Topic > Hypnotherapeutic treatments for stress, anxiety and phobias

Index Cognitive behavioral therapyTreatment of phobiasEricksonian therapyHealing hypnotherapyIn the recent past, according to a 2007 study conducted in the United States, anxiety disorders were the most widespread form of mental illness, with approximately 40 million adults over the age of 18, representing 18.1% of the total population affected each year (Anxiety and Depression Association of America). On the other hand, specific phobias affect approximately 19 million adults, or 8.7% of the total US population, and women are more likely to be affected than men. Additionally, according to statistics from the American Psychological Association (APA), stress levels overall increased in 2015 with a greater percentage of adults reporting extreme levels compared to last year. Hypnosis is a crucial, alternative and complementary medicinal technique that attempts to resolve several psychological problems including managing stress, anxiety and phobia. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay According to Golden (2003), hypnotherapy can be applied in the treatment of comprehensive anxiety disorders including job interviews, sexual routine anxiety, and other stresses following post traumatic experiences. This method has produced convincing results regarding headaches and irritable bowel disorders, all of which are stress-related disorders. In addition to this, hypnotherapy can be used in the management of phobias such as agoraphobia, among others. Hypnotherapeutic treatments for stress, anxiety and phobias take place in five phases including the orientation in which the evaluation and collection of historical data on the patient takes place, the hypnotic induction in which the procedure for the hypnotic induction is chosen and put in use, the in-depth analysis of hypnosis where different procedures are used, use and cessation of hypnosis: the use of numerous techniques to stop hypnosis and return patients to a state of full alertness (pp47-56) . The most commonly used hypnotherapeutic treatments for stress, anxiety, and phobias include cognitive behavioral therapy, Ericksonian therapy, solution-focused brief therapy, curative hypnotherapy, and traditional hypnotherapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy Cognitive behavioral therapy is a method for managing stress, anxieties and phobias. With respect to this model, circumstances do not automatically result in anxiety, rather, it is the feelings that produce anxiety that lead to anxiety. Cognitive and behavioral techniques with the ability to modify a patient's feelings and judgment to provide a way to manage various disorders that may arise from anxiety. Such techniques include self-report management, logging, the two-column method, and imagery. Self-report management can be used to reduce anxiety. According to Beck, Emery & Greenberg, these affirmations are fruitful or productive ideas that can be used by patients to prepare themselves to deal with any challenging or stressful situation they may encounter throughout their lives. The authors further emphasized that “through the use of imagery, the individual practices these affirmations in their head and at the same time imagines or visualizes in their mind how these can be used to handle any challenging situations, should they arise. you are faced with a (Beck, Emery & Greenberg, 2005 pp1.). Additionally, logging, which involves starting a diary to identify thoughts that might lead to anxiety and trying to evade them, helps identify anxiety triggers, giving aindividual's ability to monitor their anxiety-producing thoughts. .The two-column method for managing anxiety involves the patient dividing a page in half. The patient then lists all the anxiety-producing thoughts on one side of the page and then generates a series of ideas (coping thoughts) that can be used to manage the situation on the second half of the page (Golden, 2012 pp263). Treating Phobias Using the cognitive-behavioral therapy, the treatment of phobias occurs through desensitization. Desensitization is an exposure therapeutic procedure established by Wolpe for the management of uncertainties and terrors (Wolpe, 2008 pp239). Desensitization provides individual patients with the opportunity to face their terrors, usually one step at a time. Procedures that allow the body to relax are often used in cases where moderation of the situation is of paramount importance, especially if the situation is highly terrifying for the patient. Fear is broken down into particular and specific factors that in one way or another increase the possibility that the patient is anxious. Factors are always grouped such that factors that increase the likelihood or likelihood of the patient being anxious are at the top of the pyramid, while those with little or no effect on the patient are ordered at the bottom of the pyramid. An evaluation of randomized placebo-controlled trials by Hofmann and Smits indicates that these types of hypnotherapeutic techniques are exceptional in managing stress, phobias and anxiety disorders in adults (Hofmann & Smits, 2008 pp621). However, CBT also has some limitations. For starters, it is not suitable for all individuals. CBT requires the patient to be devoted and determined in obtaining a solution or in overcoming the condition in question and in improving himself with the guidance of the psychotherapist (Golden & Friedberg, 1986 