Here at my hypnotherapy practice in Chigwell, Essex, many people suffering from the debilitating affects of stress, anxiety or depression frequently ask me “Can I mix therapies?”.
There are quite a number of ways of optimising the likelihood of a positive outcome from any therapy. But mixing rarely helps. But let’s have a look.
What therapies can mix?
Imagine you have recently undergone heart-bypass surgery, or you have been in a car accident, or have received an injury during some sort of sporting activity. You will almost certainly have received some sort of therapy from a medical professional.
This might include:
– Surgery, to repair damaged parts,
– Physiotherapy to speed up healing, reduce pain and regain movement
– First Aid and pain relief from a pharmacist.
If around the same time you need to see a counsellor, hypnotherapist or psychotherapist for a related or unrelated matter of emotional or psychological concern generally there would be no problem in mixing these therapies with the medical ones – though it would be a good idea to let your GP know. Hypnotherapy could help you over come the shock or trauma of an accident or injury, or help with some other event whilst you are under the care of your GP or another medical professional. Treating the mind and body together can be fruitful if the circumstances are right.
Sometimes it will even make sense to take a mixed approach. It is not uncommon for someone having undergone heart bypass surgery to require counselling, for example.
If you came to me for Hypnotherapy, BWRT® or one of the other services I offer here in East London you could probably also enjoy the benefits of:
aromatherapy
osteopathy
chiropractic
physiotherapy
reflexology
Reiki
crystal healing
physiotherapy
acupuncture
homeopathy
yoga
herbalism
mindfulness
– and there are probably more besides.
What shouldn’t I mix?
If you were under the care of a psychiatrist or GP for a mental health condition who referred you to CBT or DBT for example, whatever therapy they added to that is fine because they are able to work together in a joined up way that harnesses several approaches for your benefit.
Sometimes GP’s, psychiatrists, other mental health professionals or counsellors might be trained in BWRT® or Hypnotherapy or NLP or something else. That is fine. But it would not be advisable for you to see at the same time an osteopath for a bad knee and a physiotherapist. For one thing you would find it very hard to know which one is most beneficial.
The same applies when receiving help for emotional or psychological problems. It would not be a good idea to see a counsellor for example and then a hypnotherapist at the same time for the same problem.
Every counsellor, psychologist, psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, BWRT® practitioner will have their own way of working. Based upon the time spent with you they will have a plan for a course of action to help you achieve your goals or overcome certain problems – and this is all good, but mixing will not necessarily optimise your chances of success. For one thing you might already have dealt with an issue of bereavement and “put it to bed” but another therapist might want to explore your feelings around that, and bring the problem back, You might cover issues relating to the pain of a relationship break up and them go over it all again with another therapist. You could, of course, say “oh, but I’ve covered this in CBT can we do something different” but then you take away from one therapist their ability to help you through the plan they have devised. Then there is the potential for the work done by one therapist to undo the work done with another. This can become very muddled intellectually and emotionally and that is not a place you want to be in.
Let’s face it – money is an issue. If you are paying for a therapy that doesn’t appear to be getting you the results you want, you can always address this concern to your therapist. If you are seeing more than one, how can you possibly decide which one is helping you the most? A lot of change work goes on outside of the therapy room between sessions, often set up that way by your therapist. You simply wouldn’t be able to see what is working for you and what is not.
Therefore if you are receiving any treatments or therapies in addition to hypnotherapy you should tell your hypnotherapist so that he or she can help you come to a decision about what will be best the best route for you to take.
What can I do to help myself?
Generally speaking there are lots of things you can do to assist your sense of well-being
Exercise is excellent.*
Whether it is seated yoga in your living room or a pilates class. Zumba or country dancing. Walking briskly for 30 mins every day. Pottering in the garden, or spending time feeding the ducks in the park.
Being outside in the fresh air is a very under-rated way of re-gaining a sense of well-being and it is totally free of charge.
As well as helping to improve your physical health many many studies have shown that exercise elevates mood too.
Meditation & Mindfulness
You can meditate or practice mindfulness almost anywhere. You can do it alone or in a group.
There are more and more studies available that provide evidence of the benefits of meditation. You can email me for some recommended reading if you want to.
If you were to join a local mindfulness or meditation group you also have the benefit of meeting other people which can help break the monotony of not feeling well, and take you out of yourself.
Take up a hobby
You could read, write poetry, take singing lesson, visit towns and buildings with notable architecture. You could take up crafting, develop an interest in interior design, feng shui, astronomy. Bird watching, dog-walking.
Time spent doing good things that you enjoy is rarely time wasted. Hobbies are often the first thing to be dropped when stress or anxiety attacks, and yet they often provide a great deal of resilience and restfulness.
Volunteer
Doing something for others has been shown to help increase self-esteem, confidence, sociability, and a sense of well-being. You could volunteer as part of religious community, or take part in activities aimed at improving conditions for people or animals say! You could give some time over to charity, or help out at a local cat or dog’s home giving out some much needed love and attention. There are many ways of volunteering, and there is something for everyone, whether it is being out and about on the front-line, or seated quietly away from the action making tea or helping with accounts. There is something out there for you.
You might decide that volunteering doesn’t provide enough of an incentive or enough structure and even decide it might be time to do some paid work – which can often be very beneficial to your sense of self-worth and confidence if you have been unable to work for a long time.
If you’d like to enquire about therapy either via Skype of here in Chigwell, Essex – drop me an email. hello@essexmindcoach.co.uk
*always consult your GP before beginning a course of exercise.