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Anxiety

Understanding Panic Disorder and How Hypnotherapy Can Help | Boca Raton, FL

Panic, at its most basic level, is a reaction to stimuli that set off an alarm in the subconscious. Historically, it may have kept hunters and gatherers alive, but today someone can become panicked about any number of things that are not a threat to survival; the modern world is stimulating! Many people experience at least one panic attack in their lifetimes. Having a panic attack differs from having a panic disorder in that in the latter, panic attacks are triggered multiple times unpredictably. 

Panic disorder is the persistent experience of living in fear of another attack. While breathing will help the person experiencing a panic attack, it does little to help someone cope with, and move beyond, their panic disorder.

Hypnotherapy reduces the likelihood that someone may experience a panic attack by uncovering the subconscious reasons why it’s happening in the first place. When we work together, we will begin to unravel your unique behavioral patterns and responses that are triggered under stress. From there, we will work to replace those with an appropriate response. This allows you to gain control of your subconscious, making stressors less overwhelming over time as you practice my methods in daily life.

If you would like to learn more about this practice or would like to schedule a free consultation appointment, visit us online or call our office today at (561) 377-1039.

Dr. Eimer proudly serves patients in West Pam Beach, Wellington, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and surrounding areas.

Categories
Anxiety

Anxiety and You: How Therapy Can Help | Delray Beach, FL

Instability, illness, change, and uncertainty can activate feelings of vulnerability. As a result, these experiences can trigger anxiety – especially when a person does not feel he or she possesses the resources to cope effectively. Feeling vulnerable is an experience no one wants to have. Unfortunately, it can often lead a person to make poor decisions which worsen the situation. 

One reason people who feel vulnerable can be led to make poor decisions is that the symptoms of anxiety that are triggered cloud their better judgment and hinder their ability to employ their coping skills. These symptoms can include feelings of nervousness, tension, dread, or panic, as well as physiological symptoms such as rapid breathing, sweating, muscle twitching, weakness, and hyper-arousal or lethargy.

If you are experiencing these symptoms of anxiety, it may be a sign that you should seek help from either your trusted peers or a professional therapist. Research has repeatedly shown that therapy for anxiety is a more effective treatment method than medication alone. While medications work to treat the symptoms you are experiencing, Anxiety Management Therapy can help you understand, address, and begin to work through the underlying causes of your anxiety and worry.

As a licensed clinical psychologist, I utilize evidence-based methods which include cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness techniques, and clinical hypnosis to address your anxiety and assist you in working through it. During our initial consultation, I will work to gain an understanding of your anxiety, your previous attempts at resolving it, and your goals. In our sessions to follow, I will teach you how to relax, gain new perspectives, and assist you in developing effective coping mechanisms and problem-solving skills so that you can control your worries. 

There is this concept that there are three types of mind. They are the heart-mind, the brain-mind, and the gut mind. Each mind has its own way of processing our experiences and notifying us about the meaning of those experiences. Ideally, we should learn how to listen to all three of our minds and give appropriate weight to the type of mind that might provide the most useful information in a particular situation. 

The heart mind and the gut mind can be guiding beacons to your truest innermost feelings. However, if you suffer from persistent worrying and anxiety, equipped with the right knowledge and skills, your brain mind can provide relief. I believe that the old saying, let not your tender heart be troubled refers to the idea that your heart sometimes needs rational help from your brain. Romantics tell us to trust our hearts. And I agree that this is often the way to go. However, we must also educate our brains to guide us out of sticky situations. 

If you would like to learn more about how you can cultivate all three types of mind in a balanced manner to help you tame anxiety, you can schedule a free 15-minute consultation appointment by visiting us online or you can call our office today at (561) 377-1039.

Dr. Eimer is a licensed board-certified clinical psychologist and certified hypnotherapist who proudly serves patients in West Palm Beach, Wellington, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and surrounding areas.

Categories
Anxiety

Hypnotherapy to Treat Generalized Anxiety Disorder | Boca Raton, FL

Persistent anxiety associated with pervasive worrying, apprehension, and nervousness is called generalized anxiety disorder. Symptoms of this disorder also include restlessness, feelings of panic or dread, rapid breathing, trembling or muscle twitching, difficulty focusing, and an obsession or preoccupation with the inability to prevent bad things from happening. 

Anyone can experience anxiety when external factors make us fearful, nervous, or tense, but it’s when we feel this way consistently that it starts to become a diagnosable issue. In fact, a generalized anxiety disorder can seriously impact our ability to work, be social, and wind down when it is appropriate to do so. Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder remain wound up most of the time. This degrades a person’s quality of life and can lead to dependence or addiction to tranquilizers, sedatives, or pain pills.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “generalized anxiety disorder includes persistent and excessive anxiety and worry about activities or events — even ordinary, routine issues. The worry is out of proportion to the actual circumstance, is difficult to control, and affects how you feel physically. It often occurs along with other anxiety disorders or depression.” In fact, untreated generalized anxiety disorder often gives rise to clinical depression as persistent feelings of helplessness eventually turn into hopelessness. 

Hypnotherapy is a commonly overlooked solution to generalized anxiety. It is a powerful tool for treating the symptoms of anxiety and for finding the underlying causes and resolving them. However, as with any tool, hypnosis is effective if it is employed by a trained and experienced professional therapist. In the wrong hands, a tool can be ineffective or worse, cause damage. Therefore, in searching for a therapist to help you overcome generalized anxiety, it is important to do your homework. Your best bet is a licensed mental health professional with an appropriate graduate degree (e.g., Ph.D., Psy.D., MD, DO, LCSW, LMFT) who has the requisite education and experience. And you need to feel comfortable honestly confiding in this person for therapy to work!

In my practice, I employ an evidence-based approach that combines cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and clinical hypnosis techniques. When we work together, you will learn how to relax and reevaluate external triggers, as well as develop coping mechanisms and problem-solving skills that work for your anxiety. Over time, as we work together and you begin to apply these methods in your daily life, you will respond differently to the situations that used to trigger you. You will build your self-confidence and achieve freedom from debilitating anxiety.

If you have tried and exhausted multiple treatment options without finding relief, hypnotherapy may be the solution you have been seeking. 

For 30 years, I have helped thousands of patients who struggle with generalized anxiety disorder overcome their symptoms, and begin to live a life free of anxiety. If you would like to learn more about my practice or would like to schedule a free consultation appointment, visit us online or call our office today at (561) 377-1039.

Dr. Eimer proudly serves patients in West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Wellington, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Parkland, Coral Springs, Hallandale, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and surrounding areas.