When we’re ill, we usually know that whatever it is will run its course and we’ll get over things in time.
And how much of a relief is it when we finally start to feel like ourselves again?
You’ll also know that when you’re living with long term health conditions, you don’t always have that luxury of moving closer towards the former, fit and well you again. In fact, the former you can seem well and truly lost somewhere.
Whatever you are living with, remember this: you are more than a diagnosis. So much more.
- If you had blue eyes before your diagnosis, you still have blue eyes.
- If you had a favourite song before your diagnosis, you probably still have that favourite song.
- If you used to like fish and chips before your diagnosis, you probably still like fish and chips.
- If you used to like watching a match before your diagnosis, you probably still like watching a match.
- If you were a talented artist before your diagnosis, you probably still are a talented artist.
The logistics of life may be more challenging now. Singing might seem frivolous for some reason. Your taste buds might be a bit off, or your tum can’t quite cope with the same foods nowadays. Travelling to the match might be uncomfortable or seemingly impossible. You might not have the patience to sit painting for too long.
But those things are part of you – what makes you, you – and have been a part of you for longer than that diagnosis. And you have the right to reclaim a little bit of you. To live in harmony with your diagnosis. And to even ease certain aspects of living with it.
Hypnotherapy cannot cure chronic health conditions and to say differently would be untrue and unethical of course. Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy that works alongside traditional, clinical care. What it may help with, is easing the anxiety around living with your condition. Reduced anxiety can lead to a reduction in stress-inducing chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol, both of which are linked to increased inflammation in the body. And reduced anxiety can also lead to increased levels of chemicals, such as serotonin and dopamine, that stimulate feelings of positivity, comfort and happiness in us.
You might be looking for a list of possible conditions to see if you are eligible in some way to find support here. Remember though, you are more than a diagnosis – and so there isn’t really a definitive list of ‘eligibility’.
Hypnotherapy for IBS has been recommended by the UK National Health Service’s NICE Guidelines as a valid option in working with this condition, though you might find that this is only a part of what you are dealing with and perhaps your main concern is something else entirely. The impact of living with your diagnosis might be so overwhelming that you don’t really know where to start.
And that’s OK. You don’t need to know every tiny detail of what needs to change. Knowing that you want change is a wonderful starting point.
