Hypnotherapy and other stuff

[shy slave]

Has anyone tried hypnotherapy to cure phobias?

I have, twice. I have a phobia about cameras, having my photo taken and people seeing my photo. Have had phobia for 30+ years.

Before the internet, few noticed and no-one cared.
You actually met people instead of seeing a picture and making assumptions.

First time I had hypnotherapy was when I was 18 in worked ok in the short term, second time in my 30's it was terrible.
Ended up with 'recovered memories' which I have no idea if they are true or not, but I suspect not.

Have previously tried NLP which was just a waste of my time.

So what have you tried, and did it work?

 

[shy slave]

Apologies - Deleted

 

[the captians wench]

*pounce the shy*

I've never had hypnotherapy, but as I've mentioned before my ex husband did some hypno stuff to me in my sleep just after we were married. He wanted to increase my libido, orgasm frequency, and be able to orgasm on command. Well it worked (and he listed "wanting too much sex" as one of his reasons for wanting to end the relationship. )

He also put up block while he was playing in there. He was afraid that he didn't know enough about what he was doing and didn't want to go messing around too deeply into my subconscious. This really pissed off a hypno-master (domly type who used a lot of hypno in play) because he would get so deep and then I'd wake up instantly. When I realized what was happening (I would see a wall and bam! I was awake) I tried to explain, and it pissed the fucker off. His loss. But because of that, I'm not sure any hypno will work on me again. I can only go into a very light trance.

*hugs* Sorry, I'm not much help.

 

[shy slave]

Hi Wenchie

Yes, that helped.

Sounds like your ex and the hypno-guy were both idiots.

When I was 18 the choices were hypnotherapy or see a mental health nurse. I saw the nurse first. I was a virgin, his advice was to go get laid.
WTF has that got to do with photos

I have very few photos of me with my sons when they were growing up.

I am fed up of having this phobia, I want to be a granny and I want pictures of me with grandchildren.
Ok, I need my son to have more than a fuck buddy and want kids, but when he does I don't want to cry when I see a camera.

 

[the captians wench]

I'm just starting into my psych degree, but if I come across any reference materials I'll keep you in mind.

 

[Ahlam]

Hi shy slave!
You sound like a good subject. I believe hypnotherapy could help you deal with your phobia, but I don't know for certain. It couldn't hurt to try it, eh?
I've had some hypnotherapy to help treat my PTSD, and it helped me quite a lot. I also once had a Master who was into hypnosis. I still don't know what all he put into my head...hmmm...
I wish you the best of luck!

 

[shy slave]

I'm just starting into my psych degree, but if I come across any reference materials I'll keep you in mind.

Thank you

And wow, you starting a psych degree is great news

If you find out what makes people kinky that would be a great thread

 

[Ahlam]

...just don't give up.

 

[shy slave]

Hi shy slave!
You sound like a good subject. I believe hypnotherapy could help you deal with your phobia, but I don't know for certain. It couldn't hurt to try it, eh?
I've had some hypnotherapy to help treat my PTSD, and it helped me quite a lot. I also once had a Master who was into hypnosis. I still don't know what all he put into my head...hmmm...
I wish you the best of luck!

Thanks,

As I said I have tried it, twice for this phobia.

After the second attempt would never do it again.

 

[Ahlam]

I don't know about you, but I've found that my stress level directly effects the hold my fears/phobias have on me. When I'm overwhelmed by stuff, then I cannot sit with my back to a door or see trash on the side of the road without worrying that it's some kind of explosive ordinance. So I get a massage every couple weeks...this doesn't rid me of my fears, but I definitely feel more relaxed and more able to cope.

 

[shy slave]

I don't know about you, but I've found that my stress level directly effects the hold my fears/phobias have on me. When I'm overwhelmed by stuff, then I cannot sit with my back to a door or see trash on the side of the road without worrying that it's some kind of explosive ordinance. So I get a massage every couple weeks...this doesn't rid me of my fears, but I definitely feel more relaxed and more able to cope.

