David Corcoran

Anxiety and the physical effects.

I thought it time to add this content to my web blog to offer a clinical understanding and case specific outline of anxiety and the effects that it can have.

Recently I have been working with a number of clients who have come to me with anxiety issues that have rendered them both as physical and mentally disabled. The following outlines a case and indicates the effectiveness of using hypnosis to get a mental release of the condition.

•Please note that the names and personal information have been changed to protect client’s identities.

The client is female (on this occasion); she came to my practice unable to walk unassisted into my therapy centre. After listening to her history and understanding that there were obvious reasons for her condition I proceeded to use the Hypnosis to establish the first time she experienced the problem. The content that came up was indeed highly emotive and allowed her to, now disassociated, create a different understanding and set of learning’s relating to the issue and so releasing the created anxiety at that time. At the end of this phase she appeared to be physically more able, demonstrated by the obvious reduction in the tension she previously experienced in her muscles and body.

I did further work based on her sleep pattern and agreed to create audio work that she could use to help her to get improved sleep. Asking her to pick it up from my office the following day.

As she left my office her husband noticed both the tremendous state of mental and physical relaxation and commented upon ho little assistance she needed to be helped back into the car.

The following day she reported that while there was no anxiety present in the morning she had experienced a spasm that had affected her. However this was due to her feeling significantly better and trying to accomplish more than she, at that time, was capable of.
She further reported that later in the day she had been flying in a light aircraft with 3 others, her husbands first flying lesson. I asked if there was any anxiety prior to, during or after the event and she reported no, but once again she had a spasm after being confined for a period of 1.5hrs in the plain. This indicated once again that the muscle wastage and frailty of the client had created the issue yet there had been no anxiety presenting.

We discussed at this point realistic expectations relating to her physical frailty and created an understanding that this would improve once she exercised (in small measurable steps) and eventually she would regain greater muscle strength reducing further her lack of balance and physical constraints.

On the next visit to my office I was stunned to see that she was driving, This was more than either I or the client had expected yet she felt so much stronger of both mind and body that she was happy to drive her car some 45mins to my office. The session that followed indicated a 90% improvement in all areas of her mind and created such a confidence in the client that she was happy to go on a holiday that previously she had been dreading.

I am still amazed by this client and reminded me that while I may have some amazing tools at my disposal to help to create a change in the individual. It is not about me far from it. It is all about the individual and the ability they have inside there mind to accomplish the most amazing changes in there lives.

Some need more some need less but this affirms in my mind and experience that we all can benefit from change, and in making that change things can improve immediately.

Cancer is an illness that affects millions of Americans, whether they are currently being treated or in remission. Two of the most common symptoms of cancer and cancer treatments are pain and nausea. Hypnotherapy has been proven to help cancer patients reduce the severity of their cancer symptoms including pain and nausea. It is important that alternative methods are explored in order to help people naturally improve their symptoms.

According to the American Cancer Society, about 560,000 Americans will die from cancer in 2009. Cancer is the number two cause of death in the United States behind heart disease. Men have a 1 in 2 chance of developing cancer in their lifetime and women have a 1 in 3 chance of developing cancer in their lifetime.

A clinical trial tested the effectiveness of hypnosis and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on treating pain and nausea in cancer patients. The researchers evaluated whether hypnosis or CBT were effective in treating the symptoms of 67 cancer patients. The patients that participated in the clinical trial were recipients of a bone marrow transplant (Syrjala, Cummings, & Donaldson, 1992).

A bone marrow transplant is needed when a patient’s bone marrow has been destroyed or is not functioning properly. Cancers that often require bone marrow transplants include leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. A transplant occurs when bone marrow is taken from a healthy individual and implanted into the cancer patient. This process involves many symptoms including pain and nausea (Medline Plus).

