Anxiety, Phobias, Panic Attacks, Trauma - Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy & NLP in Auckland NZ with Dave Gilbert PhD

Many people suffer from anxiety.   It can be generalised or relate to some specific situation. For some people the symptoms come and go, for others they are more persistent. Symptoms – generally fight, flight or freeze – can range from mild to severe and debilitating; they can include tension in stomach, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, dry mouth sweating, tense muscles, feeling dizzy, overly alert, and finding it hard to focus and concentrate. Anxiety can result from some form of trauma or because someone is a highly sensitive person (HSP) – and often a combination of both.

A phobia is an excessive and irrational fear. Phobias can make people avoid certain situations or activities, and disrupt their normal pattern of life. Clients have been to see me with a wide range of phobias including fear of flying, heights, injections, needles, blood, vomit, social phobia (including public speaking or eating in public, going to the toilet, being anxious).  There have also been clients with issues around driving, driving over bridges, diving, birds, going in lifts, closed spaces, open spaces, visits to the dentist or doctor, operations, water (boats, swimming, sharks) etc.

Panic attacks can occur without any specific trigger or cause, or may be in response to a particular situation like driving over a bridge. Clients have reported sudden fear, palpitations, pounding heart, sweating, hyperventilation, feeling dizzy, feeling dissociated, and sometimes fear of dying.

I teach many clients self hypnosis for regular relaxation which can be an effective tool in reducing stress and related symptoms. I usually record a hypnosis CD during the first session which can also be used on a daily basis for relaxation and to reinforce positive suggestion and visualization.

We can also work towards learning to see things differently and understand things differently – especially at a subconscious level – such as irrational fears, and to change old limiting belief patterns. Sometimes resolving old underlying issues and trauma makes all the difference.

Dealing with stress often involves learning to understand the stress triggers better and then adjust behavior as well as working with internal responses.