Clinical Hypnosis Info

Anxiety Information and Treatment

2010-06-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

Chances are some have had a smoke alarm that is too sensitive. Every time you take a hot shower, boil some water or toast some bread the thing goes off as if there was a pending three alarm fire. Some are tempted to remove the battery, and then forget to put it back while others to get rid of the thing all together. Of course most know instinctively this isn’t the route to take. The alarm is there for our protection and we want it there in case a fire and the threat to our life.

Persons who experience excessive anxiety can consider the above analogy. We have biological systems that intricately prepare us to react in the face of danger. However, sometimes those systems get over reactive in response to our internal thoughts, repeated stressors or some traumas experienced in the past.

There are a number of ways anxiety can become a problem. Specific phobias or fears about certain situations, ongoing levels of anxiety and worry that last for an extended period of time, or sudden onset of fear and panic arising out of the blue with no clear reason for the reaction. And panic attacks sometimes lead to secondary fears and avoidance of going to public places that in reality pose no threat.

Some of the more common anxiety related complaints I hear in my office are awakening at night with racing thoughts and feelings of impending doom and worry. Others report intense states of tenseness and nervousness all the time. Often they have forgotten what it feels like to be in a calm and relaxed state, experiencing much of their life obsessing about the past or worrying about the future.

Physically, a nervous and hormonal system on high alert most of the time can translate to medical problems. Chronic anxiety can lead to elevated levels of cortisol which is associated with weight gain, high blood pressure, inflammation, heart disease and other ailments. It can also effect cognitive functioning making it difficult to concentrate and organize thoughts. Resulting ongoing fatigue and stress sometimes can lead to depression and other mental health problems.

A competent therapist will review the person’s history and rule out medical or conditions that may contribute to anxiety. For example a mismanaged thyroid condition may lead to anxiety like symptoms. Anyone suffering from excessive anxiety should inform their primary care physician.

Fortunately treatments for excessive anxiety can be very effective. Sometimes when anxiety is related to coexisting mental health problems the treatment may take some time. But often a person can see results fairly quickly. Especially when the treatment involves learning skills to self soothe and regulate the physical symptoms of anxiety.

Clinical hypnosis is one tool this therapist uses to help the client elicit a state of relaxation. This approach treats anxiety at the source, tapping into those same biological systems that moderate the anxiety response. A person learns hypnosis in the session and sometimes is provided with a CD to use at home.

Once a client has learned to calm their nervous system post hypnotic suggestions can be given to recall that state when they need to. Sometimes this is done with a physical cue such as taking a relaxing breath, or perhaps pressing a forefinger and thumb together. Often this cue can be a behavior the person is already familiar with or using.

Often the hypnosis session involves using imagery to regulate anxiety. Think about becoming engrossed in a book or film. Often we drift into a hypnosis type state that can be very relaxing. We are engaging the imagination and gift for imagery, using those parts of the brain that naturally soothe and relax the body. Likewise we can use the imagination while in hypnosis to lower the overall state of arousal and to moderate levels of anxiety in session.

After all it is the imagination that elicits or exacerbates anxiety states. By imagining what may go wrong in the future, replaying old scenes in our minds and expecting the worse we are using the imagination in a counterproductive way. And with this realization comes the knowledge that if we can use our mind to cause anxiety, then we can use it to alleviate it.

Another tool is to become aware of and use the breath as a bridge to a calm and relaxed state. While inducing hypnosis a client can use the breath to achieve focus and to elicit a relaxation response. It is a tool that can be very therapeutic as the breath typically mirrors our body and mind states.

For instance a client who is tense or anxious may notice the breath feels constricted, becomes rapid and irregular, and rises mostly from the top of the chest. A person who is chronically anxious may breathe this way all the time unconsciously contributing to the state. Infants and young children naturally breathe from the abdomen and chest in a wave like fashion. Over time some begin to breathe paradoxically compressing the abdomen during the inhale. Re-learning abdominal breathing so it happens automatically can be very effective in reducing chronic anxiety and stress.

