Education
Exploring the Strengths of Seeking Help Long before there were hypnotherapists, there were family members. Aunt Helen listened or gave us advice, or sometimes Granny Annie just told us to toughen up and move on. If our family couldn’t help, there were friends or a clergy member. However, most of us were likely warned not to broadcast our troubles, and this led to people feeling they had to suffer through their problems silently. Times change, and so has society’s acceptance of seeking help. The old stigma of being seen as weak or incapable is primarily gone, helped by many well-known writers, actors and politicians being open about their struggles with, and treatments for, everything from depression to chronic shoplifting. Going to a hypnotherapist is now seen as a positive step in most people’s lives. Hypnotherapy is a unique collaboration and what makes it valuable sets it apart from family associations, friendships, working partnerships, and even love relationships. According to WebMD, hypnotherapy can be used to treat anxiety, phobias, substance abuse including tobacco, sexual dysfunction, undesirable spontaneous behaviors, and bad habits. It can be used to help improve sleep, learning disorders, communication, and relationship issues. Hypnotherapy serves as a balance in which two people are collaborating on a single project, helping the client deal with their problems and achieve the change they want. There is no other agenda. It’s the simplicity of that agenda, combined with a structured schedule, confidentiality, and trust, that make this unique relationship work so well for so many people. Rather than proof that someone is “sick,” it is a sign of good health to commit to change. Some people still believe a hypnotherapist will make them do things they don't want to do; this belief couldn't be any further from the truth. You get to choose your outcome. You choose what to say. You decide when to say it. Nowadays, there is an incredible number of ways to explore problems. In addition to hypnotherapy, there is Therapeutic Imagery, NLP, Neurofeedback, Biofeedback—even laughter therapy—to name just a few. For every kind of problem and every type of person, there is a therapeutic healing modality that fits. The strength of hypnotherapy is that there are no strings attached. So let's look at some further benefits of the therapeutic relationship: 1. Safety. If the connection is right, you can feel safe to reveal your fears, dreams, and fantasies without fear of repercussions or judgment on the part of the hypnotherapist. Unlike telling a friend or family member, your words to a hypnotherapist won’t come back to haunt you. 2. Learning. Hypnotherapy can be seen as a profoundly educational experience, in which a hypnotherapist acts like a coach or a teacher to help the client understand their world—inner and outer—in new and positive ways. We all have felt overwhelmed at least once in our lives. Grief, loss, anger, financial hardship, relationship problems, stress—all of these are a normal part of life to some degree. So is seeking help when coping is just too hard. It’s also normal to be a little afraid of what friends and family might say about seeing a hypnotherapist. However, in the end, it’s your life, and you know best how to make it a richer, happier and more fulfilling one—with a little help. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thesamigroup/support