Hypnotherapy

[Atlantean]

Hi, guys. this question is specifically for mental health professionals, although if you have undergone hypnotherapy I would be interested in hearing about your experiences.

After meeting my new clinical social worker (I thought he was a doctor), He has said that for a lot of my conditions (Harsh inner critic, racing thoughts, lack of coping mechanisms, and dissociativeness) hypnotherapy has been very successful.

Id like to hear back from any doctors as to if you agree or disagree, and also any patients who have been treated FOR THE SAME ISSUES, as to if you found success going with this method.

Thanks in advance.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Re: Hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy isn't a technique that works for everyone. I think some people have had good results with it (it's not something I do personally) but I think it's stretch to claim that it can treat dissociation. I view it as primarily a relaxation technique for stress and anxiety issues. I would suggest that CBT might be more effective for some of the other issues you mention.

 

[Atlantean]

David,

Thank you for your reply. I knew I could count on you.

I dont really see how the hypnotherapy can help in some things, but the bigger issue is I dont want some of my bigger issues "resolved"... IE I dont want to lose my harsh inner critique, and I take self empowerment to an unhealthy extreme because If I am in absolute control of my mind and my life and dont give the power to anyone to hurt me, then I will never be a victim again. And that means more to me than just about anything. Living my life as a victim would make me hate myself.

I guess Im caught between a rock and a hard place. But, on the good side, living in chronic hypomania sure does lots to improve productivity. '-)

Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

 

[amastie]

...I dont want to lose my harsh inner critique...

I don't undersand why you wouldn't?

By the way, I've had hypnotherapy from more than one person. Only one time was it effective but only then to relax me for a period of time. My own practise of meditation is certainly a form of self-hypnosis and, at its best, I go very deep. If I practise it regularly, it has an accumulative effect of easing my mind and releasing me from the need to overeat - the only thing that ever has (but I have an underlying resistance to doing it - has to do with a deep invesment in putting myself down.

What I found interesting was when I approached a number of hynotherapists after being diagnosed with a dissociative disorder, they said that they would never do hypnotherapy on someone with that diagnosis. Maybe it has to do with the fact that, when in such a state, other "alters" (or "personalities" as I call them) can more easily break through. But mine never have taken me ove completely and, besides, my experience of hypnosis is that I get in touch *more* with myself - not less. I recently found a clinical hypotherapist who impressed me a lot and who was positively aghast that hypnotherapy mnight not be considered for those who dissociate. Anyway, for me the matter is moot as I have done it anyway wit the effect as described.

amastie added 18 Minutes and 14 Seconds later...

...on the good side, living in chronic hypomania sure does lots to improve productivity. ..

I never understand why someone would want always to experience hypomania - unless you don't ever come down :thinking:

Today, I was unwell. More to do with diet-related loss of energy and, with it, a rapidly changing mood shifts from an overly gregarious state - acting out from that in a particularly disihibited way with shopkeepers - to a sad awareness of my impulsivity and inability to be emotionally mature with those I was trying to communicate with. I'm lucky that a single dose of Xanax taken at home again brought me back to an even keel, but I wouldn't stay in that (sub?) hypomanic state for all the tea in China. And I *don't* achieve while in that state - except intellectually, going into great depth obtaining detailed information about treadmills (which I'm contemplating buying) and understanding the intricacies of the new internet facility on my mobile phone. I was amazed that the shopkeepers stayed as patient and kind as they did. (It helped, I think, that I made a particular point of being courteous depite my general state of disinhibition).

Anyway, this has nothing to do with hynotherapy except to say that, as a form of relaxation, especially if one learns to do it oneself, it can be greatly calming and therefore to help one who is inclined to be hypomanic - unlsess true hypomanic bears no resemblance to what I experience and the biolgoy of it prevents such a practice from having the same effect?

 

[Atlantean]

I don't undersand why you wouldn't?

By the way, I've had hypnotherapy from more than one person. Only one time was it effective but only then to relax me for a period of time. My own practise of meditation is certainly a form of self-hypnosis and, at its best, I go very deep. If I practise it regularly, it has an accumulative effect of easing my mind and releasing me from the need to overeat - the only thing that ever has (but I have an underlying resistance to doing it - has to do with a deep invesment in putting myself down.

