Mellow Moment: General Anxiety Relief

Are you often overwhelmed by worry and anxiety, even when there's no major cause for concern? There's a vicious spiral of worry: The more you worry... the more you worry! The good news is that this feedback loop works both ways. The less you worry... the less you worry, and the spiral becomes your friend. From the very first time you listen to it, you will notice that you: Feel more relaxed than you have felt in a long time or ever.

Transcript

Allow your body to settle into whatever it's resting on.

Allow your eyes to close when they're ready.

Allow your body to relax and your mind will follow along.

This hypnosis session was created with you in mind.

It was carefully crafted to help you move deeper into your true self and begin to shed light on the issues you've been facing.

Let hypnosis be a companion to support you whenever you need it and help you remove the barriers to achieving your goals.

You will be entering into a hypnotic or trance-like state.

You will remain aware in the deep background of your mind.

You will have control at all times and so you can give yourself permission to enter into a hypnotic state.

Simply allow hypnosis to happen.

If you think you're beginning to zone out or fall asleep,

It really doesn't matter.

Your subconscious mind will flawlessly absorb all the suggestions I give you.

Simply allow my words to wash over you and allow any music or sounds to deepen your hypnotic state.

Allow hypnosis to just happen.

Just go with it and let it happen.

You'll find the more you practice going into a hypnotic state,

The easier and easier it becomes.

Your brain knows how to create hypnosis and can go into trance easily.

Let your subconscious mind,

The larger part of your mind,

Take control and you will still be in control as your subconscious mind begins to take over.

You can rest even more and drift into a trance with no conscious effort.

There's nothing to force because your brain knows how to put you into a really restful trance where nothing else matters besides what you're doing right now.

You are devoting this time to you.

You are allowing yourself to become so deeply relaxed,

So deeply relaxed that your mind has become so sensitive and so receptive to the helpful suggestions I'm giving you.

You are becoming more and more aware of your own self.

You are becoming more aware each day that you have a fantastic growth system.

You have many times more mental and physical ability than you have been consciously aware of.

You have the mental and physical ability to be an outstanding success,

So you are continuing to progress by putting your mental,

Physical,

And creative abilities into action.

You are already sensing increased enthusiasm about the fact that you have the ability to set up goals and you have the ability to achieve every goal you set for yourself.

You will be happy to notice the way you continue progressing and improving in all areas of your life.

You are proceeding with greater confidence and greater determination to perform the actions needed to be successful and prosperous.

By conducting your activities wisely and lovingly,

You will automatically use good judgment in making decisions.

You will find that you have the ability to handle every situation that comes up as you proceed with the activities required to achieve a full and productive life.

Allow yourself to take some deep,

Calming breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Breathe in and breathe out.

Breathe in and breathe out.

And with each breath that you take and with each word that is uttered,

You will be able to breathe out.

Breathe in and breathe out.

Breathe in and breathe out.

And with each breath that you take and with each word that is uttered,

Perhaps you can feel your body relaxing more and more.

I wonder if you can imagine yourself standing underneath a waterfall of relaxation.

Just feel that relaxing,

Comfortable feeling flowing all the way down your body.

All the way down from the top of your head to the tips of your toes,

Soothing,

Calming,

Relaxing,

Easing away any tensions,

Making you feel good,

Making you feel comfortable,

Making you feel so relaxed.

It's a wonderful feeling to be so relaxed and quite perfect to be here right now,

Enjoying this calming,

Soothing experience.

You are now feeling very relaxed.

You are aware of your body now and the weight of your body.

Maybe you can feel it sinking down deeper into the chair.

Or mattress you're resting on under its weight.

Your mind is in complete control of your body,

Including your muscles.

So focus your attention on your feet and toes.

There's an energy moving into the soles of your feet,

And that energy is relaxing all the muscles in your feet and toes.

Feel the muscles relax now.

That energy is moving up into your calves,

And as it moves,

Both of your calf muscles become quite loose and relaxed.

Feel your calf muscles relax now.

The energy is now moving into your thigh muscles,

Causing them to simply let go and become loose.

Feel the energy moving into your thighs,

And as it moves,

Both of your muscles become quite loose and relaxed.

Now let your thigh muscles just hang down off the bone.

