Enhancing CBT with Hypnotherapy
In the world of psychology, new approaches continually emerge, offering new pathways to healing and personal growth. One such approach gaining attention is Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) whereby aspects of hypnotherapy and CBT are used together. This dynamic combination integrates the principles of traditional CBT with the profound effects of hypnosis, creating a powerful tool for therapists and clients alike.
At its core, CBT focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. By identifying and challenging negative thought patterns, individuals can transform their emotional responses and actions, leading to improved mental well-being. Hypnotherapy, on the other hand, harnesses the power of deep relaxation to access the subconscious mind, where underlying beliefs and emotions reside.
So, how does Enhanced CBT with hypnotherapy work in practice?
- 1. Deep Relaxation: Through hypnosis, clients enter a state of deep relaxation, enabling them to access a heightened state of awareness and receptivity. This relaxation serves as a foundation for therapeutic work, fostering a sense of calm and safety.
- 2. Exploring the Subconscious: Hypnosis allows therapists to delve into the subconscious mind, where deeply ingrained beliefs and memories are stored. By accessing this level of awareness, clients can gain insight into the root causes of their issues, paving the way for profound healing.
- 3. Enhanced Imagery: Hypnosis amplifies the power of imagery techniques commonly used in CBT. Clients can vividly visualise positive outcomes, confront fears, and rehearse new behaviours, making cognitive restructuring more impactful and transformative.
- 4. Behavioural Rehearsal: Hypnotherapy facilitates mental rehearsal, empowering clients to practice new behaviours and coping strategies in the safety of their imagination. This rehearsal builds confidence and resilience, preparing clients for real-life challenges.
- 5. Empowerment and Self-Efficacy: Through the process of Enhanced CBT with hypnotherapy, clients develop a deeper understanding of their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. This self-awareness fosters a sense of empowerment and self-efficacy, empowering clients to take control of their lives and make positive changes.
By integrating the strengths of both CBT and hypnotherapy, a comprehensive and holistic approach is available to address psychological issues. This innovative blend of modalities opens doors to new possibilities for healing, growth, and transformation.
To book your CBT session contact me.
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Treatment for Panic Attacks
A panic attack is a sudden and intense feeling of terror, fear, or apprehension, without the presence of actual danger. The symptoms of a panic attack are very intense with sudden onset. Panic attacks usually peak and subside within 10 minutes. Physical responses in the body include palpitations, dizziness, sweating, choking, trembling or shaking and breathlessness.
During a panic attack, a person may feel as though they are suffocating, having a heart-attack or indeed dying. Sufferers of panic attacks feel their symptoms so intensely that they call emergency services for help and following physical examination paramedics can find nothing wrong.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)
A panic attack is characterised by a “surge of intense fear or intense discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes”
Symptoms of Panic Attacks
The experience can vary from one person to the next, but some of the most common symptoms include:
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Chills or hot sensations
- Feeling of choking
- Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
- Fear of dying
- Fear of losing control or going crazy
- Feelings of being detached from oneself
- Nausea or abdominal distress
- Numbness or tingling sensations
- Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
- Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
- Sweating
- Trembling or shaking
Treatment for Panic Attacks
Evidence based clinical hypnotherapy and psychotherapy is effective in the treatment of panic attacks. It focuses on:
– Alleviatingthe underlying anxiety triggering panic attacks
– Minimising the occurrence of panic attacks
– Reducing the persistent worry about having additional panic attacks
– Removing the need for avoidant safety behaviours and activities
Click here to make an appointment with Sinead.
Record Numbers of Students Seek Emotional Support for Anxiety and Depression
The emotional health and well-being of students is being tested since COVID-19 arrived. The pandemic has impacted many factors of their educational experience leaving some students feeling stressed, anxious, lonely and depressed.
Ordinarily, students embrace the new experience of living and studying away from home with great enthusiasm and excitement. Students enjoy growing and developing as they find their feet in a whole new world of education. They learn to budget and cook as well as many other life skills.
