The daily stresses of life and working have caused a lot of problems for me recently. I’ve found that my mind hasn’t been able to keep up with my body. So after turning to the amazing mental health nurse that I work alongside, she suggested I use hypnotherapy to help target my anxiety and to calm my mind. 

At first I was a little uncertain. After all, hypnotherapy has such a skewed reputation and is generally misunderstood. Trish suggested I don’t go and google or read too much about it but my inquisition got the best of me. 

I wanted to know how it worked and how I was going to feel afterwards. 

Would this be a solution to my problems? 

In all honesty, no it wasn’t. But it was just the beginning.

I went into the session with an open mind, excited to be experiencing something I hadn’t tried before and proud that I was taking a very vulnerable step forward.

 

The process:

First, Trish talked me through the techniques to access my subconscious and explained that I will be totally in control and present in every moment. 

We started with getting comfy, sitting upright in my chair and placing my hands on my thighs. I started to breathe very deeply as she talked me through it. I closed my eyes and continued deep breathing for a while, focusing on her voice and my breath. 

This went on until my body relaxed and she received a sign from me that my subconscious was present. I found this the strangest part of the session as I had no idea what the sign was that I gave her in my deep relaxed state. 

With Trish now talking to my subconscious, she posed scenarios to my brain, most of which I can’t remember – which she told me afterwards is completely normal. 

We’d discussed beforehand that we wanted the hypnotherapy to specifically target my anxiety so she’d designed these scenarios with that in mind. 

One part that I do remember was imagining I was floating above the world without any fears or worries and smashing through my manifested anxiety. 

Trish’s voice was completely guiding me and my mind had never been so open to changes. 

She gradually led me out of the hypnotherapy, pulling my mind back down to earth and bringing my body back into the room. As she counted down from 10, I focused on the noises, my hands on my thighs and eventually the objects in the room as I opened my eyes. 

 

Afterwards:

The whole session from start to finish was about forty minutes. I was shocked at how quickly time had passed and I hadn’t been aware that she was bringing me out until I’d opened my eyes. 

The first thing I noticed was how relaxed my body was, which sounds stupid. My eyes didn’t really want to open and I wasn’t actually sure if I was going to be able to gather myself enough to leave the room. 

I was still breathing very deeply as I spoke to Trish afterwards. She didn’t say too much as she wanted all of her words from the hypnotherapy to do their job. 

But one of the things she did say was to go home and not think too much about it. She told me not to research, just allow my brain time to make those changes. Of course, I thought a bit about it that afternoon, but I didn’t want to interfere with the process too much. 

Once I left, I felt like I was in a daydream as I walked to my car. I had to sit there for a while before driving to allow time for my brain to catch up with my body. I felt peaceful.

I liked that I was present and could willingly be guided by Trish’s voice. This also gave my conscious mind a little break from all of that constant anxiety and worry that I’d been experiencing.  

I also slept incredibly well and managed a twelve hour shift at the surgery without feeling tired afterwards. Trish had suggested that my brain would need and want a good night’s sleep as it had undergone a huge amount of exercise from the hypnotherapy. 

 

Two weeks later:

Some small things I noticed:

• My confidence at work has started to rise. This was one of the main things I was struggling with. That little voice inside me was telling me I wasn’t capable. But after the hypnotherapy, that voice isn’t quite as loud anymore.
• I feel more relaxed in general. After the session, I’ve realised how important it is to take more time to just breathe and take the time to focus on myself and my mind. 
• I can barely remember the session. Trish joked she’d given me a dose of amnesia. Which is why I couldn’t really explain much about the actual process or tell you the techniques she’d used to access my subconscious. Don’t worry, I’m going to pick her brains later on that one. 

Against Trish’s wishes, I did a little research to try to understand what had happened and to give you a little bit of science behind the hypnotherapy process. It was simpler than I thought. 

Traditionally, hypnotherapy is used to break habits and treat conditions like anxiety and there are different methods to accomplish this. Just like I did with Trish, you need to discuss the methods and what you hope to achieve from the hypnotherapy. 

While hypnotherapists don’t legally require professional training, it’s important to choose a mental health professional with experience and training. After all, this person is going to help access your subconscious. 

You must also keep in mind any mental illnesses you have and if this person is going to be qualified to handle any specific needs you have. As always, speak to your GP first with any queries.

Whilst in a deep relaxed state, it is believed that you can access your deep subconscious. Your mind is more open to suggestions on changing your behaviours and thought processes. This means that it is easier for your mind to envision conquering the problem you’re facing and therefore trust yourself to beat it outside of hypnotherapy. 

Your hypnotherapist may also introduce some coping skills for you to learn whilst you’re in your trance such as guided imagery, which I think was something similar to what Trish introduced to me. 

You’re in complete control of what you do and where your mind is going. You can pull yourself out whenever you want to but you must be willing to access your subconscious for hypnotherapy to have a chance of working. 

Hypnotherapy is essentially encouraging your brain to take on new behaviours and ways of thinking while your mind is at its most open and vulnerable. 

 

Experiencing hypnotherapy has not only opened my eyes to new methods of training my brain but it gave me a little confidence boost too. I’m willing to try more obscure techniques and allow myself to be more vulnerable. I can definitely feel the differences from the hypnotherapy and I hope it’s something that will have lasting effects. Thanks, Trish.