help for anxiety

[Unregistered]

Hello, hypnotists. I'm in Little Rock, AR, and am currently in therapy for what started as postpartum anxiety. I've always been an anxious person but after my C section 4 months ago something went haywire and my anxiety level increased severely...worrying about my baby girl and my competence as a parent, etc. My OB prescribed Zoloft, which not only didn't work but made everything much worse. It was a horrible experience that I do not want to repeat. I was referred to a psychiatrist who wanted to prescribe several drugs. The only one I accepted is Ativan for occasional use. The psychiatrist referred me to a therapist and we are trying cognitive/behavioral therapy. She believes my postpartum condition is improving but I'm left with a long-term anxiety disorder that she believes is exacerbated by the stress of having a child. I'm 40 years old married for 20 years so having a baby is a huge adjustment. At first I was anxious in general and was having anxiety attacks. Now my anxiety is more focused. My "anxiety du jour" is germs, as my baby and I have both had RSV and a couple of colds. I keep compulsively washing my hands and using hand sanitizer and if someone coughs or sneezes around me or my baby, I start to freak out. My baby is in a family day care and I worry about her constantly. I read about hypnotherapy for anxiety disorders. Do any of you think I'm a good candidate? Should I speak with my therapist first? Would she need to contact the hypnotherapist or would they work separately? Sorry for the length...I mentioned I'm compulsive.

[Cassandra 8]

I read about hypnotherapy for anxiety disorders. Do any of you think I'm a good candidate? Should I speak with my therapist first? Would she need to contact the hypnotherapist or would they work separately? Sorry for the length...I mentioned I'm compulsive.I'd talk to your doctor about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Of course, this is just an opinion.

[Unregistered]

My family doctor and my therapist are both aware...I was just thinking about hypnotherapy as another aspect of treatment.

[Cassandra 8]

My family doctor and my therapist are both aware...I was just thinking about hypnotherapy as another aspect of treatment.OCD is a grab bag of symptoms and responds to a range of treatments -- depending on the sufferer and symptoms they have. Have you actually had a diagnosis, though?

[Don]

Hello, Guest.

From your description, I would say that hypnotherapy would be an excellent addition to the work that you are doing. The fact that you are seeking help at all is an excellent sign and I think you are on the way to getting better.

You can approach finding a hypnotherapist in one of two ways. You could go to either your OB or your therapist or both and ask for a referral. Note that although hypnotherapy has been recognized by the AMA for almost half a century ago, some people think that only their answers work and they may be opposed. Alternatively, your therapist--unless specializing in hypnotherapy--may have taken a class for a few days and think themselves expert enough to do hypnotherapy themselves even though they don't have the training or experience. I would hope that one or both are open to the benefits of adding hypnotherapy to your healing success.

You may, on the other hand, consult with a hypnotherapist first. Any certified, experienced hypnotherapist should have a form for obtaining a referral from licenced professionals. We cannot recommend a hypnotherapist or NLP practitioners in your area. That's not our focus. If you're looking for someone, we suggest that you contact either the American Board of Hypnotherapy by sending an email to aih@ix.netcom.com or the National Guild of Hypnotists at https://www.ngh.net/referral.htm

The important thing is that you make sure all of the professionals you're working with communicate with each other so they are working together.

[Unregistered]

Thanks, Don! I think I know the hypnotherapist that I'd like to use -- I believe she's president of the local chapter of the guild that you mentioned and her Web site was what got me thinking about this. I'm a little nervous about it but am definitely considering it.

Cassandra, I don't know if I've really been diagnosed with OCD but my therapist has acknowledged that some of my behaviors seem compulsive, such as the handwashing thing. It started a few weeks ago after my third cold in two months...At first I was washing my hands so much that they got chapped! My therapist pointed out that raw skin cannot do its job of keeping germs out of your system and so I was defeating my own purpose. She says I will always be anxious and prone to this sort of thing because its part of who I am, but that I can learn to manage it with self-talk, reminding myself that certain thought processes are irrational and unhealthy.
At least now I'm able to function but all this worrying and stress is definitely interfering with my life and keeping me from being joyful, and I don't want it to affect my baby. I just wonder if hypnosis might give me a little more push in the right direction.

[skip]

"She says I will always be anxious and prone to this sort of thing because its part of who I am, but that I can learn to manage it with self-talk, reminding myself that certain thought processes are irrational and unhealthy."

I dont know your therapast, and I am sure she is well meaning...

BUT that is a pretty nasty belief for someone to install in another.

