Hypnotherapy Can Help You Overcome Grief

Hypnotherapy Can Help You Overcome Grief

I decided to write this blog after recently experiencing a sudden and tragic loss.  I am also writing because I am especially aware that the holiday season, as wonderful as it is, can be a painful, overwhelming and lonely time for many who are experiencing deep grief and unresolved loss.

Loss is inevitable, and will affect most of us at some point in our lives; whether it is the death of a parent, child, loved one, close friend, pet, or divorce. As painful as this process can be, mourning should be a transitional phase and not a permanent state.  However for many, feelings of hopelessness, emptiness, isolation, despair, anger and blame leave them feeling ‘stuck’ and unable to move on.  This is where hypnotherapy can be used as a powerful tool to help manage both the physical and emotional symptoms of deep grief.

Those in the throes of life changing trauma and grief find themselves in a state of numbness and shock, which in turn triggers the sympathetic – or parasympathetic – nervous system to overwhelm the body while trying to relieve the ‘heartache’. This type of shock leaves some unable to focus on everyday life.  They can feel the need to keep busy, thus dulling the deep pain and loss that they feel.  Some feel overwhelming tiredness and anxiety, and find sleeping a lot numbs the sorrow.  This can result in depression, nightmares, detachment and exhaustion.  Chronic grief may lead to the development of unhealthy and destructive behavioral patterns, such as alcohol abuse, substance addiction, compulsive spending and eating disorders.

Intense grief often becomes an energy stored in the body.  We hold onto our feelings, refusing to confront loss while burying the hurt deep in our subconscious. This emotional pain can manifest into physical illnesses such as heart disease, IBS, fibromyalgia and a weakened immune system.  By working with gentle visualization and positive suggestion, hypnotherapy enables a person to identify the root cause of their grief.  The subconscious mind is able to open up, and relieve the trauma of a death in complete safety. Memories and unresolved emotions are able to come to the surface of the conscious mind, allowing you to finally let go and experience release.

Hypnotherapy cannot eliminate grief, and neither should it. The various stages of mourning play a vital role in the healthy processing of loss.  Hypnotherapy can aid in identifying the grief and effectively change thought patterns of profound sadness into emotions of love, acceptance, closure and ultimately inner harmony.

I wish all of you a very happy holiday and New Year filled with love, gratitude and peace,

Claire