and a newfound sense of control.
Hypnotherapy and anxiety
Anxiety is an unconscious reaction, which means the solution also lies in the unconscious. Hypnotherapy helps you connect with this deeper part of your mind where fear resides. The treatment process begins by addressing and desensitizing past experiences, assisting your brain in properly processing these fears. Afterward, we focus on managing current anxieties. This approach combines EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) with hypnotherapy.
Hypnotherapy is an effective tool for treating anxiety disorders. By accessing the subconscious mind, it helps reprogram your anxiety responses, fostering a sense of calm and control in previously fear-inducing situations. If you’re struggling with anxiety and want to see how hypnotherapy can assist you, please contact me here. Together, we can work towards a calmer, more balanced life.