Hypnosis for Stress Management? How Not to Burn Your Candle Out at Both Ends

How have you been feeling lately? Out of sorts? Anxious? Irritable? Fatigued? Do you have restless sleep? A recent CNN survey found that 80% of all Americans are experiencing stress over the economy and personal finances. Of those, 30% identified themselves as experiencing extreme stress. Living through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression is enough to set most of us on edge. Add to that two wars and our individual concerns about our families, careers, or health and we are over the top. Stress appears to be a natural and unavoidable consequence of the life we live today.

By definition, stress is the mismatch of the demands we face in life and the resources we have to meet those demands. Some stress is external– the economy, accidents, crime… Other stress is internal. It is our intolerance to our own mistakes, our overly high self-expectations, feelings of worry, guilt and fear. Obviously, stress is unique to each individual. We all know people who face adversity calmly and with equanimity. Stress is not inherent in our circumstances but rather in our perception of these events. Stress is the gap between how the world is and how we want it to be. For most of us, our perception of the “gap” may be quite large.

Researchers have identified two kinds of stress: acute and chronic. Acute stress is what we experience during times of danger. It is our prehistoric response to a life or death event and is known as the “fight or flight” response. Chronic stress is what we experience when there is no imminent danger, yet the stress continues even after the initial stressful event is over. We all know that some stress is good. It allows us to meet deadlines and keeps us alert, motivated and observant so we can avoid danger. But chronic stress can lead to serious health issues. A negative stress reaction may occur when our hormones fail to shut down after a stressful event - resulting in a feedback loop of distress. For some, chronic stress may become permanent.

Stress effects us both physically and psychologically. Physical symptoms include aches, pains, muscle tension, fatigue, exhaustion, shortness of breath, insomnia, constipation, ulcers, asthma or elevated blood pressure. Studies have also found that many chronic conditions, genetic conditions, and major diseases are either brought on or worsened by stress. The most sobering finding is that 80-90% of all disease is stress related! The psychological symptoms are equally disruptive and include anxiety, depression, mental confusion, irritability, anger, panic attacks, worry, fear, indecision, negativity, feeling overwhelmed and addictive behavior patterns. Obviously stress has a major impact on our lives, our productivity and our relationships with others.

What can you do to managed your stress? Start by taking a personal inventory. Seek to discover the stressors in your life. Look for ways to reduce your stress by learning healthy ways to relieve stress or reduce its harmful effects. Remember 90% of all stress is self-inflicted. There are many ways to manage stress from active pursuits such as exercise or yoga, creative activities or hobbies, watching funny movies, spending time with family, friends and pets; to more reflective activities such as massage, deep breathing, mediation, spirituality, journaling and relaxation. Adding one or more of the activities into your life may help you keep your stress at a manageable level.

Although any of these methods will provide some relief, there are times when our stress is so high that we find it exhausting to even think of adding a new activity. Any behavioral change requires "will power," and when you are depleted, "will power" may not exist. Hypnosis provides you with just the push you need to alleviate the stress surrounding you. Hypnosis is not based on will power. It instead works with the power of the subconscious mind. This is the part of your mind that speaks in symbols, stores all your knowledge, learning, and memories, and works with the power of suggestion.

Hypnosis is a safe and easy way to bring about a behavioral change (such as adding more exercise or meditation to your daily routine) or changing how you perceive stressful situations. A hypnotherapist can work with your subconscious mind to provide suggestions leading to a more relaxed state, when in a stressful situation. You experience the desired change naturally and easily. A hypnotherapist can also teach you self-hypnosis and other techniques such as progressive relaxation or working with affirmations. Hypnosis will teach you the hidden power you have within your subconscious mind. It is a highly successful means for dealing with anxiety and stress. Physician Andrew Weil has said, "In general, I believe that no condition is out of bounds for trying hypnotherapy on."