Hypnotherapy?

A few years ago (OK, maybe a few more than just a few years ago) when I was living in Ontario, (a 1.5 hour commute each way from the office) working in a fairly stressful field (disaster recovery / business continuity) in downtown Toronto and trying, but not managing well, to manage my tension levels. I can’t remember if I was running regularly at the time, but think it probable that I wasn’t – so no exercise to help manage the stress.

I am also a classic “stress eater” – mind you, I also eat when I’m happy, when I’m sad, when I’m bored and when I’m celebrating – you get the picture. Anyhow, I knew I wasn’t managing my stress levels well because I was gaining weight AND I was having middle of the night anxiety attacks. You know the ones, where you wake up in the middle of the night, anxious about _______ (insert your current worry here) and then lie there, feeling upset and not able to get back to sleep because of it. Finally, you fall back asleep, only to wake less than 30 minutes later to your alarm clock.

I looked into hypnotherapy at that point in time to see if I could manage my stress a little more effectively. I also had a number of questions and misconceptions that I needed to work through before I was willing to even try. So Internet research done, I looked into Hypnotherapists in the town I was living in at the time & found one who I was able to work with.

Hypnotherapy isn’t what you see on TV (or on stage at the PNE) where they make you quack like a duck or do things you aren’t in control of. In a true hypnotherapy session you are totally aware of everything around you and feel as though you are in complete control of what is going on. In other words, you are completely safe and in the hands of a professional.

I had one session in Ontario - the impacts were almost immediate and the results were good and fairly long-lasting. I had been given some tools with which to manage worries and stress and I no longer woke in the middle of the night, anxious and hyperventilating about _________.

Recently I began looking into certified hypnotherapists here in the Comox Valley. I would like to tackle my challenges around food and the fact that I’m using it as a crutch instead of a tool. My goal here is to get some help with my over-eating (portion control? What the heck is that?), and perhaps see if I can work on setting up some “food aversion” feelings to some of my hot-button foods. I’m not saying I want to give up starches and refined sugars altogether… just maybe manage myself subconsciously a little better, with how much I consume and how often.

I believe I have found someone local I can work with – I spoke with her the other day and will be calling tomorrow to see about booking an appointment for later this week. The first session is usually a “getting to know you” session that takes a little longer – one in which the hypnotherapist sees what you are trying to accomplish, and how much help you might need in getting from A to B. I am told by the person I am going to try and see that she also likes to start with some hypnosis in that initial session to get the ball rolling.

I’m interested to see how this part of the journey goes for me. I know there are people out there who have had great success with smoking cessation hypnosis – and I read some statistics last week that spoke to the benefits of hypnosis as an aid and tool for weight loss. I guess we’ll see, right?

With love across the waters,