How can hypnotherapy help long-term Covid?

For almost two years now, the world has been plunged into a state of perpetual fear. At the very beginning, television repeatedly showed images of dead bodies strewn in the streets of China which is still scorched into many people’s minds.  The news has been relentless, concentrating on daily death counts and putting the onus on us to protect each other.  

People have reacted differently as you would expect.  For some, they have continued to get on with their lives as best as they can.  Some have had work commitments or caring responsibilities and have remained level-headed.  As the world goes back to normal, they have adjusted back and have no long-term issues to address.   However, others have been unable to let go of that initial fear, and it is still affecting their everyday life. 

For some, isolation has had a detrimental effect on their confidence.  They fear everyone and everything, convinced they will get covid and die should anyone get too close to them. For others, the lack of human contact and socialisation has made them feel they have lost valuable social skills they cannot get back.  They are consumed with this one topic and have little else to talk about having hidden away for so long.  This has gone on so far and for so long, they cannot now imagine living any other way.  

The thought of someone offering an outstretched hand or opening their arms for a hug brings them out in a cold sweat. Or what if they trip and fall in the street? Will strangers rush over to help and breathe all over them as they grab them to pull them to their feet? Or what if someone else falls to the ground? Will they need to help them as it’s the decent thing to do?  

It became ‘the norm’ for some people to work from home.  What if now their employer wants them to come back to work in the workplace? No amount of PPE, testing, vaccines, masks or social distancing can reassure them. They are unable to function normally in society and get on with living their lives. The fear has become too deep-rooted and they are suffering from long-term trauma.

How can hypnotherapy help with covid anxiety?

So, what can a hypnotherapist do to alleviate this suffering? How can a therapist enable them to start living their lives again?

Regardless of the challenge, someone presents to a hypnotherapist, every therapy session will begin with relaxation techniques.  This enables the subject to steady their busy mind and concentrate on the suggestions the therapist offers. The impact this continuous stress has had on their minds and bodies needs to be addressed first. Being relaxed and in a calm state of mind will maximise the therapeutic techniques the therapist will use. 

Hypnotherapy addresses the unconscious mind, which is more open to suggestion than the critical, conscious mind that can only look at facts and thrives on negativity if allowed. By bypassing the conscious mind, the therapist can instil positive thoughts and promote reason and logic to the troubled mind. We may not be able to change things on the outside out with our control. However, we can change our thoughts and how we deal with them. An experienced therapist will encourage the person to look at life in a positive fashion and build on this at every session. Very quickly, the mind will accept positive thoughts and outcomes first, instead of automatically accepting dark, negative thoughts. Technically, the therapy is rewiring your neural pathways to go down the more positive route again and again.

Your hypnotherapist will teach you techniques you can take away with you and use whenever you feel any negative thoughts slipping through. Hypnotherapy is a long-lasting therapy that will allow you to take back control of your life and start living again. Look for a therapist with experience of mental trauma and research their credentials and/or reviews to ensure they are the right person for you.  

“I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.”