Depression can be a reaction to a distressing or traumatic event. The people and situations who are associated with the traumatic event in our lives are referred to as traumatic triggers.  Traumatic triggers include the death of a loved one, losing a job, divorce, cancer or other life threatening illnesses, or bankruptcy for example.

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SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

Some symptoms of depression can come over you slowly like a fog, covering up the blue sky.

Maybe you can’t get out of bed in the morning, you don’t have the same interest in things that you used to. Or perhaps you have trouble sleeping at night and are exhausted during the day

Maybe you can’t seem to stop eating and have gained kilos in a short period of time or you have gone back to drinking, smoking cigarettes or pot or have increased you intake of alcohol or cigarettes. Perhaps you have pains and are worried that I may have some terrible disease. Maybe you mostly feel numb but you can cry at the drop of a hat.

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Anti-depressants, sleep medication, and perhaps a diet or stop smoking program may be prescribed by a doctor for these symptoms. These methods are aimed at symptom relief rather than theunderlying causes of depression.
 

HOW DOES CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPY TREAT DEPRESSION?

• In hypnosis we are addressing the subconscious mind which comprises about 90% of the mind, rather than just the 10% that the conscious mind represents. So we are addressing the whole mind the whole person, not just the symptoms.

• It helps you identify unresolved feelings or unfinished business - such as resentment, jealousy, blame regret, anger, guilt and fear, These should be released as soon after the triggering event as possible. Clinical hypnotherapy works for depression because it helps resolve or balance the underlying cause of depression which may result in self sabotaging thoughts and behaviours if not re-balanced.

• It helps you finish the unfinished business. In hypnotherapy, we can release traumatic memories and stored emotions from the mind and body, lifting the depression, stopped the compulsive thoughts or behavior, and allowing you to resume living your life.

• After the trauma has been released, each healing hypnotherapy session helps you replace the trauma or fearful repetitive thoughts with positivity.

• The power of hypnotic suggestion is then used to create long-term improvement. Once self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors have been resolved, we can use hypnotic suggestibility to improve your body function, correct patterns of restless sleep, low energy or libido, headaches or chronic pain, and increase motivation to exercise and eat properly.

 

SOLUTION FOCUSED HYPNOTHERAPY FOR DEPRESSION

Solution focused clinical hypnotherapy for depression is designed around each individual's circumstances and targets these basic areas with regards to depression.

It helps...

• Sleep to take over naturally and quiet the mind - to make the bedroom a stress-free place.

• Break the pattern of hopelessness and negative expectation – so the future can be viewed optimistically and that positive change is inevitable.

• Break the patterns of feeling stuck, helplessness and hopelessness by encouraging flexibility and understanding control issues.

• Assist with understanding personal boundaries and how maintaining them to reduces overwhelming feelings and understand ‘where to draw the line.’

• Turn guilt into liberation. Guilt usually surfaces when you do not live up to someone’s expectations or even to your own expectations. Hypnotherapy helps you to understand what you are responsible for and that other people have to make their own choices responsibly

• Reduce the effect of life’s stressors on your ability to cope with the goal of making your life a satisfying one and an enjoyable one, where you are able to experience the kind of things that you want to be able to experience.

• Turn indecisiveness into empowerment, so that you can recognise that at any given moment you have the ability to choose whether you’ll respond and how you’ll respond to different people and different circumstances.

 

It is worth noting that:

• Anxiety or depression comprises over 80% of all mental or addictive disorders

• One in every four adults suffers from anxiety or depression

• Less than 30% of those with anxiety disorders received professional help

• Only 50% of those experiencing major depression received professional help

• Only 40% of those who have chronic or mild depression for more than two years received professional help