Contrary to popular belief, depression isn’t a synonym for feeling sad. And anyone who’s experience depression knows this all to well.
Depression is a serious mental illness, and its many sufferers – up to 16 million adults in the U.S. alone – experience daily bouts of hopelessness, fatigue, a racing mind, aches and pains. In other words, it’s much deeper than just sadness – depression hijacks the mind and body.
Now, you might be wondering: What does hypnotherapy have to do with depression? Can something as simple as hypnosis really offer relief for depression?
To answer that question, we have to dig a little deeper – into the subconscious mind.
Knowing how the subconscious works can help us understand why hypnosis is effective for depression (and depression’s underlying causes).
Depression and the Subconscious Mind
Many of our beliefs, emotions and memories reside in the subconscious. In fact, everything we experience gets filtered through this repository of information.
Most of the time, the subconscious is helpful
We see a butterfly at the park, and we’re able to identify it instantly. That’s because buried up there in the subconscious is a lot of useful information. We filter our experiences through this database, and – in a fraction of a second – the subconscious helps us make sense of the world around us.
But the subconscious can hold a lot of unhelpful information. Negative filters can become deeply embedded in the subconscious. And these filters can then influence our moment-to-moment thoughts and feelings.
How we respond to stress, for example, is controlled almost entirely and automatically by the subconscious. If a stressful event drives you to anxiousness, or anger, or frustration – that’s probably how your mind told you to feel.
The good news is we can train our subconscious mind to be more supportive, more helpful and a better friend.
And specifically for depression, we can reprogram the subconscious to better manage and release many of the underlying causes of depression, like drug addiction, stress and worry, or negative self-talk.
In a nutshell, hypnosis for depression helps us release many of the negative thinking patterns, bad habits, and suppressed memories that negatively limit the mind. At the same time, hypnosis can improve our coping abilities, help us get in touch with past positive memories, and enhance the effectiveness for traditional depression treatments, like cognitive behavior therapy.
How Does Hypnosis for Depression Work?
Hypnosis is a highly relaxed, uber-focused state of mind that we the majority of people can reach by following a few relaxation and focusing techniques. In fact, being under “hypnosis,” is a lot like practicing meditation.
But there’s one key difference: Hypnosis has a goal.
This highly relaxed state allows us to shed the conscious, critical mind. And when we’re under hypnosis, we can speak directly to the subconscious. In fact, research brain research suggests that under hypnosis the mind becomes highly susceptible to new information and new ways of thinking.
That means we can feed the subconscious mind information during hypnosis – like suggestions and positive affirmations – and they stick. We can reteach the subconscious how to make sense of the world around us.
That’s why we say hypnosis is meditation with a goal. We’re entering this state not to just relax the mind and body – but also to reshape our unconscious thoughts and promote positive thinking.
For depression specifically, hypnotherapy offers a few key benefits.
Hypnosis for depression allows us to retrain the subconscious. We can, in fact, override those automatic thinking patterns that keep habits, negative thoughts and irrational responses (all factors that can contribute to depression) in place
Treating the Root Cause
A number of external and personal factors can increase the chance of depression. For example, drug abuse affects millions of adults globally and it has close ties with depression. About one-third of addicts are clinically depressed.
Low self-esteem, obesity and even stressful life events like a starting a new job can also exacerbate depression.
Hypnosis, therefore, can help depression sufferers release and overcome many of these related habits. In particular, depression hypnosis might focus on:
Low Self-Esteem
How we talk to and feel about ourselves has a great influence over our mood. Yet, the subconscious can get filled with harmful beliefs and negative thoughts.
We learn to hate the way we look. Or we learn to always assume that we’re not good enough.
Through repetition, these underlying thoughts start to stick. And therefore, whenever we look in the mirror or face a difficult task – the negative invades our thoughts. The subconscious makes see what it wants us to believe.
Hypnosis can be a powerful tool for overcoming low self-esteem and negative self-talk. During hypnosis, we feed the subconscious new, positive affirmations about ourselves, and we can begin to release many of those old, automatic thinking patterns that dominate our inner voice.
Drug Addiction
Many of the thinking patterns that keep addictions in place are buried in the subconscious. Addiction hijacks the mind and body.
Addictions tell you to crave. They encourage you to find your next fix.
