Hypnotherapy or counselling for anxiety and depression you may be wondering. Maybe you are someone who has had an issue your whole life or maybe an issue has cropped up for you more recently and are you now considering getting help. Maybe you know you don’t ‘feel right’or you’ve had a trauma at some stage in your life and you feel like you need some help with your emotions.
It can be hard to know which therapy to explore as a solution to emotional issues, especially with the internet creaking with offers of counselling for anxiety and depression. I thought today I would write from a position of a therapist who has trained in hypnotherapy and counselling skills and who has also had both hypnosis and counselling as a client.
Your mind is both simple and complex at the same time, like a computer (but the most amazing computer in the world!). It can be perfectly fine even in challenging times or go a bit squiffy at something seemingly harmless.
You can feel a bit anxious, low or depressed without an obvious root cause. And this can make life a bit of a struggle. It can be hard to work through this on your own and maybe that is what brought you here today.
Finding and removing the root cause of emotional issues
Most issues have a root cause and this root cause may not be known or obvious to you right now. It may be a specific issue like a fear of something like flying, snakes, spiders, heights, public speaking, driving, dating…
Quite often these specific issues are due to experiences that have taken place during your life which you may or may not be aware of. A seemingly small incident when you are a small child can bury it’s emotions away all the way until you need to do that speach at work and then present itself at anxiety.
Or it might that you are considering counselling for anxiety and depression for a broader issue where issues created by experiences or emotions during your life have taken some of your happy away. This has affected your confidence and self-esteem and now you behave in ways that don’t make you feel good.
Seperate to that we have weight loss, smoking and other addictions which can be a combination of habits, addiction and root causes combined. Low self esteem is usually hanging around these issues too.
You know you need help with your issues
So you feel like you need some help but how do you know who to go to?
You might go and see your doctor. Some doctors are sympathetic about emotional matters and others less so. Your doctor may prescribe anti-depressants or ‘time to talk’ therapy which is available on the NHS. If the problem persists, they may put you on a waiting list for counselling or CBT for which the waiting list at the moment is about 8 weeks long in  West Sussex.
I’m lucky enough to know some holistically minded doctors who know that I specialise in issues related to anxiety and depression and refer patients to me for hypnotherapy, if they feel that is appropriate.
Other things you may try to help with anxiety and depression:
- You might open up to friends or family and they might know someone who can help or have a friend who knows someone who can help.
- You might buy a self help book. 561,969 and counting currently on Amazon. But how will you know which one is right for you and will really make a difference to how you feel?
- Or you might Google something like ‘help with depression Worthing or ‘help for anxiety near me’ and see what comes up (mostly counselling services).
The rapport with your therapist is important
I don’t know about you but I don’t like to air my dirty laundry to everyone! I like to have rapport and trust with someone I’m going to talk to about my problems. My advice when choosing a therapist is to call them up or email them and ask for chat, to see if they are the right person to help you. Do the ‘chemistry’ test.
Are they the person that you will choose to help you? You don’t want to be a someone that is just another name on their list. You want someone to listen and care about what you have to say and what you are feeling. And most importantly, you want someone with skills, experience and intention to actually change how you are feeling. That’s why you are there right?
So what are the differences between hypnotherapy and counselling for anxiety and depression?
| Hypnotherapy | Counselling | |
| Waiting list | Around 2 weeks | Around 8 weeks in West Sussex for an NHS referral |
| Price per session | Between £90 and £150 an hour | Between £50 and £70 an hour |
| Length of a session | 1 – 2 hours | 1 hour |
| Number of hours required | 1-2Â hours for phobias and stop smoking. 4 hours for weight loss or issues where anxiety or depression are a feature | 4Â hours upwards (can carry on for months or years) |
| Where does it take place | Face to face or online | Face to face, group, email, phone, online |
| How does it work | Hypnosis accesses the unconcious mind to heal, make deep lasting changes and increase self esteem | Counselling is a talking therapy which focuses on reflecting on your experiences and understanding how they impacted you. |
| What happens in a session/hypnosis/ | Your hypnotherapist will explain how hypnosis works and show you how go into hypnosis (not scary, usually pleasant). You will be able to heal your past, make changes and feel much better and more in control | Your counsellor will ask you questions to help you open up and discuss issues that are affecting you. Your councellor will ask lots of ‘open’ questions to help you reflect and understand things |
| Who is it suitable for | Nearly everyone but usually not schizophrenics, Psychotics or people on Lithium or Halperidol | Everyone |
| Is it safe | Yes with a qualified professional | Yes with a qualified professional |
| Is it confidential | Yes | Yes |
| Is it available on NHS | Not yet but it should be! | Yes |
| Is there follow up care | I offer an aftercare service | No |
| Does it change your life | Yes. If you have anxiety and depression it can really affect every area of your life. After hypnotherapy you can feel happier and more in control. | It can make positive change on how someone feels. |
| Is it suitable for children? | Age 5+ but use a hypnotherapist who has special training to work with children | Yes, lots of schools use counselling |
| Who should choose what and why? | Anxiety – quick lasting changes to how you feel and how you cope. Phobias – can be removed quickly and easily Stop smoking – in 2 hours for good Weight loss – not a diet but addressing the root cause of your eating habits and making positive changes Depression – release yourself from depression and feel happier Stress – switch off like never before, relieve stress and learn self-hypnosis for a calmer life | I think there are some matters that are very deep and personal. They need expertise and time. Couples – relationship counselling can really help Rape – highly sensitive Alcoholism – expertise required Bereavement – talking can really help (although Reiki is great for grief) Bulimia and Anorexia – need expertise in most cases Suicidal thoughts – call the Samaritans |
Attitudes to therapy (taken from NHS website)
In 2014 the BACP carried out some research to find out more about people’s attitudes towards counselling and psychotherapy. Some of the key findings included:
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Hi Honey,
I’m glad you are addressing depression and anxiety and just working through issues that perhaps have been plaguing a person for a lifetime.
I appreciate you sharing the difference and pointing out the benefits of counseling and hypnotherapy.
I believe your an avenue to help others not spend a great part of their life going over and over issues or traumas in their life when perhaps they’ve spend a great deal of time in that particular struggle(s) already.
I love hypnotherapy. I did have counselling once and it was not for me. Too slow, too nothing really.
I like the speed of hypnotherapy and it feels very empowering.