Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Hypnosis For Trauma - PTSD
Many people suffering from PTSD seek counselling to resolve the problem, only to find that it has little or no beneficial effect.
They are very aware of the problem, what caused it, and how they react to the triggers; they just feel powerless to stop it.
This is because all of the reactions are happening at a subconscious level, and we don’t have access to that level of depth when we’re in waking consciousness.
Hypnotherapy can be very useful to compliment any professional help you may currently be receiving because it allows you to communicate with a part of your mind that would otherwise be unavailable to you through conventional talk therapy.
What Is PTSD - Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a group of recurring symptoms which come about as a result of a traumatic event that occurred in a person’s life.
There are many symptoms of PTSD and the type and duration can vary from person to person. Some of the symptoms include:
- Nightmares or bad dreams;
- Visual flashbacks;
- Panic attacks and anxiety;
- Anger or violent outbursts;
- Insomnia;
- Depression;
- Loss of focus and motivation
Why You Need Hypnotherapy for Trauma Treatment
When you suffer from PTSD, unpleasant memories may be triggered by sights, sounds, smells or feelings.
The trigger can bring back a memory of the past trauma and consequently set off the unpleasant symptoms mentioned above.
The goal is not to avoid the triggers, but to work with the feelings and sensations that arise as a result of them in a positive way, so that eventually you become desensitised to them.
Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool for overcoming emotional barriers and addressing the deep-rooted triggers that hinder trauma recovery.
How My Hypnotherapy Treats Your PTSD
This is how I treat clients for PTSD:
- The first step involves a lot of information gathering, where I talk to the client and get an understanding of which factors may have caused the disorder;
- Secondly, the sessions involve hypnosis to address the conditions and beliefs that are causing or exacerbating the disorder;
- I teach the client self-hypnosis to manage the fear as it arises in real-time;
- And finally, I work with the client to desensitise them to the object of their fear.
This involves meeting the client where they are and setting goals with them that will allow them to do the work at home to actively challenge their perceived fears.
CASE STUDY: Rachel - Hypnosis for PTSD
My client Rachel came to see me 7 years after she had been sexually assaulted. As was the case with many of these kinds of assaults, she knew and trusted her attacker; in fact, they had been good friends.
Since the attack she had been seeing a psychiatrist weekly and had been put on antidepressants. There were so many triggers for Rachel that she had virtually become housebound, only leaving the house to buy groceries.
She felt her life had been ruined by this person, and her insistence on avoiding anything that might trigger a panic attack had made her a prisoner of her own fear.
How Hypnotherapy Helps with PTSD
When Rachel and I began working together, I made it clear that while I was going to help her process and deal with the cause of her disorder, it was imperative that she do the work to manage her symptoms, or triggers, in between sessions.
This meant exposing herself systematically to the triggers and working with the unpleasant feelings and sensations as they came up, rather than running away from them.
Our hypnosis sessions allowed us to communicate with the part of Rachel’s mind that was unable or unwilling to let go of the PTSD, while Rachel used the mindfulness homework I gave her to deal with her triggers in a more constructive way.
It took just four sessions for Rachel to improve to such a degree that she felt able to do many of the things she had been afraid of for the past seven years.
She said: ‘All the work I have been doing with my psychiatrist has been incredibly valuable; but it’s as if everything I had learnt and processed was still locked inside my mind somewhere and I needed your help to set it free!’
Hypnosis is a powerful tool that can help you treat, manage and overcome your PTSD and take back your life again. As a qualified hypnotherapist in Melbourne, I am committed to helping you achieve a happier, more fulfilling life through the power of hypnotherapy. If you’re seeking support, feel free to call me directly or visit the Contact Us page
for further details.