Quantum Therapy for Stress & Anxiety

KEY POINTS

We are built to cope with everyday stress, but when our coping mechanism becomes overwhelmed the effects on body and mind can be serious, even fatal. A very high proportion of all illness is now believed to be stress related. Although prescription pills may provide short-term relief by masking the symptoms and tranquillising the sympathetic nervous system, this will not get to the root of the problem. Hypnotherapy offers a proven means of tackling the inner causes of the distress, replacing this with peace of mind and the ability to remain calm, cool and collected in every situation. Combining this with EFT is doubly effective.
At this moment an estimated 1.5 million people in the UK between ages 16 and 75 are suffering from depression and 2.7 million are suffering from anxiety. Depression is the cause of 70% of recorded suicides.
Depression, sadness, feeling 'down' are often symptoms of being stuck in the past, going over and over our negative experiences, guilt, hurt, anger, failure, asking why did this happen? why did I do that? Anxiety is often triggered by trying to anticipate the future before it arrives, constantly asking what if? and imagining the worst .... Quantum Therapy teaches clients to:
(1) let go of the past ... life is a journey of experiences, some good some not good, but, whatever happened, it is history, no amount of re-living the past can change it. So learn lessons from it, yes, but don't keep looking back. It's time to move on.
(2) let the future unfold in its own way and in its own good time, trusting that everything will be fine, but stop trying to cross your bridges before you come to them!
(3) learn to LIVE IN THE NOW - one moment at a time. Think of it like stepping stones. Whatever difficulties your journey presents you can make it if you just take it step by step.

Are more and more pills the answer to our problems?

Mind, the mental health charity, reports that the number of prescriptions for anti-depressants has hit an all-time high. More than 31 million prescriptions for anti-depressants were written in 2006 - a rise of 6 per cent on the previous year.

Anti-depressants and similar medications may provide short-term relief from the symptoms, thus giving a useful breathing space, but there is no magic pill to sort out the underlying emotional causes, so they are not a sensible long-term solution.

Are You Suffering from Stress?

There are many possible signs (cries for help) from the body. Not sleeping well? Feeling tired all the time? Persistent headaches? Unexplained aches and pains? Feeling sick? Indigestion? Diarrhoea? Loss of sexual feelings? Palpitations? Sweating? Trembling?
There are emotional signals too, including a loss of patience, bad tempers, tears and depression. Mentally, we may feel our concentration and memory are slipping into confusion, an inability to think clearly and make decisions. Our behaviour may change, even if we don't recognise it, those close to us will. We can become restless, agitated, unable to relax. Smoking, drinking alcohol, or drug-taking may increase. Obsessive and compulsive behaviour might develop, or neurosis such as hypochondria. For others, a loss of appetite or a diversion into comfort eating are both possible reactions to stress, and in some this may lead to serious eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia.

The Effects of Stress

A certain amount of stress can actually be good for you! It motivates and spurs you into action, makes you try that little bit harder, helps focus and concentration, to meet deadlines, reach targets, solve problems and to be more creative.

Although stress is a normal part of everyday life, it becomes a serious problem when the body's built-in coping mechanism is overwhelmed. The resulting distress brings physical, emotional, mental and behavioural symptoms as outlined above, which, at the extreme, can lead to chronic and serious conditions - with the mind and body so closely interlinked, stress has been estimated to be the trigger for as many as 85% of all illnesses. Too much stress can be a killer.

We are all familiar with the 'fight or flight' effects of fear, when the adrenaline, cortisol and other stress hormones automatically go into overdrive, our muscles become tense, the heart pounds, pupils dilate, mouth gets dry, blood sugar increases, we may sweat and hyper-ventilate. The classic panic attack can become a troublesome habit (a learned response) over which the sufferer has no means of control.

When we feel anxious we may also experience such familiar symptoms as 'butterflies' in the tummy, or an urgent need to rush to the toilet!

Headaches and migraines are very often stress-related, as also is tension in the neck, shoulders and lower back. Longer term ailmentslinked to stress include skin complaints (including acne, eczema and psoriasis), insomnia, asthma, indigestion, and ulcers. Prolonged stress has been linked to increased risks of high blood pressure (hypertension), heart attacks, diabetes, and to lower immunity generally to disease. Some researchers suggest that stress may also be a contributing factor to the onset of cancer.

How can hypnotherapy help?

If stress is becoming your way of life, we can change it by changing your thinking! We can break the stress cycle and replace with a whole new way of coping with whatever life throws at you. The hypnotherapist can help you to resolve any past issues which may have been troubling you.

Then we can plant the seeds of calm and confidence into your subconscious mind, and give you a simple but powerful way to instantly de-stress whenever and wherever you need to. We can also persuade your subconscious mind to stop worrying about the future, and to just concentrate on the 'now', one moment at a time.

Hypnosis is doubly effective if backed up by EFT - tapping on certain energy meridian points - something which, once experienced, you can practice yourself every day.

Further self help to ease stress and anxiety

Deep Breathing - when we're stressed out we tend to take rapid, shallow breaths. If we slow our breathing down, taking the time to fill the lungs completely, this invigorates the entire system and will quickly calm even the most troubled mind. Practice this consciously until it becomes second nature.
Escape from the television and the computer for a while, try curling up with a good book instead.
Go for a walk - take a little time out to appreciate the natural world, in a park, or countryside setting. Fresh air and exercise are both wonderful tonics, physically and emotionally.
Give yourself a break from the all-work-and-no-play routine, treat yourself!
Try a simple meditation, focusing your gaze, for example, on a flickering candle flame, as you breathe slowly and deeply, and just let your mind float free for a little while.
Don't neglect your sleep.

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As a qualified Hypnotherapist, NLP and EFT practitioner, Gina provides a professional service for Wirral, Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales.

Click for more detailed guidance on the following pages:

Hypnotherapy.

NLP.

EFT.

Positive Thinking

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