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If you break your arm you go to hospital and get it fixed… so why is there such a stigma attached to mental health, it’s just another part of your body that’s broken.

Welcome to this week’s #LetsTalk article with myself Grace J Teal. Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you to everyone’s overwhelming response and support with my recent articles and I hope it has helped and raised awareness.

This week I am going to explain about one of the treatments available for anxiety and depression which I have personally undergone. This type of holistic therapy treats and helps mental health issues but no one seems to know much about this treatment even though it is recognized by medical health professionals…Hypnotherapy.

So I caught up with Theresa Dawson who is a specialist in Holistic therapies with 19 years experience.

She has many success stories and I can confidently say that my hypnotherapy sessions with Theresa have certainly helped me with my anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder.

I visited Theresa and had a chat about hypnotherapy in a little more detail so I can share with everyone what exactly it is.

What is hypnotherapy?

So you all are wondering what exactly is Hypnotherapy? Well, its nothing magical or mysterious and it certainly does not mess with your head and make you do things you don’t want to do.  Hypnotherapy is simply a state of consciousness brought about through relaxation and concentrated suggestion.

What can hypnotherapy be used for?

This type of treatment can be used to combat many issues from drugs and alcohol abuse, weight management, smoking, anxiety, depression, fears and phobias and so much more and it also can be used on children from as young as 5.

What is the process of hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is a simple process, firstly it’s important to make yourself comfortable you can either lie down on the treatment bed or in a chair wherever is most comfortable for you, you pop some headphones on and so does the therapist this is to heighten your concentration and then gentle music is played and your therapist begins to speak.

Talking from my personal experience with Theresa she firstly gets you to think about parts of your body and what they do such as breathing, your eyes feeling heavy, hairs sticking up on your arms this is all about connecting with your senses, as she continues she encourages you to picture yourself in a happy place, for me this was a country lane, the sun shining down as I walk along taking in all the beautiful scenery.

Once you are in your happy place she guides you through a scenario which represents the issues you are going through in a metaphorical story… the aim of the story you are creating in your mind is to imagine carrying out actions Theresa or your therapist is guiding you to do these actions which include listening, smelling and seeing the things he or she describes.

During the story, she guides you into completing a number of tasks, these tasks symbolize the negative things in your life i.e anxiety, depression, substance abuse and so on the completion of these tasks it turns the negative things into positive thoughts and feelings that make you want to carry out life changes, you look at things in different ways.

During the process, you can hear everything and you feel awake but your eyes and your body feels heavy, that’s because you are in deep relaxation.

Believe it or not we fall into a state of hypnosis a number of times a day, those moments where you day dream or have driven your car and can’t remember your journey back they are all examples. Now you might think how does that process even affect the human mind and body, I know it sounds surreal but trust me it works.

How does it make you feel after treatment?

When I leave the room after hypnotherapy I feel amazing, I’m happy, positive, confident, I’m very in touch with my emotions, elevated and ready to take on the world…. all the issues I had and how heavy my mind and brain was before I went in goes it’s a massive relief and a big confidence boost.

Why wouldn’t hypnotherapy work?

The only reason why this treatment wouldn’t work is for 3 reasons

  • -if a child is too young
  • -someone who does not want to be hypnotized
  • -some mental health issues which are medical related.

How many sessions is required?

Some hypnotherapy, you need just one session such as stopping smoking but when it comes down to issues to do with mental health it all depends on the client and how they respond.

Summary: It is important we are aware of all the treatments that are available to help with our mental health issues because not everyone is happy having counselling or taking medication and different treatments work better on different types of people.

Check out Theresa’s website, Twitter and Facebook page where there is further info available and also don’t feel shy to drop Theresa a tweet or message with any questions you may have as she’s always willing to help.

If hypnotherapy is something you are considering you should be able to find a therapist in your area.

Social Media Links: Twitter:@Theresalivelife | Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/theresadawson.onelifeliveit/ | Website:http://www.onelifeliveit.biz/mobile/

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