If you were to have a school teacher say to a student, "You are always going to be anxious and prone to behavior you dont like, but if you learn to manage your self talk you can remind yourself that your thoughts are irrational and unhealthy."; how long would you tolerate them molding impressionable minds?

I hope she didnt mean it the way it came out, but you took on board as if it were true. Dont accept a poision pill like that!

It isnt true. Not at all. It may be her belief, but it doesnt have to be yours.

Above all you are not your behavior. And your behavior changes from context to context, and just because you did something yesterday, doesnt mean you must do it again tomorrow. You may DO some O/C things, but they arent you, and tomorrow you could be doing other things instead. O/C is learned, and you can learn something different, you spend your whole life learning.

skip

[Unregistered]

Well, I may have misquoted her to some extent and done her an injustice...she was referring more to the anxiety than the compulsive behavior. She is focusing on managing the anxiety and stopping any kind of compulsive behavior.
But I have to admit I'm not sure anyone can "cure" an anxiety disorder. It may be kind of like alcoholism. You can stop drinking, but you have to work on it all your life. And some level of anxiety is normal and even serves a purpose. In my case, I come from a long line of chronic worriers so heredity and upbringing may be working against me. I was doing a lot better before I had the baby, or at least I thought I was.
But I like your way of looking at things. I've always said that anyone can change. I guess I never applied it to myself, I just said it when I was taking up for other people who were being judged too harshly. I'm determined to do as much as I can to keep my hang-ups from affecting my baby and her future.

[EC]

Hi Unregistered Guest:

>> But I have to admit I'm not sure anyone can "cure" an anxiety disorder. It may be kind of like alcoholism. You can stop drinking, but you have to work on it all your life. <<

Not necessarily. Everything Skip stated applies equally to anxiety and alcoholism too !

>> And some level of anxiety is normal and even serves a purpose. <<

But this is a learned behavior and what Skip wrote still applies.

>> In my case, I come from a long line of chronic worriers so heredity and upbringing may be working against me. I was doing a lot better before I had the baby, or at least I thought I was. <<

*Long line of chronic worriers* See it is learned behavior. Now you can break the chain before it is passed on to your child. It is only normal for a "worrier" to worry more when there is more to worry about.

A good hypnotist can help you break that chain. Perhaps your therapist can support your desire to seek real change thru hypnosis.

Wishing you the best :)

EC

[Simple Guy]

Dear Guest,

People get better, regardless of possible heredity and previous learnings. :)
-- I've seen longterm anxiety problems dissolve away when people
benefit by hypnotherapy, good nutritionist's counsel (not the
average ones), mindfulness based meditation programs (Jon Kabat-Zinn's),
some forms of yoga. I'm NOT recommending anything specifically for you,
except to discuss such things with your medical doctor and therapist.

[Don]

Hi, Guest.

One of the difficulties in trying to explain real hypnotherapy to people is that is doesn't work with the paradigm that most Western healing follows. Let me explain what I mean.

In most Western forms of healing, if you have something you want to change, you are considered to be ill or, in a sense, broken. Something is "wrong" with you. And then, to the seemingly magical rescue, comes a doctor or therapist who, like the hand of God, will heal or "fix" you. Some more "advanced" Western-style healers, instead of acting like God, have lowered themselves (or raised their patients) to co-equals. Instead of them healing or fixing you, you and your healer(s) work together to heal or fix whatever is wrong with you.

Modern hypnotherapy has a completely different paradigm. You are not broken. You are not in need of being fixed. Rather, your mind and body are working together to the best of their ability with the skills and knowedge to make you the best you can possibly be.

There is a reason for every action you do, including frequent handwashing or other behaviors that some people call "obsessive" or "compulsive." I wouldn't use those terms. I'd just say that is what you do. It is the way your mind is dealing with issues to the best of its ability. There is no reason you cannot continue with that behavior. However, if you wish to change that behavior, a hypnotherapist can rather quickly, easily, and safely teach you the skills and give your mind (especially your unconscious mind) the knowledge that will lead you to behave in a different way.

You're not broken and in need of being fixed. You are wonderful just the way you are! But if you want to change, a hypnotherapist can help you to do so.

Did you know that Freud started out as a hypnotist? He just couldn't do it very well so he came up with a system that would work to help people change but would take longer--much longer.

You gave the example of alcoholics being alcoholics all their lives and needing to fight against it. That is the way many people think and believe--and so it is for them. There are many organizations which have huge budgets by stressing this "you will always be a failure attitude," even though their success rate at getting people to stop using alcohol is very small. On the other hand, there are people who stop drinking alcohol every day and never have a "need" to drink another drop.

