Did you know that over 40 million adults in the US are affected by anxiety? If you are one of them you realize how debilitating this problem can be. The tragedy is that only one third of the people who are suffering with anxiety seek help for the problem. Anxiety can result in significant disability in social and occupational functioning, lead to dropping out of school prematurely, and has economic costs, as well, i.e. absenteeism from work, the cost of prescription drugs, emergency care and hospitalization. Anxiety often accompanies depression and may even result in suicide.
People have all kinds of fears or phobias. Some fears include driving or flying, fear of bees, spiders, wasps or snakes. Some have fear of water or fear of heights. One of the most common fears people have is the fear of speaking in public. Other problems with anxiety include generalized fear, fear of social situations, and sometimes agoraphobia or fear of leaving the house. If you are one of the people who suffer from anxiety, take heart – – help is available. You can take steps now to eliminate or greatly reduce these fears.
There are many things people can do on their own to reduce fear. Meditation, yoga, Tai Chi, relaxation and visualization can all be helpful. If these steps are not sufficient to bring the anxiety under control, then it is time to seek outside help. Talking to a counselor, social worker or psychologist may also be necessary. Another alternative that is often very effective is Hypnotherapy, which has proven to be helpful in eliminating many problems that involve anxiety.
Hypnosis can quickly locate where the anxiety is coming from. Once accomplished, the client learns that it is not necessary to hold on to this anxiety, and it can then be released. The beauty of hypnosis is that healthy, rational messages can more easily be accepted by the individual’s subconscious. This is where much of the anxiety-producing thinking is buried. Many peer review studies demonstrate that hypnosis is one of the best methods for dealing with this potentiality debilitating problem.
Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you woke up the next day and were no longer plagued by anxiety? For some of you, you could get in front of a group of people and calmly talk about important topics. For others, you could eliminate obsessions and compulsions, comfortably fly on airplanes, or take the elevator to a very high floor in a building. These are not the only places one encounters fear. Just about any time one takes a risk or tries something new, fear will arise. The question you need to ask is: does the fear stop you from doing what you truly want to do, or are you able to do the activity despite the fear? If the fear is stopping you, then it is time to take action. You can be in control of your life, rather than letting the fear control you.
There are now many effective ways to get this fear under control, but as mentioned earlier, hypnosis is an excellent method for eradicating these fears. It is unfortunate that so many myths exist about hypnosis. Some people fear the hypnotist will have control over them. This is simply not true. The individual is aware of what is occurring and would immediately come out of trance if anything were asked that went against his or her values or moral beliefs. Another myth is that if something were to happen to the hypnotist the client might remain in trance for an indefinite period of time. Again, this is completely false. If something were to happen to the hypnotist, after a short time, the individual would become aware that nothing was being said, and would either come out of trance at that time or might fall asleep for a short period, awakening in his or her normal state.
One other myth that is sometimes heard is that hypnosis does not work. This, too, is completely inaccurate. A large number of studies testify to the fact that hypnosis does work. Hypnosis is safe and very effective for a large number of problems. If you would like to eliminate or greatly reduce anxiety, and significantly improve the quality of your life, consider seeing me for counseling and hypnosis. You will notice a definite improvement in how you feel.
By Phil Rosenbaum
