It has long been accepted that many skin conditions can be aggravated by stress and anxiety. Most long-term sufferers from conditions like Psoriasis, Eczema, Urticaria and Pruritis will confirm that they have noticed an apparent link between stressful situations and increased symptoms. Despite the apparently obvious link, sufferers are often ill-equipped to manage stress in order to alleviate symptoms – after all, the pain, itching and soreness associated with skin conditions is in itself stressful – and so the cycle continues.
Dermatology specialists themselves seem to recognise the link between stress and increased symptoms, and where the problem is severe and long-lasting, often prescribe tranquillising or anti-depressant medication in an attempt to assist the sufferer in managing their condition. However, all medications carry side-effects and many people with dermatological conditions are understandably reluctant to be ‘tranquillised’ on an ongoing basis.
So how can Hypnotherapy help? The skin, as we know, is the largest organ in the body – and can be viewed as ‘a mirror to the mind’. Picture the communication between your mind and your body as part of a triangle: the top of the triangle can be thought of as the brain - the conscious mind. Then, on the left-hand side of the base is the subconscious, and on the right-hand side, the body.
Communication occurs along all sides of this triangle: between the conscious and the subconscious, between the conscious and the body, and between the subconscious and the body. All this communication is important, but the most important is the communication across the base - the connection between the subconscious mind and the body. This is the connection that is accessed and strengthened in hypnosis, and the reason why patients respond so well to treatment of skin conditions using Hypnotherapy for reduction stress and alleviation of symptoms.
