Depression If you are depressed, hypnotherapy can help you cope.
Depression is not your ‘fault’
Most of us have experienced a low mood or sad feelings at some point in our lives. These feelings are a normal response to loss, frustration, failure and disappointment. Sad and frustrated feelings like this normally improve as time goes by and the incident that provoked them fades into the past.
If you are depressed, then you are trapped in these feelings. You constantly worry and feel that your emotional needs are not being met. You also feel constantly exhausted, because your brain is unable to rest fully, even while you are sleeping. You dream more, which is the brain’s way of trying to deal with your emotional state, and experience less of the deep sleep you need to restore your mind. So you awaken, still tired, and still worrying. You are trapped in a cycle of depression and exhaustion that can last for days, weeks, months, even years.
If you are suffering from chronic depression, you are not alone – it’s estimated that between 9% to 20% of the population will suffer from a significant period of depression at some time in their lives. These episodes can have a serious impact on your life – in fact, depression can have more of a negative impact on your life than many serious diseases.
If you are suffering from depression, it’s impossible to simply ‘cheer up’ or ‘get over it’, as so many people say in an attempt to be helpful. Depression is an illness and is not something that you can control. You should seek help.
Symptoms of depression Some of the key symptoms of depression include:
- Feelings of anxiety, despair, irritability, guilt or grief
- A sense of disconnection or numbness
- A loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities, including sex
- Lethargy, inability to concentrate and difficulty making even simple decisions
- Disrupted sleep patterns
- Overeating, weight gain, loss of appetite or weight loss
- Social withdrawal
- Negative evaluation
The factors that lie behind any individual’s depression vary, but may include a combination of biochemical, genetic, psychological and environmental factors.
Hypnotherapy can help lift depression If you think you may be depressed, please do see your GP. Drugs can be a successful treatment for many, but may not suit everyone and do not influence the underlying issues for your depression. Counselling is another popular approach, but it can take time to work. Hypnotherapy can be effective for depression, either used on its own, or as a supplement to other approaches. The deep relaxation experienced during a hypnotherapy session gives the depressed mind a valuable break starting the process of developing a new inner landscape. Together we can also explore possible root causes for your depression and help you to develop the resources you need to feel a greater sense of security and contentment in your life.
Hypnosis for depression has no side effects and can teach you coping strategies and more positive, healthier ways of thinking.