To relearn abdominal breathing simply lie on the back and stabilize the chest area. Fold your hands on your abdomen and noticed the hands moving up with each inhale and settling with the exhale. If this doesn’t happen naturally consciously raise the hands using the abdomen with each inhale and settle them with the exhale. When practiced regularly your body will easily remember the natural breath serving to reduce chronic stress and anxiety in the body.

When a client is dealing with anxiety and fear around certain situations, we can desensitize the nervous system to the situation that triggers the anxiety. This can be done by imagining the situation in a state of hypnosis and pairing it with the relaxed state. Using imagery the client rehearses new ways to react to the situation strengthening the new response and weakening the old.

Sometimes people develop secondary fears or “anxiety about anxiety.” In a seemingly paradoxical way a therapist will use hypnosis to help a person safely tune in to physical sensations related to anxiety; perhaps a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath or a sinking feeling in the stomach. Gradually the client learns to adjust and decrease those feelings while increasing feelings of empowerment and control.

Another treatment used is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The therapist teaches the client to alter their reactions by becoming aware of and challenging any self defeating or irrational thought patterns and beliefs. A therapist helps a person to “reframe” or adjust beliefs and perceptions that may be triggering anxiety. Learning to challenge the beliefs they begin to alter the reaction.

One reframe anyone of us can use when met with an anxiety provoking situation is “we have all managed anxiety before and can do so again.” Often the physical experience of anxiety can be synonymous with feelings of expectation and excitement, positive states that give us an edge when we try new experiences, learn new skills and take some necessary risks. Some of the activities that we enjoy presently were at first anxiety provoking. Experiences such as driving a car, riding a bike, going on a first date, or the first day on a new job are anxiety provoking. By meeting the challenges despite feelings of anxiety we’ve already practiced regulating those protective systems in a positive way. This realization can be empowering and cause a shift in perspective, making the client aware that, yes, I have managed my anxiety in the past and have the inner resources to do so again.

Our intuitive and protective selves have systems in place that alert us when we need to be vigilant and to react when we need to protect ourselves. Sometimes these systems become over-reactive and over sensitized to react in self defeating ways. For an individual struggling with excessive anxiety and fear psychotherapy using clinical hypnosis and other approaches can get the client back in control of their reactions. Ideally a person will honor the protective quality of those systems, recognizing their value while learning to self sooth and regulate them effectively. Like the smoke detector we want keep those systems in place and even develop a sense of gratitude for them.

John Mondello is a psychotherapist and licensed health care professional who specializes in using hypnosis as a therapeutic tool. He can be reached at (845) 752-3377 or johnmondello@counselingforanxiety.com. For information on a free coping with anxiety workshop check out his website at www.counselingforanxiety.com

Hypnosis and Self Improvement – The Role of the Unconscious in Therapeutic Change.

2010-01-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

There’s something about the New Year that makes us yearn for self improvement. People often have some inner vision of how they want their lives to progress, letting go of destructive habits or making healthy behaviors a part of their everyday regimen.

We often have a clear idea of what we need to do, but find it hard to maintain behaviors necessary to reach our goals? Why is this, and how can hypnosis help?

The Unconcious and Conditioning

Patterns of behavior are often affected by unconscious conditioning. Often clients know on a logical level what these changes look like, but it’s almost like there’s another person in the background sabotaging their efforts. People who come for hypnotherapy often say, “One part of me knows what I want, but another part of me behaves in an illogical and self sabotaging way.” The logical thinking mind is in conflict with subconscious parts of the mind outside of conscious awareness.

What is the subconscious mind? Often we assume our mind consist only of our conscious awareness of the world. “I pick up this pen, I balance my checkbook, I have a conversation and think about it after.” This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are a multitude of processes that go on outside conscious awareness that are necessary for our survival. Imagine how difficult it would be if we had to continuously concentrate on adjusting breathing, balancing our bodies, walking, or beating our heart. Our minds and body’s have systems that enable us to accomplish these tasks automatically. These systems also affect our thinking, the emotions we feel, and the decisions we make.

