How hypnotherapy helped me take control of my anxiety
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The mainstream media usually portrays hypnosis as an urban myth. The word alone is likely to conjure up images of swaying pocket watches and patients that fall into a trance. Movies such as Get Out and Carrie have portrayed hypnosis as an almost supernatural practice. Both features fall under the Horror genre; both contain eerie hypnosis scenes.
If you have ever zoned out while listening to a song or been in a trance-like state while looking out the window, you may have momentarily experienced the effects of being hypnotised. Despite its stereotype and cinematic profile, a growing number of psychotherapists are utilising hypnosis as a therapeutic tool to guide their patients into a deep state of relaxation at the beginning of a session.
There is evidence that when patients are in this state of relaxation, it can make them more open to suggestions, bringing them closer to their therapy goals. The two crucial elements of this therapy are the ability to imagine something that provokes feelings of anxiety whilst also experiencing a deep level of relaxation.
A 2017 meta-analysis summarised 20 previously conducted independent studies that showed that hypnosis significantly reduces anxiety in cancer patients. More than 30 clinical trials have attested to hypnotherapy improving symptoms of anxiety. Another meta-analysis from 2020 concluded that the patients who received hypnosis had their anxiety reduced by an average of 79% compared with the control group who did not receive hypnosis.
Currently, the NHS most used treatments for anxiety are therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT), alongside other talking therapies.
These therapies are proven to help with anxiety; however, with waiting lists for these treatments sometimes being years long, could clinical hypnotherapy for anxiety be a solution for patients suffering from anxiety and its symptoms?
That is what 20-year-old Eilidh Hughes turned to when her anxiety became so bad that she struggled to leave the house. While waiting for NHS treatment, Eilidh’s struggle with anxiety became unbearable; panic attacks and a dangerously high heart rate were part of daily life.
She was reluctant to leave the safety of her home for driving lessons or social events and even considered quitting her job at a local restaurant. She said, “I had always had and struggled with anxiety my whole life.
“It was terrible at school, and when I left school and went to college, it got worse, and I had panic attacks every morning in the car before getting the bus.
“After two years at college, I got into a routine and felt better. Then I finished college, and my grandpa died. Plus, I had just started driving lessons, and I hated them; it started to get worse again.
“I’d get myself into such a state about my driving lessons, and I would have panic attacks before I left.
“At one point, my heart rate went up to 160 beats per minute (BPM) just sitting stationary in the car – and that was for an hour at a time.
“I’d come home, and my heart rate would drop so quickly that I’d be sick and have another panic attack. I was just a total mess; it was an ongoing cycle as I would start to dread the next lesson.”
In January 2022, Eilidh started a new job at a brand-new local restaurant and bar. She hoped it would get her out of the house after the pandemic lockdowns and help her anxiety. She said, “I started the new job in January, and it had just opened. I went into it blind.
“I think because it was brand new, and I didn’t feel 100% in what I was doing. I would worry so much and work myself up before I went in.
“I think I hid it well whilst I was at work because I didn’t want to look stupid or a mess whilst I was there, but I had panic attacks on the way to work and when I got home. Like my driving lessons, my heart rate would sit at 150-170 BPM, but now it wasn’t just for an hour it was 8-hour shifts.”
At its worst, Eilidh had panic attacks during her breaks at work, and she knew something needed to change. She said, “The way I was going, I couldn’t have stayed at the job much longer.
“I spoke about it to my mum, and she suggested hypnotherapy. I was open to anything at that point, and I had found success over lockdown with journaling, so I made my first appointment.
“The two-hour sessions were £40 each as it’s not an NHS-covered treatment, but it was worth it. During the first hour, my mum joined, and we had a general chat about what was happening. The second hour was a one-to-one quiet personal chat with the therapist.
“After my first appointment, normal sessions were me rambling and venting for the first hour and then she’d give me the option to continue chatting or go into what I call the ‘relaxation’ half.
During a hypnotherapy session, a trained psychotherapist will slowly guide their patient into a deeply relaxed state whilst also keeping their mental state highly focused on their speech. This is achieved through various techniques, including verbal cues and repetition.
The hypnotherapist may first use a gentle and soothing tone whilst describing images meant to induce a sense of relaxation, safety, and overall well-being for the patient. Eilidh experienced an intense sense of relaxation and relief during her sessions. She said, “She’d give me a blanket, then I’d get comfy and snuggled on the couch and close my eyes. She’d then count down from ten.
“She would ask me to visualise things like a gate or a scene like walking on a beach. I wouldn’t speak, but she’d ask questions, and I’d answer them in my head.
“I can’t explain it, but you could feel yourself sink. The most relaxed you could imagine being. I would come out of the sessions so drowsy.
“I think it was because I had been so wound up from ranting and worrying and she’d just help bring me down to such a calm level whilst she’d speak about and break down those things, I was worried about.”
The number of hypnotherapy sessions required to create a long-lasting change is different for everybody. Hypnotherapy can effectively help patients with anxiety; however, it isn’t a magic wand. Instead, it is a solution-based approach that can help create positive changes for the patient.
However, the patient needs to be willing and committed to changing their mindset. Eilidh now has occasional sessions once every few months and has noticed a massive change in her anxiety levels. She said, “The first few appointments, I left feeling really relaxed, but I’d still be getting a lot of anxiety and panic attacks during the week.
“I went once every two weeks in the beginning, and now it’s every few months if I need it.
“It probably took about a month or two before I felt things had shifted in my mind. I realised I wasn’t feeling so much anxiety between my sessions anymore.
“That’s when the appointments became less frequent and more focused. She would ask if there was something specific that I wanted to focus on for the session, like driving lessons or an event like my driving test. I would get booked in just before the event.
“I was so close to giving up my job before I went, and I was so frustrated at myself because I knew that wouldn’t be a solution because it would just happen at the next job.
“If I hadn’t started the hypnotherapy, I really don’t know what sort of state id be in now, but I’m just so happy I did, and I have it there as a tool if I need a refresher session or a chat.”
Despite myths and stereotypes often fuelled by pop culture, hypnosis is far from outlandish. Many leading and reputable psychologists and doctors are now using the technique as an adjunct to other conventional therapies. Leading universities worldwide are now funding and experimenting with the practice to treat conditions such as anxiety, PTSD, addictions, and insomnia.
Hypnosis is not dissimilar to conventional medical treatments. It doesn’t need to be supernatural to be dangerous. In the same way, a syringe or pills can be dangerous in the wrong set of hands, and so can hypnosis. However, in experienced, skilled hands, this therapeutic tool has the potential to make a significant difference to patients and the medics that treat them.