The unexpected challenges students are experiencing with online studies, lack of normal supports as well as financial pressures are immense. Not only that, they too are afraid of contracting the virus or being in quarantine.
The shine has certainly been taken off the experience of going to college. It should be about new opportunities, new friends and positive experiences not distance learning and isolation, leaving them feeling emotional, alone and vulnerable.
Many student quit college or university because they do not get off to the best start. This academic year, it is more important than ever that students understand themselves and how they respond to stress and pressure. They need to know that many others are feeling the same way. The pandemic is triggering intense emotional experiences for many of us. Students are not alone.
Self care is essential; sleep, exercise and routine have never been more important. Keeping in touch with friends and family is important. Engaging in hobbies and online social gatherings can help.
Colleges and universities may provide support services which you can access. If not, please do not hesitate to contact me. I may not be in your area, however we can use video calling facilities or I can put you in touch with a qualified and registered therapist in your local area.
Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy Clinic Reopens After Covid 19 Lockdown
Welcome Back!
I am delighted to be reopening my clinic on Wednesday 1st July 2020 and look forward once again to meeting people in person. Whilst it has been wonderful to have had online video calling facilities available for therapy, I have missed the presence and warmth of personal connections.
Face-to-Face Therapy
Hypnotherapists and psychotherapists around the country are getting their clinics ready in line with guidance from Government. Significant planning and preparation has been undertaken to ensure you safety and comfort.
All necessary precautions will be taken including:
- Hygiene and health protocols
- Cleaning and disinfecting protocols
- Social distancing measures
The layout of the clinic has changed to facilitate social distancing. Desks, chairs and other equipment will be sanitised between sessions and masks will be provided for use.
Online Therapy Sessions
Online therapy sessions will continue to be available. Whether you prefer not to travel or are time restricted online therapy sessions can begin from the comfort of your own home.
To book an in-person or online session contact me.
The Emotional Impact of Lockdown
Many of us have felt fearful and anxious as the coronavirus Covid19 spread around the world. It quickly reached our neighbourhoods and impacted directly on our lives. We have worried about our relatives and feared for those with underlying health conditions. While some of us felt alone and vulnerable in isolation others are grieving the loss of their loved ones. Many people have lost their jobs and some have seen their family business close.
There has been a collective trauma, one we can talk about and share our experience of with friends and family, but what about individual traumas that people suffer alone? The intensity of lockdown triggered feelings and emotions that have been repressed for years. Anxieties have played out in peoples’ dreams as they slept at night whilst others tossed and turned trying to sleep.
Emotional suffering can burden and torture the human psyche. Unfortunately, during times of distress we seek solace in all the wrong places. Contentment and peace of mind will never be found in food, alcohol, drugs, porn, gambling, smartphones or other distractions.
Psychological problems such as depression, anxiety or other difficulties do not occur in a vacuum. Lockdown may have triggered unwanted thoughts, feelings and behaviours and even stirred up repressed emotions. Maybe that is an indication that it is time to treat the underlying cause of distress.
The primary aim of therapy is to identify and resolve the underlying originating cause of distress. If untreated stressful and traumatic experiences become problematic unwanted symptoms of anxiety and depression.
“Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.”
―
Insomnia and Sleepless Nights – How to Gain Freedom from Lack of Sleep
If you are reading this you are probably already too familiar with insomnia and sleepless nights. Experts believe that one in three of us suffer from insomnia or sleep related problems at some stage in our lives. According to the “Truth About Sleep BBC Documentary” we are sleeping almost 2 hours less than we were 60 years ago. 40% of the population are actually getting less than 6 hours sleep per night.
Sleep is a much studied subject and countless researchers and physicians worldwide continue to study the negative affects of lack of sleep. Stanford University state that there are over 100 different types of sleep disorders ranging from difficulty sleeping at night to problems with excessive daytime sleepiness.
When peoples’ lives are greatly affected by sleep deprivation and they just want to know what they can do about it so that they can get to sleep naturally.
