ANXIETY/PANIC

Everyone can feel anxious from time to time, and in fact mild anxiety can be positive and useful.  It's normal to feel anxious when faced with something new, difficult or out of your comfort zone.

Anxiety becomes a problem when

   • It is prolonged or severe

   • It happens in the absence of a stressful event

   • When it affects your life i.e. impacting on your ability to carry out everyday activities such as      working, socializing etc.

SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY 

The physical symptoms may include(but are not limited to)  the following:

   • Fainting/dizziness

   • Irregular heart rate

   • Breathing difficulties

   • Shaking/nausea

   • Fatigue/muscle weakness

   • Confusion/inability to concentrate

   • Feeling of choking

   • Feeling out of control

FIVE MAJOR CATEGORIES OF ANXIETY

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder: This is characterised by a general sense of excessive worry and tension.  It is chronic and ongoing.
2. Social Anxiety Disorder: This is an intense fear of social or performance situations. Common fears associated with the disorder are a fear of public speaking, fear of meeting strangers, fear of meeting new people, performance fears etc.
3. Panic Disorder: This is the onset of sudden fear coupled with impending thoughts of doom, and often overwhelming and frightening physical symptoms, such as those listed above.
4. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): This anxiety results from past trauma and is characterized by recurring flashbacks to the traumatic event.
5. Obsessive-Compusive Disorder (OCD): This is charactized by repetitive unwanted and disturbing thoughts, combined with compulsive rituals and behaviours.e.g.needing to check that doors are locked many times in the day, or washing one's hands constantly etc.

HOW HYPNOTHERAPY CAN HELP

An individualized programme will be constructed, depending on which of the above categories are involved.

Hypnotherapy (and other techniques) can assist greatly as follows:

1. By learning self hypnosis, you can achieve inner calm, building confidence in reducing anxiety.
2. Through learning how to respond to anxiety in healthier more productive ways
3. By looking at underlying beliefs that may be affecting anxiety levels, and through hypnosis, changing these belief systems
4. By looking at "self talk" that can trigger and reinforce anxiety, and learning to change this inner voice.
5. By looking at past negative programming, and early childhood experiences that may have triggered anxiety.
6. Through improving self confidence, and developing a stronger and healthier sense of self.
7. By reducing overall stress in your everyday life

Please feel free to contact me to learn how you can reduce anxiety in your life.