Eliminating Apprehensions with Hypnosis
By: Kevin Linehan
It is said that we are born with fear of only two things, the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. As time goes by other fears may become a part of our personal belief system. Typically those fears and apprehensions are well known to us due to the frustration and barriers that they present to us in our daily lives. An example is a fear of public speaking that has prevented career growth. The frustration of seeing someone less qualified moving up the ladder simply because they are able to address a group effectively leads to the question of “why can’t I do that?
Sometimes a fear is hidden. When this is the case a person will tend to rationalize their behavior. Do you know someone that regardless of circumstances will always take the stairs? Exercise is wonderful, but 5 flights? Or perhaps you know someone that won’t vacation in an area with a different climate because “it is too hot there”, or they just like to vacation by relaxing at home? It could be the person is apprehensive about flying, being away from home for an extended period, or they feel out of sorts when in an unknown place.
Not all learned fears are bad. Many work to keep us safe by preventing us from taking unnecessary risks. When an apprehension prevents us from living our lives the way that we desire and to the fullest extent possible it may be time to do something about it.
I have had more than one client explain to me that although they have accomplished all that they have wanted in life they have always had an issue with _______. They go on to explain that they have never been able to figure out why they can’t talk to a group, go on vacation if it means flying, ride in an elevator, or even own a cat or dog. While they are now happy to gain an understanding and resolution of their apprehension they are saddened to think of all the time spent through the years dealing with or hiding the issue.
There are a number of ways in which hypnosis can help to reduce or eliminate apprehensions. The first is through direct suggestion. Using direct suggestion a hypnotist could suggest that while faced with whatever is causing the apprehension the client feels relaxed, calm and in control. Another way in which hypnosis can be used is in combination with neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) techniques. For example it could be suggested that the client is in a movie theatre watching him or herself on the screen. In the movie the client faces the fear causing agent and successfully deals with it. This can be replayed as often as needed for the fear to be reduced or eliminated. These techniques and others can be combined to provide an individual plan of attack. In eliminating the fear of flying direct suggestions of calm and relaxation can be combined with imagery of an enjoyable flight while at the same time learning to give up control to an experienced pilot.
Sometime an apprehension is caused by something that has happened in the past or a belief that was implanted years before. In this case regression can be used to identify what happened or what was learned at that earlier time. Once the specific cause is identified and understood the apprehension is often significantly reduced and often eliminated.
In our office we are trained and qualified to work with fears and apprehensions. Those individuals experiencing a full-blown phobia causing significant disruption in day to day functioning should be working with a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist. Work with these individuals will only be considered with a written referral from a licensed mental health professional or an attending physician.
Self-hypnosis classes are always in progress, contact Kevin or Christine at OnTrac Hypnotherapy Inc. at 603.362.8868 or email ontrachypnosis@aol.com.
Next month I’ll discuss the levels of depth of hypnosis and what can be accomplished at each level.
