Hypnosis for Stress

By Eric Greenleaf PhD

 Hypnosis is a naturally occurring human state. It occurs during times of trauma and injury, concentrated performance, meditative states and dreaming. Mental health professionals use hypnotic conversations to invite these natural states in therapy, so you can use them when you wish, and only when you wish, to manage and reduce the effects of stressors on your life.

Stress occurs naturally too. When our systems are aroused we are flooded with adrenalin and other stress hormones. These allow us to respond physically and

emotionally to challenge. But, if that arousal continues and continues, and there is no action to take, we start to show signs of being stressed. Then, the natural actions under stress - running away, fighting, freezing up [playing dead] are not possible. So, we feel like running, fighting or freezing, and our bodies are felt to be in stress.

 Then, when we go to doctors or therapists, we tell them our bodies ache, our thoughts are tangled, our emotions uneasy. The doctors diagnose various sorts of stress reactions, and we are off on rounds of psychiatric medications and self improvement strategies. Meanwhile, we suffer, and those who love us also suffer.

 We may be frightened, irascible, down and sad, anxious and worried, sick. And this distress is shared with those who love us, and with our extended families and our friends and colleagues at work. And, it affects our kids. So, what can we do to de-stress the dis-tress ?

 Think back to the natural hypnosis we spoke of at the start of this article. When we experience injury, the brain naturally dissociates us from pain – we “go into shock” instead. When we perform a task, even a simple one like threading a needle or reading a book, our concentration narrows and we shut out outside disturbances. When we meditate, contemplate or pray, our focus is peaceful and inward, and our troubles are lessened. When we dream or daydream our unconscious minds experiment with solutions to problems and with the varieties of life.

 Can we invite these natural hypnotic states to help us manage our current levels of stress? That’s where therapeutic hypnosis comes in. With the help of natural conversation, therapists invite your unconscious mind to enter natural states of trance. These states allow you to focus your attention for better performance; to dissociate your attention for less pain and anxiety; to soothe, calm and make your inner experience more peaceful; to experiment safely with life possibilities within your own imagination.

How does this kind of hypnosis manage and reduce stress? In natural trance states our bodies respond in flexible and healthy ways to the demands of life. We develop a complete toolkit in ourselves with which to meet our own worthy goals in our own way in our own good time. This kind of hypnosis does not tell us what to do, the way stage hypnotists or movie villains do. This kind of hypnosis helps us use our own unconscious resources to help us live less stressful lives in a world full of stressors.