With the global economy in a tailspin, many Americans are finding their fears rising as quickly as their net worth is dropping. However, the loss in value to their portfolios in this financial crisis is only part of the toll it's taking on families. Along with economic loss and uncertainty, comes increased stress.
Any time a family is faced with significant change and uncertainty, stress levels increase, often causing a breakdown in the family unit. In some cases, people go to the extreme. An unemployed Southern California accounting industry worker recently killed his entire family, then himself, allegedly over stress caused by the financial crisis.
As the global financial crisis unfolds, more and more Americans are turning to experts for help in dealing with increased stress. Leading indicators of increasing stress are the suicide prevention and help lines available throughout the country. According to Shaili Jain, a psychiatrist with Aurora Behavioral Health Services in Milwaukee, calls to depression and suicide hot lines and requests for assistance in dealing with financial hardship to behavioral health and wellness services have seen a dramatic increase this year.
While, private sessions with psychologists, psychiatrists or hypnotherapists can be quite effective, they can also be inconvenient and expensive. For some, a viable and cost effective alternative can be self-hypnosis CDs produced by a certified hypnotherapist.
A self-hypnosis session on CD consists of three distinct stages. The hypnotherapist uses the first portion of the session for “trance induction.” This is where the listener is guided into a “trance state” where the conscious mind is relaxed allowing the therapist to communicate more directly with the subconscious mind bypassing unnecessary filtering by the conscious mind.
The middle segment of the session is spent providing positive suggestions to create the desired change, in this case, a reduction of stress. This often consists of guided imagery where the listener is transported to an idyllic location then helped to access memories of calmer more peaceful times. Sometimes the listener is also guided toward accessing confidence and competence.
Finally, the hypnotherapist restores the listener to active conscious attention, being “wide awake and refreshed.” Although the length of these sessions can vary, they normally last between 20 and 35 minutes.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Hypnotherapy has the potential to help relieve the symptoms of a wide variety of diseases and conditions. It can be used independently or along with other treatments. For example, it's one of several relaxation methods for treating chronic pain that has been approved by an independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health.” Listed among recognized applications is reduction of stress and anxiety.
The choices for these at-home therapy sessions is quite varied and consumers should proceed intelligently in picking which self-hypnosis stress relief CD to choose. Some self-hypnosis CDs are offered by non-credentialed or poorly credentialed individuals. Others are published by celebrity hypnotists like Wendi Friesen. One hypnotherapist, Margot Miles CHT, of Success Hypnosis, actually created a self-hypnosis stress relief to deal with the current financial crisis so many people are facing.
Respected licensing organizations like the National Guild of Hypnotists, and the International Association of Counselors and Therapists help identify hypnotherapists who meet stringent educational and ethical standards. Consumers are wise to look for these accreditations when choosing a self-hypnosis program.
Whether they choose help lines, individual sessions or self-hypnosis CDs, people are encouraged not to ignore the signs of stress on themselves or their family and to seek help if today's global economic situation has them experiencing increased stress.
