Hypnotherapy anyone?

I am increasingly finding that anxiety is becoming ever more present in my life & wondered if anyone had experiences of hypnotherapy as a tool to manage this? Or CBT? I have always been an anxious/depressive type but living with this condition has made it go into overdrive. Not only the ‘what ifs’ about the future, but trying to manage some of those challenges we have to deal with i.e. dodgy bladder/bowels/cog fog etc. I am finding it very hard at work, haven’t been on public transport for months for fear of an ‘accident’ & avoid most social situations or those where I am not in control. I know and am very aware that by avoiding situations I’m building things up even more & not helping myself. I’m young, am single & feel I’m actually perpetuating the isolation this condition causes. I am not depressed, nor do I really want to add more drugs into the mix I take. How can I learn to not worry about everything? Help please, wise people!

Aye oop.On the old Bored there was a girl who had nasty neuropathic pain in her scalp.She had a session with a bloke from East Anglia who used hypnosis,she said he really helped her.This geezer would only come out of hiding if it was worth his while.If we’re lucky someone who knows stuff will read this and tell all.

Wb

Hi

i am the lady woblyboy mentioned in his reply to you. a good few years ago i did suffer with dreadful neuropathic pain on my scalp. i stepped into the unknown , took a gulp and had some hypnotherapy. it was the best thing i ever did. this must have been 5 years + ago and i don’t get it anymore and don’t take any painkillers for it either.

i haven’t suffered with depression in the way you have but with the excellent benefits i got from hypnotherapy i would recommend it to everybody.

yes it was expensive but i felt so worth it. I am not sure the therapist i used is still working but you can find his details on the LDNresearchtrust. website. He also does excellent CD’s which i bought and put onto my ipod and listen to them regularly to aid relaxaiton.

wish you well

karen

CBT and some beta blockers if necessary will enable you to get your anxiety under control but it takes time, at least 6-12 months. I am still taking a small dose of beta blocker and nearly ready to wean off totally after 18 months, 6 months CBT was of great help in changing how I think and behave towards my ms symptoms and uncertainties, I really do feel like I can start to accept what I can’t control but still be in charge of my life, it’s like I allow ms to live with me but I say how it has to be, it’s got to fit in with me not me with it. Difficult to do but now comes second nature, worrying about my daughter rather than my illness , whether she’s making good life choices rather than whether I’ll be in a wheelchair when I’m older. MS is bloody crap but not the crappiest thing in the world. Good luck to you and take your time, building confidence along the way, IT WILL happen that you will be able to not let worry about ms rule your life x

Yes - lf you look on the ldnresearchtrust website they sell hynotherapy CD’s by a chap called Ted Heath. And they are very good. l took my elderly mum to see a hynotherapist as she was suffering severe anxiety/stress after a car accident - it caused her to have chronic psoriasis all over her body. GP/ Skin specialists could do nothing for her. After 4 visits to the hypnotherapist she was a changed women. This was 5yrs ago - and the psoriasis has not returned and mum is still very well. l was very sceptical to begin with - but felt l had to try anything to help her.

A lot can be done to help you with bladder/bowel control. LDN for a start - will help give you back control of you bladder and get rid of the brain fog. lt has done wonders for me - in making me feel more upbeat and positive - more able to cope with MS symptoms. Have you been referred to a Continence Nurse - your GP can sort this out. Do you know about the Peristeen lrrigation system by Coloplast - several of us on here have benefited from this. lt enables you to empty your bowels when you want to and not when they decide to let you down. lt is used by lots of paraplegics. We always think it is only happening to ourselves - when it is a problem of a vast amount of the population. Not that that helps us at the time!! lts a vicious circle- not being able to control b&b causes low self-esteem anxiety and then depression. Get some positive help for b&b - feel better about yourself - be more confident about going out and about. Re-assess the meds you do take - look to see if they are actually cancelling one another out - or have tendencies to cause depression/drowsiness.

Help is out there - so go for it.

And l also wish you well

F.

rid of

CBT was a massive help to my wife, right up until the point they told it here would finish two later and it was like the rug was pulled from under her.

During the the time she was being councilled she was the least unhappy she’d been in a while.

I understand treatment varied in quality and period depending where you are geographically. We’re in Surrey and come under hte remit of KCA New Thoughts, who were, well, could do better to be honest. But whilst it was there it was of comfort.

