Look Into My Eyes: Why hypnotherapy could help you

How does hypnotherapy work?

During hypnosis, your mind enters into a relaxed state where you are less aware of your surroundings and more at one with your internal reality. Instead of this coming about through chance, hypnotherapy encourages this process through several suggestive techniques. These techniques often involve your therapist guiding you through an imaginary scenario that includes many verbal cues encouraging you to gradually relax your mind and body. For example: “You are lying on a beach, the sun is warm on your face and your whole body feels heavy and soft on the sand”.

What are the benefits of hypnotherapy?

Hypnosis encourages you to remove your immediate thoughts and emotions and to enter a relaxed state. It is in this state of relaxation that you can start to address any underlying problems you're facing - problems that you may have otherwise been unable to deal with. Once you are in a relaxed state, a series of suggestions can be made to help you deal with the issue you want to address. Hypnotherapy can assist in treating several issues including, acute and chronic pain, bad habits (e.g. smoking), sleeping problems, dental anxiety, depression as well as general stress.

How does hypnotherapy help with dental anxiety?

Hypnotherapy helps you to access a state of relaxation with a series of suggestive cues and imagery. It is believed that once your mind has re-experienced this relaxed state in hypnotherapy, it will maintain the memory and replicate it. You can think of it as being like one of the places you re-visit in a dream – hypnotherapy provides a space that you can mentally-speaking return to. By providing hypnotherapy in our dental practice, the vast majority of hypnotherapy patients naturally come to associate relaxation with this space. This will allow you to receive dental treatments confidently, without anxiety.

If you are struggling with dental anxiety and you don’t want to opt for medication or other alternative solutions, hypnotherapy could be a great option for you. Visiting the dentist and undergoing treatment when necessary is essential to maintaining positive oral health. Don’t let your anxiety get in the way of looking after your teeth and your overall wellbeing!