pp290). Ericksonian Therapy Ericksonian hypnotherapy is a very moderate approach to unresolved problems that contribute to stress, anxiety and phobias. This model was developed by Milton H. Erickson. As a result of Erickson's use of an informal conversational approach, complex linguistic patterns as well as therapeutic strategies, his colleagues have disputed his labeling of the approach "hypnosis". Techniques such as self-hypnosis and the rewind technique are used to treat stress, phobias and anxieties. According to Mathews, the Ericksonian approach to therapy is based on assumptions including the belief in a modified form of perception coupled with factors indicating interference, the supremacy of factors indicating indirect over direct suggestion; and the vulnerability of patients. The two types of metaphors involved in this form of treatment include isomorphic and interspersal, depending on their nature (Mathews, 2000 pp418). In his work, Kraft highlights how isomorphic metaphors control the patient's subconscious by offering a kind of story that has a lesson (a moral lesson). The subconscious will then induce a one-to-one relationship between the events of the story and those of the situation at hand that needs to be resolved. With the other command called the “Embedded Command” technique, however, the hypnotist tells a motivating story that aims to distract the conscious mind. More often than not, the story would contain a disguised hint intended to trick the subconscious into thinking the story is true. Furthermore, the story is usually indirect. The author further states that the process instructions, on the other hand, cause the subconscious to locate any type of memory that can be used as a template for learning from a previous experience so that that experience can be used tomake a crucial positive change in our lives. present (Kraft, 2011 pp235). In a study conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Ericksonian hypnosis, by Holdevici & Craciun, which aimed to reduce stress among patients suffering from stress and those suffering from other forms of general anxiety, the results showed that the Use of Ericksonian hypnosis led to a notable decrease in the levels of stress, anxiety and phobias among the people observed as patients. Furthermore, the training process in Ericksonian hypnotherapy and the effective application of the knowledge learned, an obstacle that only a few individuals who are dedicated and ready to work with their therapists manage to overcome (Holdevici & Craciun, 2012 pp75). The technique for treating stress, anxiety and phobias was developed through a combination of aspects of two different techniques: solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) and Ericksonian hypnotherapy. This combination produced a more goal-focused psychotherapy, compared to the initial one which was more problem-focused. According to Gingerich & Eisengart, the technique focuses on helping patients obtain long-term remedies for their problems rather than solving problems for a specific period without a lasting solution (2000 pp477). This approach (SFBT), which was developed in a scientific background amidst many unreliable reports of success from both therapists and clients, had not been subjected to any testing to determine its effectiveness. In their work (Gingerich & Eisengart, 2000 pp477), they carried out an in-depth analysis of all studies regarding SFBT to find out to what extent it was accepted among people (to what extent it boasted empirical support). However, this model has various limitations, including the continued perpetuation of the belief that a single can be the same for all different people (Stalker, Levene & Coady, 2009 pp468). Healing Hypnotherapy Healing hypnotherapy was first attempted by David Lesser, who wanted to find the causes of people's symptoms using both IMR and detailed questioning. The knowledge Lesser possessed facilitated the creation of the modern therapy used today. This treatment method is used in the treatment of stress, anxiety and phobias. Healing hypnotherapy gives the patient the ability to access their instinctive mind. During therapy the patient is able to identify the reasons why his instinctive mind reacts in such a way as to generate negative symptoms. This process is generally achieved by observing the initial event that led to those responses by the subconscious mind. The patient then uses all the knowledge gained in subsequent years to decide whether the response at the time of the original event was the most appropriate or not. This allows patients to be able to modify their responses, leading to resolution of the problem and all relevant symptoms. Depending on the patients' wishes, they can then explain the causes of their condition to the therapist (McGuinness, 2004 pp261). However, curative therapy also has some limitations. It is not suitable for every individual. Remedial therapy, just like CBT, requires the patient to be devoted and determined in obtaining a solution or overcoming the condition in question and improving himself with the guidance of the psychotherapist (Kraft, 2011 pp235). This method of treating stress, anxiety and phobia is the form of hypnotherapy most practiced by most Victorian hypnotists. Traditional hypnosis involves providing direct suggestions to the unconscious mind. This treatment method works on patients who particularly accept what they are told without asking questions. The limit of.