I am sorry to hear that. that must be difficult for you. I am guessing you know your own triggers for stress by now and having coping strategies in place to help you, I do hope that is the case.

My phobia isn't linked to stress. It's linked to a long gone situation. By long gone I mean 30 years long gone, not just a few weeks ago.

 

[intothewoods]

Hey shy! Nice to see you.

The way I approach any type of medical treatment question these days is to ask -- what does the evidence show?

I've only read a few things about hypnotherapy, but I don't think it's supported by the evidence. One of the problems is that there's not really a standard for this kind of treatment.

This is very thorough: http://www.skepdic.com/hypnosis.html

If it were me, I would try therapy with a psychologist or psychiatrist who has experience in this area. I recall seeing a show about treatment for phobias where the person basically eases their way into whatever it is they fear. Now, I don't actually know what the studies show about this treatment, and if it were me, I would look into it first.

 

[shy slave]

Hey shy! Nice to see you.

The way I approach any type of medical treatment question these days is to ask -- what does the evidence show?

I've only read a few things about hypnotherapy, but I don't think it's supported by the evidence. One of the problems is that there's not really a standard for this kind of treatment.

This is very thorough: http://www.skepdic.com/hypnosis.html

If it were me, I would try therapy with a psychologist or psychiatrist who has experience in this area. I recall seeing a show about treatment for phobias where the person basically eases their way into whatever it is they fear. Now, I don't actually know what the studies show about this treatment, and if it were me, I would look into it first.

Thanks ITWs

Good to see you too.

I am at the point of feeling foolish about this phobia and despite more than a few personal posts on Lit over the years I am not comfortable talking to people about private stuff (case in point never had counselling when bereavement happened unexpectedly).

I have to do something though, I have posted a pic of me (without my face) in a corset on BDSMfriendbook. But that is only the second time in several years I have put a photo on the net. The other time was on here and I ended up taking it down, yet it only showed my clothed back.

I will consider a psych therapist, part of me wants it sorted, the other part says 'meh, who cares really' lol

 

[shy slave]

ITW - That's really good article, thank you for that.

Sort of put into context some of what happened when I tried it.

I have had two past life regressions, they were very different but I am sceptical about their validity, even if they did cost a fortune.

I grinned at the use of CBT, no matter that it means a valid therapy for me it will always bring to mind some of Shankaras pictures from his thread a few years back

 

[Sir_Winston54]

shy... do you have any issues with *taking* pictures?

 

[shy slave]

shy... do you have any issues with *taking* pictures?

I used to cry just seeing a camera. Now I can be in the same room as one.

I can take them, but hate it and rarely do.

I don't even own a camera and have never figured out how to make the one on my phone work.

BTW - Glad you are on the mend

 

[Sir_Winston54]

I used to cry just seeing a camera. Now I can be in the same room as one.

I can take them, but hate it and rarely do.

I don't even own a camera and have never figured out how to make the one on my phone work.

BTW - Glad you are on the mend

Starting from the bottom: Thank you.

As for the rest: The reason I asked is that I had a friend who was terrified of bodies of water - even tiny fountains in a town square. His therapist had him build some small remote-controlled boats that he could operate from some distance away (like 300 feet). (Someone else had to actually put the boats in the pond, lol!) When he got accustomed to operating them in a small pond, the therapist had him move up to a larger pond, then a lake. His original boats were too small for the lake (even though it was a small one), and he built larger (about 2.5-3 feet long) RC boats with stronger transmitters and receivers that he could still operate from a good distance away from the actual water.

After about five years of this, and moving up to a good-sized lake and an RC boat about six feet long, he suddenly realized one day that although his wife had put the boat in the water, he was actually standing at the beginning of the dock she'd walked out on to put the boat in... the closest he'd been to any body of water larger than a birdbath since he'd drowned and been resuscitated from a free-standing outdoor pool when he was five.

