Hypnosis

[kateseeks]

Has anyone tried hypnosis, I'm considering it. Any feedback would be great! Even if you haven't tried it and you just know anything about it that would help too!

[asianeko]

I used hypnotherapy and found that it turned my life around. I went from being terrified to leave the house to being calm through a stomach bug I caught. Some people find that it wasn't helpful for them, but for me it changed my life. The key is to find a good therapist and to trust him or her.

[KaydeeJayde]

I tried it and found it didn't work much at all to alleviate my anxiety, but I think it's one of those things that it depends on the person as to whether it works. It's worth a try, I always came out of my sessions completely relaxed and floaty.

[meir446]

I was thinking about trying it also. I don't know much though.

[Verity]

I've been to two hynotherapists. The first one was into weird spiritual stuff like past lives etc so I stopped seeing her as it wasn't anything to do with my anxiety! I then went to a second who was good but it only helped with the relaxation and confidence etc. It won't cure your anxiety. There is only one cure for that - exposure.

[asianeko]

I've been to two hynotherapists. The first one was into weird spiritual stuff like past lives etc so I stopped seeing her as it wasn't anything to do with my anxiety! I then went to a second who was good but it only helped with the relaxation and confidence etc. It won't cure your anxiety. There is only one cure for that - exposure.

I disagree. Everyone is different. My hypnotherapist brought me to the point that I was about 90% cured. Exposure for me actually made me worse before the therapy. There are different ways to recover, though some may not work for everyone.

[KaydeeJayde]

Verity, I also disagree, and it didn't work for me. I think that it CAN work in curing someone's anxiety, it just may not have worked well for you.

[Verity]

All I know is exposure therapy has been proven to cure anxiety, hypnotherapy hasnt. I spent over 1000 pounds on it so I'm a bit negative but maybe it will work for some people! Good luck!

[asianeko]

All I know is exposure therapy has been proven to cure anxiety, hypnotherapy hasnt. I spent over 1000 pounds on it so I'm a bit negative but maybe it will work for some people! Good luck!

There actually is research that is showing hypnotherapy to be effective at treating anxiety. Just like all forms of treatment, it depends on the person. Exposure therapy can cure people, as can hypnosis. Exposure therapy can also make people worse, same with hypnotherapy. Sometimes neither of them have any effect at all.

"44 introductory psychology students received 4 sessions of hypnosis and 50 Hawthorne controls received no treatment over the same time period. Ss' midterm test grades and scores on the Test Anxiety Inventory were examined. There was a decrease in test anxiety and improvements in achievement for the hypnosis group. The treatment gains were maintained at 6-wk follow-up."
- The American Psychological Association

[Verity]

Oh i'm not denying hypnotherapy can HELP anxiety, it definately helps! It helped me lots! But I think in order to fully recover you need to gain the confidence from exposure and realise you can cope with any symptoms your body gives you however severe!

[sage]

asianeko - the study you cite is for anxiety in general (as in test anxiety) not an anxiety disorder. So you're a rarity baby! And as you say, it really depends on the therapist. It also depends on how severe the anxiety is and how open the person being treated is to the treatment. (In other words, if you're skeptical or "shut down" through it, it won't work either). So I'm agreeing with you that it can work for some people. So can EMDR, which has documented success with phobias/PTSD. But for many people, it does not help their phobia. "Exposure therapy" if you mean flooding, can re-traumatize the person. Gradual desensitization (also often called "exposure") can definitely make you worse if the therapist is not attuned to the person him/herself or is not very skilled.

So in the end you're right of course. Not everything works on everybody. But for what it's worth, I don't think it's so much the technique as it is the therapist executing the technique. So it's more like not everybody works for everybody.

In the end....frustrating! And as Verity said, you can spend thousands and not get the help you need. Best to be able to figure that out after one session, if possible, so you're only wasting hundreds, not thousands.

*wish I could find a way to fix the world*

[asianeko]

Ooooh yeah I totally didn't distinguish between disorder and general anxiety. Thanks for the clarification Sage!

[Verity]

I do think hypnotherapy is a good technique to learn for relaxation and it gives you lots of tools to end early anxiety etc so i'd definatley got for a few sessions! I just wouldn't expect it to cure your emetophobia. I found that when I started doing exposure I realised it was the anxiety symptoms that I was terrified of and not really so much the being sick. I'm still quite scared of being sick and I will probably hate it when it happens but I don't spend my whole life worrying about it. I'm not "cured" but i'm well on my way!

Hope i've helped! And Sage I agree about the money thing, you can spend SO much on all these different alternative therapy and expect too much from them. It's a good idea to learn how to relax but hypnotherapy isn't the only way, just a simple book or whatever. I found yoga quite good! I'm also going on a mindfulness course soon too so that should be good.

[Sweet Illusion]

Hmm this is interesting. The clinical psychologist I've booked in to see in about 2 weeks time is also a hypnotherapist. I've never really understood or believed much in it, so I don't think it may work as well on me than others. However I'm still willing to give it a try if she brings it up.

I don't know where my anxiety stems from... it's not JUST emet. My doctor has put it down as panic disorder, but thats quite a varied thing too.

[roxymoon]

There are some hypno people that are specialist's in Emet I found one and have been for one session but he is in London and very pricey a £175 an hour but he made me fill in a fact sheet that basically had exactly how I feel on it. Ie being more aware of what's on pavements and sizing everyone up in a bus stop queue to see if they look well, avoiding seafood in restaurants etc etc. I have only seen him once as that's so far all I can afford and it's spurred me on to perhaps qualify to be a hypno to help people like myself for a lot cheaper! He explained hat emet comes from when we are young and something tha happened i could have been a reaction from an adult or just a passing comment hat stayed with you. It's like any fear, like when people are scared of spiders they weren't born with that fear, it's because something happened when they were young, ie there was a spider on a table and three year old billy goes to grab it and his mum gets up screaming no billy and grabs him away from he spider, now billy associates the spider as danger so throughout his life he will be afraid of them and not go near them, it's the same with Emet, i's come from somewhere and if a hynpo is good they will find when that moment is and make you see it as an adult in a rational way. I hope his helps.

[patchie]

has anyone been scared, then had a sv and been cured?

[asianeko]

has anyone been scared, then had a sv and been cured?

I had a SV after my therapy and was okay, but I don't think it was the SV that "cured" me so to speak. I think I was just able to get through it because I had worked on it.