Hypnosis for Money Anxiety Disorder

One of the things I dislike about going to the gym is the  anixety and fear producing  row of TV’s in front of the cardio equipment.   I have found the content of major TV to be stressful and counterproductive to creating a peaceful and productive life. This past year has been no exception. I know our economy is currently unwell.  But the constant attention to “Economy in Crisis” is feeding out of control fear and anxiety. I wonder how does one stay out of the fear?  How do we get out of anxiety created by the media hyped fear?

My method of avoiding TV and those who dwell on the negative is a short term fix.  Reality finds me  at the gym amongst the doomsday messages on the TV.  I could close my eyes, but I would miss out on one of the best features of being single and belonging to a co-ed gym, the men who are working out along side of me.  Another perk is the various magazines available to read and counter the news. Oprah’s magazine is filled with tips and stories I find relevant. One story in her March 2009 issue, piqued my interest while climbing hills on the bike. 

It began,  “Money Anxiety Disorder…The latest American epidemic” The story by Nancy Palmer highlights a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association where it found “80% of  us are finding the financial crisis a significant cause of stress.”

She also notes, … “the pervasive sense of panic,can take a serious toll on health, putting you at higher risk for a host of ailments. Science has show that exercise and meditation  are two of the most effective ways to reduce stress but you know that and are likely to feel too pressured to try either.”  (its too bad to get stuck in feeling stressed and missing out on the positive views at the gym)

 The article also notes other well known stress reducers. Besides exercise one of my favorites is hypnosis.

Get hypnotized. For years people have turned to hypnosis for help quitting smoking and losing weight, but the technique is also becoming popular among business types desperate to overcome financial stress, according to a November report in The Wall Street Journal. Generally, in hypnosis, a therapist uses verbal cues to put clients into a deeply relaxed state, where they become absorbed in their inner thoughts, then offers suggestions to shift an attitude so they can better tackle a problem. In this case, the suggestions might be “Money is energy that comes and goes” or “Your net worth doesn’t equal your personal worth,” to deflect the paralysis and insecurity that financial panic can cause. Ideally, clients learn the process on their own.  “While it won’t make you richer, it will help you handle, and feel better. “

Reading the article and its suggestion made sense to me.  As a hypnotherapist, I have been noticing the toll the economy is taking on people and am glad to see the media is now offering positive advice for dealing well with the issues we are all contending with. It is great to hear accolades for a therapeutic modality that has  infinite applications for helping people help themselves.

Although TV Viewing can still ram my attention with distressing news I have hypnosis techniques and  exercise as the means of countering the panic the news stimulates.  My time at the gym has even more benefits for me and thats in addition to  the view.