What I found interesting was when I approached a number of hynotherapists after being diagnosed with a dissociative disorder, they said that they would never do hypnotherapy on someone with that diagnosis. Maybe it has to do with the fact that, when in such a state, other "alters" (or "personalities" as I call them) can more easily break through. But mine never have taken me ove completely and, besides, my experience of hypnosis is that I get in touch *more* with myself - not less. I recently found a clinical hypotherapist who impressed me a lot and who was positively aghast that hypnotherapy mnight not be considered for those who dissociate. Anyway, for me the matter is moot as I have done it anyway wit the effect as described.

amastie added 18 Minutes and 14 Seconds later...


I never understand why someone would want always to experience hypomania - unless you don't ever come down :thinking:

Today, I was unwell. More to do with diet-related loss of energy and, with it, a rapidly changing mood shifts from an overly gregarious state - acting out from that in a particularly disihibited way with shopkeepers - to a sad awareness of my impulsivity and inability to be emotionally mature with those I was trying to communicate with. I'm lucky that a single dose of Xanax taken at home again brought me back to an even keel, but I wouldn't stay in that (sub?) hypomanic state for all the tea in China. And I *don't* achieve while in that state - except intellectually, going into great depth obtaining detailed information about treadmills (which I'm contemplating buying) and understanding the intricacies of the new internet facility on my mobile phone. I was amazed that the shopkeepers stayed as patient and kind as they did. (It helped, I think, that I made a particular point of being courteous depite my general state of disinhibition).

Anyway, this has nothing to do with hynotherapy except to say that, as a form of relaxation, especially if one learns to do it oneself, it can be greatly calming and therefore to help one who is inclined to be hypomanic - unlsess true hypomanic bears no resemblance to what I experience and the biolgoy of it prevents such a practice from having the same effect?

Hi, again.

.. Well, most of my disorders revolve around protecting me, and my refusal to ever be a victim again.

Regarding the hypomainia, it used to drive me nuts. My brain was like a three-million watt light bulb, just scattering my light and energy in all directions. I completely lost focus, and I just jumped to place to place, always staying on the, never letting moss grow on my shoe, things like that. Even to this day I will have my up-spike days, where I have a to a little of my meds, which I generally take at night.

So it used to be absolutely terrible, until around 14 years or so, when II learned how to use that aspect of myself to my advantage, and began to learn how to harness and focus my energy like a laser, tackling lots of projects and business and doing all these thing in addition to spending time loving my husband and our eight-moth-old baby.

Since Im not Bipolar and only suffer hypomania, I dont have to spending compulsions or things that most associate with that set of behavioral traits that you or other people may associate with hypomania, but is not often like that.

I know it probably seem really old to like with something that at times can cause problems, Oddly enough, its just comforting for me to know that shes there if I ned her, though there is NO TELLING what I will find after I come back.

 

[amastie]

Each to her own
I'm glad if having her there is a comfort for you
By the way, impulsivity is also one of the factors involved when I'm "high" - but generally limited. I never lose sight of the consequences entirely. Putting the internet on my mobile phone was an impulsive act. I knew it was but I also weighed up the value of it and decided that I could afford it ... mmmm.... maybe then, even though it came at a time when I was feeling high and impulsive, the choice itself wasnt' really so impulsive. The week before, I impusively signed up for a treadmill. Got home, researched the company and thought "Oh no!" Wrong choice! But as so often happens, I had a safety net. In that case, I hadn't left enough proof of ID to complete the deal so it was easily cancelled. And I cannot handle money once it's in my hands, so I budget to a meticulous extent and, if I do happen to have money on me, I wrap it up after allocating it according to the day it is to be spent. I've said it elsewhere in these forums that as impulsive as I am, I am, if anything, even more obsessive in orgarnizing myself as a precaution against that - a "happy obsessive"

 

[Atlantean]

I don't undersand why you wouldn't?

By the way, I've had hypnotherapy from more than one person. Only one time was it effective but only then to relax me for a period of time. My own practise of meditation is certainly a form of self-hypnosis and, at its best, I go very deep. If I practise it regularly, it has an accumulative effect of easing my mind and releasing me from the need to overeat - the only thing that ever has (but I have an underlying resistance to doing it - has to do with a deep invesment in putting myself down.

What I found interesting was when I approached a number of hynotherapists after being diagnosed with a dissociative disorder, they said that they would never do hypnotherapy on someone with that diagnosis. Maybe it has to do with the fact that, when in such a state, other "alters" (or "personalities" as I call them) can more easily break through. But mine never have taken me ove completely and, besides, my experience of hypnosis is that I get in touch *more* with myself - not less. I recently found a clinical hypotherapist who impressed me a lot and who was positively aghast that hypnotherapy mnight not be considered for those who dissociate. Anyway, for me the matter is moot as I have done it anyway wit the effect as described.

amastie added 18 Minutes and 14 Seconds later...


