Hypnotherapy as a health anxiety treatment
The internet can be a wonderful place, packed with all kinds of knowledge. It isn’t, however, the most reliable source of health information.
Some of us hop onto the web to search for answers about minor health issues. For others, the concern about their own health or that of a loved one, can become all-consuming.
Every twinge, every ache a person experiences becomes a reason to worry: a fear compounded by behaviours such as overcleaning or acting as if we are ill when we’re not.
Health anxiety can manifest itself in several ways, and can be an overwhelming and frightening vicious circle but there is a solution: hypnotherapy.
My Solution Focused Hypnotherapy sessions can give you tools that will help you overcome your fear and reclaim your life.
What is health anxiety?
UK Anxiety defines this debilitating condition as: “anxiety disorder that is often housed within the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) spectrum of disorders.
“Those affected by health anxiety have an obsessional preoccupation with the idea or the thought that they are currently (or will be) experiencing a physical illness.”
UK health experts believe around 2% of the population suffers from health anxiety. In 2020, the first year of the Covid pandemic, it rose by 25%, according to the World Health Organization.
Fears of serious illness
Health anxiety, also known as illness anxiety disorder or hypochondria, often prompts intrusive thoughts about the state of our health, as well as illness and death.
Many people experiencing health anxiety also have a deep-seated fear of serious illness, even when medical evidence suggests they are healthy.
It also leads to repetitive behaviours, such as constantly scouring the internet for information.
Can I develop health anxiety?
Yes. Although we’re encouraged to pay attention to our health, events such as the death of a loved one or a childhood illness can lead to a negative hyperfocus or trigger compulsive behaviour, leading to hypochondria.
In recent years, the Covid pandemic and cases of long Covid led more people to worry about the state of their health as well as loved ones, a situation not always helped by the rise of online misinformation.
The NHS checklist of signs you may have health anxiety includes:
- frequently checking your body for signs of physical illness
- always asking people for reassurance that you’re not ill
- worrying that medical professionals or tests may have missed something
- obsessively looking at information for self diagnosis
- avoiding anything to do with serious illness, such as medical TV programmes
- catastrophising physical symptoms
- always thinking the worst
Physical symptoms
People experiencing health anxiety are constantly worrying about their bodies and the thought of physical illness or becoming ill.
Hypochondria shouldn’t be confused with somatic symptom disorder. People with the latter condition may have physical symptoms, but their fears are out of proportion to what they see or feel.
For example, they would conclude a headache was a brain tumour, or dry skin an indication of kidney disease.
Health anxiety can make sufferers hypersensitive to even the most benign or minor issues, such as a rapid heartbeat, or a tightness in the throat or chest.
Overthinking their worries can lead to negative behaviours including overwashing or disinfecting, while anxious thoughts can also lead to symptoms that can be experienced physically:
- rapid heart rate
- headaches
- chest pain
- shortness of breath
- panic attacks
The vicious cycle continues as health anxiety sufferers see their symptoms as a validation of their concerns, rather than a direct result of the stress they are under.
Naturally, this debilitating condition can prevent people from leading a fulfilling life, which can lead to a downward spiral, including depression.
Breaking the hypochondria cycle
There are several ways people with health anxiety can break the vicious cycle associated with the condition.
Staying calm and not reaching for your smartphone to search every niggle and symptom is one of the biggest and most important steps.
Taking a break from online research can help reduce the intrusive thoughts and anxiety levels, breaking that dependence on doom scrolling.
Keeping a record of how you feel, when and why, is another good way to break the pattern of repetitive or obsessive behaviours.
Talk therapy can also be useful, or your doctor can prescribe medication for the associated stress.
Alternatively, you can try hypnotherapy for health anxiety.
Hypnotherapy and health anxiety
Hypnotherapy is a safe and effective method of helping people with a range of health issues, including those who are experiencing anxiety disorders.
As a Solution Focused clinical hypnotherapist, I use hypnosis to access your subconscious mind and effect the positive changes needed to overcome anxiety about health worries.
What is hypnotherapy?
Unlike what you see in a stage show or on TV, clinical hypnotherapy isn’t about you surrendering control of your body.
I use relaxation techniques to help patients enter the hypnotic state. It is a lot like daydreaming, and just as easy to emerge from.
Every person experiences hypnotherapy differently but, during this profound state of relaxation, you can examine events in your past that may have triggered your anxiety.
I will then give your unconscious mind everything it needs to overcome these symptoms.
You will be able to seek advice from your doctor confidently and have medical tests without anxiety.
How hypnosis helps health anxiety
A Solution Focused hypnotherapy for health anxiety session can:
- break the vicious cycle of intrusive thoughts and OCD behaviour
- lower anxiety about health problems
- build confidence and self-esteem
- give you fresh thought patterns for daily life
- increase your motivation to change
How fast does hypnotherapy for health anxiety work?
My Solution Focused approach can ease your anxiety in just a few sessions.
Treatment begins with a free, roughly 30-minute Zoom consultation during which I find out all about you, potential causes for your anxiety, and what you want to achieve via hypnotherapy.
During the hypnosis sessions, while you are in a deeply relaxed state, I will give the subconscious part of your mind everything it needs to overcome your anxiety.
I will enable you to make positive changes and get on with your life, free of stress and worry.
Testimonials
A patient was overthinking and suffering with anxiety following an illness. Over six sessions, I used hypnosis to deal with their deep-seated worries, an experience they described as “safe, relaxing and comforting”.
Another client wanted to gain confidence and overcome certain life stresses. They told me their quality of life “significantly improved” after attending my hypnotherapy sessions.
Contact me
I’m ready to help you reclaim your life and move past any issues causing you to worry about your health.
I hold online sessions on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and you can find my hypnotherapy practice at Salus Wellness Clinics Wednesday-Friday.
If you would like to find out more about how hypnosis can help you overcome your health anxiety or any other issues, book your FREE initial consultation here.
