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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To have hypnotherapy for anxiety

32 replies

DianneWhatcock · 29/10/2019 08:24

Has anyone tried it? How was it and did it help any?

I've had mild anxiety on and off for about the last 15 years. But in July I moved house and it seems to have triggered the worst anxiety I've ever known and it's affecting my whole life. I've considered going to the dr but tbh I've tried before and they don't take me seriously. And I don't want medication unless it's the absolute last resort and tbh when I've tried that before it doesn't help much and just makes me numb

I'm sick of waking up every day in a panic and just feeling scared all the time. I'm sick of constantly feeling like something bad is going to happen. I just want to be happy again and enjoy life 😓

OP posts:
ColdAndSad · 01/11/2019 07:56

I've had hypnotherapy and have found it very useful. It's not like you lose control over yourself or anything: you just feel very relaxed and calm and focused, almost like you're awake while you're asleep. It's lovely. It's helped me relax, helped me deal with stressful things (I can now get myself into that hypnotised state, and have used it when having MRI scans or endoscopes down my throat, which I did with no medication or sedation, just self-hypnosis).

I think you need to couple it with a few things, though. If you find a really good CBT counsellor, she will help you reframe your thoughts and that will slowly take the edge off your anxiety. If you've had CBT in the past and not benefited from it, it's worth trying a different counsellor as it can be hugely beneficial, when done right.

I have also found that self-compassion guided meditations work well. There are some good ones here, which are very quick, free, and comforting:

self-compassion.org/guided-self-compassion-meditations-mp3-2/

And finally, medication. I take sertraline for depression, which helps me a lot, but it doesn't do anything for my anxiety. The absolute best medication I've had for anxiety is beta blockers. I take propanolol. I can have up to four 10mg tablets three times a day; but I usually take two when I start with that panicky feeling, and that does it. Yesterday was a very difficult day and I ended up taking two lots of two, and that was it. I was fine after. It does affect my sleep: I was awake for about two hours last night; I do find that difficult, but it's worth it to not feel so awful. And I bet there are some beta blockers that won't keep you awake. It's just a matter of working through them until you find the one that suits you.

I hope you get the help you need. Don't avoid meds if they could help you, they can be life-changing.

DianneWhatcock · 01/11/2019 16:08

@ColdAndSad that sounds amazing

I would also consider CBT but the waiting list is months

Re medication if I found one that actually helped without giving me awful side effects I'd deffo consider it!

OP posts:
DianneWhatcock · 01/11/2019 16:09

@Robeena28

Thank you that doesn't sound too bad!

OP posts:
Robeena28 · 01/11/2019 16:17

@DianneWhatcock

I'm trained in CBT, NLP, hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy and I would be more than happy to have a chat with you and see if I can help you in any way.
I offer telephone consultations completely free of charge to everyone, please let me know if this is something that you might be interested in

Kind regards 😊

DianneWhatcock · 01/11/2019 17:12

@Robeena28 that is very kind but I can't talk on the phone that is something that gives me awful anxiety .
And something that clearly needs addressing when I have my therapy 🤦‍♀️😂

But thank you Xx

OP posts:
Robeena28 · 01/11/2019 17:15

@DianneWhatcock

You're very welcome and best of luck for your therapy xx

OrangeSlices998 · 01/11/2019 19:18

For me personally, CBT was the biggest waste of time. I know some people swear by it but I needed more than a half hour appointment of planning activities and taking about being happy and trying harder. Which is what it felt like.

Private EMDR therapy was life changing for me. Relieved me of the weight of anxiety for the first time in my adult life - not cheap, but worth every single penny. I can’t recommend it enough - www.emdr.com/frequent-questions/

Previously was on sertraline, which lifted me out of the dark days, but made me feel quite numb, and affected my libido. However it was what I needed at the time to get me out of bed and eventually back to work.

Good luck OP.

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