Hypnotherapy is well known for healing trauma and pain relief. Hypnosis is also extremely valuable in working with sports enhancement, weight loss, motivation, self-esteem, anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, increased confidence, smoking, phobias and stress related issues.

Tag: Anxiety Disorders (Page 1 of 2)

Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) help with Anxiety Disorders and PTSD with Hypnotherapy

Imagine your vagus nerve as a wise, compassionate mentor, guiding your body’s natural relaxation response and promoting a sense of safety and security.

Here is a sample hypnotherapy script for Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) for anxiety disorders and PTSD:

Induction

“Welcome to this hypnotherapy session, where you’ll learn to harness the power of your mind to reduce anxiety, promote relaxation, and improve your overall well-being. Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, allow your body to relax, starting from the crown of your head, down to your toes. Feel the tension melt away, like sand flowing down an hourglass.”

“As you breathe in, imagine fresh, calming air filling your lungs. Hold it for a moment… and exhale, allowing any stress or anxiety to leave your body. Repeat this process, feeling more relaxed with each breath.”

Deepening

“Imagine yourself standing in a peaceful, serene environment, surrounded by soothing sounds and calming scents. With each step, feel your body becoming heavier, your mind quieter, and your breath slower. Take 5 steps forward, and with each step, repeat the phrase ‘I am relaxing, I am calm, I am in control’.”

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Script

“Now, bring your attention to your vagus nerve, located in the base of your brain. Imagine a gentle, soothing blue light emanating from this area, spreading throughout your body. As this light radiates, it stimulates your vagus nerve, promoting relaxation, reducing anxiety, and improving your mood.”

“Envision this blue light traveling down your spine, nourishing your entire nervous system, and calming any areas of distress or discomfort. With each breath, feel this light absorbing any feelings of anxiety, fear, or panic, replacing them with a sense of calm, peace, and tranquility.”

“Imagine your vagus nerve as a wise, compassionate mentor, guiding your body’s natural relaxation response and promoting a sense of safety and security. As you inhale, repeat the phrase ‘My vagus nerve is strong, my body is calm, and I am in control’.”

Anxiety Reduction Visualization

“Now, visualize your anxiety as a stormy, turbulent sea. Imagine any feelings of anxiety, fear, or panic as waves crashing against the shore. As you exhale, envision these waves slowly calming, becoming gentler, and eventually, disappearing into a peaceful, serene ocean.”

“With each breath, your anxiety becomes less intense, less overwhelming, and more manageable. You are in control, and your body is responding to your mind’s gentle guidance.”

Positive Affirmations

“Repeat the following affirmations to yourself, allowing them to sink deeply into your subconscious mind:

* I am in control of my anxiety.

* My vagus nerve is strong, guiding my body’s natural relaxation response.

* I am calm, capable, and confident.

* I trust my body’s natural ability to heal and adapt.”

Counting and Awakening

“As you continue to breathe deeply, I’ll count from 5 to 1, and when I reach 1, you’ll slowly open your eyes, feeling refreshed, renewed, and more in control of your anxiety.

5… Your body is relaxed, your mind is calm.

4… Your vagus nerve is strong, guiding your body’s natural relaxation response.

3… You are safe, protected, and in control.

2… Your anxiety is manageable, and you are confident.

1… Open your eyes, feeling refreshed and renewed.”

Remember to always consult with a healthcare professional before using hypnotherapy scripts, especially if you’re working with clients who have underlying medical conditions.

Additional Tips:

* Encourage listeners to practice diaphragmatic breathing exercises to stimulate the vagus nerve.

* Suggest incorporating physical activity, such as yoga or tai chi, to help stimulate the vagus nerve and improve energy levels.

* Recommend listening to the script regularly, ideally before bed or during a relaxing bath, to reinforce the suggestions and promote deep relaxation.

Tips for Practitioners:

* Use a gentle, soothing tone and pace when guiding the client through the script.

* Encourage the client to practice diaphragmatic breathing during the induction and deepening phases.

* Use progressive muscle relaxation techniques to enhance the relaxation response.

* Consider incorporating visualization exercises that promote energy and motivation, such as imagining oneself engaging in a favorite activity or achieving a goal.

By combining Vagus Nerve Stimulation with hypnotherapy, individuals can experience a profound impact on their energy levels and overall well-being. Remember to tailor the script to the individual’s specific needs and preferences, and to use it as a complementary tool in conjunction with VNS.