What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is defined as a difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, waking up too early, or not getting restful, restorative sleep.
Acute insomnia is defined as insomnia that lasts a few weeks and is usually the result of emotional or physical stress or anxiety.
Chronic insomnia is defined as difficulty sleeping for at least 3 nights a week or more for more that 1 month and is often associated with medical or psychological disorders.
How Does Lack of Sleep Affect Your Health?
Everybody has a broken night’s sleep every now and then but when it happens more often it may be affecting your overall health.
Symptoms of insomnia include lack of energy, problems with memory or concentration, daytime sleepiness, impairments to attention and memory, poor performance and problems with family due to irritability. Lack of sleep alters a person’s mood and can predispose then to anxiety, depression and other mood related disorders.
There is lots of evidence to show that lack of sleep can also contribute to weight gain and type 2 diabetes, as people reach for carbohydrate and sweet foods as their glucose levels have been affected by lack of sleep.
Our thoughts, feelings and beliefs about sleep play an important role in getting a comfortable nights sleep. Whether you lie awake worrying about the future or ruminating about the past everyone can learn the skill of stilling the mind. If reoccurring dreams keep you awake, then perhaps your mind is trying to resolve something that therapy can further facilitate.
Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy for Insomnia and Sleep Related Problems
There’s lots of evidence supporting hypnotherapy and psychotherapy is one of the most effective ways of treating insomnia and sleep related problems. The word hypnosis is from the Greek god of sleep and is effective in training the mind and body to relax deeply. The treatment for insomnia includes the use of therapeutic interventions to establish and ultimately ease the conscious or subconscious reasons why you may like awake at night.
“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?”
– Ernest Hemingway
Poor sleep, insomnia and sleep related problems can have a huge impact on your health and wellbeing, leaving you feeling exhausted and worn-out. If you are not getting adequate or restorative sleep and would like to find out how hypnotherapy and psychotherapy can help, please give me a call.
Hypnotherapy for Children
It is extremely distressing to witness your child experiencing something difficult whether it is anxiety, bedwetting, bullying, social anxiety, a traumatic event, exam stress, fear of flying or indeed grief following the loss of a loved one. Parents often do not know where to turn to find appropriate help. Hypnotherapy can provide solutions to some of the most challenging issues that children may experience. Hypnosis has long demonstrated its effectiveness in facilitating approaches used in psychotherapy.
Children respond exceptionally well to hypnotherapy. Their creative imaginations, love of magic and ability to be in the present moment allows them to engage fully in therapy. Children are naturally open to new ideas and experiences and can make remarkable progress relatively quickly. They can overcome fears, release emotions and break habits much more easily than adults.
How does Hypnotherapy Work with Children?
The focus of the treatment will be established at the outset, clarifying the presenting problem and how hypnotherapy can help. Sessions are unique to each child and the therapeutic techniques and strategies used will be specific to the child’s problem, age and stage of social and cognitive development.
Parents are invited to remain present with their child throughout the duration of the session. In the case of older children and adolescents consent is required before treatment can begin. It is really important that your child feels safe and secure during therapy and that they are speaking to someone that they can trust.
Thankfully, younger children do not have the same misconceptions about hypnosis that adults have learned
from performing hypnotherapists on TV, therefore they respond readily and make progress.
Your child’s imagination, curiosity and sense of adventure will be used in order to desensitise fears and overcome difficulties. They can release unwanted emotion and overcome negative experiences. Metaphorical stories, drawings, visualisations, games and other tools may also be used.
The hypnotherapy sessions for children are approximately one hour long. A good indication of the number of sessions needed can be given based on assessment of each child on their initial visit.
