Developed from courses taught at the following medical schools under the Tomorrow’s Doctors Programme

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HypnoSOS episode 20 – Control Your Anxiety

You can sit down or lie down if you haven’t already… close your eyes if you haven’t already… take three deep breathes… slowly… gently… and as you do… you may become aware that… some of your muscles are tense and need to relax… others can just respond to the fact you’re starting to relax…all the way through relax… and the sound of my voice… simply the sound of my voice… will help you… there’s no need even to pay close attention to the words that I say… simply the sound of my voice… as you start to feel… deeper and deeper relaxed… and you may notice that even though your eyes are closed… you can still see shapes… shades… even colours and watch them change… but however you experience these moments… you will progressively relax… all the way through… relax… for there is a part of your mind that knows how to create this state… you can trust it… it’s the part of your mind that… carries you into a sleep… a deep deep sleep every night… without thought… you find your eyes are tiring then they close… your breathing deepens… your body warms… your muscles relax… and… soon… very soon… you’re in a state of sleep… and when you sleep when you dream… your mind works through so many of the problems of the day… helping you to compartmentalise them… to prioritise your thoughts… and yes, to let things go… and reduce your anxiety… and these moments… as you listen to the sound of my voice… replicates the perfectly natural events that happen… as you drift off to sleep… unlike sleep, you will however… be able to pay attention to every word should you wish… and react to whatever is around you should you need… and these moments you can… and you will… be able to take on board clear and specific suggestions made by my voice… filtered by your conscious thought processes… as you decide which of these suggestions is right for you right now… which of these suggestions will help you to… stop your anxiety before it begins… by paying more attention… and gaining perspective on the situation you find yourself in… helping you to interrupt or break the pattern… if and when you find yourself in an anxious state in the past… and finally helping you to cope better… to learn from your responses… and change to a more appropriate way of responding to situations which in the past used to create your anxiety… but for now all you need to do is listen and relax.

In a few moments in time… in a few moments in time… I’d like you to take nice deep breath… and hold it until you hear me say the word calm… take the deep breath now… hold it and… calmmmm… breathing out with the word and… letting go of any unnecessary nervous tension stored in any part you… and again… a nice deep breath in… hold it and… calmmm… letting that breath go… and with it any thoughts which may disturb you… and as you breathe ever deeper… deeper… deeper still… ever deeper and more evenly too… you can and you will… just enjoy the process… once more… deep breath in… hold it… hold it… hold it… and… calmmm… and as you do any remaining unnecessary nervous tension, which in the past was associated with anxiety… will simply drain from you… and you will experience a feeling of lightness… perhaps even of drifting or floating… and that will be fine… just fine… completely supported… as you sit there or lie there… you can just float freely… free from the thoughts… free from the feelings… free from the sensations of anxiety… allowing you as happens in your sleep and in your dreams… to let go of any anxiety stored in any part of you… let go of any anxiety stored in any part of you… and you can and you will go deeper… deeper… deeper… still deeper… deeper still… calmmm… and, there is another level… if you wish… to go even deeper still… you will hear me count down from 10 to 1… and with each descending number… each descending number between 10 and 1… so you will go one tenth deeper… and deeper into this state of peace… locking in, keying in calm to your out breath… you may even find yourself repeating it for yourself… to reinforce these feelings… so ready… let’s begin… 10… 9… ever deeper… and deeper… and deeper still… ever deeper… deeper… deeper still… 8… 7… 6… deeper… deeper… deeper still… deeper… deeper still… 5… 4… 3… deeper… deeper… even deeper still… deeper… and deeper… 2… and 1… deep breath now… hold… hold… and… calmmm… now just notice how you feel… scan your body… and you will notice that from the top of your head to the tips of your toes… you feel… calm… relaxed… and any associations of anxiety are distant… in the past as it were… where they can… and they will remain… for ever and ever… for ever and ever… and… just for a few moments I will remain silent… and you can absorb as much of this experience as you wish… breathing deeply… silently and mentally saying the word calm… or doing nothing at all… apart from bathe in these feelings… you have control…

And… in a few moments in time I’m going to wake you… you will hear me count from 1 to 10, and at the count of 8 your eyes will naturally and easily open… and at the count of 10 you will be fully wide awake… all normal, healthy and appropriate sensations and responses back in the present… and remember the word present means gift… a smile to another is a gift you can give easily… small kindnesses to yourself… gifts… it all matters… so today be kind… to others but above all to yourself… so ready… 1… 2… 3… more aware… 4… 5… 6… perhaps with a little smile, just a small one… 7… 8… eyes open, eyes open wide… 9… and 10… rest for a moment and stretch in  your own time.

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