COVID-19 and How to Manage Your Mental Health with Hypnotherapy

As a result of the global outbreak of COVID-19, many are struggling to adjust to what will be our “new normal” for the foreseeable future: social distancing, self-isolation, quarantine and a nationwide lock-down.

ANXIETY DISORDERS, DEPRESSION, POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

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If all of this is making you worry, feel anxious or down – you are not alone. You are certainly not without advice from experts from the University of Cape Town (UCT) on how to manage these experiences, particularly anxiety and depression.

Thomas’s training is in clinical psychology and his specialization is in neuropsychology. His research is focused primarily on modifiable causes of cognitive impairment and dysfunction, such as stress, anxiety and trauma, as well as disrupted sleep.

According to Thomas, those already experiencing mental health struggles – of whatever kind – may find that these struggles are exacerbated by the inability to attend face-to-face psychotherapy sessions, exercise regularly and engage in needed social contact, among other things.

“I will give three specific examples of some common mental health issues people in lock-down, quarantine and/or isolation have been reporting across the world,” Thomas said.

The first is depression.

Those prone to depressive episodes may be deprived of needed protections against low mood, protections such as exercise and social contact. Being isolated might feed their tendencies toward rumination, and reading about the effects of COVID-19 across the world may increase their sense of negativity about their present circumstances and prospects.

The second example is generalized anxiety disorder.

“Those diagnosed with this disorder tend to worry excessively about world affairs, their health, the health of family members, and so on,” explained Thomas.

While in the current circumstances these worries may appear to be appropriate at first, if they are not checked by some positive re-framing of the situation – such as the lock-down may be inconvenient in the short term, but in the long term it is proven effective at slowing infection rates – then there can be a spiraling of negativity and increased anxiety.

The third example is PTSD = post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Some people might find themselves confined in spaces with individuals who have inflicted violence, abuse or neglect upon them,” said Thomas. “This confinement can trigger memories of those prior negative episodes and can reawaken previously dormant traumatic episodes.

Expert advice

To help manage the mental health struggles people might be facing during this time, Thomas shares some advice.

Lock-down, social distancing, isolation and quarantine does not mean that all social contact must cease. We are fortunate to live in an age where social media allows us to remain in touch with friends and family members who are physically distant from us.

“I would therefore advise judicious use of social media as a means to protect mental health.”

The keyword in the previous sentence is “judicious”. It’s not wise to furiously scroll through social media in search of COVID-19 information – an endless loop of bad news over which you have no control is a recipe for increasing stress and anxiety.

Limiting news intake to discrete, and brief, periods such as 30 minutes in the morning and/or 30 minutes in the evening.

Structure your days. People who are used to externally imposed structures on their daily activities, for example students and corporate workers, might find themselves wondering how best to spend their time. That sort of uncertainty can lead to increased levels of stress and anxiety. Have a period you dedicate to work tasks, make mealtimes as special as you can, take time to exercise, and celebrate mini-anniversaries (“One week into lock-down! Only two more weeks to go!”).

Be aware of how your relationships with others are being affected by the lock-down. Family ties, even the strongest ones, can fray when people are forced to spend whole days and weeks around one another with no breaks. Schedule some time when you can be alone, with a book or a podcast or something else that makes you happy and takes you out of your immediate family orbit. Parents of young children might want to schedule times when one of them is with the kids while the other works, and to then switch after a few hours.

Sleep regularly. Healthy sleep is important for emotion regulation, so it’s important to maintain your normal sleep habits. Do not use your bed for work or daytime reading – try to limit it to your regular night-time activities.

Finally, maintain contact with your mental health professional as much as possible.

We do phone sessions, Skype sessions, Zoom sessions and WhatsApp hypnotherapy sessions.

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“It is best to ask about this as far ahead of time as possible to make sure that your therapist is available to you in some form,” said Thomas.

If you cannot have contact with your regular therapist, there are some free online and telephone counselling services he suggests, such as the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, the Centre for Interactive Mental Health Solutions.

Please click here to make an Appointment!

Kevin GF Thomas – Head of UCT’s Department of Psychology.

Ref: allafrica.com

For COVID-19 updates, visit official government website www.sacoronavirus.co.za

Stay safe and healthy. Please practice hand-washing and social distancing.

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