If you have PTSD, it is likely you’ve experienced trauma at some point in your past. Your trauma might have been caused by a one-off event, such as a severe accident, physical attack or bereavement. Alternatively, your trauma may have happened over a period of time, like being in an abusive relationship, experiencing a warzone, or having a job that places you in dangerous situations.
Whatever the cause of your trauma, various studies have shown that hypnotherapy can help reduce symptoms of PTSD.
One systematic review and meta-analysis found hypnotherapy was effective in alleviating PTSD symptoms. Importantly, tests carried out 12 months after the hypnosis was completed showed the improvement in symptoms were long-lasting.
Most hypnotherapy sessions are split into two distinct parts: ‘the talky bit’ and hypnosis. The talking element, which could be either counselling or psychotherapy, will help you to understand why you feel as you do and to understand what can be done.
The length of your hypnotherapy session could vary from 30 – 90 minutes. An initial consultation will generally be held prior to your hypnotherapy sessions starting. This is to agree the aims and goals of your treatment, to discuss your symptoms and to give you a guide for the number of sessions required. This will vary from client to client and depend on the severity of the PTSD. However, you are likely to see long-lasting improvement in your PTSD symptoms in 8-10 hypnotherapy sessions.
If you have PTSD, you’ll probably have been told whether it is classified as mild, moderate or severe. However, this only describes the severity of your current symptoms, and is not an indicator of how upsetting the original event(s) were.
You might be told that your PTSD is complex. This is usually in situations where the trauma happened at a young age or lasted for some time. If your profession means you face danger on a regular basis, such as a soldier, firefighter or police officer, then it is likely you will have developed complex PTSD. If your symptoms didn’t appear for at least 6 months after the trauma, this might be classified as delayed onset PTSD. A difficult delivery with your baby can cause another form of PTSD, commonly called birth trauma.
PTSD is usually caused by events that your mind believes to be life-threatening. This can be made worse by the mind focusing on the trauma after the event. You might find yourself negatively forecasting the future or beating yourself up about the past. As the brain cannot tell the difference between imagination and reality, it believes that the trauma keeps happening. This keeps the brain in a state of hypervigilance, where it is constantly looking out for more danger.
This constant state of flight or fight can be exhausting and seriously interfere with your quality of life. Regardless of what classification your PTSD has been given, hypnotherapy can help you to get your life back on track.
With PTSD, you are likely to re-experience the trauma on a regular basis. You might have nightmares of the event and wake feeling panicked and out of control. Similarly, you may find that common, everyday things cause you to have a flashback, where you find yourself back in the traumatic event.
Either of these scenarios can leave you feeling sick, shaking and sweating. You could find yourself constantly questioning the traumatic event and asking, why me? You might avoid circumstances, people and places that remind you of the trauma to avoid reliving the trauma. All of this can lead to you feeling isolated and alone as you withdraw from daily life.
If you have PTSD it is also more likely that you will suffer from anxiety, depression or phobias. You might have turned to alcohol or drugs as a way to self-medicate and numb the emotional and physical pain you are experiencing. Your PTSD symptoms may be putting a strain on your personal and work relationships, causing them to break down.
The good news is that PTSD hypnotherapy can help to relax your mind and your body. This can enable you to sleep better, reduce your PTSD symptoms and get back in control of your life.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can present in various ways, affecting both mental and physical health. These symptoms may disrupt daily life, relationships, and overall well-being. Common signs include:
Recognising these symptoms is an important step towards seeking support. Treatments such as hypnotherapy have been shown to effectively reduce PTSD symptoms, offering tools to manage and alleviate their impact over time.
Hypnotherapy is a very relaxing therapy and, once you relax, your body no longer feels in danger. This allows the body to rebalance itself and let go of tension. If you have PTSD it is likely your sleep will be affected, yet it is during sleep that we process the negative events in our lives. If we don’t sleep, we are unable to process the trauma. Hypnotherapy has been shown to help with insomnia and, once your sleep pattern is restored, your body will find it easier to process the traumatic events.
When you enter a trance state, you will be in a state of focused attention. Different brain waves become more prevalent and you will be able to see things from a different perspective, altering your perception of the trauma. The change in brain waves will also make it easier for you to take on new ideas and new ways of thinking. Most hypnotherapists use an element of talking therapy and this supports the trance session by helping you to evaluate your current behaviour and the way you think.
It is always important to contact your GP about your PTSD symptoms to get a proper assessment before seeing a hypnotherapist.
The number of sessions needed for PTSD will vary from person to person. Your hypnotherapist might ask some questions to help them calculate the number of sessions you need, such as, “How long have you had the symptoms?” or “How severe are the symptoms?” Another factor to consider is the level of your commitment. You might be expected to listen to an MP3 download every night or to perform some other task between sessions. You will see results much more quickly if you do the things your hypnotherapist suggests.
The cost of hypnotherapy for PTSD can vary from one therapist to another. This will depend on your location and the qualifications and experience your hypnotherapist has. To give you a rough guide prices can vary from £40- £150 per hour.
Yes, a study in 2002 looked at children with PTSD symptoms caused by terrorist bomb blasts in Bali, and concluded that hypnotherapy was highly effective. In fact, children often find it much easier to go into a trance state than their adult counterparts. This is thought to be because children are more open about trying new things than many adults.
Even before lockdown many hypnotherapists were running online hypnotherapy sessions for PTSD. There is now evidence to support the effectiveness of online hypnotherapy sessions for a range of conditions. All you need to take part in an online hypnotherapy session is a laptop, tablet or smartphone, access to the internet and somewhere quiet where you can relax.
Start out with the basics, Search for “hypnotherapy for PTSD” in Google or Bing. The results will contain a map with local hypnotherapy businesses. Start looking through their reviews either in the search engine or on their social (Facebook) pages.
The best hypnotherapists will be registered with a professional association and with organisations that are accredited by the professional standards authority. There are only two in the UK and they are the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) and the National Hypnotherapy Society.
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