– Do you have a hard time getting up from bed every morning?
– Do you have less and less need to socialize with other people?
– Did you lose or gain weight lately?
– Do you see everything as black?
– Do you have suicidal thoughts?
If the answer to all or some of these questions is YES then you are probably suffering from depression.
Hypnotherapy is the solution to depression.
What is depression and what can I do about it?
Sadness, feeling down and having a loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities are familiar feelings for all of us. But if they persist and affect our lives substantially, the issue may be depression.
Depression is the main cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It can affect adults, adolescents, and children.
Depression is a mood disorder that involves a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It is different from the mood fluctuations that people regularly experience as a part of life.
Major life events, such as bereavement or the loss of a job, can lead to depression. However, doctors only consider feelings of grief to be part of depression if they persist.
Depression is an ongoing problem, not a passing one. It consists of episodes during which the symptoms last for at least 2 weeks. Depression can last for several weeks, months, or years.
Signs and symptoms of Depression
The symptoms of depression can include:
- a depressed mood
- reduced interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
- a loss of sexual desire
- changes in appetite
- unintentional weight loss or gain
- sleeping too much or too little
- agitation, restlessness, and pacing up and down
- slowed movement and speech
- fatigue or loss of energy
- feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions
- recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, or an attempt at suicide
Depression for females
Depression is nearly twice as common among women as men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Below are some symptoms of depression that tend to appear more often in females:
- irritability
- anxiety
- mood swings
- fatigue
- ruminating (dwelling on negative thoughts)
Depression for Males
Around 9% of men in the United States have feelings of depression or anxiety, according to the American Psychological Association.
Males with depression are more likely than females to drink alcohol in excess, display anger, and engage in risk-taking as a result of the disorder.
Other symptoms of depression in males may include:
- avoiding families and social situations
- working without a break
- having difficulty keeping up with work and family responsibilities
- displaying abusive or controlling behavior in relationships
Depression for College Students
Time at college can be stressful, and a person may be dealing with other lifestyles, cultures, and experiences for the first time.
Some students have difficulty coping with these changes, and they may develop depression, anxiety, or both as a result.
Symptoms of depression in college students may include:
- difficulty concentrating on schoolwork
- insomnia
- sleeping too much
- a decrease or increase in appetite
- avoiding social situations and activities that they used to enjoy
Depression for Teens
Physical changes, peer pressure, and other factors can contribute to depression in teenagers.
They may experience some of the following symptoms:
- withdrawing from friends and family
- difficulty concentrating on schoolwork
- feeling guilty, helpless, or worthless
- restlessness, such as an inability to sit still
Depresssion for Childrens
The CDC estimate that, in the U.S., 3.2% of children and teens aged 3–17 have a diagnosis of depression.
In children, symptoms can make schoolwork and social activities challenging. They may experience symptoms such as:
- crying
- low energy
- clinginess
- defiant behavior
- vocal outbursts
Younger children may have difficulty expressing how they feel in words. This can make it harder for them to explain their feelings of sadness.
Causes of Depression
The medical community does not fully understand the causes of depression. There are many possible causes, and sometimes, various factors combine to trigger symptoms.
Factors that are likely to play a role include:
- changes in the brain’s neurotransmitter levels
- environmental factors
- psychological and social factors
- stressful events such as loss of parent or partner
- big changes in the life of a person that is diagnosed with depression
- additional conditions, such as bipolar disorder
“Medication treats symptoms. Hypnotherapy treats causes.”
HOW DOES CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPY TREAT DEPRESSION?
1. It helps you enter the subconscious:
First, we drop down from the conscious mind, which is only 10% of the mind into the subconscious mind. Now we are addressing the whole person, 100% of the mind rather than just treating the symptoms.
2. It helps you identify the “unfinished business”.
People often have “unfinished business” with whatever has been lost, be it a loved one, a job, or a home. These unresolved feelings, such as resentments, regrets, blame, anger, guilt, jealousy, and fear are stored in the body and must be released as soon after the triggering event as possible. Otherwise, they become deeply buried beneath the numbness created by the anti-depressant drugs, the addictive behavior, and the concurrent repression that occurs when trauma and grief go untreated. Clinical hypnotherapy works for depression because it removes the underlying basis of depression and completes the unfinished business that otherwise continues to recycle as self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors.
3. It helps you “finish” the “unfinished business” and release the stored emotions/experiences.
With hypnotherapy, we can go down to the deepest level of these traumatic experiences, memories, and stored emotions to release them from the mind and body. When this hypnotherapy process is completed, the client reports that their depression has lifted, that they have stopped the compulsive thoughts or behavior, and that they are ready to resume living their lives again.
4. It helps you replace the trauma with positivity.
With each healing session of clinical hypnotherapy, we can replace the fearful repetitive thoughts that often haunt people following a traumatic experience. Positive affirmations now work because the underlying emotional release has been accomplished.
5. It helps you use the power of hypnotic suggestions to create long-term improvement.
Hypnotherapy provides an effective way to access the individual’s ability to affect the physical body. Once self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors have been resolved, the individual can begin to use hypnotic suggestibility to improve the body’s functioning. Hypnotherapy can be very helpful in correcting patterns of restless sleep, low energy or libido, headaches or chronic pain. And one can use hypnotherapy to increase motivation to exercise and eat properly.
Conclusion
Consistent research and methodology refinement have allowed hypnotherapy to progress as an advanced form of therapy to the point where clinical hypnotherapy is now regularly considered as a treatment option for depression. Working in tandem with a group of powerful psychotherapy techniques, hypnotherapy can be a highly successful form of treatment for individuals with depression.
Do you think you need help with depression?