Solving Anxiety
By Robin W. Thorburn: The Longest Established Hypno-Psychotherapist in Edinburgh exclusivehypnotherapy.co.uk and Director of ellisrebt.com the (original cognitive therapy).
For too long, GP’s and Therapists alike have dismissed psychological difficulties as “all in the mind”, whilst failing to comprehend how the sympathetic and para sympathetic parts of the nervous systems work!
Due to prolonged stress the sympathetic branch goes slightly out of balance therefore producing heightened feelings of stress. When the sufferer begins to become worried about those heightened symptoms of churning stomach (stomach is breaking up stored food substances to send extra energy to arms and legs to wield of a perceived attack-fight or flight). Tingling in extremities, dry mouth headache, balance problems, difficulty sleeping, irritability, tight chest etc the person then puts the sympathetic branch even more out of balance. Resulting in sensitization of the nervous system which equals anxiety. The person has become fearful of the state he is now in. Fear-bewilderment-fear. Over prolonged time the person can experience emotional fatigue, mental fatigue, which is depletion, which can be the forerunner of depression. Subsequent tired and distressing thoughts can trick the person into thinking that his condition is very serious!
When the person thinks badly, they feel bad and when they feel bad, they think bad. Interactional.
Afterwards they then analyze the feelings and apply logic where none exists.
Extract from my book: Breaking The Vicious Circle of Psychological Misery.
Many hours can then be spent by the inexperienced practitioner looking for the original cause, which potentially makes the symptoms worse.
Memories (which are intertwined with feelings) are in fact most vulnerable to change at the time that we most dislike them.
February 2003 New Scientist magazine “Not So Total Recall”.
To quote the great Australian doctor, Claire Weekes MBE “the best tranquilizer of them all is acceptance based on knowledge and understanding”.
It is understandable that the person, not knowing where those feelings are coming from or what they truly are then is very aware of negative evaluation from other people i.e., caring too much what others think.
A very good example is of a client of mine from years ago who presented the following.
A person came into see me and said that their hand was shaking uncontrollably. They had been to see a GP, a psychologist, and a psychiatrist to try to stop it. They were now looking for the “magic of hypnotherapy” to stop it shaking.
I suspected that the nervous system had become sensitized due to prolonged stress and subsequent fear. I also suspected that he was trying too hard to please others (Dysfunctional Core Belief from Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy: REBT.)
Extract from my Book: “Breaking The Vicious Circle of Psychological Misery”.
The person told me that they were trying hard to please their boss, their spouse and that the hand started to tremble whilst signing a cheque in front of a company accountant.
The three Health professionals had tried to stop it and it had not worked.
I asked if a physiological explanation had been given? No, they have all been talking about my childhood.
I explained that when the heart rate quickened and glands above the kidneys produced adrenaline (a stress hormone) that this excessive adrenaline was carried through the blood stream and affected little finger muscles which sent a danger signal back to the spinal cord which sent another surge of adrenaline which subsequently affected the finger muscles even more!
The client exclaimed: the harder that I have been trying to stop this, the worse I have been making it?
Yes, I replied.
What advice do you give now?
I said that they must allow the hand to initially shake on your terms now.
But I have tried so hard to stop came the reply. So has a GP, a psychologist, and a psychiatrist.
You are now trying to please your spouse, your boss, a company accountant a GP, a psychologist, and a psychiatrist.
I continued: if your self-worth was a crystal vase and you kept handing it over to all those other people, you would now become anxious in case they dropped it!
When self-worth becomes conditional on what others say or do we become anxious hoping that they will like us. This is the essence of psychological disturbance.
“The greatest psychological sickness known to mankind is self-esteem because it is conditional… self-esteem (positive regard) is dependent on what we should do, should say, should come across, should hood equals shithood”.
Dr Albert Ellis, the originator of cognitive therapy and Fellow of 12 Divisions of the American Psychological Society.
Within three weeks the persons hand had stopped shaking!
The essence of good hypnotherapy is utilisation of the three main senses: Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic (feeling). The other two: olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste) can also be used to therapeutic advantage.
However, for Mindfulness in a Minute we will concentrate on seeing hearing and feeling.
Hypnosis had a reputation associated with stage hypnotists and the magical and improbable powers they “possessed”.
What is overlooked is the fact that the medical profession has used hypnotherapy for hundreds of years.
The stage hypnotist does suggestibility tests i.e., asking the 300 people in the audience to imagine their hands sticking together with super glue. Since around 20 per cent of the population can enter into a deep trance state rapidly those whose hands “stick together are the ones he wants to work with.
He then gives the magical perception that the person is asleep or unconscious by implanting a suggestion to that effect then clicking his fingers to trigger this, if they were asleep or unconscious, they would not hear anything!
Hypnotherapy is comfortable self-awareness.
Pleasant, relaxing, and dreamy.
Many people project into the future with a “what if”.
My daughter used to have separation anxiety which was at its worst when I dropped her off at school.
One day I asked her to tell me what she was seeing? “Boys and girls playing”, what do you hear?
“Boys and girls laughing”.
What do you feel?
“The wind in my face”.
I then looked at her and said and nothing bad is happening.
She practised this technique a few times and would then look at me if I was a little stressed and say “Daddy, nothing bad is actually happening”!
Utilising the essence of hypnosis which is engaging the three main senses we will create Mindfulness in a Minute.
Be aware of what you are seeing and report back to yourself what you do see.
Bew aware of what you sense and report back to yourself what you do hear.
Be aware of what you feel and report back to yourself what you do feel.
Now tell yourself nothing bad is happening.
Is the glass half empty or half full? Just drink it!
Engage fully with life.
Robin W. Thorburn ADHP (NC) MNRHP FNSHP UKCP (H)
Robin will be Leading Hypnotherapy Training in May. Please see: www.exclusivehypnotherapy.co.uk/hypnotherapytraining-in-edinburgh/