May 2022

I wonder if you know that it’s Mental Health Awareness Week.

I had no idea until somebody else told me, although I work in the well-being trade and yet The Mental Health Foundation note:

• Mental health issues are a causal factor in diseases
• Behavioural problems including depression, anxiety contribute to disability in adults under 30
• Major depression is thought to be the second leading cause of disability and a major contributor of  suicide and heart disease

And it’s estimated that each week as many as 1 in 6 people will experience a common mental health problem, such as:

• Anxiety
• Stress
• Depression
• Eating disorders

No two people are affected in the same way by any of these problems, but hypnosis and NLP can be part of the solution whatever the problem.

Approximately 70% of my clients present with some form of Anxiety, so in this blog I define anxiety and share why the power of the breath [deep breathing] is a simple part of the solution and some of the reasons why Neuro-linguistic Programming [NLP] and Clinical Hypnotherapy are key to overcoming those unconscious behaviours that cause those unwanted feelings.

Anxiety

According to the charity MIND, anxiety disorders can be classified into 9 main sub-types:

• Generalised anxiety disorder [GAD]
• Panic disorder – sudden attacks of intense terror
• Phobias – irrational fears and avoidance of a particular object or situation
• Social anxiety – fear of being judged negatively by others
• Obsessive compulsive disorder – compulsive thoughts that lead to compulsive actions
• Health anxiety – obsessing about health issues and researching reasons the reasons
• Post-traumatic stress disorder – anxiety and possibly flashbacks caused by past trauma

And all these start with a known or unknown trigger, such as the thought of speaking to an audience. It could be a smell or even a sound that triggers the anxiety response and you may not even be conscious of it. Oftentimes, clients tell me that their unwanted feelings [increased heart rate, panic attack, shaking or trembling, for example] “…just come out of the blue!” This is because we’re hard wired to keep safe and
your body will automatically go into “fight or flight” whenever there’s a threat. That’s fine if you need to escape or fight a major threat [a critical incident or attack] , but when the adrenals fire off adrenaline and cortisol for what appears to be “no reason” or for an activity like entering a lift that most other people take in their stride, it’s a different story…

Anxiety is like a false alarm! For example, you think or worry about doing the thing you fear [leaving the house, speaking to an audience, performing on stage or someone gives you a sideways look] and the adrenals and heart start pumping, and you enter a state of fight or flight, even though there’s no predator in the bushes or any significant threat to worry about. But, consciously or unconsciously, the unwanted feelings and symptoms happen all the same.

When clients come to see me, I ask them to share with me how anxiety works for them.

We then find solutions by:

• Reducing the physiological responses – reducing and/or eliminating the feelings
• Identifying the triggers and find ways to flip the clients focus

The great thing about hypnosis is that it supports a calm default mode. This helps you to activate the parasympathetic nervous system [rest and digest or the opposite of fight or flight] so that you can learn to stay calm, even when the challenge used to be high.

The Power of the Breath

“Keep Calm and Breathe” was a phrase coined by Britain’s propaganda department during the second world war and here’s why…

Deep breathing is a solution for stress and anxiety because deep slow breathing stimulates the vagus nerve and this in turn lowers the heartbeat. You can achieve this quickly by making sure that the outbreath is longer than the inbreath.

You can do this by…

Breathing in for a count of 4… and breathing out for a count of 7

Or

In for a count of 7… and out for a count of 11.

Flipping the Focus

Dr. Richard Bandler, co-creator of NLP notes

When you change how you think, you change how you feel and change what you CAN do.

Summing up, anxiety is caused by an unconscious trigger or by worrying about a future event like sitting an exam, entering a lift or that fear that initiates those unwanted feelings for you.

Anxiety results in unwanted physiological symptoms such as a panic attack and a great way to take back control are to:

1. Think differently: Working with an NLP Practitioner with help you to change how your thinking, so that you can ultimately think on purpose and achieve more. Flipping a negative thought to a positive thought will affect your emotional and physical state for the better.
2. Learn how to induce calm and maintain a calm default mode – You can do this by controlling your breath as described above.

Finally, and most importantly NLP and Clinical Hypnotherapy are key because the thoughts that trigger anxiety become habitual. They happen once, fear is induced and thereafter people worry or obsess that they’ll happen again, and they do because you’ve inadvertently planned for it.

When you work with a mindset coach who has NLP and Hypnosis in their toolkit, they can support you to work directly with the unconscious, in trance, so that you can train your brain to do the positive behaviours that you want to instead – whether that’s calmly stepping onto a stage or an aeroplane, remembering past trauma without the unwanted physical response or whatever the change is that you seek.

About Tanya Bunting

Tanya is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, NLP Trainer, and Student Liaison Lead for the International College of Clinical Hypnotherapy. She works flexibly as a therapist, coach, teacher/trainer in her hometown [Bournemouth] and wherever else her skills and interests take her.

Medical Disclaimer

The content in this article is not not intended to be a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of you GP or other qualified healthcare advisor with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have seen on a website.

Your Mojo is that quality that attracts people to you. It’s that spirit [self-esteem] within that drives your success and keeps you full of energy.

However, if you’ve been feeling low and slow or super anxious in these crazy times, please know you’re not alone. Research shows that 65% of people in the UK have felt more stressed since lockdowns began. The three key reasons are disconnection, uncertainty, and a worrying loss of control.

So, how do worry, stress and anxiety work?

Worry happens in the mind. It tends to be those negative, repetitive, and obsessive thoughts.

It’s when your mind dwells on negative thoughts and the things that can go wrong!

