Managing Stress With Self-Hypnosis: Current Evidence & Benefits of Consistent Daily Practice
Stress is a normal part of everyday life for most. It comes in all shapes and sizes and we all cope or deal with it differently. Some may cope in healthy ways while others may use unhealthy ways to deal or cope with daily stress. There are multiple ways to deal with stress. Proper diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep are some that can be used to form good habits to help manage daily life stresses. In addition, mind-body exercises and relaxation techniques are also another fantastic addition to your daily tool box. Specifically, self-hypnosis is widely overlooked and underutilized today. Hypnosis and hypnotherapy are often misunderstood treatment modalities. Several misconceptions and fears exist, that most likely make people “shy away” from trying these techniques. This article aims to inform you about the current scientific evidence available to support self-hypnosis for stress management. In addition, it will guide you to various resources to help you learn more about this invaluable technique.
Why is it that when the majority of people hear the word “hypnosis” in conversation they get taken aback? This very natural and safe phenomenon has been known about and used by various civilizations for thousands of years. Possible reasons for this apprehension is likely due to the fact that people fear losing control. In fact, this can’t be any further from the actual truth. While in hypnosis, you always remain in control. Hypnosis is simply a state of mind. No one can control you or make you do anything against your will or have you violate your core belief systems. If you can allow yourself to believe that, then you can start to open yourself up to the wonderful benefits hypnosis, hypnotherapy, and self-hypnosis have to offer. Some really good science has come out in the past few years that strongly support the use of hypnosis for a wide range of different challenges people face today. Specifically, self-hypnosis has been shown to greatly aid in daily stress management if practiced regularly. By accepting stress as a normal part of daily life, keeping a healthy balance with social activities, diet and exercise, self-hypnosis can be a great additional tool that you can add to your list of positive daily habits.
Current Evidence and Benefits of Daily Practice Some of the first published medical literature on “hypnosis and stress management” can be found as early as the 1950’s. In more recent decades, many more papers have been published on the subject and support the use of hypnosis and self-hypnosis for stress management. A more recent study is being conducted at the Mind-Body Medicine Research Lab which is a part of Baylor University. Dr. Gary Elkins lab is currently investigating the use of mindful hypnotherapy for use with anxiety, stress, and well-being. Data and evidence to date “encourages using hypnosis to relieve stress”.
This is very promising and supports the use of hypnosis and self-hypnosis to promote an overall sense of well-being. From experience, if used consistently, it can have a very positive impact on your daily life and routine. With busy schedules, tight deadlines, family demands, the busy modern lifestyle can add to our daily stress significantly. Rarely do we take time for ourselves. If you can set aside 10-15 minutes a day, it can make all the difference. Surprisingly, this is all it really takes to practice this mind-body exercise. With consistent practice, you’ll notice the benefits of how effective this technique really is.
How do I Learn Self-Hypnosis? There is a multitude of widely available resources that you can reference to learn more about self-hypnosis. Whether it’s reading a book, purchasing a self-hypnosis MP3, or working directly with a therapist to teach you the exercises personally.
Generally, Self-Hypnosis is very safe and natural when practiced properly. Always make sure you are in a safe environment and can be left undisturbed for the duration of the exercise.
I recently finished putting together a free guide that will teach you more about how hypnosis works, which also includes a simple self-hypnosis exercise you can use in the safety of your own home to better manage your stress. If you would like to receive your free copy, simply reach out and send me an email from the link below.
If you have any questions, interested in trying out a session, or getting a personalized self-hypnosis recording made, please reach out and feel free to send me an e-mail.
Written By: Sebastian Di Cesare PhD, RHt - a research scientist & practicing Registered Hypnotherapist based in Vancouver, Canada.