Controlling and reversing these habits of mind are important for overcoming addiction. And that’s something hypnosis empowers you to do.
Using hypnosis, we can begin to A) recognize our irrational thoughts like cravings, and B) gain control over them. In fact, many studies have confirmed that hypnosis shows promise in relieving drug addiction.
Anxiety and Stress
Anxiety, which is often caused by stress, is frequently an irrational response to the world around us. We experience a stressful event, and the subconscious triggers the anxiety
We can get into a pretty unhealthy feedback loop of feeling anxiety. Hypnosis allows us to calm the mind, recognize the thinking patterns that can make us feel anxious, and control our thoughts in stressful situations.
Weight Loss
Obesity increases the chance for depression, by as much as much as 55 percent. Many depressed people also turn to food to cope, which contributes to weight gain during a bout of depression.
Hypnosis helps to diminish the automatic thinking patterns that drive us to eat unhealthy foods or to overeat.
In particular, we can train the subconscious to think negatively about unhealthy eating, or we can teach ourselves to become in tune with our natural feelings of hunger. And there’s ample research to back this up. Several studies have shown that hypnosis is a highly effective weight loss aid, helping people to lose more weight and keep it off long term.
Insomnia
Insomnia not only can exacerbate depression, it’s also often a symptom of depression. Many people suffer from insomnia because they have trouble shutting down the mind at night.
Hypnosis can improve insomnia in a few ways. Practicing hypnosis prior to bed, for example, has been shown to help people reach deeper levels of sleep for longer. Why? Because hypnosis enables us to power down the mind, and reach a daydream-like mental state. This allows us to fall asleep more quickly, and ultimately spend more time in REM sleep.
Additionally, hypnosis can help us overcome conditions like anxiety or stress that are causing us to have trouble falling asleep.
Other Ways Hypnosis Helps with Depression
Beyond improving underlying conditions, hypnosis can influence how we manage depression. For example, learning coping skills empowers us to handle many events and emotions that can trigger a depressive event – and hypnosis has been shown to enhance coping ability.
Hypnosis can also enhance traditional therapies for depression, like cognitive behavioral therapy.
Here are some ways that hypnosis for depression can provide a lift in mood and help us manage symptoms:
Fostering Coping Skills
When we learn to cope with the world around us, we can limit the impact triggers have on our mood. Hypnosis empowers our ability to cope in a few ways.
First, we learn to recognize the mind’s response to a triggering event. Those automatic thoughts that we’d never before considered we can see them as they emerge. Hypnosis can also alter the way we respond to these triggers.
Research suggest that hypnosis can be effective for improving our ability to cope, which can, in turn, help us manage depression more effectively.
Remembering Past Positivity
Reliving and remembering our lives before depression can be a powerful tool for encouraging a lift in mood. Hypnosis helps us do this in two ways.
First, we can unpack and revisit positive past experiences. We might remember who we were, what we were like, and what happiness meant to us. And secondly, by revisiting these experiences, we can begin to reteach the subconscious how to return to that state.
Enhancing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Numerous studies have examined how hypnosis can work in tandem with traditional depression treatments. Cognitive behavioral therapy, for example, is one of the most popular, and studies have shown that hypnosis can amplify the impact of CBT.
In other words, hypnosis frees the mind to be more receptive to CBT, as well as increase our expectation of the benefits of CBT. Both effects result in treatments improving. One small study, for example, concluded that utilizing CBT in tandem with hypnosis provided a “more effective treatment in a shorter time.”
Does Depression Hypnosis Work?
Today, researchers are taking hypnosis seriously. And more and more studies are being published about hypnotherapy’s effectiveness for a range of conditions, including depression.
That’s a good sign.
Hypnosis has been studied for hundreds of years, but in the last century, it’s been primarily been associated with nightclub sideshows. And scientists hadn’t taken a serious interest, since about the 1970s.
So the research is all relatively new, but many promising results have been published. What does the research say about hypnosis?
A 1995 study compared two groups – one receiving CBT, and one receiving CBT with hypnosis. Following the study, researchers concluded that 75 percent from the CBT + hypnosis group fared better than those who didn’t receive hypnosis.
