Your South Hampshire Professional Hypnotherapy Service:- GHR and NRH Registered Hypnotherapist
Dental and Needle Phobias
This is from an email from a Texan client that lives in Turkey, reproduced here with his consent, who was having rather a lot of teeth out and implants put in: " Hey Duncan, Your MP3's worked like a charm, and without a hitch!!! Normally, "The Electric Chair" and "The Dentist's Chair" are interchangeable, and I am absolutely petrified. Prior to your MP3's my heartbeat was over 168 beats per minute. I listened to your MP3's; applied them, and never have I been more relaxed and comfortable in The Dentist's Chair. I felt absolutely no pain. Your MP3's are awesome from over 2,000 miles away, and you must be incredible in person!!! I have another appointment tomorrow, and still more to follow. I will listen to your MP3's before each visit. Thanks Duncan, you really do Rock!!! Joe" (JKR - Texas & Turkey)
Most people don't like going to the dentist or having injections - but for some people simply thinking about making an appointment let alone opening the door to the building the surgery is in or going into the waiting room is enough to induce a phobic response or even a full blown panic attack. Normally this is due to a bad or painful experience (or series of experiences) in the past or learned behaviour from parents etc.
Dental and needle phobias are what are known as process phobias (the fears of flying and driving are also in this category); a process phobia is a fear of not a single event or thing but a specific series of events or stimuli. During the process occurring the fear response is triggered many times each time heightening the level of anxiety - in many people this can cause a panic attack. Effectively the anxiety, discomfort and pain are a self-fulfilling prophecy that is heightened in our own perception.
There are hypnotherapeutic techniques that are highly effective in treating the underlying phobic responses and reducing the level of anxiety to one which allows the individual to experience a level of comfort and ease that prevents you feeling fear or inappropriate anxiety. - Simply put if you have a positive experience of comfort and ease you cannot experience the sensation of fear at the same time - fact!
I have been specifically trained in the treatment of Anxieties and Phobias to be able to remove the underlying feelings of anxiety caused by the phobic response before resolving the phobic triggers. This even enables me to be able to work with individuals in an anxious state just before undergoing dental surgery.
Just 1 to 2 sessions is all that is usually required to be free from a debilitating phobia that can affect your health as significantly as a dental phobia.
Hypnotherapy is not only useful in reducing/removing anxieties but can also be utilised with dental work in further providing comfort and ease to the patient by the use of glove anaesthesia or dissociative techniques to complement the local anaesthetic for root canal work etc - to give a greater feeling of comfort and confidence in having no discomfort.
I am situated in Curbridge which is convenient for Botley and Whiteley and being at the Heart of South Hampshire less than half an hour from both Southampton and Portsmouth I also practice in Weybridge, Surrey. For an appointment please call Duncan on 01489 787312 or email via the enquiry form.
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