Can Hypnotherapy Help with Anxiety and Panic Attacks?

This article explains how anxiety, stress, and panic attacks develop, and how hypnotherapy can help people respond to these experiences in calmer and more constructive ways.

In this article:

• How hypnotherapy helps anxiety
• Understanding panic attacks
• Why panic attacks feel like you’re dying
• How to calm a panic attack
• Worry and anxiety in modern life

Anxiety, stress, worry, and panic attacks are common experiences in modern life. Hypnotherapy can help people understand these feelings, reduce their intensity, and respond to them in calmer and more constructive ways. This article explains how hypnosis works with the subconscious mind to support emotional wellbeing.

One person’s stress is another person’s pleasure. Often said but still very true. Stress is part of everyday life and always has been. It is just that the way stress is experienced in modern society is different from what happened in the past.

Now we do not tend to burn off the excess adrenaline that courses through our veins when we get stressed and this is partly what leads to anxiety and even to panic attacks. In the past, as far back as the Stone Age and until quite recently in historical terms, we had real reason to secrete extra adrenaline to get away from the physical threats in our environment. Then we had to flee to save our lives. This is called the “flight or fight syndrome”. Of course “freezing” is another response to perceived threat such as the “rabbit in the headlight” response.

Understanding Panic attacks

Now we often have to run for “fun” or get some form of exercise in a gym merely to burn off the excess adrenaline. If we don’t do this then we may, under certain circumstances, take the risk of panic attacks as well as the anxiety feelings.

Panic attacks involve stronger feelings than anxiety. It can be a physical feeling that you could even die as the heart accelerates and the perspiration increases and breathing becomes laboured or uncomfortable. But it is a fact that panic attacks are not fatal even when the person thinks they are.

We still have the mind and body of the Stone Age man but the circumstances in which they operate have changed radically. Panic was a normal response to a wild beast or invading enemies and then the function of those feelings was to make us run as fast as possible from the threat. Now the reason for the panic may even be unknown as it just seems to come from nowhere.

It is important to remember though that a fast heart rate is quite normal when we exercise vigorously and we wouldn’t think of this as being potentially fatal but if we are a couch potato and suddenly have our heart beating as fast as if we had exercised vigorously then quite justifiably we would think it could be fatal when, in fact, it isn’t.

Why Panic Attacks Feel Like You’re Dying

One of the most alarming aspects of a panic attack is the very real feeling that something catastrophic is happening in the body. People often think they are having a heart attack, that they are about to collapse, or even that they might die. The experience can be so intense that it is difficult to accept that it is anxiety rather than a physical illness.

This happens because the body is reacting exactly as it was designed to react to danger. When anxiety rises suddenly, adrenaline is released into the bloodstream and prepares the body for action. The heart beats faster, breathing changes, muscles tense and perspiration increases. These reactions are perfectly normal in situations of real danger.

In earlier times this response was essential for survival. If our ancestors encountered a physical threat, the body needed to react immediately. The difficulty in modern life is that the same physical reactions can be triggered by thoughts, worries, stress or memories rather than by a real external danger. The body responds as if there is danger even when none exists.

Because these sensations are strong and unfamiliar, the mind may interpret them as signs that something is seriously wrong. A rapid heartbeat may be mistaken for heart trouble, or breathlessness for loss of control. This interpretation increases fear, which then increases the physical symptoms. In this way a vicious circle develops in which fear of the symptoms becomes part of the panic itself.

It is important to remember that panic attacks, although extremely unpleasant, are not harmful. The body cannot maintain that level of arousal for long and the symptoms will naturally subside. Understanding this often helps people begin to regain a sense of control over the experience.

Part of the work in hypnotherapy is to help people respond differently to these sensations so that they are no longer interpreted as dangerous. As the mind becomes calmer and more confident in its understanding of what is happening, the cycle of panic begins to weaken.

How to Calm a Panic Attack

When a panic attack begins, the natural reaction is to try to stop the feelings immediately or escape from them. Ironically, this often makes the experience more intense because the struggle against the panic becomes part of the panic itself.

The first thing to remember is that, although the sensations feel alarming, they are not dangerous. The body is reacting as if there is a threat, even when there is none. If the feelings are allowed to run their course, they will settle naturally because the body cannot remain in that heightened state for long.

It can help to slow things down physically. Allow the breathing to become slower and more regular without forcing it. Sitting quietly, becoming aware of the body, or focusing attention on something steady in the surroundings can help the nervous system return to balance.

Many people also find it helpful to remind themselves that they have experienced these sensations before and that they always pass. In this way the experience begins to change from something catastrophic to something temporary and manageable.

As this understanding develops, the fear of the panic itself begins to diminish. When the fear reduces, the intensity of the panic usually reduces as well. In hypnotherapy, part of the work is to help the mind respond more calmly to these physical sensations so that the cycle of panic gradually loses its power.