People can choose to feel powerless or empowered. People can choose to feel broken or in control. This is a reason why some physicians and therapists don't like hypnotherapists and hypnotherapy--they don't understand the concepts behind it.

But that's okay! Both paradigms can exist together as long as everyone wants to help you. I think you will find that helping you achieve your goals is also the desire and goal of all the healers you want to work with.

[Unregistered]

Ok you all win. This is they way God made me and He must have had his reasons. To tell you the truth I don't like being labelled as having a "disorder" but I guess they have to call it something. I've gotten the frequent handwashing almost under control to a point that I can live with, and I don't think there's anything wrong with washing hands frequently especially this time of year and when you're taking care of a baby. I have not gotten sick again since I started doing it! But I do wish I could just RELAX a little bit. I wish I could take precautions and then just say to myself, "I'm doing the best I can so I'm going to relax and enjoy my baby." I say that, even out loud, but there is always a part of me that doesn't hear it and panicks at the drop of a hat and thinks I'm somehow not doing enough. Maybe that is the part of me that could benefit from hypnotherapy. I called a Dr. J. H. Jacobson here in Little Rock because he offers a free consultation but I did not schedule. He suggested discussing it with my therapist but even if she says it's bunk I may try it anyway. If anyone knows anything about him, I'd love to hear it. Maybe I should register so you could send me a private email. It is $300 for four sessions of about 30 minutes, which seems reasonable but is a big investment for me as I'm still paying hospital bills...

[original poster]

I had my first hypnotherapy session yesterday with a well-known hypnotherapist here in Little Rock. In fact she is president of the local chapter of NGH. It was a positive experience overall but not what I expected. At first I thought it was pretty silly to tell you the truth. I kept thinking it wasn't working because I kept getting an itch on my face, head, etc, and wondering whether I should scratch it. I did and then it would happen again. But I did finally sort of drift off and I have to admit it was very relaxing and I don't remember parts of it. She did not ask me to "look into her eyes" or anything like that. I had my eyes closed while she talked to me thru some headphones with some very relaxing music in the background. She gave me a CD recording of it and said to listen to it every day for 21 days. I do feel a little better already but perhaps it is the placebo effect. I don't care, I'll take it. One of the things she "suggested" to me is that each day I will feel stronger, more confident and more capable of dealing with whatever comes. I hope so. I suspect that some of the things she said while we were just talking beforehand were actually prehypnotic suggestions. Is that possible?
I was expecting more of a "trance" like feeling and instant results. I am glad I did it but does it sound to you all like I had the right kind of experience? I'm not sure what to look for. Also, do you think there is a reason why I kept getting an itch? Was my conscious mind trying to keep me from drifting off?

[Terry (existing)]

You have a certain belief system, and some of those beliefs are incorrect, so why not others? For example, you say alcoholics can't be cured in the sense that they can never drink again. This is an idea that is promoted in order to protect alcoholics from repeating the same mistakes over and over, but is in fact not an absolute. I have worked with alcoholics who are now able to take a drink if they wish, but who choose not to normally because it reminds them of something that was an integral part of past lifestyle failure, not because to take a drink would guarrantee that they returned to uncontrolled drinking. By that same token, you can relean how to live happily without uncontrolled worrying.....To believe otherwise is foolish as well as wrong.....

[Don]

From your description, your hypnotherapist did not fully explain to you what hypnosis is and what it is not, did not get rid of any false expectations, and perhaps most importantly, did not do anything that would convince you that you were hypnotized (these are called "convincers"). Next time you see your hypnotherapist, tell her about your concerns.

As to getting an itch--quite common, and in this case probably an indication that you were in a trance.

[Original poster]

She actually did a wonderful job of preparing me in the one-hour tutorial before the actual session. I do not mean to criticize her at all because I believe she is a professional and did an excellent job. But it was not what I expected before I went. I just wondered if there is something I can do to make myself more open to the suggestions. I am doing better with anxiety overall today, but I'm still pretty germ-phobic -- probably because half my office mates are getting sick again. It's been a bad year for bugs around here and my resistance was down from the C-section. Maybe this germ-phobia of mine is serving a purpose and will die down eventually if I keep working on it. If I do get sick again, and even if they baby gets sick again, it will not be the end of the world. I just don't want to start that cycle again of getting sick over and over, and that's what started all this germ fear, besides the fact that I think I have mild OCD and am still post-partum.
I will keep listening to the CD and see what happens. Several people I've talked to have had good luck with this woman and she put me at ease right away. I'm probably not the best subject because I'm such a bundle of nerves. After 21 days, I may try another session if I'm still having a hard time. Thanks for your input and feel free to make further suggestions...
New mom in Little Rock