Stress and Anxiety

Using a variety of ‘talking therapy’ techniques, deep relaxation, and positive suggestion, my primary goal for all clients is to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety while promoting feelings of calm, confidence, and increased well-being.

There is a fine line between stress and anxiety. Both are emotional responses, but stress is often caused by an external trigger, such as being unable to work, facing discrimination, or dealing with chronic illness. Anxiety can be defined by persistent worries that don’t go away, even in the absence of an external stressor.

The symptoms of stress and anxiety are essentially identical. When our brain perceives a threat, the fight-or-flight response is activated, causing physiological changes such as an increased heart rate and blood pressure, along with the release of the stress hormone cortisol. This response is beneficial when we need to flee from danger or stay focused and alert, such as when delivering a speech. However, some people live and work in environments that keep them constantly ‘under stress.’ This is often compounded by the micro-stresses of modern life, which can keep us in a fight-or-flight state all day long.

Anxiety and stress symptoms can be both mental and physical. For people living with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), health anxiety, social anxiety, agoraphobia, OCD, and panic attacks, the experience can be really debilitating.

Prolonged exposure to high levels of cortisol can lead to fatigue and irritability, significantly affecting confidence, self-worth, self-esteem, energy, and mood. Living with prolonged high levels of cortisol can also cause chronic inflammation, impacting all systems and organs of the body. Skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis can be a very visual representation of stress in some individuals. Prolonged stress affects our sleep patterns, how we experience pain, and how we metabolize fat and carbohydrates. It can also weaken the immune system, potentially triggering inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.

During my 15 years as a Practice Nurse, one of the main conditions people sought help from their GP for was feeling tired all the time (TATT, as it’s abbreviated in GP practices). Once other causes were ruled out, we could discuss how their lifestyle and the stress or pace of their daily life might be contributing to their symptoms. Learning that their physical symptoms had a psychological cause could be deflating.

How can Solution Focused Hypnotherapy help with stress and anxiety?

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) helps you understand when you’re operating in fight-or-flight mode. Through solution focused discussions, we help you take small steps to reduce your stress and spend more time in your intellectual brain, where you can be more rational and positive.

Developments in neuroscience and a better understanding of neuroplasticity show that the brain can adapt and learn new ways of working at any stage of life. Optimism and positivity can be learned behaviours. In SFH, we practice looking at what is going well in our lives, focusing on the positives. This not only has the short-term effect of increasing our positive neurotransmitters but also rewires how we process and think about things over time. You can teach an old dog new tricks!

SFH can help people recognize the need to slow down and find space to look after themselves, which can seem impossible when caught up in a busy, hectic schedule. Guided relaxation is a key component in SFH. This helps consolidate the work done in the session, lowers your residual stress levels, increases your feelings of well-being, and helps you get better quality sleep. It is the unique combination of learning how our brain works, Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and Hypnosis that makes Solution Focused Hypnotherapy such a powerful tool in overcoming and managing stress, anxiety, and related conditions.

I can help with reducing your anxiety and stress levels, improving your confidence and self-esteem, meeting health and well-being goals, feeling less overwhelmed, improving your motivation, eradicating fears and phobias, stopping smoking and vaping, and so much more.

I use practical, structured, and well-researched strategies underpinned by neuroscience. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) can help people make significant, positive changes in a short amount of time.

I am based in Backwell and work across the Bristol area and online. Please get in touch so that we can discuss how hypnotherapy can help you start living the life you want.