How Worry and Anxiety Affect Us

Worry too has changed since the days when it was lack of food through bad harvests that was the main problem even in the West. Now many of our worries are about “non-essential” things. We worry about where the money is going to come from to afford that new or a better car. Can we pay the mortgage? Is our pension fund safe?

This sort of worry simply could not have existed in more distant times and even the most anxious person would have to admit that these worries do not begin to compare with the threat of starvation or malnutrition.

I go into these points because this is what hypnosis has to deal with in the modern world. As the famous American psychologist Abraham Maslow said:

“There are little grumbles, big grumbles and metagrumbles.”

Or put more simply as our basic needs are met then the grumbles we have go far beyond the basic grumbles of where our next meal is coming from to “higher needs” such as that dream house or car.

The highest need though is what Maslow calls self-actualisation or the development of our true potential. It is this last need that I especially emphasise when I do hypnotherapy. This is what people should really worry or be anxious about because in the long run it is the most important thing in life even if you don’t see it that way when you are younger. Admittedly some people never see it throughout their lives for whatever reason.

The use of hypnosis in stress

The use of hypnotherapy to deal with stress is to get things into proportion. Hypnosis is about dissociation from the problems of life so they can be looked at more objectively.

So does it matter whether you can afford that new car? No it doesn’t! Your health is far more important and without your health how could you enjoy the car anyway?

On several occasions, in psychology classes I have taught, I gave my students the exercise of writing down all the things they could think of which are important for mental and physical health. Some of the points they came up with were as follows:

Healthy Habits for Mental and Physical Wellbeing

• Have clear aims and objectives in life and try to achieve your personal objectives.
• Don’t procrastinate.
• Exercise several times a week such as swimming, running, jogging, walking, yoga. Aim to do three different forms of exercise to vary the muscles used.
• Eat healthily.
• Drink up to two litres of water a day depending on the diet you have. A water rich diet such as soups, vegetables, fruit juice, etc., would reduce the amount of water you need to drink.
• Have sources of mental stimulation such as books, daytime or evening courses, music, crosswords, puzzles, Countdown, whatever turns you on…
• Have time for mental reflection such as meditation, self-hypnosis, relaxation…
• Give time to socialise with family and friends.
• Accept responsibility for your own actions.
• Be honest with yourself and do things which bolster your self-esteem.
• Practice positive thinking each day.
• Endeavour to maintain security and stability in your life. This includes endeavouring to have an adequate income.

The suggestions which are given to diffuse stress are very similar to what is listed above. They are effective because they tackle stress at the root of the problem. This is that we get things very much out of proportion in the modern world. Because we no longer have to fight for survival now we give the same importance to things which have nothing to do with survival. Some people even commit suicide as a result. Learning relaxation through self-hypnosis could be worthwhile for you.

The suggestions which I give in hypnosis are meant for the subconscious mind so that the client feels the benefit from what is said rather than it remains as just an idea.

Example Hypnotherapy Script for Anxiety and Stress

“Your approach to life and all the things you do will be calm, relaxed and confident …
You will feel confident in the knowledge that you have the mental resources and the mental strength to set goals for yourself and to achieve them…
to put problems into perspective and see them as problems to be solved not problems that overcome you.

As you feel this way then everything that you will do will be done in this way…
It will not matter how stressful, upsetting or annoying situations and people appear to be…
more and more you will approach everything you do in a more calm, relaxed confident way…

You will feel this way too when you have to deal with the feelings that come from inside you…
This will be true whether they are the normal anxieties, worries, tensions and fears that bother all of us…

As you begin to feel more calm, relaxed and confident in yourself you will find that everything you do can be done in this way…
This is true whether it is at work, at home, eating, drinking, sleeping, getting exercise…
it doesn’t matter what it is you will feel more calm, relaxed and confident in whatever you do.

You will realise more and more that what happens in life is less important than how you think about it and how you react to it…
It is important to bring your reactions under your control…

Life is 90% how you react to it and only 10% what happens to you…
so do bring your reactions under your control.

As you practice being more calm and relaxed you will feel that you are not taking yourself, other people or life too seriously…
You will develop a sense of perspective and see that in the long term problems are just to be solved not to overcome you…

As you become more calm, relaxed and confident you will feel more and more confident that you do have all the mental strength and resources to deal with the mental and physical stresses that life presents to you.

As you do this you will find that you are becoming more and more the person that you want to be…
That now you can put your problems into perspective and see them as problems you can solve not problems that overcome you…

You can use the natural creativity of your subconscious mind to think of a number of solutions to problems that you have…

As you do this you will find that your subconscious mind is your best ally in life…
it helps you to solve problems and will even do this while you are asleep,
Hence the suggestion, “Sleep on it.”

