Tim Maude Hypnotherapy

Tag: #anxiety

  • Are You Scared of Being Sick?

    Are You Scared of Being Sick?

    There are those who are just scared of becoming ill – whether this is an anxiety about coming down with something, or just being anxious about throwing up. It is not as uncommon as you might think. For some, this worry dominates their lives, especially if they have young children.

    When someone’s mind is filled with worry about becoming ill, it can become all-consuming. They don’t want to mix with others in case they catch something; they are always hyper-sensitive to every little cough or sneeze. It can dominate their lives, and this can lead to a miserable life for themselves and their family.

    Of course, it is quite natural to be wary about disease. It is unpleasant to be ill – we can’t get on with our lives, we get bored staying in bed, and it is generally an uncomfortable experience. Fortunately, our bodies are very resilient and we are usually able to get over most diseases given time.

    But some people are so anxious about picking up a bug that it almost overwhelms them. Maybe their parents were over-wary about “germs”; maybe they had a particularly bad experience in their past; or maybe they simply watched the constant reminders about Covid during one of the lockdowns. It doesn’t matter where the anxiety came from – if it is dominating your life you need to do something about it.

    One of the common consequences of this is a fear of vomiting (or someone close to them vomiting). This is particularly difficult for parents, as they have to deal with the aftermath of their children throwing up. For some, the anxiety of vomit is completely overwhelming. Fear of vomiting is so common, that it has a name – Emetophobia.

    If health anxiety or emetophobia is spoiling your life, you need to do something about it. There are a variety of psychological ways to help. Your doctor will likely suggest CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). For myself, I prefer the hypnotherapy approach.

    If you would like to experience hypnotherapy for yourself, for health anxiety, emetophobia or another issue, you might like to consider Contacting Me. I offer hypnotherapy services from my clinic in Fleet, Hampshire as well as online.

    Useful References

    Health Anxiety

    https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/health-anxiety

    https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/health-anxiety-what-it-and-how-beat-it

    Emetophobia

    Emetophobia

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  • The Difficulty of Having a Laugh When Anxiety Strikes

    The Difficulty of Having a Laugh When Anxiety Strikes

    When anxiety strikes, it is sometimes difficult to imagine a positive future, and yet that is what I ask my clients to consider. It is hard to have a smile, have a laugh, and enjoy each moment. And yet it is possible to get there.

    Anxiety is a natural response to threats. In a dangerous world, our survival instinct clocks in. If there is potential danger nearby, that instinct makes us anxious, and the anxiety makes us look out for the danger. When anxiety strikes, we start focusing on all the things that might go wrong.

    Focusing on things that can go wrong in times of danger is part of our survival instinct. It is this instinct that kept our ancestors safe when the world was a more dangerous place. In most of the world, there are few life-threatening dangers these days, and yet our survival instinct still activates.

    Our survival instinct is only concerned with keeping us alive; it does not care how we feel. It does not care that being filled with anxiety is not a nice place to be. It does not understand that, in this modern world, being filled with anxiety severely hampers what we are able to achieve.

    So I ask my clients not to focus on the things that could go wrong in their lives; I ask them to focus on what life will be like when it all goes right. I ask them to focus on enjoying life. If you suffer from anxiety, you will realise how hard this is to do. That is why hypnotherapy is so useful in helping to break the vicious cycle of anxiety and worry.

    If you can, when anxiety strikes, focus your mind on what you can enjoy in that very moment, and also what a successful future would look like.

    And Finally …

    If you have difficulty in managing your anxiety by yourself, you might like to Contact Me. I help people with anxiety by using hypnotherapy to break the anxiety vicious cycle. I work from my clinic in Fleet, Hampshire and also online.

    Photo courtesy of Nicola Crichton at the Mental Health Foundation

  • Anxiety is Like a Game of Jenga

    Anxiety is Like a Game of Jenga

    A life of anxiety is like a game of Jenga – you are only in control of half the things that are going on, and you never know when things might go wrong. Step by step, you have to make your move changing the position of something in your life, while someone else is making moves that you cannot control. And all the time there is a sense of jeopardy as you never know if your life will collapse in front of you.