Now that relaxing energy is moving into your hips and groin,

And the muscles there also unwind and become loose and relaxed.

And now that energy flows into your buttocks,

And those muscles relax also.

Feel the energy moving now,

And it's moving into your abdominal muscles,

Waist,

And small of your back.

As it does,

All the muscles there are bathed in relaxing energy,

Which causes them to unwind like a rubber band letting go.

And if your mind is beginning to wander now,

Then that's okay.

It just means you're relaxing and feeling very calm.

Your subconscious mind is listening very carefully to every word I say,

And with each word that I utter and with each breath that you take,

You can feel yourself relaxing more and more.

Now that energy is flowing up into your chest and upper back,

Causing the muscles there to relax and just be loose.

The energy is moving into your shoulders now,

And as the muscles relax,

You can feel your shoulders sink down.

And now the energy moves into your arms,

Hands,

And fingers,

Relaxing all those muscles.

You may feel a little bit of relaxation in your body,

And fingers relaxing all those muscles.

You might even feel some tingling in your fingertips as the energy reaches them.

That relaxing energy is now moving into your neck,

And if you're holding any tension there,

It simply dissipates,

Allowing the neck muscles to become loose and free.

The energy is now moving into your head,

Causing the muscles on your scalp and around your ears to unwind,

And it may even feel like your scalp is sliding down.

Now the energy is flowing around your face,

And as it moves,

All the tiny muscles around your eyes,

Nose,

And mouth let go.

Your jaw relaxes as you allow a little space between the teeth.

Even the tongue begins to relax.

Your entire body is now totally relaxed,

And your body feels as limp as a ragdoll.

You're feeling drowsy and comfortable,

And safe and secure.

That energy is still in you,

And is now flowing into your body,

And is moving towards your feet.

As it reaches your feet,

Your entire body is now enveloped in a warm cocoon of energy that protects you from any negative influences.

You are very relaxed now,

And feeling sleepy.

You may hear sounds in your environment,

But unless there's something that needs your immediate attention,

You remain totally relaxed.

In fact,

The sounds you hear in your body are the sounds of your body,

And the sounds of your body are the sounds of your body.

In fact,

The sounds you hear,

Including my voice,

Only serve to help you go deeper and deeper asleep.

You have the ability to come out of this trance whenever you wish,

And you are fully safe and secure.

So continue to fully relax,

Let go,

And be at ease.

You are drifting deeper asleep with every breath you exhale.

Deeper asleep,

Ever deeper asleep.

In your mind,

In your imagination,

In your mind,

In your imagination,

Go now to a room where you feel totally safe,

Secure,

And comfortable.

You know this room very,

Very well,

And you can see it clearly in your mind's eye.

What colors do you see?

Notice the furniture,

What's on the floor,

Any objects in the room.

Notice the number of windows and how they are decorated.

Everything you see is sharp and vivid in your mind,

And the colors are pure and bright.

Notice if there are any sounds in the room.

Are there any familiar smells?

Now reach out and pick up some object.

Notice how heavy or light it is.

How does it feel?

Is it warm,

Cool,

Or somewhere in between?

Now again,

Look around that room where you can continue to relax and go deeper asleep.

Let go of that image now and let your mind wander where it will.

Your subconscious mind is continuing to listen to everything I say.

I'm going to go to sleep.

I'm going to go to sleep.

I'm going to go to sleep.

I'm going to go to sleep.

I'm going to go to sleep.

Your subconscious mind is continuing to listen to everything I say.

I'm going to give you a little while to simply let go and relax even more.

Feel yourself sinking even deeper asleep.

You are now at a level of trance we'll call level A.

But as deep as that is,

There's another level we'll call B that is twice as deep asleep as level A,

And you can reach it easily.

In a moment,

I'm going to count to three,

And on the count of three,

You will go from level A down to level B.

And be twice as deeply asleep.

One,

Two,

Three.

You are now at level B,

Much deeper asleep than you were before.

But as deep as level B is,

There's another level,

C,

That is ten times deeper than level B,

And you can go there very easily.

I'm going to count once more from one to three,

And when I reach three,

You will go from level B to level C.

And when I reach three,

You will go from level B down,

Down,

Down,

To level C,

And be ten times deeper asleep.

One,

Two,

Three.

