In today’s modern world we don’t seem to be able to take time out and relax.
It seems we are working harder, working longer, staying connected and
“plugged in” more each day and spending less time relaxing. Is it any wonder
then that many of us are suffering some form of Anxiety?
Elizabeth Machnicki, is a therapist in the Costwolds, who achieved a Diploma
from the College of Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy
<http://www.ccbh.org.uk/diploma_in_cognitive_behavioural_hypnotherapy_london
> last November. She contributed to an interesting article in the
Independent ( Supplement ‘Depression and Burnout, dated Dec 2010) all about
anxiety and so I thought I would share some of the article with you.
Anxiety disorders come in a number of different forms, and you can include
well known disorders such as OCD, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder
and panic attacks. Anxiety problems are rarely experienced on their own,
all too often they occur along side other conditions, such as depression.
The one common thread though, is the massive impact anxiety can have on our
day to day lives.
Some facts and figures are always interesting at this point. 1 in 6 adults
at any one time will be affected by mental distress (Office for National
Statistics). According to MIND, around 300 people out of every 1,000 will
experience mental health problems every year in Britain, of these 230 will
visit a GP and 102 will be diagnosed as having a mental health problem. 6 of
these people will become inpatients in psychiatric hospitals. Mixed anxiety
and depression (according to the Office for National Statistics 2000 survey)
is experienced by 9.2% of adults in Britain. That is a pretty high
percentage. So what are some good ways to combat anxiety?
Well I personally like to try and make myself relax, typically through some
form of exercise or spending some quality me time alone, have a nice
relaxing hot bath and more typically do brief self hypnosis which is incredible.
Other good things to try are swimming, Yoga and anything in general that
makes you feel more relaxed. But for some, anxiety will still be a problem.
Typically anxiety can start with feeling stress or under pressure. Often
early warning signs include not being able to sleep, worrying more, and
going over things more and more in your own mind.
So what happens if you start to suffer with an Anxiety disorder? Is there a
solution to Anxiety? Well the treatment with the best-established and most
thorough research is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT focuses on the
dysfunctional attitudes (for example negative and self-defeating thoughts)
that we have. The cognitive component looks at our thoughts, and how best to
deal with the bias we create with regards to how we think about certain
things.
In the article, Elizabeth explains how CBT though can be expanded to
Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy (CBH), which combines the benefits of CBT
and clinical hypnotherapy. CBH gives both structure and flexibility to
therapy, which allows for a far more holistic and tailored approach. This is
what we teach at CCBH, the college of Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy,
which Elizabeth attended. CBH is action-orientated and solution focused,
aiming to not only help the patient, but to equip them with the tools to
help combat against such symptoms in the future. Elizabeth also points out
that CBH is also very relaxing and provides the opportunity for positive
thinking and imagery, for example seeing themselves in the future – being
happy and as they would like to be.
So what do you think of CBT and CBH? What is your experience of it for
treating anxiety? We would love to know your thoughts. If you want to know
more about practising CBT or CBH, you can always contact us at the College
of Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy (http://www.ccbh.org.uk/).
Enter your details to download our prospectus and application form