Author and clinical psychologist Michael Yapko has written numerous books on the subject, including Hypnosis and the Treatment of Depressions, which highlights key ways hypnosis can help. Yapko concludes in his 1992 book that hypnosis can help:
- Alleviate underlying conditions, like insomnia and rumination
- Improve our expectations about treatment
- Modify thinking patterns that contribute to depression
Hypnosis research has also shown promising results for a host of contributing conditions, including insomnia, drug addiction, low self-esteem and encouraging weight loss.
Getting Started with Hypnosis: Learning Self-Hypnosis
One of the greatest things about hypnosis is that you can learn it. Much like learning how to meditate, we can teach ourselves the steps to reach hypnosis and to empower the subconscious once we get there.
Performing hypnosis at home by yourself is called, not-so-surprisingly, “self-hypnosis.”
And for many people suffering from depression, self-hypnosis is one of the best options. They can try it out; practice it whenever they can find time, and they use it whenever needed, i.e. after a triggering event or during an unexpected bout of depression.
So how do you learn self-hypnosis? And what do you need to get started?
Basic self-hypnosis requires that you find a quiet space in the home with a comfortable upright chair. When you sit, you recite a self-hypnosis script — and there are many available for depression, mood, anxiety or any condition that contributes to depression.
It’s really that simple. You can start today and try it wherever you are.
Beyond following basic hypnosis scripts, practitioners have two options, including:
- Hypnosis Recordings: This is similar to self-hypnosis, but the key difference is you listen to a recording. Recorded hypnosis recordings offer convenience.
- 1-on-1 Hypnotherapy: You can visit a certified hypnotherapist and receive 1-on-1 sessions. A key benefit of 1-on-1 hypnotherapy is that you have a chance to talk with a professional about your depression, your triggers and experiences. The hypnotherapist then uses this information to customize your hypnosis plan.
Are You Ready to Get Started?
Start feeling better today with hypnosis. We offer a variety of tools, including recordings and scripts, to help you get started on your journey right now!
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"7-STEP WORKSHEET TO
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To experience relief from depression with the use of hypnosis, take a look at these resources. We’ve listed them in order from the smallest to greatest investment. The greater the investment, the faster you’ll see results, but if you’re persistent and committed, even our free workbook will help you break free from depression.
Will you please let me know when your series for depression is available?
Sincerely
Marilyn Cronin
I enjoyed reading all the ways that people with depression can reform and relive the positive memories to transform their ability to change the way they see today. It is a valuable tool when the darkness comes over our mental state to see a positive memory or relive joy. I will add these techniques to help my clients that suffer from depression.
I enjoyed reading the benefits when having depression and how hypnosis works for a individual. Great read, thank you, April
I completely agree with this blog. Depression can be seen as just “someone who is really sad” but it’s more than that and you have helped educate people simply by writing this piece. Hypnosis can be a beneficial tool for so many things and I can definitely see how and why it helps with anxiety and depression while also helping people to see more effective results paired with other therapy techniques.
great article and easy to understand, thank you =)
Depression often has a root cause and when this is found during a session of hypnosis, it can be released and transformed. Hypnosis is very effective at using the ability of the brain to create new neural pathways which essentially reprogram our responses. It also helps people to focus on a better and brighter future. This article illustrates very well how hypnotherapy for depression can be extremely effective. As we know, what you are paying attention to can affect your mood – hypnotherapy can shift your attention to other things, thereby getting a different reaction.
Yes! Love this! I struggled with depression for so long but have experienced these amazing benefits of hypnotherapy.
As someone who has experienced and struggled with depression throughout there lives I can attest to the importance of using tools to renew the mind. Hypnosis is a powerful tool and perhaps the key tool to actually being able to change these very wiring in the mind in order to create a more optimistic and hopeful perspective that is more in alignment with the life we really want to live instead of stuck in the rut of our past.
Great article! I appreciate how you outlined how depression is aggravated or linked to so many factors such as weight loss, drug abuse, and insomnia. Depression is greatly misunderstood, which is sad given it is becoming so prevalent in our society. Thank you for spreading the education on depression!
This article is very relevant for me.
I have struggled with depression and unhealthy thought patterns as long as I can remember. The same way people use their eyes to see, I interpret the world around me with feelings and that can be super overwhelming. What I’ve learned in AA is that I need to have faith in a Power Greater than Myself. And honestly, every time I need to do a 4th step on something, it’s because I’m not trusting my Higher Power … I’m telling you, my sponsor is so patient with me! Haha!
