Hypnosis Motivation Institute
founder John Kappas, Ph.D. believed
that agoraphobia—a dysfunctional disorder that stems from a fear of loss of
control—is strongly associated with and but could even be also be exacerbated
by low blood-sugar levels. According to the hypnotherapist, agoraphobia
typically starts as one type of fear, such as fear of the dark or a fear of
being alone or a fear of certain animals, and then generalizes to other anxieties
and issues.
Like other fears
and phobias, the person doesn’t associate his or her anxiety with what is going
on in the environment versus what they eat. Physical and psychological symptoms
of agoraphobia can include heart palpitations, panic, memory problems,
depression, confusion and even suicidal ideation. Food that contains high
levels of sugar or carbohydrates, drinking alcohol or caffeinated beverages can
elevate blood-sugar levels and exacerbate these symptoms until the individual
becomes virtually immobilized by his or her fears.
“[Low blood sugar] can come on after
stress,” Dr. Kappas said. “The fear reaction can create blood-sugar problems,
resulting in phobic reaction onsets later.”
Agoraphobia
(fear of open spaces) is often associated with a sudden drop in blood-sugar
level, he explained. When this happens, the body automatically “defends” itself by substituting adrenaline for
glucose (sugar). The bloodstream carries and delivers this hormone to the
organs, muscles and glands to activate the fight/flight or survival response.
When blood-sugar levels are low, it is common to experience various physical
symptoms such as nervousness, anxiety, dizziness or nausea; in extreme cases,
you may have a panic attack or even faint. Meanwhile, your subconscious mind
automatically attaches significance to whatever you are doing or even your
location when this discomfort sets in, and the phobia is born.
Hypnotherapy can be an effective treatment for agoraphobia with which
to “unlearn” and change or replace these unwanted fear and phobia behaviors.
In hypnosis, the hypnotherapist should address the client’s eating habits and encourages
dietary changes that include more protein and fewer carbohydrates/sugars in the
nutrition plan. Dr. Kappas also advised using systematic desensitization and
relaxation techniques to reduce the client’s hyper-suggestibility to rewrite
the client’s subconscious mental script about these generalized fears.
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® and to set up an
appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2016
