Consider the following questions: Are you someone who worries about things? Do you replay sad thoughts inside your head?
Can you fondly remember the way your mother would tuck you into bed? Or are you still fuming about someone’s bad driving on the way to work, or an argument you had yesterday?
It is natural to feel negative and positive emotions. But no feeling is intrinsically good or bad; experiencing rage or hate only means you are also capable of love and compassion.
The trouble starts, however, when people hang on to unhealthy emotions, assume they define them, obsess about them, or repress painful ones. Any of these could lead to psychological disorders and even physical illness.
Most people who visit a clinical hypnotherapist describe themselves as overwhelmed or struggling with negative emotions. They are often fearful, anxious, feel unhappy, or unable to cope.
Negative emotions activate the amygdala, the part of the brain that plays a role in causing fear and anxiety. Overstimulation of this region can lead to poor emotional resilience, psychological disorders, a general sense of ill-health, and the inability to think clearly.
The perfect emotional coach
Talking to a clinical hypnotherapist activates areas of the brain that help with self-awareness, self-management, and a better understanding of social and personal relationships.
Simply entering a state of clinical hypnosis can have a profound effect on emotional health. Those who regularly meditate or practise self-hypnosis activate the ventral striatum, which is associated with decision making, and triggers reward centres located deep in the brain.
Clinical hypnotherapy is a drug-free approach that teaches the client how to trigger their own relaxation response. This simple but powerful technique immediately empowers them by reducing activity in the amygdala, creating a sense of calm and almost instant relief.
Common therapeutic suggestions used by clinical hypnotherapists – “your mind will naturally clear, allowing you to have better self-control”, and “you begin to feel a growing sense of wellbeing” – appear to be firmly rooted in neuroscience.
Each session usually lasts between 30 and 40 minutes, which creates an opportunity for brain rewiring and relearning. Clients often report feeling better after just one session.
Studies demonstrate a link between these upbeat mental states and improved health benefits, which include lower blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease, healthier weight, better blood sugar levels, and longer life.
Emotional resilience
People think emotions simply happen, but studies suggest humans have control over their feelings and how they are affected by them.
Positive emotions expand one’s awareness and receptivity to new ideas, and also prime the mind to notice things that lead to success.
Negative emotions, on the other hand, serve as a guide for identifying experiences people do not enjoy. The trick is to learn how not to focus on them.
Clinical hypnotherapy helps clients establish balance so they are better able to navigate their responses and achieve the values and outcomes they desire.
Sheila Menon is the Principal of the London College of Clinical Hypnosis (LCCH) in Asia and Australia, and the CEO of the LSCCH Therapy Centre.