The clinical trial randomly divided the participants into 4 groups. Group one received hypnosis. Group two received CBT. Groups three and four served as control groups where group three had access to a therapist and group four received normal treatment. All patients participated in psychological and physical testing. Groups one, two, and three received their respective forms of therapy twice before their transplant operation. While in the hospital for their transplant, they also received 10 sessions.

At the end of the trial, 45 patients were still involved in the study. Results of the trial showed that hypnosis was effective at reducing pain experienced by bone marrow transplant patients. There was no difference between the hypnosis and the CBT groups in relation to reducing nausea. CBT was found to be ineffective at reducing pain with the participants (Syrjala et al., 1992).

This trial shows that hypnosis is an effective treatment in reducing pain. More research needs to be performed to find out all the potential benefits of hypnosis and pain. Treating pain with hypnosis is a natural and safe form of treatment.

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Those with bulimia nervosa binge and purge as weight control but also as an emotional outlet and coping mechanism.

Purging is self defined, and individual habits will vary. In general, bulimics eat enormous quantities of food in a single session and immediately thereafter purge, most commonly by vomiting or with laxatives, and less commonly through periods of fasting or extreme exercise.

Older teen girls and younger women account for 80% of all bulimics, although men and older adults may also suffer the disorder. Unlike anorexics, bulimics tend to know they have a problem, and will agree more readily to treatment.

Problematically though, bulimics will generally purge only in private and maintain a relatively normal weight – making it tougher for friends and family to spot the problem.

Most bulimics begin purging initially as a means of weight control, and find that the cycle of binging and purging also offers them feelings of release from negative emotions - Bulimics purge after binging to control weight, but also to relieve emotional distress or tension and many bulimics report brighter moods after having completed a binging and purging cycle. The frequency of binging and purging can vary from occasional episodes at one end of the spectrum, to many times a day in more serious cases.

Bulimia is a mental health disorder, requiring of professional treatment and therapy. Bulimia in extreme cases can be fatal, and treatment is more successful when intervention occurs early in the disease progression. Although perhaps not as lethal as anorexia, bulimia does cause a wide range of physical health symptoms.
Signs of Bulimia Nervosa

Since bulimics respond better to treatment with earlier intervention, it is important for loved-ones to be aware of signs that may indicate a problem.
Indicators of Bulimia Nervosa

* Always heading to the bathroom after meals
* The smell of vomit in the room or on the person, or laxative packaging found
* Unusual food disappearances
* Finding evidence of food hoarding, or hidden stashes of food wrappers
* Rounded cheeks, evidence of swollen glands caused by frequent purging
* Tooth decay or discoloration (acid damage from vomit)
* Social isolation
* Mood swings, depression
* A preoccupation with food or expressed worries about being unable to stop eating
* Excessive exercise or fasting
* A strong preference to eat alone

Health Risks of Bulimia

Bulimia can, in rare cases, be fatal - but bulimics risk many serious health and wellbeing complications from their behaviors, including:

* Tooth decay, sore throat and bad breath, from vomiting
* Dry skin and hair loss
* A risk of gastric rupture, in extreme cases of binge eating
* Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance after excessive purging -This dehydration (and incorrect levels of sodium and potassium in the body) can lead to poor heart functioning, kidney and liver damage
* Dizziness, headaches and fatigue
* A loss of menstruation
* Ruptures of the esophagus
* An enlargement of parotid glands (rounded cheeks are a symptom)
* Stomach pain, diarrhea, and constipation
* Cardiac arrest and possible death

Bulimics use binging and purging as a way to control negative emotions. Bulimics report feeling some release from feelings of depression or anxiety after purging, but this relief is only temporary, as purging, of course, cannot better problems with self-esteem, body-image issues or anxiety.

Bulimia is a serious condition, and is recognized as a mental health disorder, requiring both medical and psychiatric treatment. Most bulimics recognize that their behaviors are problematic, and most will agree to treatment if asked to go. It is therefore very important for loved-ones to remain vigilant to signs of bulimia, and ready to intervene if necessary.

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