As your mind works in this way then you will feel as if a great burden has been lifted from you and that you are more free to be yourself.”

The three dots … indicate a pause in the hypnosis which is very important as what is said is paced with the client’s breathing. In addition, repetition is what the subconscious mind does respond to. An example of this from the above script is the use of, “Calm, relaxed and confident.”

Remember that the subconscious mind is powerful but it doesn’t reason so repetition is a very useful way in which to get positive suggestions into our mind. Repetition is the major law of learning in any case.

This script is just an abbreviated example of what I do so there is much more depth to what can be said. The point is though that it is enough to illustrate what I mean.

These are suggestions to the subconscious mind and it is quite clear from the way the subconscious reacts to many everyday situations that it has no idea what is going on. So what we do need is suggestions from the conscious mind which tell the subconscious what the situation is really like rather than how it imagines it to be.

As this message begins to penetrate into the subconscious then the proof it is working will be in the way we feel rather than the way we think about things. Feelings of panic and anxiety then start to become more realistic and would be based on real situations rather than just on what we may be imagining.

Although feelings can be misleading, nonetheless, it is more often true that our feelings guide us more accurately than the way we think. If something feels right to us, especially as we do it, then that is far more proof than any intellectual argument.

This is not to denigrate the power of positive thinking or the power of our conscious mind. It is simply to say that is how the subconscious does react, through our feelings, but it does need guidance too from the conscious, rational mind.

Practical Exercises for Anxiety and Worry

Quite clearly then stress is worsened by worry and anxiety about things over which we feel we have little or no control. With the enormous increase in stress and anxiety in our society it is not surprising to read that there is now a classified disorder called Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

This is serious enough to be on the USA Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It is a disorder where the person is extremely anxious about anything and everything. This is probably a reaction to our fast changing society where everything is uncertain and the only thing that is predictable is that we have to live with uncertainty.

There are exercises I do with clients to reduce the stress which is experienced with excessive anxiety and worry. The main assumption here is that anxiety and panic as well as worry are all based on the way you think about them.

People who would “do anything for a quiet life.” don’t really understand how their mind works and how life works. Life is about problems and dealing with fear, anxiety, worry and even panic. To think you can live without having to deal with them is a delusion and, in the long run, just causes more stress.

Self-Help Techniques for Managing Anxiety

• Anxiety is a normal part of life; it is all right to feel anxious.
• Do not fight anxiety; accept it without any judgement on yourself.
• Anxiety reflects a desire for life – to do well in whatever you are doing.
• Often the stronger the desire for success the stronger the anxiety and fear of failure. As you will learn you can feel the fear and do it anyway. This is especially effective through the power of hypnosis.
• Leave anxiety symptoms as they are do not tamper with them.
• You can choose and control actions but not what emotions initially come in. It is normal for anxiety, worries, tension and fears to come in but what is most important is how you react to them once they come in. So persevere through anxious moments do not run away from anxiety.
• Stay focused on the task at hand and its constructive purpose.
• Judge yourself only by the effort you make and the positive intention that you have- not by the amount of anxiety controlled or avoided.
• During periods of higher anxiety try to look after your health.
• Eat regularly and avoid stimulants such as coffee, tea, chocolate, cola drinks, and alcohol.
• Even try daily exercise. For example, a daily brisk walk in the morning can do wonders!
• Establish regular sleep patterns by going to bed and getting up at the same time every day.
• Yoga, meditation, self-hypnosis etc. have a calming, relaxing effect.
• From health food shops you could try kava kava root for muscular relaxation and a mild sedative such as valerian which can help you to sleep.

Understanding Social anxiety

Social anxiety is a condition that is treatable in the same way as anxiety in general. Some people are afflicted more than others to the point where it becomes social phobia and then it might be best to have hypnotherapy depending on how severe the symptoms are. In my Newport clinic, my clients find treating phobias with hypnotherapy to be effective.

For people where the symptoms are not too severe then self-treatment using the above suggestions is appropriate. In addition two points should be kept in mind:

Social anxiety does reflect social sensitivity but use your sensitivity in a productive way; try not to be sensitive about yourself, but towards other people and how they feel. Act on the constructive social desires that underlie social anxiety.

Ultimately it is to see that what appears to be negative, such as social anxiety, does have a positive function underneath of us just wanting to do the best one can.

