Experiences with Depression and Hypnotherapy

Hypno-Psychotherapy and the Treatment of Conditions like Depression

I was recently approached by Sarah Showalter, one of the writers from the website FoundHealth to write about how Hypnotherapy can help in the treatment of conditions like Depression, Anxiety and Insomnia and how effective it might be with other conditions which the public might be unaware of.

Before I begin explaining how I use Hypnotherapy in my own private practice to address these and many other conditions it is important to be aware of a few things.

Firstly, you are reading this article with your eyes, unless someone is reading it to you, but ultimately it is your mind that is analysing the information being presented to you. Your mind is comparing what I have to say with everything you believe to be true and doing this at the speed of light without your conscious awareness. Some of what I have to say never even makes it to the door before the “bouncer” or “doorman” has turned it away for not conforming to the dress code.

If what I have to say fits what you believe to be true of the world and affirms your belief system then it is welcomed in and agreed with.

This is how we operate during our normal waking lives. This is why we experience the things we do , this why we form relationships with the people we do and this is why we live the lives we do. All our decisions are governed by what we believe to be true, whether or not it is.

So before I even begin to explain what I do and how I do it some of you have already written me off as some kind of “hokus pokus” New Age thinker and not in touch with reality. And yes you are right. I am not in touch with YOUR reality and that is exactly why I am so successful at what I do.

I am free to explore and experience any reality I choose because I am not bound by your beliefs about what should and should not be true.

When someone comes to me for help I tell them this but each person will be told in the language that they can hear. I invite them to follow me into a world where you can suspend what you believe to be true especially if what you believe is killing you. I am like a guide that walks before them showing them that there is nothing to fear.

If I am to buy into the belief system of someone who believes themselves to be depressed and exhibits all the symptoms that go with depression to prove it it to be the case then how could I be of any help?

I don't see a just a physical person before me but a kaleidoscope of energy made up of the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual vibrations that are aspects of every human being. I listen politely to their intellectual explanations of the problems they come to me with and when they have finished I ask them if this thinking about their condition has helped in any way. I tell them if thinking was the way to cure problems of this sort then why do so many great thinkers suffer from such conditions.

I explain that it is their thinking that has got them into the mess they report but it is through feeling that they can extricate themselves from it.

To treat Depression I have always used a combination of Hypnosis to suspend the analytical critical mind and Psychotherapy to address and resolve the underlying emotional root cause. The cause for the condition was almost always as a result of anger turned tuned back on self. It was only by addressing these deep seated emotions trapped in the subconscious that they were able to free themselves permanently from the debilitating condition. The process was always challenging and definitely not for the faint hearted and that is why Hypno-Psychotherapy tends to attract people who are not interested in the quick fix. It tends to attract people who have a feel for the idea that we are not just our bodies or our minds and that the real power behind our lives lies hidden from conscious view. These people realise that their recovery depends on their willingness to delve deep within themselves to discover who they are and understand the reasons for the conditions they suffer. They are not interested in simply turning off the smoke alarm because the noise is a nuisance. They seek the fire and in finding the fire or reason for the condition they suffer the symptoms or smoke alarm naturally abates and disappears.

Here is a link to my Word Press Blog providing further information about Hypno-Psychotherapy http://manxhypnosis.com/blog/?cat=137