Depression
- Moods
MOOD DISORDERS – The ups and downs of life
DEPRESSION
I
would expect hypnosis to have benefits over the talk
therapies by getting in touch with the inner or
subconscious mind. Really it is looking at cause and
effect in a different way.
What
is depression?
An
unbalance at cognitive, biological, emotional
and social levels. It is somewhat amazing that the
orthodox professions seem to disregard the
nutritional status of the individual especially when
minerals are said to be the key to cellular function.
Refer to article “Beating the omega blues”.
CHARACTERISTICS Can
you relate to what I’m saying below!
Helplessness
at loss of control of outcomes and generally LOSS OF
SOMETHING IMPORTANT FROM YOUR LIFE.
THIS LEADS TO HOW YOU
FEEL AND ATTRIBUTING THE CAUSES
Nothing
I do really matters (negative expectancies)
No
actions I do permit me to avoid occurrence of
unpleasant events
I
take blame for lack of control
I
HAVE NEGATIVE BELIEFS about the future/ other persons/
and the world about me
I
HAVE LOW SELF-WORTH
MY MOODS ARE UP AND
DOWN
My
attention is self focused – dwelling on how it
could have been prevented.
I
blame lack of intelligence, bad judgment, laziness
and so on - not realizing they are stable and
internal, rather than external. Non-depressed persons
are more likely to give themselves the benefit of the
doubt.
THEY ARE ALL SELF-DEFEATING
ATTITUDES
What
can happen!
Failure
to take responsibility
Self-punishing.
Re-direction of anger is inward as often happens in
the grieving state
Magnifying
importance of negative events and minimizing the
importance of positive one
Over
generalising and analysing that gets nowhere
You
get trapped in an endless self-regulatory activity as
if cannot reason a way out
Your
thinking probably crushes rays of hope and enthusiasm
Thinking
about ones self too much can prove harmful – old
adage is still true
WHAT CAN BE DONE
My clients frequently say that help is not easy to
find!
Hypnosis
can make cognitive behaviour therapy more effective
especially in reactive depression, for anxiety relief
and facilitating technique for restructuring the
nihilistic thoughts of depressed patients. Commonly
techniques involve age regression and progression to
a more positive existence. Relaxation therapy can be
combined with rational emotive therapy and even when
the client is on anti-depressants. We are looking
towards giving the mind a good place to live in, and
re-learning to become your own best friend.
Thought
and thinking “in the now” are so important
and I work on this, helping the mind to let go of the
unwanted thoughts and to replace them with more
appropriate ones. All this is part of post hypnotic
suggestion. Refer my card “Our thoughts”.
For
some clients it is getting the sleep pattern back in
order and overcoming any dilemma that the cause may
have been sleep disturbance OR is it prolonged or
exacerbated by poor sleeping? I like to rephrase or
reframe such terms as depression to a less
threatening title, rather than a “brand”.
Of recent times the herbal
Hypericum or St.JohnsWort has been used and
extensively evaluated as an alternative to
prescription medication. It must be taken for at
least 3 months and wisely with any other medications
- check if compatible. Usually best by itself.
THE SMOKER AND THE
DEPRESSIVE
It
may be that one puff stimulates and next one appears
to bring relief. Something like a dog chasing its
tail. It leads to no long term benefit.
First
with clients I like to be given the opportunity to
remove other issues before stopping the old habit.
The reason here is that the thing that could return
you to the habit is no longer there ie., removing the
stressor. It is a myth that smoking relieves stress
and I must educate the conscious mind into believing
this, along with other teaching.
I
like clients to read and re-read this article many
times over a few days or weeks and deciding for
yourself, and yourself alone.
If
what I have to offer is for you it does require
several visits to feel the “new you!”
After a while it begins to feel as though you can
focus on wellness and being positive, rather than the
opposite