Hypnotherapy for Depression

Depression is a natural response that we may feel during stressful times. It is possible to use hypnotherapy for depression to help you cope and make you feel more like yourself again.

How does depression affect you?

Common characteristics are feelings of tiredness, lack of motivation, sadness or tearfulness, lack of interest in life in general, not wanting to interact with other people, a lack of appetite, or comfort eating.

Depression also sometimes comes alongside anxiety, anger and panic attacks.

You may recognise some of these feelings in yourself.

Why depression happens

Depression is perfectly natural – it all comes down to the way our brains work.

One part of our brain – the primitive brain – is very old and it thinks we are still cavemen. And in those days, feelings that we now refer to as ‘depression’ would have allowed us to stay safe from potential danger.

We might have been forced to stay in our cave for longer periods of time because of wild animals, danger nearby or bad weather. We would have had to wait and probably sleep until the danger had passed and it was safe to go out again.

During this time, we would not have felt like doing much or interacting. This would have been a positive thing, as it would have kept us safe and preserved our energy until the danger had passed.

How this relates to depression in modern life

Today we still feel those urges sometimes when life has become too stressful. We might feel like not going to work and curling up in bed, not wanting to see people, and spending lots of time sleeping.

We might feel lethargic and not feel like engaging or getting things done, so we may become isolated. We may lose interest in eating and personal hygiene.

However, in our modern life, we rarely need to hide from wild animals or storms. It is more likely to be relationship issues, work-related problems or overdue bills. None of this may pose any physical danger, but nevertheless are treated in this way by the primitive brain if our general stress/anxiety levels have become too high.

Depression also has an effect on our serotonin levels. Serotonin is one of the most important neurotransmitters that helps us to feel happy, to cope, to be motivated and brave.

With depression, our serotonin levels drop dramatically. This is because we produce serotonin by doing positive things, including being active and interacting with others.

We do less of these things when we are depressed, and so feel less happy and don’t cope as well. This can create a negative downward spiral of low mood, lethargy, and lack of motivation, which can be difficult to break out of on our own.

Can hypnotherapy work for depression?

Yes. Hypnotherapy can help greatly by refocussing on positive things and moving towards improving and coping with things one step at a time.

Hypnosis is relaxing, positive and enjoyable. When you book a hypnotherapy session with me you will also receive a free trance (digital or CD) at our initial meeting to get the process going from the very beginning.

If you would like to try hypnotherapy for depression, simply get in touch to book your Initial Consultation. Or if you have more questions and would like to book a 15-minute call, simply use the form provided.

Please note: Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is very effective, however, results may vary and success is not guaranteed. The treatment requires your willingness and commitment to bring about the changes.