I’ve been listening to an Abundance Hypnosis track and a Self Love and Self Worth track regularly and you know what? That thinking, that unhealthy, self-loathing, victim mental programming is fading. For real! I feel like my bounce back or redirection is SIGNIFICANTLY better than it ever has been.
Understanding hypnosis as meditation with a goal and a tool for treating the root causes of depression rather than just the symptoms gives me hope for its effectiveness. It’s amazing that we have the ability to rewire are release negative thought patterns and habits in our subconscious mind.
Wow! This was so informative and it clarifies so many things about depression AND about hypnosis.
And, like always, very well written!
As someone with loved ones that suffer from depression, knowing that there is a tool that can help create change at a deep level is wonderful. Creating change at a subconscious level will help them in so many other areas of their lives! When we feel happier, everything seems happier and more hopeful. Thank you for such a wonderful post!
I am true believer in hypnosis, spending years in depression fighting it phamaceuticals with no real positive results. I started to work crystals along with meditation which helped a lot but it was only after trying self-hypnosis did I find the positive changes in my thinking I have been seeking.
I have been exposed, as we all have, to seeing people we love (and us) experience daily bouts of hopelessness, fatigue, a racing mind, aches and pains. In this blog, I learned that those are all indications of depression… That it’s much deeper than just sadness. Depression is an evil crutch that can hijack the mind and body. Causing us to lose sleep, gain weight, have anxiety. When we’re not in that frame of mind.. We are able to think clearly and know that we have the power within to “train our subconscious” mind to be more supportive, more helpful and a better friend to ourselves. And through repetition of positive affirmations (in hypnosis & meditation), these underlying thoughts start to stick. Feeding the subconscious with new, positive ideas about ourselves, and therefore rewriting those negative.. Depressing tapes in our heads. Getting FREE!
Hypnosis is the most effective treatment for depression I have ever experienced. I have suffered from bouts of depression since I was twelve, and tried just about every possible form of therapy over the years, before turning to hypnosis at a point when my life felt so completely out of control and I couldn’t get the angry voices in my head to stop. Through hypnosis I was able to find a relaxed state I had never experienced before, I was able to quiet my mind and start to see the way out towards the things that I loved, and towards building a life based on what I wanted, instead of focusing so much on what I had messed up and lost. I still have moments and days when I struggle with depression, but I have been amazed to find how much hypnosis helps in these dark moment. Just a couple of weeks ago, I had an experience that previously would have plunged me back into a place of deep depression for days. But I stopped, and focused on hypnosis and the other coping skills I have learned in the last year, and I was back to feeling in a place of balance within a day or two, despite this negative experience still hanging over my head.
Very well explained thank you
I really liked this article and have personally benefitted to listening to some of the recordings on this topic. I think hypnotherapy has a great capability of creating a sense of wholeness and healing in regards to our minds and depression!
Depression is such an important topic. It needs to be talked about and we need to help each other! We’re setting the stage for the younger generation. How will they overcome? We can lead the way for change.
It is so great that people can use hypnosis as a safe alternative to help with the struggle of depression. Depression has plagued people around the world and in a way been a silent killer in our society. I am hopeful that as hypnotherapy becomes mainstream and is used as the first line of defense rather than the last, we will start to see a shift in the number of people who can overcome their depression and move forward with a fulfilling life.
This post was really powerful for me when it comes to seeing that depression is something that CAN be overcome, it is not a life sentence and people have the opportunity to shift their minds and shift their lives, and happiness.
Very insightful, successfully treating depression with CBT alone can take a long time, which is challenging if you’re both depressed and impatient. Hypnotherapy is a fabulous catalyst to mental wellness.
Depression can be so crippling and so difficult for many to overcome. People are taught to believe that they need a pill, but having done this work for many years what they are really looking for is what hypnosis offers. Having practiced CBT for many years with clients, once I began incorporating hypnosis in to my sessions the effects have been so much more profound and lasting!
this is such an important topic <3 I've dealt with this and have many friends who have as well. Knowing that hypnosis has shown positive results in the limited amount of studies that there have been for it is so promising fro so many people who think that they'll have to deal with this for their entire lives.
this is such an important topic <3 I've dealt with this and have many friends who have as well. Knowing that hypnosis has shown positive results in the limited amount of studies that there have been for it is so promising fro so many people who think that they'll have to deal with this for their entire lives.
