An Introduction to Anxiety

For the first in my new series of Blogs I wanted to write a general introduction to Anxiety because tackling anxiety forms the basis of so many Hypnotherapy interventions. Anxiety is such a vast subject with varied causes, manifestations and related disorders that I will be addressing it intermittently in different blog posts over the coming weeks.

It is firstly worth pointing out that Hypnotherapy is the leading method for tackling anxiety and its symptoms. Used in conjunction with Cognitive Behavioural psychology the benefits are greater still.

In recent years diagnoses of anxiety in the UK have increased significantly and anxiety has been widely identified as an increased threat to the health and productivity of the British workforce. The upturn in diagnoses can in part be attributed to a greater understanding on the part of the sufferer and of general practitioners of anxiety as a legitimate indicator of illness but it is also the case that a wide range of factors in modern life have contributed to the current situation of widespread anxiety. Factors such as challenging work environments due to the economic downturn, slow wage growth in relation to living costs, the inadequate housing situation in London and the South-East and even the previously-uncharted psychological impacts of the recent exponential growth of social media provide fertile grounds for an increasingly anxious population.

That's not to say anxiety is a new thing – thankfully we have the accumulated research and intervention approaches of generations of psychologists, psychotherapists and philosophers to mine when putting together a modern integrated therapeutic plan to tackle anxiety and its associated disorders.

The experiences and contributing factors to the anxiety of each sufferer are unique and the plan for treatment for each must therefore be appropriately tailored to the individual. In each case the specific triggers of episodes of anxiety must be examined (this may not be particularly straightforward such as in cases of Generalised Anxiety Disorder where anxiety is a persistent trait rather than an episodic state). Resilience training is very useful to better prepare the sufferer for future episodes with reference to the typical patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviours that are present during episodes of anxiety. The emphasis is on training and enhanced self-knowledge and psychological education for the sufferer. Many find Mindfulness exercises to have a greatly beneficial effect on their ability to cope with the kind of stimuli that had previously caused them great anxiety. These techniques can be integrated with the use of hypnosis to relearn responses to trigger situations can have a radically positive impact on the sufferer and have a profound impact on their quality of life.

I will return to the theme of anxiety in more specific terms in future blogs but, in the meantime, if there are particular issues you would like me to focus or expand upon, whether it be within the subject of anxiety or other issues relevant to cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy, please don't hesitate to contact me to request I do so. Additionally, if you would like to discuss any of the issues described in this blog please contact me via my email tim@masteryourmind.london to arrange a phone call.

© Tim Grimwade 2015

Tim Grimwade is a Cognitive Hypnotherapist based in Mayfair in Central London (near Bond Street, Oxford Street and Green Park Underground Stations), with additional practice locations situated in Bishopsgate (near Liverpool Street Station) and Clapham (near clapham South Underground Station) and also available for sessions via Skype. Tim uses Cognitive Hypnotherapy/Hypno-CBT in his approach to help his clients reduce anxiety and learn to operate with much greater assertiveness and behavioural freedom. This approach has been shown to be a fast, effective and long-lasting way to reduce anxiety. Find out more here.