You are now at level C,

Ten times deeper asleep than you were before.

Imagine there is a ruler in front of you that measures the depth of your trance.

You can see the ruler quite clearly and vividly.

If the top of the ruler is 36 inches,

Approximately one meter,

Then that represents full awakening consciousness,

And the bottom of the yardstick at zero inches represents total unconsciousness.

The depth of your trance will be somewhere in between on that yardstick.

So see the ruler very clearly and notice what number on it represents the depth of your trance.

Now move the depth of your trance down one inch from where it was,

And allow yourself to go to that deeper level of trance.

Now move it down a couple of inches deeper.

And go down to that deeper level of trance.

One more time,

Move your yardstick down three inches and go down to that even deeper level of trance.

On this ruler,

Any number below ten is deep,

Deep asleep.

So notice what number you are on the yardstick,

And if it's more than ten,

Then you are deep,

Deep asleep.

So notice what number you are on the yardstick,

And if it's more than ten,

Move down the scale to a number less than ten,

And find yourself deep,

Deep asleep.

You are now in a very deep trance.

You are still aware of the room around you,

And will come out of this trance if you need to quite easily.

And as this deep relaxation spreads over your body,

Maybe you can allow your mind to relax too,

And take yourself to a place deep inside,

A very special place where you can enjoy these comfortable feelings for as long as you wish.

And you can return to your special place whenever you want,

Whenever you want to relax in this way.

From now on,

You're going to find it so easy to relax,

And it's so good to feel so relaxed,

Knowing that nobody wants anything,

Nobody needs anything.

There is absolutely nothing to do,

But relax and let go.

You're going to find yourself becoming very proud of your new ability to relax,

And the benefits of these relaxing feelings will manifest into your ordinary everyday life.

You will find it so easy to cope with the stresses and strains of everyday living,

Because you now know how to relax and enjoy these wonderful feelings.

And it's because you know how to relax in this way that you can deal so much more effectively with any issues that are going on in your life.

You become far more calm and relaxed,

And so much more confident too.

Remember,

The mind commands and the body obeys.

When you say to yourself the words calm and relax,

You find that you can become much calmer,

And you can feel more relaxed.

You find that you can become much calmer,

And more relaxed whenever you want to.

Generalized anxiety disorder can make day-to-day life a real struggle.

If you're constantly worrying about past or present difficulties,

Or about things that might go wrong in the future,

It becomes hard to think straight,

Or to keep things in perspective.

Some people with generalized anxiety say it feels like their mind is constantly spinning,

And the tiniest mishap can set them off worrying.

Sometimes the anxiety can seem to come out of nowhere.

I've worked with some clients who had disrupted sleep,

Or they would wake up in the middle of the night feeling anxious,

And they weren't even sure what they were anxious about.

And then there are the physical symptoms,

Such as headaches,

Breathing difficulties,

Sweating,

Or nausea.

In evolutionary terms,

Any anxiety that a person experiences is a straightforward physical process.

The body is simply getting ready either to fight a predator,

Or to run away.

Our nervous system evolved over millions of years to respond to potential threats,

Like an encounter with a lion by speeding up our breathing and heart rate,

Releasing adrenaline,

And then cortisol into our bloodstream,

And diverting resources towards the muscles to prepare us for an immediate fight or a rapid escape.

In fact,

It's probably more appropriate to call this process the muscle priming response,

Rather than anxiety.

But while this muscle priming is very useful for escaping a hungry lion,

It's less than helpful for dealing with many of the challenges of modern life,

Such as managing your money,

Dealing with conflict at work or at home,

Or sitting in endless traffic jams.

And it has a number of negative side effects if it goes on too long.

One consequence of long-term anxiety is that it can suppress a person's immune system,

So they catch more colds and may have digestive problems.

This is because,

As far as their body's concerned,

There's a lion about to attack,

So fighting off a cold or digesting lunch can wait till later.

Another consequence is that it's difficult to think clearly and rationally when you're anxious,

Because the muscle priming response is all about making very quick life or death decisions to escape from physical danger,

Not about carefully analyzing a situation in depth and planning for the long term.

Hypnosis is an excellent method for calming down inappropriate anxiety,

Because in hypnosis it's very easy to relax deeply,

And from that state of deep relaxation you can retrain your mind and body to feel calmer in the situations that would have once caused you to worry.

