‘I tried hypnotherapy to cure my chronic anxiety. Here’s what happened.’ – Mamamia

I spoke about my need to be highly productive every day and how my inability to stop working had led to anxiety. She used a term that Id never heard before:'RushingWoman Syndrome'.

'Rushing Woman Syndrome' is basically a heightened state of mind where your brain is running at 95 per cent capacity. Its highly unsustainable and can lead to finding comfort in coping mechanisms such as alcohol or food.

The more she spoke about it, the more I realised she was describing my last year. It was common for me to have short bursts of intense productivity followed by sudden bouts of no energy, extreme tiredness, and guilt.

Kind-of like a sugar high... followed by a crash. Except my highs lasted weeks months, even. And my crash lasted a few hours.

She explained the hypnotherapy process to me, letting me know that whilst she would be able to hypnotise me, I had complete control of whether I wanted to allow myself to be taken into a trance. My subconscious would also be completely active and awareof what was happening around me.

"Every time we walk into a room, our brainis presented with an overload of information that it cant process. From the blue specks on the carpet to the brass stool covers. When our mind is in a state of relaxation, it can pick up on the things wewerent able too before. Sounds may become sharper and scents more pungent," she said.

I nodded, "Okay, good to know."

"You can also come out of the trance at any timeyoud like, you have complete control, Im just here to help guide you to relaxation."

I nodded again, got comfortable on the couch, and chose a spot to focus on as Mandy began talking.

Her voice was soothing, and she spoke in a certain pentameter that instantly washed a sense of calm over me. Within minutes, my eyes felt heavy and the spot I had been focusing on began to blur. My eyelids began to flutter, slowly at first, then fasterand faster as I felt the overwhelming desire to close my eyes.

The trance had begun.

Mandy encouraged me to become aware of what was happening in my body. The session followed a similar pattern to meditation, focusing on deep breathing, feeling the energy flow through the body.

As the session continued, Mandy kept talking about moving into a deeper level of trance. From level one to two to three, she guided me to unlock a deep sense of relaxation.

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'I tried hypnotherapy to cure my chronic anxiety. Here's what happened.' - Mamamia