If you are grieving or know someone who is suffering from the loss of a loved one or pet, hypnotherapy might not be your first thought to help with the symptoms of grief. However, hypnotherapy is often used with counselling and can provide a way to move forward through the grief.
The bereavement process is not linear. People may feel like they are getting better, only to feel worse. However, the process is expected to move the person forward, allowing time to grow around the pain to facilitate healing.
Everyone grieves uniquely, so a personalised service like hypnotherapy can be beneficial.
As a bereavement counsellor and a hypnotherapist, I have helped many people with grief. Plus, I have also experienced different periods of grief, so I have a good idea of the things that help most.
This blog highlights the ways hypnotherapy can aid in coping with grief.
What is grief?
Grief is the acute pain that accompanies loss. Because it is a reflection of what we love, it can feel all-encompassing.
Grief is a natural process that we all go through when we lose a loved one or pet. It evokes a range of emotions and can have a profound impact on both our emotional well-being and physical health.
Some of these emotions are understandable, such as yearning for the person to be with the bereaved individual, while others may be more unusual, like feeling anger.
Common emotions associated with grief
- denial
- shock
- anxiety
- anger
- confusion
- pain
- guilt
- blaming
- yearning
- sadness
- depression
- bargaining
- acceptance
- lonliness
Sometimes people have positive emotions, but feel ashamed of these feelings. For example, if a relative has been in pain for many months, the death might seem like a release.
Another circumstance might be if the lost person had been cruel or caused harm, then the person might feel calmer.
Physical feelings after loss
- Changes to appetite
- trouble sleeping or waking early
- Anxiety, which can result in breathlessness, worry and panic attacks
- General aches and pains
- Feeling tired
- Being hyperactive
Other possible effects
- Seeing or hearing the lost person or pet
- flashback with traumatic grief
- Sensing and talking to the deceased person or pet
Remember, as everyone is different, some people will experience many of the above effects, while others will experience none or only a few.
How can hypnotherapy help grief?
Hypnotherapy can help with grief in many ways. It will not remove all the feelings, as we all need to come to terms with our loss. However, it can help people to feel better and cope with the impact of grief.
As many hypnotherapists are trained counsellors, they can listen, empathise, and help you understand attachment and loss.
Here are five ways that hypnotherapy can help people with grief.
- Emotional regulation and processing unresolved emotions. Relaxation, emotional release and visualisation can help here. Positive emotions can be ‘anchored’.
- Cognitive restructuring. This is about reframing negative, troublesome thoughts so that unhelpful neural patterns are changed.
- Stress and anxiety reduction. Relaxation can be beneficial in this regard, but it will also involve removing or replacing demands and changing negative thought patterns.
- Dealing with physical problems such as difficulty sleeping, tense muscles and poor appetite.
- Reduction in maladaptive coping behaviours like drinking too much alcohol and building positive coping mechanisms.
What happens in a hypnotherapy session?
First, all clients are assessed for their suitability for hypnosis, their response to the grief and how long it has been since losing their loved one.
During the session, consent is checked, and some hypnotherapists may use assessment tools or check hypnotisability.
Commonly, clients are provided with information about grief. Many feelings are considered normal.
When it comes to the actual hypnotherapy, there are different ways to deliver hypnosis and many techniques that hypnotherapists use.
Some hypnotherapists will suggest tasks that can be done at home between sessions.
In my business, four sessions of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy is common.
If clients only want counselling, six sessions or more are often required.
For more information about help with grief and to access my hypnotherapy and counselling services for grief, please visit my website. Please book a complimentary consultation online.