However this part of our mind is quite literal and illogical at times, and often doesn’t know the difference between what’s real and imagined. Unlike our conscious mind it may not perceive the reality of a situation. These perceptions real or not can impact our emotional and physical selves. The “placebo effect” is a good demonstration of a beneficial use of this aspect of the unconscious. An individual’s belief that a sugar pill is a healing medication helps them feel less pain or heal more quickly. Unfortunately this irrational aspect of the subconscious can be related to problems with emotions or difficulty in changing unwanted behaviors.

For example if a toddler has a near drowning experience in a lake they may consciously forget about it over time. However you can be sure the subconscious has recorded this event for future reference. The individual grows up, and inexplicably has a panic attack on a beach at a lake. The conscious mind knows there is no threat; however the subconscious is reporting danger as if the threat were immediate and real. It doesn’t comprehend the person has grown up or that years have gone by. It is reacting in a protective way, however, doesn’t realize that the reaction is not beneficial to the person as a whole.

Unconscious conditioning may affect unwanted behaviors. For example a person may continue to eat compulsively when full despite the rational knowledge that the behavior is sabotaging their weight loss efforts. Perhaps as a child the family was poor and went hungry at times. The subconscious has recorded this experience and doesn’t know that food is plentiful in the present day and responds as if threatened with starvation. Or if a person learns to be comforted by food at an early age, the subconscious learns this quickly on a physiological level and with repetition the tendency to repeat the behavior is conditioned.

Another example is the person who knows rationally that smoking is killing them; however, they still have the urge to do so. Perhaps initially, the person began smoking because they believed it would help them be socially accepted. The need is significant and the person continues to smoke despite initial nausea and dizziness. The unconscious connects the need to be socially accepted with the act of smoking. Over the years the person has consciously forgotten this connection; however, its still affects their ability to stop smoking. Again the unconscious believes smoking is in the person’s best interest and doesn’t realize the behavior is hurting the organism as a whole.

Unconscious conditioning can effect our emotions. For example a person whose father has repeatedly told them as a child they will never amount to anything may have feelings of low self esteem despite success and accomplishments. The subconscious believes the father’s words are true and the child internalizes the messages. The subconscious does not recognize or acknowledge the logical evidence that the person is a successful individual and continues to react with the original emotion.

What is Hypnosis?

We often spontaneously experience hypnotic type states quite naturally. A few examples may be experiencing the state between waking and sleeping, while daydreaming, being lost in a book, or while experiencing “highway hypnosis,” arriving at your destination with little memory of the trip. When engrossed in our work or a project we may lose track of time and forget to notice our surroundings.

We experience our subconscious through nonverbal communications such as nodding, leaning forward or back while conversing, or with our facial expressions. We’ve all seen the bowler or golfer leaning toward where they want the ball to go, another example of the subconscious at work. We don’t consciously say, “I’m going to nod my head yes or no” or “lean in the direction we want the ball to go.” It happens automatically.

We notice our subconscious working for us when a word or name we’ve failed to recall pops into our consciousness when we cease trying to remember it. Or when we have “ah ha” moments, or perhaps wake up with a solution to a problem after a nights sleep. Sometimes we react in a way that if we had time to think consciously we would never pull it off. We grab a glass before it has time to spill. Or catch something thrown at us quickly, without thinking. This is a nice example of our subconscious mind working for us.

What is Hypnotherapy?

A therapist uses words and voice to systematically guide the client into a hypnotic state, bringing the subconscious to the forefront and letting the conscious critical mind recede to the background. In this state subconscious conditioning is more susceptible to change. And by learning to access this part of their mind a person taps into inner resources that they were previously unaware of.

Like any good therapy it’s important that it be individualized to the client unique case. A competent therapist takes a thorough history and learns much about the person’s problem. As therapy progresses they and the client become aware of how hypnosis can best be used to help the person achieve their goals.