    Of course, although our lives might seem like jeopardy, things very rarely go wrong to the extent that our lives are completely ruined. Most people have survived major changes to their lives, some brought on by themselves, but mostly brought on by external circumstances. We are a very resilient species and able to cope with a lot.

    Whereas a game of Jenga gives us a sense of excitement, never quite knowing when the tower is going to fall, uncertainty in life gives rise to anxiety. The stakes are higher in the game of life; we cannot rebuild the Jenga tower and start again. When things go wrong, we have to cope.

    Sometimes, it seems like there is so much that is going wrong, that the anxiety become overwhelming. This is the time many people seek out help. In truth, it would be better if they had sought help before it got that bad.

    Help comes in many forms, and these can be divided into three main categories:

    1. Self Help – There are plenty of things you can do for yourself that will improve things – exercise, eating less junk food, getting enough sleep, making time to give our brains a rest and so on.
    2. Medication – There are plenty of drugs that can be prescribed that can make an anxiety-filled life more tolerable.
    3. Therapy – There are plenty of therapists from different disciplines that can help.

    I would always recommend self-help first, but if you need help beyond that, my natural tendency is to head for hypnotherapy. Of course, that is what I do, so I would say that … but I have seen so many people get back in control of their anxiety-ridden lives through hypnotherapy that it comes at the top of my list.

    And Finally …

    If you want the help of a hypnotherapist, please consider me. I work out of my clinic in Fleet, Hampshire, as well as online. I specialise in helping people with anxiety-related issues. If you want to Contact Me, I would be very happy to have a chat and answer your questions.

    Photo courtesy of Emily Fullerton at the Mental health Foundation

  • Unbelievable Changes: The Wonder of Hypnotherapy

    Unbelievable Changes: The Wonder of Hypnotherapy

    It always seems unbelievable. This person used to panic at the thought of speaking in front of an audience … they had frozen, unable to speak, when faced with delivering a talk that they had already rehearsed many times. And after a few sessions of hypnotherapy, they were able to stand up and fluently give a presentation to an audience of several hundred … and they actually enjoyed the experience.

    This is the sort of transformation that I see in my clinic over and over again. It may be anxiety about giving a talk, about going on a plane, about changing jobs, about driving on a motorway. Or it could be worry about things going wrong, or lack of confidence in themselves. Or it could be so ingrained that they get anxious as soon as they wake up – even though it is just another ordinary day.

    It seems like a miracle that people can change so quickly.

    But think about it. If you break your leg, doctors can set your leg with splint or a plaster cast and after a few weeks, the leg will miraculously heal itself. When you allow your body to be handled by skilled physicians, that same body will heal itself. This seems like miracle too.

    Your brain is simply a part of your body. Allowing a hypnotherapist to put your brain into the right state can allow the brain to heal itself. When I see my clients, that is all I do. I simply guide them into the right state of mind that allows the brain to heal itself.

    I will never stop being amazed at how incredible changes can happen over a few short weeks.

    And Finally …

    I help people for whom anxiety is controlling their lives. If you are struggling with anxiety, in any one of its many forms, you can do something about it. Hypnotherapy is not the only answer, but if you would like to experience hypnotherapy, you can Contact Me and I will be happy to talk to you about it. I work from my clinic in Fleet, Hampshire as well as online.

    Photo by Henri Mathieu-Saint-Laurent

  • Controlling the Scrolling: Social Media and Mental Health

    Controlling the Scrolling: Social Media and Mental Health

    Social media is now part of our society. Research suggests that around 4.9 billion people around the world use social media, spending an average of 145 minutes (that’s nearly two and a half hours) every day. Studies suggest that this may cause an increase in anxiety and depression.