A presupposition of NLP is that, “Every behaviour has a positive intention.”

When you come to think about it, worry is a way for your brain to handle problems in order to keep you safe.

Worry is helpful if it leads to a solution, If not, it turns into negative thoughts that cause stress on the body.

What is stress?

Stress is a physiological response caused by an internal or an external event.

An external event may be a work deadline, an exam, criticism from others or any other external threat.

An internal event is thinking about a fear, a phobia or something that may go wrong.

When your body is faced with stress, the fight/flight response kicks in to keep you safe.

Adrenaline and cortisol is released. The heart rate goes up and blodd is pumped to the vital organs giving you the strength and energy to deal with the threat – an attacker, someone screaming at you, or whatever it may be.

Chronic stress is when the fight/flight mode stays switched on, such as when a situation hasn’t been resolved. This may be financial stress, the threat of redundancy, a challenging boss; or any issue where there’s a loss or control.

Chronic stress leads to dis-ease [uneasiness] and eventually disease – heart disease, weakened immune system, digestive issues and other illnesses.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety has a cognitive element [worry] and a physiological response [stress]. Basically, it’s the fight/flight response but without a real threat.

You could call it a false alarm!

Anxiety is normal and helps us to flee from danger, such as Neolithic man escaping from a bear.

In today’s world, anxiety tends to be caused by emotionally challenging situations, such as loneliness or uncertainty, rather than a life threatening or physical threat. In Covid times, such threats have been very real for lots of people, hence the impact on emotional health.

What is self-esteem?

Self-esteem has two components – confidence and belief!
When we have high self-esteem, we generally feel positive about ourselves and about life in general. It makes us better able to deal with life’s ups and downs.
When our self-esteem is low, we tend to see ourselves and our life in a more negative and critical light. We also feel less able to take on the challenges that life throws at us.

What causes low self-esteem?

Low-self esteem often begins in childhood when adults and/or the media send us negative messages about ourselves. In adults, self-esteem may be adversely affected by major life changes such as losing a job, being a victim, an empty nest and/or relationship issues. Older adults may be affected by declining work skills or ill health.

Low self-esteem can lead to worry, stress, and anxiety [Nojo] when trying to live up to internal or external expectations.

To combat your Nojo – how you THINK is key!

Dr. Richard Bandler, Co-creator of NLP, says:

“When you change how you think, you change how you feel and change what you can do.”

Here’s why…

John La Valle, President of the Society of NLP, explains the science involved in a simple explanation that he aptly calls Brain Juice!

Good brain juices [hormones] are neurotransmitters that help us to feel good and function well. These include: Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins.

Bad brain juice [adrenaline, cortisol, and other stress hormones] consist of neuro-inhibiters or neuro-hi-BITERS as John calls them. These chemicals are necessary in situations where the body needs to go into fight or flight, such as Neolithic man being faced by a bear, or modern-day emergency situations.

Usually, our endocrine or chemical system returns to normal after a stressful event; adrenaline and cortisol levels drop, and the heart rate and blood pressure return to baseline. But when stress or stressors continue due to worry, the fight/flight response stays on. Overexposure to cortisol disrupts your body’s processes putting you at risk of chronic stress, adrenal fatigue, weight gain and other health related issues.

Internal stress in a nutshell:

• Positive thoughts/actions = Good brain juice!
• Negative thoughts [worry] = Bad brain juice!

Have a D.O.S.E of Good Brain Juice and Get Your Mojo Back!

DOPAMINE – Reward/Pleasure Hormone!	OXYTOCIN – Love Hormone!
Set achievable goalsGive yourself a tick as you reach your goals or the milestones along the wayDiffuse Rosemary [Essential Oil]Join a yoga classEat Tyrosine rich foods: cheese, meats, fish, nuts, beans. High Protein!	Spend time with friends and/or petsEnjoy or remember a lovely hugThink about someone you care aboutGive someone a giftPractice a random act of kindness
SEROTONIN – Mood Booster!	ENDORPHINS – Pain Killer!
Wake up early and get a wriggle on!Walk in the sunshineSelf-hypnosis or meditationSleep in the dark! Serotonin turns to melatonin for a good night’s sleep	Exercise for the runner’s highEnjoy a walk, jog or runDo something funRemember or enjoy a giggleDark chocolate and/or a curry

How can NLP and Hypnosis help?

You brain doesn’t know the difference between real life and make believe. This means that you can activated the production of good brain juice [happy hormones] by simply remembering a past event. You can do this by following the instructions below.

Guided Visualisation

Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down. Close your eyes and go inside.
Remember a time when you were walking out in nature on a day that was just right for you.
Recall the memory using all your senses. You can do this by going back to the beginning of the memory and rerunning it in your mind [Mind Movie]. Relive that memory all over again. If it appears on a screen, simply float your mind into it and enjoy it again as if it were today. See… hear… feel… smell… taste…what happened all over again.

NLP Spinning Feelings

Rerun the mind movie and notice the best part of the memory.
This time, as you see what you saw back then and hear what you heard, notice where the good feeling starts inside. How is it moving? Can you make it spin faster?
Now, use the power of your mind to spread that good feeling throughout.
Breathe in, breathe out and sigh. Notice how much better you feel.

Tanya Bunting

Tanya is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, NLP Trainer and Student Liaison Lead for the International College of Clinical Hypnotherapy. She works flexibly as a therapist, coach, teacher/trainer in her hometown [Bournemouth] and wherever her skills and interests take her.

Medical Disclaimer

The content in this article is not is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of you GP or other qualified healthcare advisor with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have seen on a website.