From that point, his therapy advanced by leaps and bounds, and within another six months, he was actually *swimming in a lake* (albeit with a lifejacket on) by himself - no other human within 25 yards of him.

Okay... so that was kinda long-winded. The point is, I was wondering if perhaps taking photos - of squirrels, birds, trees, nature, what-the-hell-ever - might serve as the equivalent, for you, of his first foot-long or so RC boats... a way to take tiny bits of the threat away, piece by piece by piece, sort of wearing the stone down with little drips of water every 15 seconds for a thousand or two years.

Just a thought. Whatever solution you try, I hope it works for you. Fear is not fun, whether other people see it as rational or not. It hurts. {{{shy}}}

 

[shy slave]

Sir_W Thank you it is something to ponder.

I have improved in small amounts over the years, but now I feel just too damn old to have a phobia.

It's not ruined my life, it has just inconvenienced it at times - family things mainly, and as I am not big on family it isn't that big a deal then either.

I don't have a fear of water but I don't like it, that stems from a bereavement a few years back. I rent a flat up close and personal to a marina I did that because I didn't want it to be an issue.
I am not comfortable living here although it is picture postcard, and I won't be here long, but it has shown me that not adverse situations don't have to colour your life.

Just wish I had had such insight over photos when I was a pre-teen.

 

[intothewoods]

Thanks ITWs

Good to see you too.

I am at the point of feeling foolish about this phobia and despite more than a few personal posts on Lit over the years I am not comfortable talking to people about private stuff (case in point never had counselling when bereavement happened unexpectedly).

I have to do something though, I have posted a pic of me (without my face) in a corset on BDSMfriendbook. But that is only the second time in several years I have put a photo on the net. The other time was on here and I ended up taking it down, yet it only showed my clothed back.

I will consider a psych therapist, part of me wants it sorted, the other part says 'meh, who cares really' lol

Maybe it would be easier to do therapy if there is also or mostly a practical component like SirW has described? So that you see progress and it's not just focused on endless talking.

ITW - That's really good article, thank you for that.

Sort of put into context some of what happened when I tried it.

I have had two past life regressions, they were very different but I am sceptical about their validity, even if they did cost a fortune.

I grinned at the use of CBT, no matter that it means a valid therapy for me it will always bring to mind some of Shankaras pictures from his thread a few years back

Ha, me too.

 

[BiBunny]

Thanks ITWs

Good to see you too.

I am at the point of feeling foolish about this phobia and despite more than a few personal posts on Lit over the years I am not comfortable talking to people about private stuff (case in point never had counselling when bereavement happened unexpectedly).

I have to do something though, I have posted a pic of me (without my face) in a corset on BDSMfriendbook. But that is only the second time in several years I have put a photo on the net. The other time was on here and I ended up taking it down, yet it only showed my clothed back.

I will consider a psych therapist, part of me wants it sorted, the other part says 'meh, who cares really' lol

I'm not altogether sure how the mental health system works over there, but if there's any way to avoid mucking around with half-assed "therapists" or "counselors" in favor of a psychologist--a Ph.D or a Psy.D--who specializes in treating phobias with CBT, then please do that.

ETA: What Sir W describes is called desensitization (I think), and it's good stuff.

 

[shy slave]

Maybe it would be easier to do therapy if there is also or mostly a practical component like SirW has described? So that you see progress and it's not just focused on endless talking.



Ha, me too.

I'm not altogether sure how the mental health system works over there, but if there's any way to avoid mucking around with half-assed "therapists" or "counselors" in favor of a psychologist--a Ph.D or a Psy.D--who specializes in treating phobias with CBT, then please do that.

ETA: What Sir W describes is called desensitization (I think), and it's good stuff.

I think you are right ITW having something to focus on, may be better than just talking. I will continue to ponder Sir_W suggestion and how I can make that work.