    Anxiety, Depression and Social Media

    You may wonder how social media can impact our mental health? It starts with the addictive nature of social media. These systems are designed to keep us scrolling. It effects the brain by giving us little hits of dopamine – when we see something we like, when someone likes our post, when someone mentions us … and so on. And the dopamine just encourages us to carry on scrolling, looking for the next hit.

    After a while, we need to keep checking our social media just to feel normal, and when we are deprived of it, we feel low – encouraging feelings of anxiety and depression.

    The content that we look at on social media can also cause feelings of anxiety and depression. When someone criticises you or your post, or when you are wondering why your post did not get as many likes as you would like – it creates bad feelings.

    When you see all the happy smiling faces of your friends, as they post about the highlights of their day, you may wonder why your day has not been 24 hours of delight as your friends appear to have.

    All these can lead to feeling bad about yourself. It allows the primitive, anxiety-and-depression-creating part of the brain to take over.

    Social Media Isn’t All Bad

    Please don’t think that I am saying that social media is a bad thing. It has many positive impacts too. It allows people to express themselves, maintains social contact with friends everywhere as well as being a useful source of information. It’s all about balance.

    Social Media Self-Control

    When I ask my clients what little thing they could do to improve their lives, one thing that often comes up is controlling the scrolling. They find that too much social media has a negative impact on their lives, so they resolve to cut it down. The common way to do this is to create self-imposed rules about when and where they use social media.

    Here are a few self-imposed rules that my clients have decided that they will take on:

    • Put the phone down at 8 in the evening – nothing more after that
    • No scrolling in bed
    • No scrolling while sitting on the toilet
    • No looking at the phone until after breakfast
    • Put the phone away while watching television
    • No looking at social media at meal times
    • A social media fast – a month without any social media

    You might like to think what self-control rules you might apply.

    And Finally …

    I always encourage people who talk to me about their anxiety or they mental health in general – find some changes they can do themselves to make it better. Even so, some people still need help.

    If you would like my help – I use hypnotherapy to help my clients regain control of their lives. I work in my clinic in Fleet, Hampshire as well as online, so Contact Me if you would like a chat about it.

    References

    Social media’s impact on our mental health
    https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/social-medias-impact-our-mental-health-and-tips-to-use-it-safely/2024/05

    Impact of social media on social anxiety: A systematic review
    https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=pTCRDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA129&dq=impact+of+social+media+on+anxiety&ots=YpmHilZJMr&sig=G5EGh9TTrSYkiZDpdVbsHt68qk8#v=onepage&q=impact%20of%20social%20media%20on%20anxiety&f=false

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  • How Does Hypnotherapy Work and Why is it So Good for Anxiety?

    How Does Hypnotherapy Work and Why is it So Good for Anxiety?

    Hypnotherapy is a form of Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR), a state in which the body and mind are at rest without being asleep. During NSDR the part of the brain associated with anxiety (the amygdala) reduces its level activity. So while you are in a hypnotic trance, your anxiety levels decrease.

    In a relaxed state, your mind is more open to considering suggestions and positive intentions and this allows your brain to make changes so that you can become calmer and less anxious. A hypnotherapist will use this to lead you into making the changes you need to become a more relaxed and calm individual.

    Of course, hypnotherapy isn’t just about anxiety reduction, although it is particularly effective in this respect. Hypnotherapy can allow an individual to make a wide range of changes that they do not seem to be able to do on their own.

    Some of my clients tell me that they fall asleep on my hypnotherapy couch. Although it may seem like it, they are not asleep – simply very relaxed. Within the brain, deep sleep is characterised by delta wave activity During hypnosis, there is an increase in alpha and theta waves, associated with creativity and relaxation.

    If you want help in controlling your anxiety levels, you may Contact Me. I use hypnotherapy to help people with anxiety to regain control of their lives. I work out of my clinic in Fleet, Hampshire as well as working online.

    References

    Unlock the Awesome Brain Benefits of Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)
    https://thebestbrainpossible.com/nsdr-brain-mental-health-benefits-huberman/

    What are Delta Waves?
    https://sleepspace.com/what-are-delta-waves/

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