There is ample evidence that stress negatively influences our health and our capacity to recover from illness. How many stressed individuals do you encounter who also deal with headaches, bodily discomfort, or frequent colds? I can certainly relate to this. In the past, I worked in a highly stressful environment where I often sacrificed my lunch breaks and weekends for work. Even when I was sick, I felt compelled to show up, enduring tonsillitis and other illnesses. I even took on shifts for others who were unwell, despite my struggles with health!

Everyone kept telling me to take a break or else I’d get ill. And I’d reply “Yeah I’d have to be half dead to stop me working!” So guess what happened? I got appendicitis! I had to have my appendix removed and was signed off work and unable to do practically anything for a month! It was as if my unconscious was telling me “If you believe that you need to be half dead to stop, then that’s exactly what you’re going to get!”

When we are in a good state of mind it inevitably has a positive impact on our bodies. We know for example that laughing and exercise cause the body to release endorphins, which are not only the body’s natural painkillers but also alleviate stress, therefore impacting the health and immunity of the body.

Yes, laughter is the best medicine! But if your jokes do not have others rolling around on the floor laughing, then Hypnotherapy could be a beneficial alternative.

It’s a vicious cycle between stress and illness or stress and pain. When stress hits, headaches may follow. Those headaches then become a source of stress on their own, making the patient worry about future aches and pains in their head. This leads to even more stress and anxiety once the headache sets in, hindering them from completing necessary tasks or avoiding work they dislike.

By throwing Hypnosis into the equation, we stimulate the hypothalamus which is responsible for creating moods and emotions. This can be used to induce suggestions of feeling happiness, relaxed, carefree, and fun. Simply by vividly remembering times in the past when these emotions have been experienced can onset the emotion itself. The release of the endorphin chemical can also be directed to reduce any pain that the patient is experiencing at that moment to begin to alleviate it.

Thus the cycle is broken. The endorphins aid the relaxation, pain relief and stress reduction.

By Gemma Bailey
www.hypnotherapyandnlp.co.uk