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Coping

Stress


Anxiety


Panic


Depression


Phobias


Sleep disorders

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When the body is tired from working hard, it can rejuvenate with sleep and rest.  But the mind is more complex than this.  To get rid of mental stress, you must be able to lower the mind’s activities.  This can be achieved through effective therapy.

Amanda offers services both Face to Face in Clinic, as well as Distance Professional Services (also known as Telehealth, Teletherapy, E-Counselling, E-Therapy, Online Counselling, and Online Therapy, and Online Conferencing).

Stress is a significant factor in illness, chronic pain, poor decision making, relationship breakdowns and even early deaths.  You can be taught better ways to cope with pressure and reduce stress.  Stress is not something that will totally go away, however it can be managed.  Remember there may be a healthy amount of stress required for successful outcomes and as part of normal lifestyle. Stress management Psychotherapy in the form of Counselling and Hypnotherapy offers a range of tools and techniques to help come to terms with the stressors in your life. NLP also offers great skills for stress management.

It is important to distinguish between stress that cannot be controlled, and the stress that is generated through one’s own behaviour (and thus can be controlled.)  Amanda’s Therapeutic techniques teach individuals how to relax in times of stress, for the present, and for the future. Lowering stress levels helps individuals remain /re-gain focus and to make better decisions at any particular time.  This in turn helps with more appropriate choices and behavioural outcomes.

Living with constant fear becomes emotionally draining, debilitating and very often leads to depression.  Those that suffer from generalised anxiety have been known to compare the condition to being in a constant state of preparing to escape, similar to the feeling of being under attack by something or someone.

Amanda’s Therapy aims to assist individuals to;

  • Feel more relaxed;
  • Experience a calmness both in the mind and body;
  • Adopt a new perspective;
  • Deal with situations with greater ease and less stress;
  • Have the ability to put worries and concerns aside;
  • Prevent worries from surfacing when unnecessary.

It is an advanced emotional and cognitive skill that can allow an individual to discriminate between worries that lead to a purposeful action and worries that turn into useless rumination.  Amanda assists with this skill building technique.  It also becomes a great pattern interrupt.

Anxiety, panic and phobia-related problems are caused by thoughts that persons are not able to control.  It is easier to overcome phobias when the mind is relaxed because the initial reaction of panic is set aside for a more rational way of responding to stimuli.  Hence a beneficial outcome of hypnosis.

Anxiety stops you wanting to perform, or socialise, or enter relationships.  For many, alcohol or drugs are the only real answer they have come up with, because they have not found a way to relax or escape.  Some people have anxiety around particular situations like public speaking, management meetings, or social events. This almost falls into the “phobic” category of anxiety.  Others have a more generalised anxiety where the world in general no longer seems safe.

Potential failure, rejection and a hypersensitivity regarding the opinions of others can contribute to anxiety.  “Over-analysis” and excessive “thinking” is one of the main problems.  Therapy aims to teach the difference between useful analysis and debilitating over-analyses.  Anxiety is an extremely common condition.  It can be quite debilitating, seriously affecting your life, both personally and professionally, (even if it doesn’t extend into full blown panic attacks).

Anxiety is basically a form of fear.  It can be caused by past experiences or limited ability in dealing with unknowns.  Counselling and Hypnotherapy may be an effective treatment in helping individuals relax and not get overwhelmed by situations that do not present any real danger.

Panic attacks are very scary.  People often sweat, shake and have trouble breathing. They may also have a rapid heartbeat or feel weak or dizzy.  Many people think that they’re dying.  Panic attacks are caused by a high release of stress and anxiety hormones, cortisol and adrenaline.  Sometimes panic occurs over things that haven’t happened. Worrying about the future can trick the brain into thinking there is current and immediate danger. This can cause a panic attack.

The best remedy for panic attacks is learning how to relax.  Counselling and Hypnotherapy is an easy way to promote ease, confidence and control.  Hypnosis can help re-train the brain to trust that you are safe and in control. NLP offers quick strategies that one can utilise at any time.

Amanda’s Therapy aims for individuals to:

  • Become more realistic and sensible in reacting to scenarios;
  • Be more prepared to ‘go with the flow’ and see what actually happens;
  • Enjoy positive thinking and imagining positive outcomes – whilst also being satisfied with neutral thinking and being comfortable with a flow state;
  • Learn how to take measured risks when they are not certain of the outcome, and be comfortable with natural feelings that come with this;
  • Believe that they can handle anything that comes their way, without the need for resistance which costs unnecessary energy.

DepressionAntidepressants can be an effective way of “taking the edge off” depressive episodes, but they do not address all the issues.  It is always important for those who are on medication, to also consider psychotherapy to assist with mindset, decisions, self help skills and getting back on track with regular routines.  Individuals who experience depression suffer with general routines; psychotherapy can be very useful.

If you have had life changing situations, grief, confidence issues, a strong leaning towards internally focusing, a tendency for going over the past, or have become isolated, your risk for depression increases.  Depression is very difficult to live with.  Effective diagnosis, attention and treatment is important in order to alleviate the symptoms and help the individual get back on track. Always consult your GP.

A phobia is defined as an irrational fear.  The most common ones we deal with are fear of flying, heights, spiders, snakes, various other animals, and social phobias.  Symptoms of fear include sweaty palms, increased heartbeat, anxiety during turbulence or any sudden noise or movement.

All phobias are rooted in a fear-based anxiety that can be dealt with easily, with some simple techniques.  Some examples include (but are not limited to):

  • Fear of driving. Therapy will re-educate the unconscious mind to see driving as a normal, everyday activity rather than a dangerous threat.  It will help retrain the mind to relax when at the wheel while remaining focused.
  • Fear of failure. This may be the result of many past experiences or childhood situations; a drive for perfection set in the early years by parents, a discomfort with uncertainty, the need to look good around others, or perhaps rivalry between siblings.
  • Fear of flying. This is an unconscious response. The reaction to flying is not something conscious.  It’s also not rational.  The way that fear grips you is beyond your control.  Therapy is helpful in dealing with this fear.

Sleep is important, and when sleep is disturbed for whatever reason, we may become irritated, our functioning may be impaired, and the rest of our body and mind may begin to suffer.  Therapy can assist with sleep disorders.

Insomnia Counselling and hypnotherapy deals directly with the heart of the problem that causes insomnia in the first place; inability to relax.

Unfortunately, sleep is something that cannot be forced.  We can create the ideal circumstances for it, but it has to happen on its own accord.  ‘Waiting for sleep’ becomes contaminated with anxiety and lack of relaxation.

Everybody wakes up during the night for a short period.  It is also very common, but most of the time we are not conscious that we have woken up, so we quickly fall back asleep after only a few seconds. This is a very natural part of everybody’s sleep cycle. For insomniacs however, it is very common to feel far too alert during the ‘awake’ spells.

Worrying is a very common cause of not being able to fall back to asleep.  When we worry, the body releases a stimulant of stress hormones, and this stimulant works very hard to ensure that you cannot relax to the point of falling asleep.