Hypnotherapy will probably produce the quickest results.

CBT will take a lot longer but can be a lot longer lasting
You need to be careful which flavour of CBT (there is at least one rather dubious one out there) and there is an extended version called DBT which is probably the best - but it is not so widely offered.

Councilling is a third option - and a good councillor will lead you through what you see as your problem to the point where you understand it well enough to confront it. (My next door neighbour combines councilling with hypnotherapy - and seems to get some rather good results)

Geoff

I’m a fan of hypnotherapy and anything that helps you to relax - reflexology is good too. I think that hypnotherapy slows the brain waves and induces a state of relaxation that can continue for a few days after, if not more.

I don’t know about counselling, but just having someone to listen can really help and then there’s LDN. I can recommend that too. If it works (and it doesn’t for everyone) it boosts your endorphins and that’s always good.

Very best wishes and I hope you get some good results. I know how anxiety can affect everything and I too have had bowel accidents. It really makes you lose trust in your body.

K

xxxx

Similar comments to these were made by Emma’s Doc when he referred her for CBT. The trouble is, KCA New THoughts is what they offer in our area and that’s it, take it or leave it.

He wasn’t exactly complimentary about them and when Emma’s first appointment eventually arrived the first thing the therapist said was that she’d never had an MS patient. Which was disturbing.

Emma had 12 weeks of this, then that was it. If we want any more we have to pay privately.

That’s a lot of the frustration you feel with MS. It’s like you’re just being hung out to dry becasue Medicine just doesn’t know what to do with it/you.

Hi,

A couple of things spring to mind when I read your post. Firstly that the bladder issues seem to be adding th your anxiety a great deal, quite understandably. Have you seen a Continence Nurse? These wonderful people are briliant at coming up with all sorts of solutiuons to make living with a dodgy ba=ladder much less unpredictable and anciety provoking.Reducing one of the causes for your anxiety could be a good first step.

Both CBT and hypnosis can be beneifical in managing anxiety and as one of the other replies said the hypnosis will probably work well as a quick fix but I rather think some ongoing counselling to s=deal with managing the anxiety longer term would be good too. I used to have awful panic attacks and anxiety disorder and after several months with an excellent psychologist I haven’t had a panic attack for years now.

It is possible to get on top of that particular beast.

Cheers,

Belinda

PS A quick note to EJC

Why did you find it so disturbing when one of Dr Amir’s patient’s whose testimonial is widely publicised by yourself and Dr Amir admits that Dr Admir “had never seen an MS patient and was keen to see if his hypothesis would work for this condition.”

http://www.themsforum.org/

B

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I shall try to get the cd from the LDN research trust, or seek a hypno locally to try & alleviate the anxiety short term. I would be keen to try CBT/counselling of some sort to help longer term. I will talk to my nurse & GP & see what response I get. It’s funny how you get the diagnosis & lots of referrals left, right & centre to deal with physical stuff (in my case) but not to deal with the ‘mental’ side of things. I suppose to an observer, & even most of my friends, I look to be coping remarkably well when internally I’m in chaos. I have seen the continence nurse who prescribed something for my bladder, which I have not yet started as am not long on rebif & suffering badly from side effects. Didn’t want to add more into the mix. As for the bowels, she was unable to offer much advice there. My GP however has referred me to GI person to rule out other causes. Like many of us, everything seems to be put down to MS, even when symptoms are not typical so I’m grateful the GP is thinking outside the box. Anyway, it’s reassuring that there are options I can hopefully pursue to try & reduce the anxiety. Thanks all.

He (Emma’s GP) wasn’t exactly complimentary to the CBT company they were obliged to refer to under this geographical area.

I’m not entirely sure what you’re getting in with the above quote?

Another thought for our Anonymous OP - see if any of the private hospitals near you have a Clinical Psychologist on their team.

But, don’t go near a Psychiatrist!

A good Clinical Psychologist should be able to direct you in exercises to reduce the anxiety, but a Psychiatrist (who is an MD with some Psychological training) will be thinking of medication first and foremost. And, some of the medication could well make things worse (Google Seroxat for a hint).

@EJC - I looked at KCA New Thoughts, and wondered how they ever got their contracts. One thing that is surely cause for concern is that they seem to be establishing connections further afield. Reminds you of the cable TV companies that are now just one company with different names.

Geoff