Fears come in all shapes and sizes. There is
a generalized feeling of dread the psychologists call "free floating anxiety."
Then there are specific fears that people associate with certain situations,
objects or people.
Fear of flying
and of public speaking are two everyday fears that effect many people. But there
are numerous other specific fears. You will find a fascinating (and lengthy)
list of medically diagnosed fears, known as phobias by clicking the following
link and visiting
The Indexed Phobia List.
Hypnosis and hypnotherapy address fears in two
ways. They may be used to uncover the root cause of the fear. Often, but not
always, this is an incident that occurred in childhood. Sometimes when this
underlying cause is revealed the fear loses its power. A client, for example,
had developed a fear of being without a ready supply of food wherever she went.
She said that she was afraid she would die if she didn't have food on hand
anywhere, anytime. She was not diabetic. She knew of no medical reason why she
might die without a ready stash of snacks in her pocketbook. What had happened
is that she was born very prematurely. The attending doctor told her mother,
"you must feed this baby or she will die." The mother had an exaggerated
reverence for physicians and took the advice literally. Through my client's
childhood, her mother constantly fed her and repeated the story of what the
doctor had said at her birth. Once the client uncovered this root cause the fear
soon diminished.
Another way hypnotherapy relieves fears is
through de-sensitization hypnosis. The client is mentally exposed to the feared
situation, object or person under hypnosis in a relaxed, safe mental space. Gradually, and
gently, the fear is reviewed. Positive suggestions of confidence and safety are
programmed in. I have used this hypnosis technique with fear flying, public
speaking and social fear as well as with many other fears. Generally, you should count on
several sessions of hypnosis before the fear is erased, or greatly minimized.
Here are a few comments from hypnosis clients with fear issues:
Dear
John,
Thanks
for helping me...I skied great last weekend with no anxiety
and feel wonderful about going back again next season (note from a woman
troubled by severe anxiety after a serious skiing accident after two hypnosis
sessions).
E.C.
(Barrington, Rhode Island)
Dear
John,
Thanks.
My
anxietyis greatly reduced after
just a few hypnosis sessions. I feel that I can be myself and am enjoying an inner peace
that I had almost given up on ever attaining. The insights you helped me develop
went well beyond that I "expected". It is clear to me that you really care. And,
for that and your skill, I am forever grateful.
Mara Z.
(Providence, Rhode Island)
Dear
John,
I wanted
to let you know how my trip, including the
plane ride, went on November 25th. I did panic for 10 minutes when we left
Boston to Miami, but the
flight from Miami to Turks and Caicos was wonderful! I didn't even have the
opportunity to listen to the hypnosis cd's. I simply repeated the mantra you taught me
and it worked beautifully.I'm not sure I'll ever be completely comfortable
flying, but this was such a huge change that my family no longer dread
mentioning "flying" around me. We are planning a trip to the Grand Canyon for
next August! Thank you again for encouraging me to conquer this fear...I don't
think I could have done it without hypnosis and your
help!
L.P.
(Woonsocket, RI)
Dear
John,
Thank
you for helping me eliminate my fear of flying.
The flight back home was nothing like the one over to the states which I'd have
to describe as extremely uncomfortable in every way possible. As you know, I was
NOT looking forward to the flight home. Discovering that I "inherited" my little
phobia about airplane travel from my mother was an eye-opener and seemed to
simply dissolve away the fear. The results exceeded my expectations.
D.M.
(East Greenwich, RI)
Scheduling Instructions
To schedule
your first hypnosis appointment or arrange a free 15 minute consultation to
see whether hypnosis is right for you, click the link below: New Hypnosis Client Intake Form
