Overcome Anxiety and Panic attacks

Hypnotherapy for anxiety and panic attacks is an incredibly powerful tool. Anxiety is a process our subconscious mind has learned. It is very difficult to unlearn a process without help. Can you imagine being able to unlearn the process of riding a bicycle or knowing how to walk? Once you have learned these things you are able to do them without conscious thought because the subconscious mind, which is there to help and protect you, has made the process automatic.

The subconscious mind’s primary task is to make you safe. If something scares you (or severely embarrasses you) the subconscious mind will seek to avoid the same or similar situations. This is what we call avoidance techniques. By causing you to experience anxiety or panic the subconscious mind is preventing you from being in the same situation again. This is obviously an important function where you are in actual danger, for example learning that a fire is hot and will burn means you avoid touching it again. However sometimes the perception of danger is not appropriate and hypnotherapy can help the subconscious mind to learn different ways of helping you.

Panic attacks: the hallmark of panic disorder

Panic Disorder is marked by recurrent, spontaneous panic attacks. These are an intense period of discomfort or fear. During a panic attack a person may experience the following symptoms:

Racing heartbeat
Difficulty breathing, feeling as though you can’t get enough air
Terror that is almost paralysing
Dizziness, light-headedness or nausea
Trembling, sweating, shaking
Choking, chest pains
Hot flushes or sudden chills
Tingling in fingers or toes (pins and needles)
Fear that you are going mad or about to die

To be diagnosed as a panic attack four or more symptoms should be present. If less than four symptoms are present it is known as “limited symptom attack”. Panic attacks seem to come out of nowhere and can occur in seemingly harmless situations, even during sleep.

Hypnotherapy can help you to unlearn the process your subconscious mind has learned, and reduce the anxiety levels associated with it. It allows you to relax, even at the start of a panic attack, bringing your anxiety under control.