Hypnosis for Stress and Anxiety

Can Hypnosis Really Help to Deal with Stress and Anxiety Caused by Bullying at Work or School?

Dispelling Myths About Hypnosis

When I think of the word 'hypnosis' the first thing that pops into my head is the image of a flamboyant stage performer putting hapless volunteers through their paces by making them cluck like chickens once he has mesmerized them into a mind controlling hypnotic trance.

Many of us have these kinds of feelings about hypnosis but is this reputation justified? There are several myths that persist about hypnosis even though it is used by trained hypnotherapists, psychologists and psychiatrists everyday to deal with a wide variety of issues -- including stress, anxiety and depression.

Before we can look at the benefits that hynosis can offer we need to look at the myths that surround the subject.

First, the whole stage performance itself lends itself to incredulity. Considering the setting where these events occur it is natural for participants to feel a sense of social obligation or permission to "go along" with the suggestions of the "hypnotist" no matter how outlandish.

In that setting it is hard to distinguish between any real hypnotic effect and participants who are simply playing a role having been granted social permission to behave outrageously. It is likely a combination of factors given that approximately 10 percent of the population is highly hypnotizable, 80 percent are to varying degrees, while the remaining 10 percent are considered more difficult to hypnotize.

These numbers are based on the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale developed by Andre M. Weitzenhoffer and Ernest R. Hilgard in 1959 and modified by J.F. Kihlstrom. Another common scale is the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility developed by Ronald Shor and Emily Carota Orne in 1962. See the Hypnosis Measurement page for more information.

Clinical uses of hypnosis have been demonstrated to be real and to have beneficial effect; for example, hypnosis for stress and anxiety, phobias and pain management. But before we can be comfortable enough to utilize hypnosis for stress and anxiety, or anything else for that matter, we need to dispel more myths and misunderstandings about what is really happening during hypnosis.

Is Hypnosis a Mind Control Technique?

One myth that makes some resistant to using hypnosis for stress and anxiety is that they believe that hypnosis is some kind of mind control technique. This is not supported by research. You never relinquish control over your actions. You always determine whether or not to act on suggestions made by the hypnotist. However, if you do choose to accept the suggestions it may seem as if things have happened on their own. In other words, it is you who agrees to accept the suggestion that your arm is getting heavier, for example, even though it may seem that your arm simply got heavier on its own.

Related to this is the concern that a hypnotist could make you do things against your moral or ethical standards. However this not how hypnosis works. You are fully aware of the suggestions being made during hypnosis. You are in control and can accept or reject whatever is presented in the session. Hypnosis won't make you do things that you wouldn't otherwise normaly do.

Marja Flick-Buijs

What is it Like to Be Hypnotized?

While the word 'hypnosis' originates from Hynos, the Greek god of sleep, it is not like sleep at all. The only similarity is the state of relaxation that is invoked during a hypnosis session. Regardless of whether you are using hypnosis for stress and anxiety, boosting confidence, self-esteem or even pain management hypnosis doesn't involve a state of sleep or unconsciousness.

Since vivid imagery is often invoked by hypnosis it can feel very much like you are really experiencing what is being described in your session. For example you may be encouraged to imagine yourself on a beach, to feel the warm sand, to hear the birds or sounds of other people, to smell the salt air of the ocean, etc. In doing so, while in a very relaxed state you can begin to feel as if you are really on a beach experiencing these things.

People react in different ways to hypnosis. While some may begin to feel heavy others can have the opposite reaction and feel very light. There is no right or wrong response, this is just how you react to the hypnosis process.

While hypnosis is different for everyone, deep relaxation and heightened imagination are commonly reported.

Can I Get Stuck in a State of Hypnosis?

It would be difficult to use hypnosis for stress and anxiety if you had to be afraid of being trapped in a hypnotic trance. However, this simply does not happen. Basically, the worst-case-scenario woud be that you fall asleep and wake up out of the hypnotic state.

Tests have been done where researchers have induced participants into a hypnotic state and then left the room and observed the reponses. All the subjects returned to their 'normal' state in a short time all on their own. The 10% of the population that responds particularly well to hypnosis just took a little longer to 'wake up'.

Can Hypnosis Help If I'm Being Bullied?

As targets of bullying know, bullying can produce extreme psychological pain. Bullies undermine and threaten their targets which can result in severe effects on self-esteem and self-confidence, creates worry, anxiety and anger, interrupted sleep patterns, etc. These factors (and more) cause stress levels to skyrocket resulting in even more psychological and physical consequences of stress.

Hypnosis may help you deal with many of these problems effectively. Hypnosis for stress and anxiety, building self-esteem and self-confidence, controlling anger, helping with insomnia, etc. are available through in-person sessions with a hypnotist or through self-hypnosis programs that are widely available.

Self-hypnosis for stress and anxiety programs are easy to access and some can simply be downloaded to your computer. This is a popular way to benefit from hypnosis as it is quick and relatively inexpensive.

If you are thinking of trying hypnosis for stress and anxiety to help with the effects of bullying we recommend HypnosisDownloads.com. Their hypnosis downloads are very reasonably priced but more importantly they have taken the time to understand the unique problems faced by targets of bullying. They have even created a hypnosis download specifically for targets of workplace bullying called 'Coping with Workplace Bullying'.

Many of their other hypnosis sessions, which you download in MP3 format, suit the needs of bullying targets as well.
For example:
'Dealing with an Angry Bully' helps you stay calm when under attack;
'How to Stop Worrying' frees you from worrying so you can start living;
'Control Your Emotions' helps you keep your cool so you don't "lose it" and fall into the bully's trap.

Of course there are many other areas of our lives where we could use a boost. HypnosisDownloads.com has hundreds of hypnosis sessions available for download to help you in many areas of your life, including hypnosis for stress and anxiety. To get an idea of what programs are available that are of interest to you you can browse their sessions here.

There are many options available for using hypnosis for stress and anxiety caused by bullying. Hypnosis can be an effective tool to help keep you mentally, emotionally and physically healthy. But no matter how you address the effects that bullying, stress and anxiety are having on you it is important to find what works best for you.

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