No-one wants to be isolated. We are social beings and want to be part of the bigger picture. We want to have fun, to laugh, to enjoy life. What if there was a way for you to learn to be outside your head and actually seeing the reality. When you are very uncomfortable you actually draw attention to yourself in a negative way. This, of course, compounds your feelings of being uncomfortable and of being stared at. Hypnosis is a technique to help you relax within yourself and in this relaxed/altered state of consciousness, you can make positive changes and adjust your thinking.
If you suffer with social anxiety your inner talk will be filled with words like “weirdo”, “odd” etc – but these are your words attributed to what you perceive as others’ opinions of you. These are your feelings about yourself. You cannot possibly know what other people think. But if you are always on the outside looking in, emotionally and physically, you stay “inside” your head. You anticipate feeling uncomfortable, you act uncomfortable and when you review the event – you feel even more uncomfortable reliving it. But your view was biased. Your anticipation of the negative sought the negative and then replaying the event, sought out the negative to support the thought. Seek and you shall find.
With hypnosis, which is a focused relaxation to access the subconscious mind, the emphasis is on getting you out of your head so that you can see things for what they are. Suffering from social anxiety or any anxiety is about being self conscious. You are learning the tools to help you move from the inward outward. Here is a little experiment:
1. Imagine a scene that causes you discomfort. Be in the moment. What are you feeling? What are your thoughts? How are you holding yourself? What do you think others are thinking? Do you look like you are in pain? How anxious do you feel?
Open Your Eyes; Close Your Eyes
2. Imagine the same scene again but this time, look around you. Focus outwards – observe the other people. Who looks confident? Who looks uncomfortable? Who is holding court? Who would you like to talk to? How do you feel? What are your thoughts now? How are you holding yourself? How anxious do you feel?
What are the differences that you noticed? When you feel anxious, your perception is affected which in turn affects your interpretation and therefore your memory of the event. It is your mind and you can choose how to make it work for you. There may be faulty programming from childhood – things that were said or done by someone significant that caused an emotional upset. With hypnotherapy we work our way back to the sensitising event and cut the emotional ties to it. With your adult eyes, you can observe the situation and understand that you do not have to give power any longer to this emotion which when triggered causes you to feel uncomfortable and anxious. When we learn the cause, we set about reducing its effect. You develop an inner calmness with the hypnosis and as all hypnosis is self hypnosis you are learning a tool for life. You set the vision of how you want to be and with the right messages to your subconscious mind, you can make this so.
To book a consultation in Limerick call Zita on 086 1038892 or email zita@zitastanley.com. If you are unable to see me in person, please visit my colleagues at Hypnosis Downloads.
