Hypnotherapy And Stress

Word count: 2145
Word count: 2145

Discuss the Relationship between Stress, Anxiety, Habits and Phobias.
Describe How You Would Treat these Issues with Hypnotherapy

In this essay I shall try to define anxiety, stress, habits and phobias as well as explore their individual attributes and symptoms and how each may relate. I will also attempt to explain basic methodology and treatment of neurotic conditions, such as anxiety, fear and low self-esteem, highlighting any professional or ethical implications that may arise.

Stress and Anxiety
These two conditions are often associated; where one is present, the other will often be found. However, there is a clear distinction between the two and as a therapist it is crucial to be aware of
The causes of stress are usually clearly identifiable. Anxiety as a result of stressis usually termed ‘situational anxiety’, often referred to as ‘stage fright’. A temporary, short term form of anxiety, triggered by certain situations or experiences. Where as, ‘existential anxiety’ is a form of anxiety quite distinct from stress (Knight). It normally is a result of a fear or apprehension, which does not always have an identifiable source. It has been described as ‘all in the mind’ or as Hadley and Staudacher chose to put it, ‘Anxiety actually arises out of your thoughts. In a given situation, it’s the thought of potential danger, not the actual danger that produces the symptom of anxiety.’ Dryden and Heap state: Anxiety is essentially, ‘a learned and anticipatory’ response to any distant or even imagined
Simple phobias are from a single stimulus, for example fear of heights or enclosed spaces. Complex phobias are where there can be a number factors. For example, a person may have a fear of flying but within this are fears of a plane crash, enclosed places and a fear of losing control. Social phobias are those associated with what may happen when one is in the company of others (Module 5 Class Notes). There are primarily three categories: Agoraphobia, Social phobia and Specific phobia, which can then be subdivided into subtypes and finally conditions DSM-IV, 1994. Phobias may be the consequence of a number of factors. Stress and anxiety could result in the development of a phobia, directly linked to a specific stimulus. However, stress can also result in what is termed, ‘displaced phobias’. This is when an individual is experiencing stress in one aspect of their life but the phobia manifests in another. An example of this could be a person who is stressed in a work situation, developing a phobia of a bridge they pass everyday on their way to work. In this instance ‘displacing’ the stress from work, to the bridge. A phobia can also be caused by a cumulative impact of a series of negative experiences. For example, being held underwater as a child by a playful brother of sister. Later experiencing difficult or uncomfortable episodes with water, over time developing into a fear of being in water. Similar to anxieties, phobias can be learned or even