Hypnosis helps with holiday stress

By Kim Baccigaluppi

Holidays can be a time of joy, celebration and fun. Yet for many, holidays can be a time of stress and emotional triggers. The family dynamics during a holiday get together can sometimes feel like more than we can handle.

Research indicates an increase in domestic upheaval during the holiday seasons. From disrupted routines to financial struggles . . . to past personal losses. What is "coping" and how do we do it?

Hypnotherapy, unlike stage hypnosis, is not for entertainment purposes. Hypnotherapy is a process of working with the subconscious mind to achieve that which you desire on a conscious level. For example, changes in your thought patterns can result in reduced stress and anxieties.

Additionally, with the use of hypnotherapy, behavioral changes can be realized by altering our belief systems. Through the media, hypnosis has been widely misunderstood, "Once under hypnosis, you will be controlled and made to do something you wouldn’t normally say or do." On the contrary, it is simply a deep feeling of physical relaxation and you are fully in control.

In a hypnotic state, you are emotionally calm and mentally alert. Since we go into natural states of hypnosis upon waking in the morning (yet not all the way awake), or when falling asleep (but not all the way asleep), this is a great time to do some visualizations.

I recommend taking advantage of this relaxed (hypnotic) state to imagine positive outcomes of that which may be disturbing you. Repetition is the key. "What the mind believes, you can achieve" is true.

For this holiday season, find the value in giving up perfectionism, practice guilt-free boundaries and remember that you are capable.

There are numerous applications of hypnosis. From insomnia to weight loss; from smoking cessation to codependency issues and anger management. The list goes on.

For an appointment or free telephone consultation, call Baccigaluppi, a board-certified clinical hypnotherapist, at (818) 223-9890.