Anxiety, Stress and Insomnia                       

Environmental situations, such as a forthcoming deadline, or psychological worry, such as potential redundancy, family arguments or relationship issues, can trigger a torrent of stress hormones producing physiological changes like heart racing or shallow, fast breathing resulting in muscle tension and possibly beads of sweat. These are historic, choreographed, survival reactions that automatically ignite a string of hormonal reactions together to ensure our survival.

According to Harvard Medical School, the effects of prolonged stress and anxiety on our body can not only cause us immediate problems, like insomnia, headaches, neck and back pain but can also lead to chronic health conditions. They go on to say how eliciting the relaxation response can improve health by creating new neural pathways in our minds. 

Harvard substantiates the theory that past trauma and stress along with ongoing stress and anxiety in our busy lives can cause our bodies to trigger the stress response to ‘fight or flight.’ 

Further research has identified that if we add this permanent stress or anxiety to our past traumas that have not been released from the body, it can seem like the foot is permanently on the accelerator and brake at the same time. So, as the fight or flight stress responses have not assured our survival, this can result in the body triggering our third response: to freeze, or potentially shut down, resulting in both psychological and physical stress to the body and mind, and cumulating in chronic conditions.

As hypnotherapy ‘speaks’ to the unconscious mind it enables us to dissociate from stressful events and address areas of chronic stress and anxiety in a gentler way to release blockages which have formed unhealthy pathways in the brain and body. It can help to address the causes of current and past stress, anxiety or trauma held in the mind and trapped in the body by stimulating the body to create new, healthier neural pathways.

By kick-starting autonomic change this way and learning the techniques you need to reduce the immediate affects of potential future stress, trauma and anxiety, it is possible to improve stress and chronic conditions effectively.

If you would like to find out more about how hypnotherapy could help you improve and overcome anxiety, stress and tension or insomnia, then please get in touch for a free telephone consultation.