As a hypnotherapist that specialises in helping anxiety sufferers, I often share clinical insights with my clients. Today, however, I’d like to share something more personal: my own journey of overcoming anxiety.
For years, anxiety controlled various aspects of my life. Even simple tasks like popping to the shops became overwhelming. My palms would become sweaty, my heart would race, and my face would flush red with embarrassment. Like many others, I found myself caught in a vicious cycle – the more I fought against these symptoms, the more intense they became. My mind would spiral into endless “what if” scenarios, creating a perpetual state of worry and fear.
The Science Behind Anxiety
What I’ve learned through my professional training and personal experience is fascinating: when a child grows up in a dysfunctional environment, the emotional part of their brain – the amygdala – actually increases in size, while the thinking part – the neocortex – decreases. This physical change makes us more susceptible to emotional regulation issues, including anxiety.
Understanding this neurological component helped me approach my healing with more compassion. It wasn’t a character flaw or personal weakness causing my anxiety; it was my brain’s learned response to stress and trauma.
The Turning Point
My healing journey began when I discovered three key approaches that would ultimately transform my relationship with anxiety:
Mindfulness as a Foundation
Through regular mindfulness practice, I began to understand my triggers better. More importantly, I learnt to externalize my thoughts and feelings rather than identifying with them completely. This revelation helped me recognize that many of my anxious thoughts weren’t actually my own – they were introjects, beliefs and ideas planted by others throughout my life.
I started keeping a journal to track situations that triggered my anxiety. Surprisingly, some things I thought were triggering my anxiety weren’t the real culprits at all. This awareness became invaluable in my healing process.
The Game-Changing Power of Hypnotherapy
I’ll admit, I was initially sceptical about hypnotherapy. My only exposure had been watching stage hypnotists on telly, which, quite frankly, made me cringe. However, hypnotherapy proved to be revolutionary in my recovery. It allowed me to access my unconscious mind, where anxiety-triggering patterns were stored, and literally rewire my nervous system’s response to stressors.
The practice provided a deeply relaxing state where I could safely explore and desensitise traumatic memories. One of the most fascinating aspects of memories is that every time we access a them in a relaxed state, we actually begin to change them. This means that revisiting difficult memories while in a calm, hypnotic state can help release their emotional charge.
Through regular self-hypnosis, I developed daily calming techniques that became invaluable tools in my anxiety management toolkit. These techniques allowed me to ground myself quickly whenever anxiety threatened to overwhelm me.
Inner Child Work: The Missing Piece
The most profound changes occurred when I incorporated inner child work into my healing journey. This approach isn’t about dwelling on past hurts or pointing fingers at our parents – it’s about becoming the nurturing parent to ourselves that we needed in childhood.
Through techniques like writing letters to my younger self and using old photographs to reconnect with that version of me, I began healing childhood wounds that were feeding my adult anxiety. Hypnotherapy helped create safe mental spaces where I could nurture this inner child aspect of myself.
Society often teaches us to shame ourselves for feeling anxious or depressed. Through inner child work, I learned to release these limiting beliefs and the conditioning that had kept me stuck in anxiety patterns for so long.
Creating a Sustainable Practice
Recovery isn’t linear, and what works one day might not work the next. I developed a flexible daily routine that incorporated various healing modalities:
- Mindfulness practices
- Gentle movement (yoga and qigong)
- Self-hypnosis sessions
- Inner child work
- Gratitude journalling
- Nature walks and cycling
The key was consistency rather than intensity. Some days, I might focus more on mindfulness; others, I’d lean into inner child healing hypnosis. Having multiple tools at my disposal meant I could adapt my practice to my needs on any given day.
The Power of Professional Support
Working with experienced professionals was crucial to my journey. They helped me develop and integrate these various healing modalities effectively. While I now guide others through similar processes, I still remember how valuable it was to have someone holding space for my healing journey.
Moving Forward
Today, as I help others on their healing journeys, I’m reminded that seeking help isn’t a sign of weakness – it’s an act of immense courage. Whether through traditional therapy, hypnotherapy, or inner child work, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to healing anxiety.
What matters most is finding methods that resonate with you and practitioners who can guide you effectively. Be patient with yourself, be gentle with your progress, and remember that healing is possible, even when it feels distant.
The journey of overcoming anxiety isn’t about eliminating all anxious feelings – it’s about changing our relationship with anxiety and developing tools to manage it effectively. Through this work, I’ve not only overcome my own anxiety but found my calling in helping others do the same.
Leave a Reply