Children’s Issues Treated in Hypnotherapy
Parents seek hypnotherapy and psychotherapy for their children in order to solve cognitive, emotional and behavioural issues. Below is a summary of the treatments available. If you have a query about something that is not listed, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Anger
Bedwetting (Enuresis)
Behavioural Problems
Bullying
Confidence Issues
Depression
Exams Stress
Encopresis
Exam Nerves
Fears
Low Self-Esteem
Nail Biting
Nervousness
Night Terrors
Obsessive Thoughts and Compulsive Actions
Panic Attacks
Performance Anxiety
Phobias
Post-Traumatc Stress
Self-Harm
Separation Anxiety
Shyness
Speech Issues
Sleeping Difficulties
Thumb Sucking
Tics and Habits
Trauma
Weight Issues
Dream Interpretation: What does your Dream Mean?
Modern research continuously proves that dreams contain fundamentally meaningful information. They can illustrate the hidden meaning of one’s unconscious thoughts, drives and desires which brings awareness, insight and even premonition.
The best and most accurate method for unravelling the true meaning of dreams is for the dreamer to re-experience the dream in hypnosis and explore what the subconscious mind is conveying. If you dream regularly or have reoccurring dreams and would like to explore their meaning in hypnosis contact me for an appointment today.
How OCD Interferes with Daily Living
If you suffer with obsessive compulsive disorder, you are familiar with intrusive anxiety causing thoughts. What is most disturbing about these unwanted thoughts is the lack of control you have over them. These negative automatic thoughts create anxiety, which in turn compels a behaviour to relieve that anxiety. Unfortunately the relief gained from the behaviour is short-lived and so the cycle continues as shown in the diagram below.
Obsessions generally begin with intrusive thoughts that cause anxiety and in order for the person to feel a sense of safety or relief they are compelled to perform a behaviour i.e. a compulsion.
About 1 in 50 people or 2-3% of the population suffer with OCD. It affects men and women equally and usually begins before the age of 25.
Many celebrities have helped people seek treatment by discussing the implications of living with OCD and how it can interfere with everyday activities, commitments and relationships.
From Obsessive Hoarding to Compulsive Hand Washing
OCD is characterised by obsessions or compulsions or both. OCD can take many different forms and are broadly categorised into obsessions and compulsions as follows:
Categories of Obsessions:
- Aggressive obsessions – unwanted urges of causing harm
- Contaminations obsessions – fears that people or objects may be contaminated
- Sexual obsessions – unwanted sexual thoughts or fears about sexual orientation
- Hoarding/saving – obsessive collection and retention of materials
- Religious obsessions – intrusive religious blasphemous thoughts or compulsive praying
- Need for symmetry or exactness
- Somatic obsessions – including hypochondria or body appearance
Categories of Compulsions:
- Washing and cleaning – excessive hand washing, showering, cleaning
- Checking – preventing dangers, checking and rechecking locks and appliances
- Repeating rituals – unwanted urges to repeat specific behaviours
- Counting – doing something or checking something a specific number of times
- Ordering and arranging – having specific rules about the way things should be
- Mental rituals or other forms of counting and checking
Hypnotherapy and psychotherapy is an effective treatment available for those suffering with the debilitating effects of anxiety related OCD. The aim of the approach used in hypno-psychotherapy is to address the cause of the anxiety and to interrupt the continual looping that is overriding the brain’s frontal thinking cortex. This looping referred to is shown in the circular diagram. For more information and booking contact me, Sinead Duffy, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist at my clinic in Monaghan town.
Manage Exam Stress with Hypnotherapy
Stress and anxiety levels are naturally higher at exam times. The worry, dread and fear of failure can take hold months before exams affecting study and sleep. Some stress is quite normal and can often help students stay motivated and attentive. However, too much stress can be unhelpful and negatively affect attention and memory. Students can find it more difficult to concentrate, retain and recall information. Research has shown that stress and anxiety impacts exam performance and has a negative effect on results.
With a calm mind you can improve concentration and memory to give the best and most effective exam performance.
Hypnotherapy has helped many students manage exam stress and perform at their best.
A well prepared mind is an effective one. For the best results, allow time for preparation and practice. Do not delay book your session today.