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| Photo courtesy of Mircosoft |
Many
things in our lives can trigger a stress response. Driving in heavy traffic, dealing
with quarreling children, anxiety about finances, moving, changing jobs and death
of or separation from a spouse are just a few incredibly stressful life events.
Even typically “happy” occasions such as getting married or having a baby are
often overwhelming and, yes, stressful. Fortunately, hypnotherapy and
therapeutic guided imagery can help manage that stress so you can get on with
living and enjoying your life.
When
people seek hypnotherapy for stress-management, one of the first things I do is
help them understand how and why they experience stress and respond in an undesired
way in the context of John Kappas, Ph.D.’s Theory of Mind. Once they achieve a
very deep state of hypnosis, I gradually introduce specific aspects or
qualities of those triggers so they can become used (desensitized) to whatever
is causing the stress or anxiety. In so doing, this process also creates a new mental
script in their subconscious minds that emphasizes a state of relaxation and their
ability to control how they perceive and respond to this negative stimulus. I incorporate
the clients’ own words in individualized hypnotic scripts to reinforce this
state of deep relaxation and increase their motivation to continue to
manage/control their stress when they return to an alert and aware state.
I also use
therapeutic guided imagery to reinforce this new known (relaxation) and help them
block the stress from getting into the clients’ conscious and subconscious
minds. For example, they can visualize, imagine, picture or pretend that they
are wearing a thick coat of armor or are covered in an invisible shield of
energy that repels and dissolves the stressor. Alternatively, the therapeutic concept
of a double-bind reinforces the relaxation response, whereby the harder they
try to experience stress or any other kind of negative emotion about the stressor
the more relaxed they will feel.
Finally, when
they are in an alert state, I teach these clients how to recreate the same relaxed
and calm demeanor they experienced during hypnosis by activating a subconscious
anchor. This is achieved by drawing a deep breath while pressing or rubbing the
thumb and index finger together, and then releasing the breath on the word “calm.”
The Emotional Freedom Technique (www.eftuniverse.org)
is another effective tool to help manage stress.
Contact me today
for more information about how hypnotherapy can help you manage stress in your
life!
Sara
R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern
California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation
Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy®, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/