Bi Bunny, yes we can get help on the NHS but it isn't easy and it means endless visits to the GP to find out all about it, which I don't want to do (waste of time, effort and leaving myself open to having adverse GP notes), so would go private, but find a qualified therapist rather than a 'half-assed' one

Will see how long I leave my old headless pic on BDSMfriendbook. That is at least, a start

 

[Netzach]

It really varies so much person to person. I do recreational stuff with other people, but I do some self-hypno and use recorded sessions because I'm a control freak and I can scan them and understand what's being done to me before I decide to chill out to them.

I don't think that some meditations about phobias in general could hurt that you could use on your own in conjunction with what I'd call better therapy.

But just as there's a lot of bullshit in the alternative medical world, so there is a lot of bullshit in the medical world as well. You are the person who knows how productive or not productive any path of inquiry is - I question the value of therapies that are constantly in search of causation and not the here and now. (I like CBT for this reason)

I made HUGE inroads on a flight phobia when a CBT oriented therapist asked me "so what's the worst that can happen?" And I described my vision of firey splat from great height, and she said "and what can you do about that?" -- NLP can sometimes do the same thing for people, but everyone's mind latches onto different ways of containing an idea, so what works for one person won't for another as well.

 

[shy slave]

It really varies so much person to person. I do recreational stuff with other people, but I do some self-hypno and use recorded sessions because I'm a control freak and I can scan them and understand what's being done to me before I decide to chill out to them.

I don't think that some meditations about phobias in general could hurt that you could use on your own in conjunction with what I'd call better therapy.

But just as there's a lot of bullshit in the alternative medical world, so there is a lot of bullshit in the medical world as well. You are the person who knows how productive or not productive any path of inquiry is - I question the value of therapies that are constantly in search of causation and not the here and now. (I like CBT for this reason)

I made HUGE inroads on a flight phobia when a CBT oriented therapist asked me "so what's the worst that can happen?" And I described my vision of firey splat from great height, and she said "and what can you do about that?" -- NLP can sometimes do the same thing for people, but everyone's mind latches onto different ways of containing an idea, so what works for one person won't for another as well.

Thanks Netz That makes a lot of sense. I like what you have said about therapies searching for the causation instead of the here and now. Without realising it, it could be one of the reasons I have been reluctant to try various therapies before. I know what caused it, I just want it to not be there. I also understand the control thing. I hate people taking my photo or seeing it, if I put it on the net I have no control over those things.

On the plus side of all of this there will never be any naughty photos of me out there to be discovered

 

[the captians wench]

Thank you

And wow, you starting a psych degree is great news

If you find out what makes people kinky that would be a great thread

I've been a busy girl.

Hey shy! Nice to see you.

The way I approach any type of medical treatment question these days is to ask -- what does the evidence show?

I've only read a few things about hypnotherapy, but I don't think it's supported by the evidence. One of the problems is that there's not really a standard for this kind of treatment.

This is very thorough: http://www.skepdic.com/hypnosis.html

If it were me, I would try therapy with a psychologist or psychiatrist who has experience in this area. I recall seeing a show about treatment for phobias where the person basically eases their way into whatever it is they fear. Now, I don't actually know what the studies show about this treatment, and if it were me, I would look into it first.

ITW - That's really good article, thank you for that.

Sort of put into context some of what happened when I tried it.

I have had two past life regressions, they were very different but I am sceptical about their validity, even if they did cost a fortune.

I grinned at the use of CBT, no matter that it means a valid therapy for me it will always bring to mind some of Shankaras pictures from his thread a few years back

One thing that we have covered in basic psych is that these kinds of treatments, and past life regressions are treated as not highly valid even among this "soft science" field. There's just too much that can be left up to interpretation for it to be considered valid.

 

[shy slave]

I've been a busy girl.

One thing that we have covered in basic psych is that these kinds of treatments, and past life regressions are treated as not highly valid even among this "soft science" field. There's just too much that can be left up to interpretation for it to be considered valid.

The past life thing was interesting and I don't regret doing it, I was awake and spoke about things I cannot explain as can't recall knowing about them before.

But, I can see why it lacks validity, unless it could be shown that someone spoke in a language long dead or they could not possibly know.