It’s also important to realize that a therapist who uses hypnosis is like a guide or coach. The client is an active participant in the work and uses the therapist’s words to implement change. Hypnotherapy is similar to when a person has a physiological response to a movie, or a good book. It’s not the television or book causing the response but the person’s interpretation of the words and sound.

This is why most people who are successful with hypnosis have a sincere desire and motivation for change. It is not the hypnotherapist who changes the individual. The individual utilizes innate resources using the therapist’s words and the therapeutic relationship as a catalyst A good hypnotherapist is not a magician, but rather an astute observer of human behavior who has learned how to access a client’s inherent hypnotic skills in ways that help them.

The state of hypnosis can be very therapeutic in and of itself. Hypnosis often elicits a profound state of relaxation that can counteract stress and anxiety. A person can be given the suggestion that their unconscious will recall this feeling when presented with stressful triggers that may be connected to unwanted behaviors. And often clients feel less anxious or stressed out overall after coming for an initial session, and learn self hypnosis using a CD provided by this therapist.

And a hypnotherapist can give suggestions for increased confidence, control and self esteem, a process therapists call ego strengthening. When a person feels more in control and secure with themselves, they are more likely to feel empowered. And an empowered person is most likely to achieve goals in a lasting way.

Sometime living up to our own expectations can be challenging. A clinical hypnotherapist can use strategies to counter negative conditioning, and help an individual make lasting lifestyle changes for their continuing health and well being all year long.

2009-07-31T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hypnosis for Weight loss
A Natural Solution

As a therapist who utilizes clinical hypnosis, people often ask about it’s effectiveness for weight loss. Hypnosis can be effective for weight loss, helping individuals change eating behaviors naturally without feeling deprived. Change is lasting and permanent in contrast to external fixes such as fad diets and pills. How might hypnosis work, and how might it help with your weight loss goals?

It’s a tool to tap into a client’s internal resources.
Clinical hypnosis is not something a therapist does to you. A client uses the therapists’ words and suggestions to utilize internal resources for positive change. Adjusting eating behavior is about trusting your innate abilities, as you did when you learned to ride a bicycle. You may not remember how difficult it was the first time you road a bike, but you kept practicing until you could ride without much thought or effort. In the same way losing weight may seem difficult at first, but with hypnosis it’s a matter of conditioning the mind and body until behaviors conducive to weight loss become effortless and automatic.

Hypnosis can increase awareness of eating behaviors.
When eating habitually and compulsively we’re not attuned to the taste of the food, the amount we’re eating, or the signals that tell us we’re full. There’s a disconnect between the mind and body. Often clients report becoming more aware of the act of eating in as little as one sesssion. Consequently they find themselves eating slower, pausing, and really tasting the food in contrast to eating mindlessly. This gives the body time to send signals to the brain that the body has received the amount of food it needs. The up side is a person can actually enjoy their food more while eating less, without feeling deprived. And they stop to think about choices rather then reacting impulsively.

It can help alter unhealthy relationships with food.
Food is meaningful to everyone in individual ways. We develop a relationship with food that may result in unhealthy eating patterns. In childhood we may learn to associate food with comfort, security, and the love of our mother. Or we may have been told we were “good” for finishing everything on our plate. We also internalize unconscious messages that condition eating behaviors. For example, if food was scarce while growing up, we got the message we better get what we need now because there might not be food tomorrow. Or were told there are starving people in the world, so we should feel guilty if we don’t eat everything. Consequently, a client knows overeating is unhealthy on a rational level, however, they feel compelled to do so regardless. With hypnosis a person can become more aware of beliefs and patterns and resolve this conflict at the source.

It inspires creative weight loss and spontaneous solutions.
The state of hypnosis involves the creative and intuitive part of our minds coming to the forefront, while the critical and analytical mind recedes to the background. In this state we’re able to move past blocks and gain new perspectives. Individuals find creative ways to change behaviors that lead to weight loss. For instance, a mother realizes she typically cooks too much food for her family and eats the leftovers. She loves her family and shows this by providing plenty, however, has received the message from childhood that wasting food is wrong. She finds ways to cook less decreasing the amount of leftovers. In practicing hypnosis she spontaneously became aware of this pattern and changed it on a conscious level, resulting in her curtailing behavior that was sabotaging her weight loss goals.