I never understand why someone would want always to experience hypomania - unless you don't ever come down :thinking:

Today, I was unwell. More to do with diet-related loss of energy and, with it, a rapidly changing mood shifts from an overly gregarious state - acting out from that in a particularly disihibited way with shopkeepers - to a sad awareness of my impulsivity and inability to be emotionally mature with those I was trying to communicate with. I'm lucky that a single dose of Xanax taken at home again brought me back to an even keel, but I wouldn't stay in that (sub?) hypomanic state for all the tea in China. And I *don't* achieve while in that state - except intellectually, going into great depth obtaining detailed information about treadmills (which I'm contemplating buying) and understanding the intricacies of the new internet facility on my mobile phone. I was amazed that the shopkeepers stayed as patient and kind as they did. (It helped, I think, that I made a particular point of being courteous depite my general state of disinhibition).

Anyway, this has nothing to do with hynotherapy except to say that, as a form of relaxation, especially if one learns to do it oneself, it can be greatly calming and therefore to help one who is inclined to be hypomanic - unlsess true hypomanic bears no resemblance to what I experience and the biolgoy of it prevents such a practice from having the same effect?

its hard to say, when you try to go to bed and cant, do your thoughts just race, or are you up compulsively burning off energy taking care of things that need to be done?

If its the latter, Id stay youre probably bipolar. Not that Im an expert, of course.

 

[amastie]

its hard to say, when you try to go to bed and cant, do your thoughts just race, or are you up compulsively burning off energy taking care of things that need to be done?

If its the latter, Id stay youre probably bipolar. Not that Im an expert, of course.

Certainly, I don't stay awake achieving. If only I did! I don't experience the kind of racing thoughts that take me in different directions. Instead, I experience obessive thinking that keeps me preoccupied by a single thought or goal. In that respect, I identifity (I *think*) with someone who is autistic, who shuts out the world by focussing on something to the exclusion of everything else. I can definitely place obsessive thinking being used (not with a consious intention but with some awarness) as a ploy to shut out the world. Am I very different in that to soimeone who is autistic? I've thought of that sometimes and will ask someone who is autistic if we have something in common. But perhaps not if my obsessiveness is purely anxiety-based. That is why the anti-axiety meds works so very well for me - they overcome *all* the troubling aspects of my experience.

When I become what I call "high", it is in becoming overexcited, typically immature and compulsively verbose. My overexcitement itself is not "real", but a defence mechanism. I think that all, or almost all, of my troubled behaviour takes the form of defence mechanisms that come into play whenever I am stressed - which can be from any cause, such as being unwell, triggering events, even becoming very, very happy which can escalate into a "high". But whatever the reason for the "high" it is very easily brought under control by an anti-anxiety med. Nothing else has ever worked.

Compulsively burning off energy? Never!
Taking care of things to be done? Oh, how I wish it were so. <lol>

I think I envy you

 

[Atlantean]

LOL, believe me, you dont envy me. Im incredibly difficult to live with, and my marriage is hanging in tatters, just because of issues related to my issues, and his inability to communicate. Im an incredibly difficult person to live with, I think.

 

[amastie]

LOL, believe me, you dont envy me. Im incredibly difficult to live with, and my marriage is hanging in tatters, just because of issues related to my issues, and his inability to communicate. Im an incredibly difficult person to live with, I think.

I'm sorry that I expressed that last few words as I did. I was mostly joking, only the part about wanting to *achieve* something wasn't a joke - but, no, I wouldn't want to go through what you go through. Then again, I don't like what I'm going through so maybe it's a bit of a toss-up

You say that you are incredibly hard to live with. I cannot live with anyone. Intimacy is out of the question and has always been. Hurt too young in life, and never fully resolved, made it a non-issue for me. But I've had joys in life too so I'm certainly not an empty book It's funny (not haha funny) how very different can be our experiences and yet the effect be so simlilar. I too have difficulty in communicating - not because I don't have the words - heavens above! I have more than enough of those - but because my experience as one who dissociates is too different, too llittle understood and too hard to be with. So, regardless of how different is our particular experience, Poss, my heart goes out to you and I really can understand what it's like to feel alone and out of touch with others, especially those to whom you would turn for support :hug: :support: