Change begins with understanding.
Stress is a primitive survival response. That serves to protect humankind in hostile environments. When we are anxious or angry, we are vigilant and brave. This means we can defend ourselves without worrying about the consequences.
Yet, although we may not need to worry about the dangers of the past, e.g., wild animals, the emotional system hasn’t evolved, unlike our conscious mind. The primitive brain will concern itself with other worries instead. Like that recent disagreement or the next mortgage payment!
On top of this, to protect us from immediate danger, the primitive mind is obsessive. If it thinks you are in danger, you will be encouraged to dwell on that negative thought again and again. Negative thinking causes a lot of stress. We can negatively introspect about the past, and often we can negatively forecast into the future.
Unfortunately, the primitive mind can’t tell the difference between reality and imagination. Therefore, this negative style of thinking triggers the same stress response as an actual event. This is when our overactive imagination can cause more harm than good. After all, if we imagine something, we should at least make it fun and enjoyable, shouldn’t we?
As our stress levels increase, we lose intellectual control (our rational, calm mind). The emotional (irrational) mind takes over. The primitive mind can only operate within the primitive parameters of anger, anxiety, and depression.
This causes an increase in the production of stress chemical responses, which can disturb your sleep patterns and leave you feeling frazzled in the morning! So you become trapped in a cycle of negative thinking.
REM, rapid eye movement, is such an important factor in reducing stress levels. If you have too much stress to diffuse, you will often wake up in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep. Therefore, you will feel more tired and anxious the following day, becoming trapped in a vicious cycle. Diffusing all the unresolved emotions from the day before uses up a lot of energy!
This is where hypnosis for stress and insomnia is very effective. We will start with reducing your anxiety levels to help you sleep better. For optimal recovery, we need 20% of REM sleep. If you have too much, then you will wake up exhausted.
So what can you do about it? When we are stuck in the habit of looking at life through a pessimistic lens. We are over-activating our right prefrontal cortex. This part of our brain focuses on the negatives. This negative side of the brain has an emergency hotline to our fear centre, the amygdala, our fight/flight and freeze area.
But, when we operate from our happy side of the brain (left prefrontal cortex ). We have a more optimistic approach to life. Many successful businessmen and women have an overactive left prefrontal cortex (think Richard Branson!). This means they have confidence and belief in their ability to succeed. They embrace each new challenge and see opportunities as opposed to threats. After all, it’s often our own perceptions and beliefs that hold us back.
Solution Focused Hypnotherapy helps you work towards your goals while you make small positive changes in your lives. Hypnotherapy will help you to focus on the positive aspects of your life. We use hypnosis to help you sleep better and lower your stress levels.