This session will hypnotically embed into your unconscious mind a number of tried and tested principles for dealing with anxiety that have helped many people feel so much calmer and more confident in their day-to-day life and get over their anxiety for good.

And now take a slow,

Deep breath and continue to relax in a wonderfully comfortable state of inner focus and absorption.

And I once had a client who had experienced anxiety for many years,

Worrying about so many things,

Like whether she'd made a mistake or offended someone,

Worrying about whether something bad had happened if a friend or relative was the tiniest bit late.

And she tossed and turned at night,

Her mind constantly spinning and finding new things to worry about.

And as I was relaxing,

Finding new things to worry about,

And as I began to guide her into a state of deep hypnosis,

I said to her,

If the worrying part of your brain continues to churn away for a while as you're beginning to relax here and now,

That's fine.

And there's no need to try to control those thoughts.

All I'd like you to do is to listen for any internal words you might be saying to yourself,

To listen to the tone of voice that you use inside your mind when that worry part of your brain gets going.

And maybe it's a bit fast and it might sound a bit uncomfortable.

And she nodded her head to show she understood just what I meant.

And so I asked her to simply slow it down a bit and literally listen to the kinds of worries she said to herself.

What if this happens or what if that happens?

And then to say the same kinds of things to herself in a softer,

Slower voice,

Like a character from a children's storybook or cartoon,

So that you imagine what it would sound like if you were worrying in a voice that sounded like Baloo from the Jungle Book or the comically slow voice of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.

And of course that might feel a bit silly,

But that silliness opens the door to seeing those old worries in a new light as you relax in comfort and hear a softer,

Slower internal voice calming down those thoughts as they slowly drift further away in a very curious kind of way to let go deeper into comfort and rest.

And as you take another slow,

Deep breath,

I'd like you to hear the sound of a sigh in your mind,

The kind of sigh you might give after a long,

Long day.

And as that woman sat in my office breathing comfortably,

I began to talk to her about how we all know how to relax naturally and easily,

Because at night those muscles know how to smooth out and soften the muscles of the face,

The jaw,

The forehead smoothing out,

The shoulders loosening,

A comfortable heaviness that lets that body become comfortably still so that you can become even more able to float deeper and deeper into the dreams to come.

And I began to tell that woman a story I had heard about a young man in a far-off land who had begun to worry day and night and night and day for reasons that even he didn't know.

It just seemed that life had gotten too much for him,

And he wasn't even aware of the fact that life had gotten too much for him,

And he wasn't sleeping properly,

He wasn't eating properly,

And he was starting to make mistakes in his work as a tailor,

And his customers were complaining about the drop in his standards,

And his boss was threatening to fire him,

Which only made him worry more.

And in desperation,

His friends and family,

Who tried over and over to reassure him to calm him down,

Sought help for him from a wise old man in the forest,

A man whom many people had turned to for counsel and insights when they became lost in life.

And the young man agreed to visit the wise man's house,

And the old sage agreed to counsel him.

And as he walked along the forest path,

The sunlight filtering through the leaves,

The blue bells forming a magical sea of color on the forest floor,

As he walked deeper and deeper into the woods,

The young man completely failed to see all that beauty,

Because he was still lost in thoughts about what could go wrong,

Worrying what would happen if the wise man couldn't help him.

I know why you're here,

And you know why you're here,

But what you don't know is that you've been carrying three heavy rocks for many months.

So put this backpack here on your back and carry these three solid rocks until you can feel the rocks in your mind.

And the old man gestured to a heavy looking backpack lying on the ground,

And the young man peeked inside,

And sure enough,

There were three large rocks in it.

And puzzled but obedient,

The young man lifted the backpack onto his shoulders.

Now we walk,

Said the wise old man,

And walk they did through the forest and beyond,

Up hills,

Over fields,

Down valleys.

And the old man was surprisingly sprightly,

But the young man felt the weight of the backpack get heavier and heavier,

Until every step was a struggle,

And he could barely go on.

Now stop and sit,

Said the old man,

And he offered the young man some nuts and fresh berries from the forest.

The first rock you've been carrying is the rock of the body,

Too much low quality food,

Maybe caffeine,

Sugar,

Not eating properly,

Skipping meals.

