Hypnotherapy for Agoraphobia

Some form of hypnosis has been used to help people overcome fears, problem behaviors, and illnesses throughout much of recorded history. Modern clinical hypnosis began in about 1773. Clinical hypnosis is the form of hypnosis used today to treat psychological and physical problems, including agoraphobia, in which the patient goes into an altered or relaxed state and is guided by a therapist’s suggestions.

Hypnosis is a method of harnessing the power of your subconscious mind to work for you in overcoming agoraphobia. How well hypnotherapy works for you will depend on how willing you are to be hypnotized and the degree to which your fear is rooted in your subconscious mind.

Hypnotherapists who treat agoraphobia believe that agoraphobic fear finds its roots in the subconscious. Proponents of hypnotherapy also believe the subconscious mind has tremendous power to influence the autonomic nervous system. They believe that if the subconscious mind perceives danger, it sets off the fight or flight response. In this context, panic disorder and, in some cases, agoraphobia occur when the subconscious mind gets confused about when to set off the fight or flight response and when not to.

The process of hypnosis resembles a very relaxed day-dreaming or a wakeful sleep. During hypnosis, your brain wave cycle rhythm lowers into a meditative state sometimes called the “alpha state.” During the alpha state, electrical impulses in your brain cycle at a rate of about ten cycles per second. In this state, you are fully aware of the messages and images in your subconscious mind.

When you are hypnotized, a therapist guides you through the reprogramming of your subconscious mind while in the alpha or meditative state. Negative subconscious thoughts and associations are replaced with positive ones.

It is important to undergo hypnosis in a safe and comfortable setting. Since people with agoraphobia naturally have trouble getting to and staying relaxed in a therapist’s office, many hypnotherapists make home visits for agoraphobics.