Depression

According to research by the Charity Mind, one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem at any time each year with depression being one of the most common types.

Depression is considered to be a common psychological disorder and anyone can become depressed. Most people go through periods of feeling low particularly when experiencing life changing events (e.g. relationship changes, job changes, having a baby or bereavement) but when you’re depressed you feel continuously sad for weeks or months rather than just a few days.  It’s not something that can be ‘snapped out of’ and it’s not possible to ‘just pull yourself together’.  Depression affects people in different ways and can cause a variety of symptoms such as lasting feelings of unhappiness and hopelessness to losing interest in things you would normally enjoy and also feeling very tearful. Other symptoms may include feeling constantly tired, sleeping poorly, having a reduced appetite and sex drive and various aches and pains.  It is common for people who are depressed to experience anxiety symptoms also.

There are different levels of depression – mild, moderate and severe.

Whilst medication is indeed beneficial for some people (particularly those with severe depression) my personal view is that far too many people are prescribed anti-depressants when what they really need is help to explore and deal with issues causing their difficulties and to develop healthier approaches to managing themselves and their emotions.   It is not surprising that so many people feel out of control when 95% of our life is controlled or effected by others.

We live in a very material society and many people are looking for a quick fix to make them happy.  Surrounding ourselves in material possessions may make us happy for a short while but it’s not long before we move on looking for something else to make us happy again.  Also not everyone is able to afford such material trappings but that doesn’t make them a failure.  In order to gain inner peace and contentment it is necessary to get balance of both the mind and body – physical, mental and emotional.

How can hypnotherapy help with depression?

In my experience most people seeking help with hypnotherapy for depression have:-

• Been on medication but have not found it to be effective.
• Decided that they would prefer a natural therapy rather than medication.
• Have tried other talking therapies which they have not found to be beneficial.

Hypnotherapy is very effective helping you to overcome depression because it deals with any underlying issues, helps you to focus on the present and moving forward to the future more confidently.  Treatment for depression can involve making a combination of lifestyle changes (e.g. being more active, reducing alcohol, giving up smoking and eating healthily).

The number of sessions required varies as every client is unique but most clients only need up to six sessions (usually weekly).