ANXIETY IS COMMON, BUT TREATABLE USING HYPNOTHERAPY

An anxiety problem does not mean that you are weak or that you are losing your mind, or that you may have a personality problem. Severe anxiety is a common problem for many people in today’s busy world that can be overcome with treatment. Effective treatment with Hypnotherapy/Psychotherapy is available.

WHAT IS ANXIETY?

The word 'anxiety' is often used to describe the mental and physical response to any situation we fear; or find threatening.  Sometimes, we don’t even know why we find the situation threatening or why we fear certain things the way we do. Our reactions may include trembling, choking, increased heart rate, sweating, feelings of unreality, dizziness, and jelly legs. Anxiety is a normal response – which feels abnormal – experienced, to some extent, by everyone at times. Being bullied at work, sitting for an exam or giving a public talk or presentation are examples of situations in which many people can experience some form of anxiety.

You may be suffering from an anxiety disorder if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Your anxiety reaction occurs frequently
• Your fears are out of proportion to the situation you encounter
• You find yourself starting to avoid places or situations where you experience anxiety of any kind
• It  interferes or causes problems with your working, social, personal, or family life

Feelings of anxiety occur with no apparent cause or reason

Different forms of anxiety include:

1.     Panic disorder (Including Panic Attacks and Post Traumatic Stress)

2. Agoraphobia

3. Social phobia (Including Shyness and/or blushing)

4. Generalised anxiety

1. People suffering from 'panic disorder' are likely to experience attacks of sudden and intense anxiety, even though they often cannot associate them with events occurring around them at the time. Generally, you will be free from anxiety in between panics.

Common symptoms of panic disorders include the following:

Panic situation are, also, commonly linked with the other anxiety disorders. However, those panics are easier to predict because they will usually occur in response to the feared situation(s) or circumstances.

2. Social phobia

The main feature of 'social phobia' is the fear of being the focus of attention or the subject of criticism or negative feedback or comments. People with this disorder may worry that they will do something that may be silly or embarrassing in front of other people.  This may lead to the avoidance of these situations and make life difficult for the sufferer.

Commonly feared situations include:

• Speaking or presenting in front of others
• being the centre of attention
• asking questions in a group situation
• eating or drinking in front of others
• social activities such as lunches, dinners, parties, marriages, sports events, business meetings, religious gatherings/festivals etc
• Taking part in group activities at courses and training sessions

3. Agoraphobia
The word is an English adaption of the Greek words agora (αγορά) and phobos (φόβος). Literally translated in modern Greek as "a fear of the marketplace".

This translation is the main reason of the common misconception that agoraphobia is a fear of open spaces. This is most often not the case, since people suffering from agoraphobia usually are not afraid of the open spaces themselves, but of public spaces or of situations where a person is afraid of having a panic attack and will not be able to receive help.

Another misconception is that agoraphobia is a fear of "crowded spaces" (which would be the social anxiety disorder). Once again, an agoraphobic does not fear people: he or she rather fears an embarrassing situation with no escape. Some people with agoraphobia are comfortable seeing visitors, but only in a defined space they feel in control of. Such people may live for years without leaving their homes, while happily seeing visitors and working, as long as they can stay within their safety zones.

An agoraphobic may experience severe panic attacks in situations where they feel trapped, insecure, out of control, or too far from his personal comfort zone. During severe bouts of anxiety, the agoraphobic is confined not only to their home, but to one or two rooms and they may even become bed-bound until their over-stimulated nervous system can quiet down, and their adrenaline levels can return to a more normal level.

Agoraphobics are often extremely sensitized to their own bodily sensations, subconsciously over-reacting to perfectly normal events. To take one example, the exertion involved in climbing a flight of stairs may be the cause for a full-blown panic attack, because it increases the heartbeat and breathing rate, which the agoraphobic interprets as the start of a panic attack instead of a normal fluctuation.

People with severe agoraphobia develop the ability to avoid situations that may bring on an attack.

Examples of commonly feared or avoided situations are:

leaving home for any reason, traveling alone, crowds, public places, travelling on public transport, and crowded places of any kind.

4. Generalized anxiety disorder

Generalized anxiety is different in some ways from the other anxiety disorders because the experience of anxiety may not seem to be linked to specific situations or to a fear of having panic attacks. It is an ongoing general anxiety, with tension and excessive worrying about normal events and the future. You may feel worried most of the time about things which might go wrong or you may find that you are tense without knowing what you are worried about.  You may also have persistent negative and worrying thoughts about anything or everything.  However, you are less likely to have all the feelings that are listed under `panic' and `phobias', such as fear of dying or fear of going crazy.

WHAT MAY TRIGGER ANXIETY?

There are many possible triggers for anxiety and it often starts during periods of psychological or physical stress.

Examples of psychological and physical stress include:

HOW IS ANXIETY TREATED WITH HYPNOTHERAPY/PSYCHOTHERAPY?

Feeling anxious does not necessarily mean you have a problem. Anxiety is a normal response that everyone has to certain situations. But anxiety is not always useful; sometimes it reaches disabling proportions.

The aim is not to get rid of all anxiety as a certain amount is necessary for motivation through normal living, but rather to reduce it to manageable proportions; or control it.

One of the best ways to manage anxiety is through psychological help such as Hypnotherapy or Psychotherapy or EFT; and with social support. With these therapeutic methods it is possible to:

• control and stop panic attacks
• reduce stress and anxiety
• change any negative and unrealistic thinking and reduce worry
• get back to normal living quickly and prevent the symptoms from recurring in the future

For further details on how to effectively treat anxiety please call right away.