Ways to Manage Stress

I have a large range of methods for dealing with stress. The suggestions I frequently come up with are:

• Exercising of any kind from the most gentle to really vigorous, but preferably not violent exercise, unless that really is your preference. Walking is safe for most people whilst fitness centre exercise can lead to muscle strain if one is not careful. I know because I have done that especially on a running machine. Running long distances as fast as you can on hard surfaces must also be done in moderation as it can lead to physical problems. I know again because I developed sciatica from running too vigorously on roads. Luckily, through physiotherapy it is well under control.
• Doing relaxation, meditation, self-hypnosis, yoga, are all excellent ways of calming your mind and relaxing your body. Again it is best to find out what is most effective for you. I tried meditation for two years and initially the effects were amazing. After a while though I found that trying to keep my mind blank was becoming less and less effective as intrusive thoughts would come in like, “Where I am I going to get the money to pay the next bill for the car?” With hypnosis, by contrast, you are using your mind in calm, relaxed state to solve problems or build up feelings of mental strength through positive suggestions to the subconscious mind. Personally I found this much more effective in the long run as I have the sort of mind that just seems to need to keep busy so it might as well keep busy doing something positive.
• Drinking water is a great stress reliever because it helps to balance the fluids in the body and clear out toxins from that hopefully rare night of over indulgence.
• Eating fruit on the same principle helps to relieve stress as 90% of fruit we eat is composed of water. There is the additional benefit that natural energy comes from the fructose in the fruit (fruit sugar). To make it available at various time during the day and night you can even have slices of apple, orange, pear in the fridge at home and at work.
• Music calms the mind totally if you experiment to find out what works for you. I am not religious in the formal sense but some choral music I find very calming and relaxing because of the cadence and the sound of the organ and the voices.

Of course the list of things that can be done is endless.

Using Reframing Techniques in Hypnotherapy

I do an exercise called reframing, with many people I see for hypnotherapy, where I invite them to use the creativity of the subconscious mind to come up with as many ideas as possible which can help to solve their problem. Try it for yourself and see how creative the subconscious mind really is. The procedure is as follows:

After going into a light hypnotic trance, through self-hypnosis, the first thing to do is to ask the subconscious mind whether it thinks there is any positive purpose/ function /intention from the undesired behaviour.

An example of this could be overeating for comfort. The subconscious mind could perhaps reveal why comfort eating is necessary. Whatever the answer, the idea is that the subconscious mind is highly creative and could find many other ways to fulfil the need for comfort.

With some people many choices do come up. With others few come up or on the odd occasion none come up.

Assuming a number of choices do come up then it is necessary to chose those which are at least as effective, available and as immediate as the “old” behaviour. The subconscious mind must also feel that there is no threat from these “new” behaviours. If appropriate it would help to see if the subconscious feels that is a most appropriate choice and would be willing to try it for two or three weeks.

It could help too to look into the future and see how the behaviour would work more in the long term. Does it look like it would really substitute for the old behaviour or do you need to go back to some of the other choices that came up and try then for a few weeks instead?

An example here could be that instead of comfort eating that the feelings of comfort could be anchored by making more effort to make friendships or have relationships. For some people though this could even be threatening as the comfort eating could be due to failed relationships. In that case some other choice would be necessary as mentioned above.

How Hypnotherapy Can Help with Anxiety and Stress

The main task with hypnosis is to give the person a sense of perspective on what anxiety and panic are and to dissociate feelings away from these feelings. This can be done through the thoughts a person has. So thoughts which help are encouraged such as shown in the exercise: “Anxiety Self-Treatment”.

The body is involved too so it is important to get exercise to get rid of the excess adrenaline which contributes to the feelings of anxiety and panic. These two things together will go a long way to alleviating anxiety and panic.

Naturally it is necessary too to find out whatever additional factors could be contributing to the feelings as problems should not be approached in a too simple way. Although the KISS (Keep It Simple and Straightforward) technique is to be recommended complexities in the problem must be explored as necessary.

This can be done by using the creativity of the subconscious mind through reframing as discussed above. This is an exercise I do with the tool of hypnotherapy.

It is clear too that the more things which are done that promote mental and physical health, the less stressed the body and mind are going to be.

Frequently Asked Questions About Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Can hypnotherapy help anxiety?
Hypnotherapy can help people understand anxiety more clearly and respond to it in calmer and more constructive ways. By working with the subconscious mind, hypnosis can reduce the intensity of anxious feelings and help people feel more in control.

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Can hypnotherapy help panic attacks?
Hypnotherapy can help reduce panic attacks by changing how the mind interprets the physical sensations of anxiety. As the fear of these sensations reduces, the cycle of panic often becomes weaker.

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Are panic attacks dangerous?
Although panic attacks can feel frightening and overwhelming, they are not physically dangerous. The body cannot remain in a heightened state of panic for long, and the symptoms will naturally settle.

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What causes panic attacks?
Panic attacks are often triggered by anxiety, stress, or the body’s natural fight-or-flight response being activated when there is no real danger present. Thoughts, memories, or worries can sometimes trigger this response.

If anxiety, stress, or panic attacks are affecting your life, hypnotherapy sessions in Newport may help you regain calm and confidence. Feel free to get in touch to discuss how therapy could support you.