Depression can be so crippling. This blog had such good information on ways we can free ourselves through hypnosis.
Depression has run in my family and I am the first to take steps to break the cycle.Hynosis has heped tremendously already, I feel empowered knowing the I can change my mind and take charge of my life. No one has to suffer with depression if they are willing to reach out for help and know that they DO have the power to change.
Very nice article. Depression is not a very well known illness and thank you for outlining it the best way possible. Hypnosis is a very powerful tool and changing those negatives habits in the subconscious is just so powerful. Depression can be overcome if the person is willing to make some changes in her life. It is just so amazing what we can do with hypnosis. Let’s do this! Let’s change our mindset!!!
I loved the thoroughness of this blog post. Depression is such a complex and unique problem yet since hypnosis deals with the root cause as well as the trunk and branches, it has a benefit for anyone who is suffering no matter how the depression manifests itself physically, emotionally and/or mentally. I am grateful there is a way for those afflicted to find relief so that we all can live our best lives.
I am truly amazed at how hypnosis has enriched my life, just in 6 months I am depression free first time in my life I can truly say that with confidence. I now practice hypnosis daily! Grace says it best “Hypnosis is meditation with goal.
I like how this article linked depression to drug use. People say that marijuana/alcohol etc are gateway drugs but I believe loneliness, sadness, and anger are the real reasons people move on to harder substances.
Someone recently told me that they heard that hypnotherapy couldn’t help with depression. I’ll have to share this article with her.
I really enjoyed this blog post about how it is possible to overcome depression through utilizing hypnotherapy to address the root cause and learn new and effective ways to cope with the world around us.
Wow; really enjoyed this blog post. So many of us suffer from depression…silently. It’s not weak of you to reach out for help. I loved the part where Grace talked about the “root cause(s)” of depression. Depressions is not always visible on the surface; in fact, some of us are very good at hiding our pain. The pain is deeply rooted, and for us to treat depression and find happiness again, we must get to the root of the issue. These blogs are so well written– I love them!
The first step is being aware of depression! Then the healing can begin. How empowering!
Thanks to this article we can feel hope for those who suffer from depression. Hypnotherapy works. It is an amazing tool that improves the way you see the world. Excellent article.
Grace’s new book “Close Your Eye’s Get Free” is a great self-hypnosis book. I find self-hypnosis is great to calm your mind and the affirmation messages that you give your self help to increase your happiness and energy. Depression can be so debilitating for me that it is nice to have this tool to keep me motivated and happy.
I’ve personally found that hypnosis has helped my depression symptoms tremendously, especially when dealing with the root cause. Though this work, I realized that my deeply-ingrained thoughts of self-doubt actually showed up as depression. Hypnosis is a great tool to reframe those thoughts and as a result, effectively treat some cases (like my own) of depression.
Working with hypnosis has been amazing transformional process for me. I highly recommend it to any one suffering for depression. By slowing peeling back the layers of was causing the depression, I began heal my self.
Great packed resource! I always need to remind myself that I have power over my thoughts. I’m finding many of my clients are showing one of these conditions listed and this reminded me of all the different ways we experience depression; plus how we can help as hypnotherapists.
Were is the closest place for hypnosis for severe depression
A timely read.
It is always so good to remember that with some guidance, you have the power to do self hypnosis, amplifying to your conscious mind that you are safe.
Please let me know when the series are available
Thanks
Denisa
I love how powerful hypnosis can be, and that it so readily pairs with western approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Imagine how amazing the world would be if all therapists were also trained in hypnosis. This is something I would love for many people in my life to experience.
Hypnosis can be a great ingredient to aliening depression by assisting with rewiring your brain.
Can’t wait for the recording I am trying to help my mom with her major depression and know that hypnosis would help her tremendously. Thank you!
Excellent article on depression and it’s many manifestations and how hypnotherapy can help. Thank you for writing! Spread the word, and let’s get our brothers and sisters free and healed!
Love the idea of retraining thoughts. A good friend and addict suffers from severe depression as well. Really hope he willing to try some of these techniques.
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I’ve struggled with depression for most of my adult life. I’ve tried so many different things to combat the depression itself and the anxiety that comes along with it. Several years ago I found hypnotherapy and it’s been one of the best tools to help me move forward in a meaningful way. Thank you for this article!