And you need to learn to eat small amounts regularly.

Eat fruit,

Vegetables,

Fiber,

Protein,

To keep your energy levels stable,

To exercise regularly,

Because the body is the foundation,

Like this.

And the wise man touched his finger to the young man's forehead,

And instantly a vision came into the young man's mind of eating a balanced,

Healthy diet,

With fresh,

Nutritious foods,

Regular,

Small meals,

Keeping his blood sugar stable,

Exercising and stretching his body,

To give it the time and space to unwind and take care of that foundation of good mental health,

The body.

And when he opened his eyes,

The old man was on his feet again,

Striding off,

And the young man had to spring to his feet to catch up.

Feeling somehow lighter,

Like his backpack was less heavy somehow,

And sometime later,

Still feeling a little weary from the weight of the rocks,

They stopped a second time by a babbling brook and refreshed themselves with the cool water,

While the old man told the young man,

The second rock is the rock of emotions.

Now,

To calm yourself,

Breathe like this.

Breathe in for the count of three,

Out for the count of five,

Like a deep sigh.

Breathe in,

Two,

Three,

And out,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five.

Breathe in,

Two,

Three,

And out,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five.

Find your rhythm and breathe like this for several minutes,

Whenever you want to feel calmer.

And the young man gazed at the brook and listened to the sound of the water and watched the sunlight glitter in the currents flowing before him as he breathed slowly.

In,

Two,

Three,

And out,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Breathe in,

Two,

Three,

And out,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five.

And felt his body respond by calming right down.

And feeling lighter still,

He straightened up and looked around and saw the wise man approaching with several small sticks.

Final rock,

Rock of the mind,

Said the wise man,

Holding up a stick and pointing to it.

A worry is out there,

Not part of you.

And sometimes worries will flow down the stream of consciousness.

And he dropped the stick into the brook and they both watched as it floated past them and then off downstream and away out of sight.

And you cannot stop worries flowing downstream,

But you don't need to jump in after them.

Now you try.

And the young man took a stick from the old man's hand and dropped it into the brook and watched it float off some distance away from him.

And he began to get a real sense of how an old worry really can float way,

Way away,

Calmly meandering.

As he suddenly noticed how beautiful the forest looked and saw the blue bells swaying in the breeze,

The life all around him.

And he breathed a deep sigh as he realized his backpack was empty and he felt physically free,

Unburdened and mentally free to really be present with the experience of being in the forest with this wise old man.

And some weeks later,

That young man thanked the wise man by sending him a finely tailored cloak that he had made lovingly and attentively now that he was free to live his life.

As he ate and rested properly,

Remembering to breathe in for the count of three,

Out for the count of five,

And kept that lesson in mind of watching thoughts from a distance.

As part of the stream of consciousness,

No need to jump into the stream.

You can just peacefully watch thoughts go by and get on with your day.

And you can listen to this session often and relax more and more deeply each time you listen.

And you might wonder what it's going to be like to feel generally calmer in situations where you would have once worried.

To take things in stride as you reclaim your ability to focus,

To feel energetic,

And to enjoy life.

And put that old worry pattern behind you as you integrate the principles of the story and instinctively apply them in your life in a way that works for you.

Now,

Either in your mind or in reality,

Press your index finger to your thumb so that you form the OK sign.

It doesn't matter which hand you choose.

You can even do this with both hands at the same time if you like.

Go ahead and make the OK sign.

This is your reminder or anchor of the goal you are working on.

You'll find that whenever you make the OK sign that it will remind you of the success you are achieving.

Now pull your finger apart and make the OK sign again.

This anchor is becoming firmly embedded in your mind.

Now it's time to come back to a more alert state.

So in just a moment,

I'll count from five back up to one.

With each count,

You'll continue feeling relaxed and confident,

But more and more alert.

Five,

Continuing to feel wonderful.

Four,

Feeling motivated to change.

Three,

Feeling confident in knowing that all things have changed.

Two,

Feeling more and more alert,

Knowing that you're feeling happier,

Healthier,

And more positive every day.

And one,

You're fully alert,

Eyes open,

And feeling better than ever before.

Reviews

Excellent and Helpful.. Thank you!

One of the best experiences of my life