Tag Archives: mental health

More on Hypnotherapy

I have written previously about the healing power of hypnotherapy regarding smoking cessation, post-surgery recouperation, and anxiety reduction. However, I have not touched on the spiritual growth that I have seen. These cases have been, perhaps, the most amazing of all. In fact, they are so transformative that I am moving more and more toward focusing my practice in this direction.

One example was a client who was extremely depressed. Let’s call her Dianne. She felt completely alienated from God. Completely rejected. I cannot say which came first, but the more depressed she felt, the more alienated she felt, and the more alienated, the more depressed. She spent much of her time crying, she was mean-spirited toward others, and she had little motivation and no energy to accomplish anything. In fact, she missed many of her therapy appointments because she couldn’t get out of bed and get dressed.

We explored many treatment modalities, and as a last resort, she agreed to hypnotherapy. The prospect of hypnotherapy had made her a little nervous, but, when nothing else worked, she hesitantly agreed. She entered a meditative state rather quickly. I guided her to approach the deepest part of her psyche and say a prayer asking for God to love and accept her. I did not pray for her or over her. Beyond helping her reach a trance state, I did not interfere. It was important that she approach her own image of God in her own way.

I always support whatever beliefs a client brings into the session. Most are Judeo-Christian, but I have worked with practitioners of Buddhism, Hinduism, earth religions, Celtic religions, and Native American beliefs, among others.

At first during hypnosis, Diane felt rebuffed, but when she realized that it was her own feelings of unworthiness that were getting in her way, she tried again. This time, she felt herself lifted up by God. Hugged. Held within his arms. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she left the trance state, and she could barely speak through her emotions.

She left my office feeling loved, loving, and loveable. It was not a “magic” cure. Diane continued to struggle against her maladaptive behaviors, but now she had the energy to work on them. She felt changed by the experience. And her changes touched me and others who knew her. Thank you, Diane.

A Perfect Storm

We are creating a perfect storm for tragedy. We have woefully inadequate mental health care and unlimited access to weapons. When I read of shooters described as mentally ill, I imagine the public spewing venom about the idiotic psychologist who failed to hospitalize the patient in time to prevent the shooting. So, I am on my soap box to say, “Easier said than done.”

Mental health professionals may press for more intense treatment, but insurance companies often resist covering the treatment of mentally ill individuals, and they certainly don’t want to foot the bill for lengthy hospitalizations. On numerous occasions, I have attempted to have a patient in active psychosis admitted, only to be told they “don’t meet the criteria.” As recently as two weeks ago, we sent a potentially dangerous patient to the ER. She was given a Prozac and sent home. Her family was able to help her safely through her episode, but it might have ended differently. There is an acute need for the revamping of the mental health system. The current practice of waiting until after a tragic event, and then imprisoning the person, or burying them, isn’t working.

What scares me the most, however, is the number of people I know of with explosive disorders, anger issues, and personality problems that have stock-piled, yes, literally stock-piled, weapons. What will it take for someone like this to slip over the edge and kill himself or someone else? And this isn’t taking into account the mood swings and impulsivity of young people. In 2010, more than 1,900 kids between the ages of 5 and 19 committed suicide with a firearm. Where do we think they got those guns? Further, eighty-five percent of suicide attempts with a gun are successful, as opposed to one to two percent with, say, wrist-slashing. We need to be more aware of depression in teens, work to get hospitals to admit severely depressed people, and do whatever is needed to protect our youths from themselves. Some gun-owning parents with children suffering from depression have actually, gasp!, removed firearms from their homes.

There is a lot of work to be done at the juxtaposition of mental health and criminal law. Let’s push for real progress.

Who Do We Think We are?

More and more, I am seeing that our self-identities may be our destinies. When we are young, we believe we are invincible, that life has no boundaries, and that our futures have no strings. But our identities harden around the edges as we make choices and begin to shape the way we live. That is a good thing. We need structure to accomplish anything. We need a foundation to build on. We need a circle of support.

But I’ve learned something from clients whose lives have been so structured, their identities so bound up with their roles, that, when they lose those roles, they become paralyzed. Some are people whose careers have ended through lay-off, down-sizing, or retirement. Some are parents who feel useless now that their children have left. It’s normal to feel the pain of loss in those circumstances.  What is not healthy is to have become so enmeshed in those roles that they can’t move beyond them.

These are the clients that, when I ask them what they enjoy now, they say “nothing”. When I ask what interests them, they say “nothing.” When I ask what new topics they might want to learn about, what places would be fun to explore, they say “none.” They’ve had a one-note song, and the song has ended. I realize it is often depression and loss talking, but because their lives have been so narrow, they are unable to move beyond this state. They remain in a sarcophagus of grief and stagnation, often for years. Sometimes for a lifetime.

So, who do we think we are? The best accountant, or nurse? A terrific parent, or electrician? Wonderful! But is that the only way we see ourselves? A single possible role? Then living that one-dimensional life will be devastating when our situation changes. So…, right now, today, we can take up a hobby or join a club or become a gardener, a runner, a scholar, a gourmet cook. We can wear a handful of hats. A closet full. This is mental preventive medicine–a lesson I’ve learned from my clients.