For sufferers of Anxiety and Depression it is sometimes not immediately clear why having a Hypnosis session is going to make any difference.
So the purpose of this short blog is just to explain why (when done properly) it DOES have a powerful positive impact on sufferers.
Rigid Thinking
To understand the value of hypnosis we have to remind ourselves of the underlying problem most people suffer from (particularly the depressed and anxious): we are often rigid in our assumptions, beliefs and reactions. We don’t easily change. This is because as humans we have this peculiar ability to “know” that our approach to a problem isn’t working and at the same time at a deeper level still not really know.
Your partner is abusive and violent, and you “know” this, but you still hang in there believing they will change. You know that your company only pays lip service to health and safety matters. And yet you are shocked that the sloppy behaviour you witnessed on the airline production floor led to a mechanical failure causing a plane to fall out of the sky.
The word “know” is really inadequate for describing the different levels of awareness on a topic that we possess. When we are in betawave based thinking, the state of logical thinking, we superficially “know”. ThIs is our most common day to day consciousness state and it is here that we get into our rigid thinking. Deeper knowing (linked to experience) comes when we go into an alpha-theta state.
Trance Logic
So the first reason Hypnosis works is that it bypasses the usual betawave form of awareness and takes you into a far more relaxed (alpha) state. In this state you experience “trance logic”. This is a state where:
- Time and deadlines have less meaning
- Inconsistencies or incongruities are tolerated
- You listen more closely and are more open to positive suggestions
- Your creative mind is more active in communicating the essentials of what you need to know
- You expanding the richness of your knowing
Only in hypnosis is it possible to drive your car to Venus or take an escalator up to the top of a tree and still fully get the point of the experience. There is an elegance to trance logic that cuts away the noise and takes you to the core learning.
The Ancient Greeks understood the power of trance logic. In their productions of tragedies and comedies (in theatres like this one in Epidaurus) the Chorus sang the audience into a trance and guided their reactions to the events on stage. Therapists of today deliver more targeted and empathetic messages, but the trance state is the same.
The Suggestions Are Key
The second reason Hypnosis works is down to the therapist. While you are in a receptive trance state, a quality therapist will be very focused on giving you targeted suggestions. They will want to help you to see the resources you have at your disposal and the powerful possibilities ahead. They will put problems into perspective and flag the areas you might benefit from exploring. And the messages they deliver are concise, clear and actionable.
If you are Depressed or Anxious, and stuck in the same patterns of rumination and fear, the suggestions given under hypnosis give you a chance to disassociate from those feelings, and feel into new possibilities and potentials.
When a session is done well, the client comes out of hypnosis often realising that “something feels different” even though they might not always be able to put their finger on exactly what. They have a different quality of knowing. From now on, they will start to break connections to old negative thinking patterns and be more open to more positive possibilities.
One of the Most Powerful ways of Building Expectancy and Beating Depression is through Hypnosis. if you or someone you know would like a free 15 min consultation with me, drop me a line at [email protected] or +44 (0)7713 593366