Stress is a too familiar trait of our fast paced modern life. It can be caused by a number of factors such as elements of loss or bereavement, divorce, separation or the impact of long term illness or disability. Marriage, moving home, a new job or going on holiday can equally be just as stressful. Sometimes it is just the accumulation of small things, disappointment or life just not quite going the way you want.

Some stress can be healthy and everyone is affected by stress at some time of their lives. But when stress gets out of hand we lose intellectual control and begin to display symptoms of anxiety, depression or anger. Our mental and physical health is affected and we loose our ability to enjoy life and our relationships.

Symptoms of Stress and Anxiety:

The nature of anxiety can range from excessive worry about everyday things to a constant feeling of dread. Anxiety can disturb sleep, weaken the immune system and impair mental faculty. Other symptoms of stress and anxiety can include:

• indigestion and loss of concentration
• Increased irritability
• heightened sensitivity to criticism
• signs of tension such as nail-biting, drinking and smoking more
• difficulty getting to sleep and early morning waking
• irrational worrying and panic attacks
• stiff neck and shoulders leading to migraine
• Symptoms of irritable bowel (IBS)
• Frequent sore throats/colds or feeling generally run down

Anxiety, like stress, is a response pattern that results from part of our genetic make-up. Commonly called the “fight or flight response”, it is activated when we perceive we are in danger, or if we expect that something dangerous may be about to happen. This was useful to primitive man to prepare him for attacks from predators and rival tribes. Today, the response misinterprets the constant bombardment of stressful situations and the cumulative result of this is anxiety.

The condition should not be left untreated because of a risk that it degenerates to more serious forms of anxiety and depression.

Hypnotherapy can get you back on track:

By using Solution focused therapy and hypnosis we can help you unlearn your anxiety and fear responses and of course learn new patterns of thinking and behaving.

How will you benefit from hypnotherapy:

• You will gain a thorough understanding of why anxiety has come about for you. This will help you to regain control and make sense of the situation.
• You will learn how to be more relaxed, both generally and in response to events that previously proved stressful for you
• Develop your own coping mechanism and new strategies to deal with aspects of life that are causing your stress or anxiety
• Help you to make the permanent changes you want to make by developing new perspectives and responses

Medical Journal article

Hypnosis in the treatment of anxiety and stress-related disorders

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20136382

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Hypnosis reduces preoperative anxiety in adult patients

http://www.anesthesia-analgesia.org/content/102/5/1394.long

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Review article: the history of hypnotherapy and its role in the Irritable Bowel Syndrome

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2005.02697.x/full

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Long-term effects of hypnotherapy in patients with refractory irritable bowel syndrome

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22339617