PTSD Professional Perspective: How Hypnosis Relieves Symptoms

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In today’s professional guest post Kym Tolson suggests why hypnosis can be an integral part in the healing process – and just how, exactly, it helps reduce the severity of PTSD experiences.

Hypnosis is a very effective tool to heal the symptoms related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Some of the most common symptoms are difficulty sleeping, feeling irritable, anger outbursts, trouble concentrating, and hypervigilance.

Hypnosis can help heal PTSD symptoms by inducing a deep state of relaxation. After reaching relaxation - the complete opposite of hypervigilance – other symptoms can be relieved. Deep relaxation can help with irritability, sleeplessness and anger.

Hypnosis allows for a safe relaxed state, which allows the subject to gain control over symptoms. Gaining control and learning you can have an affect over these symptoms is empowering and healing within itself. Undergoing the process of hypnosis can help the person suffering from PTSD feel safer and less anxious. The process can help end intrusive thoughts and the need to stay constantly guarded emotionally. All of these effects are a byproduct of practicing hypnosis with a therapist or through self-hypnosis.

Hypnosis is a unique tool because it can help the person suffering from PTSD to work on the individual symptoms or by processing the traumatic event. The processing of the event happens much easier through the relaxed and safe state offered through hypnosis.

When I have clients dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, I will work with the client to reach the point of readiness to process the event. Each client is individual in his or her circumstances; including the level of distress from symptoms and the type of symptoms. All of these issues usually dictate where to begin the healing process.

I find that people choosing to use self-hypnosis to heal the trauma are ready to process the traumatic event. Recently, I have developed a self-hypnosis session that helps guide the person with PTSD into a relaxed and safe state. The process allows the person to identify the traumatic event while integrating the emotions that were not processed during the actual event. The process helps the client to experience the event and to learn to become an unaffected observer. Going through the process helps the person let go of the power of the event.

Hypnosis has been proven as an effective tool to treat PTSD. Other treatments such as psychotherapy and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) are also very effective for PTSD sufferers. All of these therapies allow sufferers to get past the traumatic event and to learn how to cope. If you have PTSD or if you know someone who does it is important to seek help and support.

Kym Tolson is a certified Hypnotherapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor. Kym uses hypnosis in her therapy practice to help with addictions, anxiety and stress management. Her hypnosis sessions are available as mp3 downloads and as CD’s at www.hypnotransformations.etsy.com.

Tags: addictions, EMDR, hypnosis, hypnotherapist, post traumatic stress disorder, ptsd, symptoms, treat