Hypnotherapy for Anxiety
Fight, Flight, Freeze or Fawn
Anxiety itself is the natural bodily response to stress or fear, often referred to as the 'fight, flight, freeze or fawn' response. When a person is faced with a threatening situation their body is flooded with hormones to help them to fight the threat, run away, play dead or appease the threat.
If you're trying to outrun a tiger, like our ancestors might have, this is really useful, but not always so useful in our modern world. If we are repeatedly faced with situations or events that our minds find threatening we can get stuck in this response, feeling on edge or experiencing a sense of dread a lot of the time.
If you are struggling with anxiety, you might experience physical sensations like heart palpitations or a tight chest when you breathe. You might notice that you become overwhelmed and tearful more often or even feel angry. Insomnia and feelings of depression are also linked to anxiety as well as many other physical and psychological symptoms.
Common Symptoms of Anxiety
Anxiety affects everyone differently, but common signs include:
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Persistent worry or fear that feels difficult to control
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Physical symptoms such as racing heart, sweating, trembling or feeling shaky
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Difficulty concentrating or feeling like your mind goes blank
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Sleep problems, including difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
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Avoiding situations that make you feel anxious
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Feeling restless, on edge or irritable
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Digestive issues or feeling nauseous
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Muscle tension or headaches
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Intrusive or unwanted thoughts
If these symptoms are affecting your daily life, work, relationships or general wellbeing, hypnotherapy can help.
Types of Anxiety I Help With
As a South East London hypnotherapist specialising in anxiety, I work with clients experiencing various forms of anxiety including:
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Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - persistent worry about many different things that feels hard to control.
Health Anxiety - excessive worry about having or developing a serious illness.
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Social Anxiety - persistant anxiety in social situations often experienced as perceived negative judgement from others.
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Performance Anxiety - fear of performing in front of others, whether in work presentations, exams or social situations.
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Work-Related Stress and Anxiety - feeling overwhelmed, burned out or anxious about work demands and responsibilities.
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Relationship Anxiety - worry and fear within personal relationships.
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Phobias - overwhelming fear of a specific object, animal, situation or place
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Many of my clients also experience anxiety related to past trauma or difficult childhood experiences, which I address using trauma-informed hypnotherapy techniques.
How does Hypnotherapy treat anxiety?
Hypnotherapy is a very effective treatment for anxiety with long lasting positive results. Working with clients both in person at my South East London therapy room and online across the UK, I help you to reduce your anxiety symptoms using a combination of hypnotherapeutic relaxation techniques, cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy and curative hypnosis.
​It is not possible for the body to be in a relaxed and anxious state at the same time, so hypnotherapy often immediately reduces those uncomfortable feelings of anxiety, a welcome side effect! I will help you to identify triggers for your anxiety and then we will work together to permanently change that automatic anxiety response. This means that something that once felt threatening no longer has the same negative impact.
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Using curative hypnosis including regression techniques we can also work together to identify and resolve past events that may have initially triggered the anxiety response. This can create deep and long lasting positive personal change.
Hypnotherapy is a safe and gentle process and I intend for you to leave a session with me feeling refreshed and calmer than you have felt in a while.
I will also provide you with tools to help you maintain a level of calm and balance in your life, between sessions and into the future after you have finished your therapy sessions with me.
First Session: We'll spend time discussing your anxiety - what triggers it, how it affects you, and what you hope to achieve. I'll explain how hypnotherapy works and answer any questions you have. We'll begin working together using relaxation techniques and positive suggestions tailored to your specific needs.
Subsequent Sessions: Each session builds on the last. We'll use visualisation, breathing techniques and hypnotic suggestions to help rewire your anxiety response. If appropriate, we may also gently explore and resolve any past experiences that are contributing to your current anxiety.
Between Sessions: I'll provide you with practical tools and techniques you can use in your daily life to manage anxiety and maintain the positive changes we're creating together.
Most clients notice improvements within the first few sessions, though everyone's journey is different. We'll work together at a pace that feels right for you.
What to Expect in Your Anxiety Hypnotherapy Sessions
Panic Attacks
Some people also experience panic attacks when they have high levels of anxiety. When a panic attack occurs, the bodily sensations brought on by 'fight or flight' mode are experienced very intensely which can be very frightening.
If experiencing a panic attack it is important to try to remember that the physical symptoms of a panic attack, whilst frightening, are not actually dangerous. Learning to practice relaxation techniques at the onset of a panic attack can stop it in its tracks. Hypnotherapy is highly effective in reducing the frequency and intensity of panic attacks by addressing the underlying anxiety and teaching you how to interrupt the panic response.
If you are unsure of whether you are experiencing panic symptoms or something else always contact a medical professional to make sure.
Anxiety Therapy in South East London and Online
Based in Crystal Palace, South East London, I offer anxiety hypnotherapy both in person and online via video sessions. Online hypnotherapy is just as effective as face-to-face sessions and allows you to access support from the comfort of your own home, wherever you are in the UK.
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Ready to Overcome Anxiety?
You don't have to struggle with anxiety alone. Hypnotherapy can help you break free from the cycle of worry and fear, and reconnect with a sense of calm and confidence.
Contact me today to arrange your free 15-minute discovery call where you can ask any questions and find out if hypnotherapy is right for you.