By reducing subconscious resistance to change.
Often there are subconscious motivations for self sabotaging weight loss efforts. Sometimes extra weight may be protective in some way, or a certain body image feels comfortable. There is some embedded purpose to staying the same. Rationally, a person wants to lose weight but there’s a part that is resistant to the change. With hypnosis, a client can increase awareness of inner conflict and resolve it on a deeper level, again, leading to more lasting and natural results.

Increasing feelings of self esteem and control.
A therapist can use hypnosis to help people increase feelings of confidence, self esteem and control. Often people get stuck in a feedback loop that goes something like this; “I’ve had a setback, I feel bad about myself, therefore, I eat more.” A person is likely to be successful if they learn to be compassionate with themselves, seeing a setback as a learning opportunity rather then a personal shortcoming. Weight loss often involves setbacks and plateaus, so it’s important to feel empowered and good about oneself through the process.

And it can reduce eating in response to stress.
Finally, hypnosis often involves a relaxation response, often resulting in an extraordinary feeling of calm and peace. Suggestions are given to recall this feeling whenever one needs to. A client learns to deal with stressors that in the past would have led to unhealthy eating. And after a few sessions of hypnosis clients often report feeling calmer in general.

In an increasingly fast pace society where people want quick and easy solutions, it’s not surprising that weight loss is sought in the same way. Each day brings a new fad diet, a new pill, or a quick fix. The paradox is that what seem like easy and fast solutions often turn into a lifetime of fleeting hopes followed by disappointments with little progress overall. Change is a process that must happen from within, and hypnosis is one tool that can help a person do so while achieving meaningful and lasting results.

Quitting smoking with Hypnosis

2008-11-10T12:03:00.000-08:00

If you’re reading this blog, you may be considering hypnosis to help you quit smoking. Perhaps a friend quit this way, or you’ve seen an ad in the paper. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and understandably so.

Hypnosis has a history that is fraught with mystical connotations, Svengali like masters controlling their helpless victims, or helpless victims on stage making fools of themselves as they quack like a duck or bark like a dog.

What is hypnosis?

You were probably in a hypnotic type state, if you’ve ever been engrossed in a book or movie and didn’t notice things going on around you. In hypnotherapy, the therapist will guide the client into a similar but more focused state, and use suggestions to help them with their problem. These suggestions are made while the subconscious mind is susceptible to them.

The jury is out as to what hypnosis actually is, aside from some agreement that it is an altered state of consciousness. However, recent studies have examined certain areas of the brain with persons under hypnosis using MRI’s. They show definite activation and deactivation in areas of the brain while under hypnosis. As we learn more about the brain under hypnosis hopefully well come to understand it more.

What is hypnosis like?

As stated above, in hypnosis a person is in a focused state of awareness, usually attending to inner feelings and experiences while being influenced less by external stimuli. People are completely aware of what is happening and in complete control.

A person will not do anything in hypnosis that they would not do in their everyday state of awareness. If they need to, they will come out of it to attend to emergencies, for instance a car alarm or needing to use the restroom. When used for smoking cessation most people describe it as a pleasant and relaxing experience.

Does it work?

Some research has shown hypnosis to be very effective for smoking. be very effective.

The handbook of Hypnotic Suggestions and Metaphors, edited by Corydon Hammond, PH.D. of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis cities a number of studies performed in the 1970’s. They report single session approaches averaging from 17% to 45% success rate depending on what study you look at. The same text reports a dramatic increase in success rates with a 4-5 session approach, from 64% - 67% at a six month follow up.

A more recent study in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis in 2006 found success with 60% at 12 weeks and 40% at 26 weeks in twenty subjects, confirmed by measuring levels of carbon monoxide in the blood. These patients were given fairly intensive hypnotherapy over a number of sessions.

