ANXIETY
“What do I do with this problem child?!”
SITUATION: Dollyji came to my office in severe distress. Her young nephew, Karan, aged 20, had been staying with her for over a year now. “The boy just does not listen to me! He doesn’t study, he breaks things around the house, he bangs the door and locks himself inside his room”, she complained. “And now, I have noticed that things have started disappearing from the house! My brand-new laptop has gone missing. What do I do?”. I decided to call the young man in for a chat.
On first impression, I found Karan to be quite calm and collected on the outside. We got chatting and that’s when he started opening up. Karan revealed that his parents were separated and the divorce battle had turned ugly. He used to be a Grade A student but his grades had slipped badly of late. He couldn’t sleep well at night and couldn’t focus on his studies.
I could clearly see that here was a young man who had the potential for a bright career but whose entire future was in danger because of stress at home. There was no time to waste as Karan seemed to be on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Any delay and he could do something that would harm himself or his immediate family.
I recommended Hypnotherapy as a treatment and clarified how it works without the use of any drugs or medicines. He agreed.
HYPNOTHERAPY TREATMENT:
Using the Hypnotherapy Techniques of Breath Watching, PMR and Visualisation, I was able to induce a deep state of Trance in Karan. Soon, he was calm and relaxed and achieved a deep trance.
When in deep trance, I asked him to visualize a beautiful place in natural surroundings. He could see a lush green forest. I then asked him to find a cottage or an ashram or any place with spiritual powers. Karan visualized a beautiful and serene ‘Dargah’ (a place of prayer) in the middle of a green forest. He could see an old man at the dargah whom he referred to as ‘Pir‘. (A Pir is a holy man with immense wisdom and divine powers.)
Karan seemed to be comfortable in talking to the Pir. I encouraged him to discuss all his problems with the Pir and seek remedies to his problems and to seek the Pir’s blessings. Post-Hypnotic Suggestions (PHS) were given that he will be able to utilize the wisdom given by the Pir in his daily life even after the session was over.
When he woke up, Karan admitted that he had confided in the Pir about a theft he had committed. He had sold his aunt’s laptop to a friend and felt guilty about it. This anxiety had been keeping him awake at night. However, under a hypnotic state, after he admitted his guilt to the Pir and sought his forgiveness and blessings, he felt at peace. After the session was over, Karan slept on the recliner in my clinic for nearly 45 minutes.
SOLUTION: In subsequent sessions, the client was taught to do Self-Hypnosis and Ego Enhancement, using Positive Reinforcement and Affirmations. This therapy helped him to maintain his self-esteem. Karan was taught Self-relaxation techniques that would relieve his anxiety and would help him focus on his study and career goals.
HOW HYPNOTHERAPY WORKS:
Hypnotherapy can be very useful to treat anxiety and depression. Using the visualisation technique, when under a hypnotic state, the subconscious mind can be made accessible and more receptive to suggestions for positive ways of thinking and perception which otherwise are countered by conscious mind. Over a few sessions, cognitive restructuring takes place and the sub-conscious feels reassured and regains self-confidence.
CONCLUSION:
Ever since Karan’s hypnotherapy sessions, he has shown tremendous improvement in his temperament. His sleep has improved, his mood swings are less and he is able to focus on his studies. Although his parents’ situation remains the same, Karan’s grades have improved and this has boosted his self-confidence. He now feels optimistic about his own future.