Hypnotherapy for SA

noon · #1 5th April 2013, 15:04

Hello,

I am thinking about trying hypnotherapy for my SA and GAD as getting to a bit of a desperate point, but I feel sceptical about it.

Has anyone tried hypnotherapy for SA/general anxiety and found that it helped? And were you sceptical about it beforehand?

My Mum has done some research and said that it can help even if people don't believe it can work, but it would be nice to hear a personal account of this if someone has one!

Thank you

JeffBadger · #2 5th April 2013, 23:41

Hi noon,

The first thing I tried to get over SA was hypnotherapy. It was focused mainly on finding out the cause, some traumatic incident that made me the way I am. I didn't find one, I don't think any one thing caused it, I have just always been shy.

So at the time I thought it hadn't worked but looking back I realise a lot of things in my life had changed. I got my first job for one thing.

I have been listening to a lot of self hypnosis stuff recently and would suggest giving this a try first. I am a lot more sceptical about hypnosis these days but at the very least you are listening to someone tell you the kind of positive things you should be thinking yourself. I definitely think it helps. You can also listen as much as you like rather than paying a huge amount of money for a short session with a therapist.

Feel free to private message if you have any questions.

daveysurfy · #3 6th April 2013, 00:53

I tried hypnotherapy for a few months but I felt like I could never truly let myself go when in so called hypnosis, there was always a part of me that just wanted to blurt out, 'oh please, just shut the ffff up'
and in order to suppress that I in turn wasn't ever going to be as receptive to soaking up new thought processes.

Sadie · #4 6th April 2013, 07:10

I tried something similar to hypnotherapy for a different problem and found same, couldn't let myself go. Also it was about finding that one traumatic incident, and I had to have a statement about how it made me feel.
My statement didn't fit the therapists criteria so she made me change it to something I didn't really feel! What's the point!

I know a friend who found it helpful tho. I guess its different for everyone. Just got to give it a try and see how you feel I suppose.

noon · #5 6th April 2013, 12:09

Thanks for your responses guys, I was getting panicky as no-one had responded and I always get paranoid if no-one responds to my posts, thinking people don't like me!

I have downloaded some hypnotherapy sessions (one for social anxiety and one for GAD) as I didn't think I would be able to relax properly with a therapist. I am not confident at the moment to ask questions and disagree if they say something I don't agree with - a bit like you Sadie when the therapist changed your statement to what she thought was best.

Have listened to each download once and am also finding it quite hard to 'let go', but think I would be worse if I knew there was a real person sitting there watching me while I had my eyes closed!

Think you're right JeffBadger, it can't do any harm to listen to someone saying positive things, even if you're a bit sceptical about hypnosis. Plus you don't have to pay a lot of money each time you listen to it!

Thanks again for your feedback, it's really helped.

nohope · #6 7th April 2013, 09:27

I tried it but didn't work for me in fact it stirred up more bad memories, made my anxiety worse. But everyone is different.

Matt_1983 · #7 7th April 2013, 10:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffBadger

Hi noon,

The first thing I tried to get over SA was hypnotherapy. It was focused mainly on finding out the cause, some traumatic incident that made me the way I am. I didn't find one, I don't think any one thing caused it, I have just always been shy.

So at the time I thought it hadn't worked but looking back I realise a lot of things in my life had changed. I got my first job for one thing.

I have been listening to a lot of self hypnosis stuff recently and would suggest giving this a try first. I am a lot more sceptical about hypnosis these days but at the very least you are listening to someone tell you the kind of positive things you should be thinking yourself. I definitely think it helps. You can also listen as much as you like rather than paying a huge amount of money for a short session with a therapist.

Feel free to private message if you have any questions.

I too got my first job after hypnotherapy. At the time it felt as if it had really massively helped me, and within hours of leaving my first session I was making phonecalls and applying for jobs. About a week later I was at my first ever job interview. This was at a time when I also had huge motivation to get a job so that I could move away to live with my girlfriend at the time, so maybe it was more to do with that motivation than the hypno . . . or a combination of both.

Matt_1983 · #8 7th April 2013, 10:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by noon

Thanks for your responses guys, I was getting panicky as no-one had responded and I always get paranoid if no-one responds to my posts, thinking people don't like me!

I have downloaded some hypnotherapy sessions (one for social anxiety and one for GAD) as I didn't think I would be able to relax properly with a therapist. I am not confident at the moment to ask questions and disagree if they say something I don't agree with - a bit like you Sadie when the therapist changed your statement to what she thought was best.

Have listened to each download once and am also finding it quite hard to 'let go', but think I would be worse if I knew there was a real person sitting there watching me while I had my eyes closed!

Think you're right JeffBadger, it can't do any harm to listen to someone saying positive things, even if you're a bit sceptical about hypnosis. Plus you don't have to pay a lot of money each time you listen to it!

Thanks again for your feedback, it's really helped.

Where did you download them from?

maro111 · #9 7th April 2013, 20:09

I went to a hypnotherapist for a session but was unable to relax at all so it was a bit of a waste of time. I have used hypnotherapy cd's for a few years, firstly Glenn Harrold's then Paul McKenna's. Glenn Harrold's were good but his accent grated a little. Paul McKenna's do genuinely work. It does take some commitment but over the years they have made me calmer and a little more confident. Unfortunately they didnt work enough and am now back on meds

M20 · #10 8th April 2013, 21:32

I was actually going to post on this topic, saw some hypnotherapy on TV for un-related conditions and the people seemed to think it worked. If anything I'm just after *something* that might help. I'm new to this whole "accepting I have a problem and trying to deal with it" thing. It's amazing just how much I can hide, ignore and dodge in order to convince myself nothing's wrong.

I'll have a search tomorrow, try and download some stuff, hopefully a positive first step.

noon · #11 11th April 2013, 17:19

Hi Matt 1983,

Soz for the delay responding to your question....

I got 3 downloads from hypnosisdownloads.com... they have a whole section on Social Anxiety. I bought one called Being Yourself Socially, another called Stop being Defensive (this is from a different section), and one for Generalised Anxiety. I listen to at least once a day and haven't noticed any differences yet.... but like someone commented earlier in this thread, it can't do any harm listening to someone saying positive things to you!

Fingers crossed over time it will help a bit.