And some therapists report success rates from 60% - 80%. The fact is many persons find hypnosis very helpful. The one factor that is most important to success is the person’s motivation to quit.

How does it work?

Scientist are not yet sure why, but in hypnosis one is more open to suggestions and can examine problems from a different perspective. Also, that part of the mind that is subconscious and does things automatically is more open to change.

Smoking, believe it or not, is considered an empty habit for most, meaning a person initially does it to relieve some kind of stress or need. It works, so they continue to do it and it becomes a habit. Then, all kinds of triggers are attached to the habit, be it a cup of coffee, competing dinner, or simply waking up in the morning.

Hypnosis can help a person manage the stress or need that can trigger an urge to smoke, and help to break any automatic conditioning around the habit. For every person it’s different, so individualizing hypnotic suggestions to their unique motivations, concerns, and personality appears strongly related to success.

Also, psychotherapy using clinical hypnosis as a tool can help address any hidden motivations that may be perpetuating the habit, for instance the need for control or self destructive tendencies.

How does one choose a hypnotherapist?

In most states hypnosis is not regulated in any way. An individual can be a used car salesman one day, go to a weekend training or worse take an on-line course, and the next day hang out a shingle. In New York State, a person can not use the word therapist in their title unless licensed as a mental health professional. So if a person is using the title “hypnotist,” they most likely have certification from a lay organization.

The only way to be sure that your receiving services from a person who is subject to regulation is to find a professional who is licensed in a health and human services field. They’re typically a psychologist, social worker, counselor, nurse practitioner or doctor trained in the use of hypnosis. Such a person has a variety of skills and tools, hypnosis being one of them.

And be wary of persons charging exorbitant prices and making unrealistic claims. Like any therapy, hypnosis is not a magic solution. Avoid persons claiming to have the ability to access past lives, channel spirits and perform “energy” healing. Most professionals trained in hypnosis use methods that are based on science and sound clinical judgment.

Hopefully, this article provides information for those who wish to make an informed decision when considering hypnosis to quit smoking. Hypnosis is a tool that when used in a professional way, can be very effective. Many individuals will testify that it has helped them to quit smoking when other methods have failed. It can have results that are not magical, not mystical, but very effective.

Hypnosis for Health

2008-11-08T10:01:00.000-08:00

I'm starting this blog to discuss hypnosis with those interested, and to educate the public about misconceptions and myths regarding hypnosis. I am a mental health counselor who uses hypnosis as a tool, to help individuals use their inner resources to facilitate change. I have an M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling and am licensed by NYS. I encourage readers interested in Clinical Hypnosis to check out the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis website at http://www.asch.com/, of which I am a member.

Seeing a Clinical Hypnotherapist is like seeing a personal trainer for your mind. Hypnosis is known to help individuals with smoking and weight loss, but it can do much more.

"Hypnosis has been used in medicine for more than 150 years to treat everything from anxiety to pain, from easing the nausea of cancer chemotherapy to Irritable bowel syndrome. Clinical Hypnosis is also found to be effective for phobias, panic, low self-esteem, insomnia, stress, IBS, headaches, and high blood pressure.

All of these uses can help existing conditions; however, hypnosis can help with preventive measures also. We know in a logical way that certain lifestyle choices improve our health. However, this conscious way of thinking is only the tip of the iceberg. A person’s thinking and behaviors are influenced by conditioning outside of conscious awareness that can lead to health damaging choices despite our best intentions. A common example is the emotional and visually stimulating content in fast food advertising, that we observe while in a "trance-like state" in front of the television. Suggestions made in Hypnosis can help replace unhealthy conditioning with more health affirming messages and facilitate behaviors such as exercise and healthy eating.

Self Hypnosis can be a valuable tool used to increase awareness of the mind body connection and unconscious conditioning. It is not something a therapist does to you, but rather, a state they guide you through. All hypnosis is self hypnosis, and it is the ultimate form of self control.