Therapy can help...
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Examples of problems and situations that therapy can help
Recurring or fearful dreams, Phobias and fears, Loss and bereavement, Weight loss, anorexia and bulimia, Smoking and other habits.
Dream Analysis
Many people have recurring dreams with a persistent theme. This may be seen as a message from the sub-conscious mind drawing attention to an issue, experience or unresolved inner conflict. By exploring various aspects of the dream with the therapist one may release the problem into the conscious mind, gain insight and understanding and hence the opportunity to break the dream pattern.
Phobias and Fears
Fear is something we have all experienced and to some extent it is necessary to feel fear for our survival and to recognise danger. It is the extent of the fear that can cause problems. Fear has several layers. For example general worry and anxiety over certain everyday tasks is normal if the feelings disappear when the problem or task is over, but when one does not return to normal afterwards then help may be needed. Constant anxiety and tension can appear and when one does not know where the fear is coming from. This is not seen as 'normal' and one may live in a state of fear a lot of the time. Help can be sought to find where the fear originated from. Intense feelings of fear are usually phobia, which manifest in a specific fear such as spiders, daylight etc. The phobia may be of things that exist or are imagined such as aliens. Some people are also afraid of the fear and this can result in panic. Fear is a vicious circle where worry gives rise to tension, tension gives rise to symptoms, which in turn gives rise to more worry and so on. These links need to be broken and the original cause found. One also needs to look at what perpetuates the problem and how one's life would be without it. The real problem needs to be found or it may manifest in a different fear. Hypnotherapy is a fast and reliable way to find such causes and has a very good success rate.
Loss and bereavement
Loss or the death of a loved one can be a devastating and traumatic experience. Emotionally common reactions to death include sadness, anger, guilt, loneliness, anxiety, irritability, panic, restlessness, confusion, emptiness, vulnerability, impatience, crying and resentment. One may also notice physical symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, hypersensitivity, aches and pains and skin disorders. Eating and sleeping patterns may change and one may withdraw socially, finding little joy in life. One may feel as if one’s life has also come to an end, disconnected with one’s self and the world or disorientated. One’s identity may be affected and one’s role in life may change.
For example one may no longer be a son, daughter, parent or sibling and the role one played in life may become redundant. Loss may mean loss of one's job, health or environment; this can also contribute to grieving. Very often on invests part of one's self in the lost person and when that person dies one may feel as though they have lost part of one’s self. Loss and change are inevitable and one cannot be protected from loss. We all form attachments and when these attachments are broken one feels loss.
Grief is a normal, healthy response to loss and for each person that grief will be unique and the way they deal with it will be different from others. All loss is painful and there is no right or wrong way to deal with it. It is a process one needs to go through and not avoid. Unfortunately in modern society there is not always the support there once was with close family networks nor the time or opportunity to express feelings and circumstances, with many people returning to work or 'getting on with their life' shortly after loosing a loved one. Pain that cannot be shared can be most unbearable. Well meaning family and friends may offer support, but often cannot cope with one’s grief.
Speaking about grief and loss is not always encouraged in modern society, leaving the bereaved person isolated and alone. One may fail to morn or become removed from one’s emotions. One may even feel worse months after a death when any support one did have has dwindled. Therapy is sometimes necessary to help one get in touch with one's buried emotions or to support one through the grieving process. There is not a correct time to contact a therapist. It may be shortly after a death or years afterwards, but hypnotherapy, psychotherapy and counselling can all help one to overcome bereavement and indeed any loss.
Weight Loss, Anorexia and Bulimia
Diets do not always work and often result in weight gain afterwards and a great deal of discomfort and feelings of deprivation during the diet. Hypnotherapists no longer suggest diets as a way to loose weight, but look at reprogramming the sub-conscious mind to reverse over-eating. The mind and body need food regularly to function well and contribute to one feeling happy and balanced. Weight problems are often not to do with what one eats, but how much and how often. Re-educating the mind and body into recognising 'full' signals and learning to be happy with one;s self are all part of the programme. However weight problems including anorexia and bulimia are generally psychological and not purely physical. For example one may over-eat for comfort, to overshadow unwanted feelings, as a sexual barrier etc. Each client is helped to understand their unique reasons for having an eating problem, to identify how they would like to be and the steps they need to take to reach their goal. The real cause needs to be treated for maximum success in a supportive environment. Hypnotherapy is a fast and affective way to access one's sub-conscious mind and find the root of the problem; simultaneously the use of suggestion for self confidence and self acceptance accelerate the process.
Smoking Cessation
Most of us are aware of the dangers of smoking and the chemicals one puts into one's body through indulging in this habit. Nicotine and tar are released when a cigarette burns and so are hundreds of other chemicals such as carbon monoxide, methanol, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide etc.
These chemicals are taken into the body and to 'state the obvious' can cause damage to one's health such as heart disease, cancer, chronic bronchitis or stroke which can result in physical disability or death. This all sounds like ‘gloom and doom’ and one may wonder why they would want to stop smoking when damage may already be done. However there are many benefits to be gained when one ceases to smoke. For example within only 20 minutes one's blood pressure and pulse usually return to normal, within 8 hours one's carbon monoxide level and oxygen level in the blood usually return to normal and within ten years risk of cancer and stroke are usually similar to that of a non-smoker.
Some people worry about putting on weight and many do, but it need not be very much and will eventually taper off leaving one fitter and more able to exercise. Poisons start to leave the body, taste buds come alive, clothes smell fresh and vitality is increased when one quits this habit. Hypnotherapy is known to be successful, but nobody can make a person quit a hypnotherapist can only support and re-educate them. It must be the clients choice for it to work and their decision to take responsibility for their life and their health.
It may not be easy and motivation and discipline are essential, but within one's sub-conscious mind lies the power and resources to change and quit the habit. The therapist helps one to access those resources and offers one’s sub-conscious mind suggestions to help the process.
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