Treating Recurring Blues With Hypnotherapy
Do you worry that your case of wintertime blues has lasted longer, or has become more severe than you have previously experienced? How can you tell whether this is merely a short-term issue, or whether you possibly be facing an actual problem with Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD? Do you need to seek counseling? Educate yourself about the signs of this condition, how this disorder can affect you, and what treatments are most helpful.
Seasonal Affective Disorder is more than just getting the blues when the weather is bad. This condition starts to develop when fall heads toward winter and daylight hours are shortened. Symptoms usually start at some point between September and November. Furthermore, because of the severity and consequences of SAD and other types of depression, physicians need extensive evidence of the condition before they are willing to make a definite diagnosis. Although signs can be quite serious, physicians rarely diagnose a patient with this condition before he or she has experienced symptoms for a minimum of three winters in a row.
Individuals who suffer from SAD start to experience emotions of depression, decreased motivation, and tend to sleep for excessive periods. They also develop a craving for carbohydrates or sweets. In addition, most people who experience SAD also have immune systems that do not function adequately. Often, they develop illnesses much more quickly than persons who do not have SAD.
This condition can seriously decrease a person’s ability to function at work or educationally. This lack of motivation often makes it difficult for a person even to get out of bed and tend to normal activities. Sufferers find it difficult to participate in social encounters, or even at home. They often experience times of extreme panic and negativity. Occasionally, the problem becomes serious and distressing enough that victims even consider suicide and have to be hospitalized for treatment.
Not surprisingly, females seem to experience SAD more frequently than men do. Furthermore, this condition seems to get better each year when spring arrives. Indeed, by March or April, symptoms typically decrease or disappear altogether - until the following autumn. This remains true even in states that tend to be dismal all year long. In fact, almost one-fifth of those who are treated for seasonal depression will eventually develop signs of bipolar disorder.
These people are usually depressed during wintertime, but have normal moods throughout the rest of the year. At times, however, individuals report experiencing instances of unexpected mood elevation, also known as mania. Like any other type of depression, this condition can become quite severe or even result in disability if left untreated. Additionally, many individuals experience very mild levels of depression; they may experience exhaustion, decreased vigor, and loss of appetite. Such people, however, rarely endure episodes of depressive moods or anxiety.
This kind of depression is relatively uncommon in sunny areas such as Tennessee, Arizona, and Texas. In contrast, people who live in states with a large number of cloudy days, like Indiana, Illinois, or Washington are much more likely to develop this condition. Residents of countries including Finland, Sweden, and England also struggle with SAD.
Scientists have attempted many alternative approaches to assist people recover from this exhausting problem. They have tried exposing people to artificial light in an attempt to assist them to manufacture more serotonin and reduce depression symptoms. Scientists have also worked with medicines such as antidepressants, as well as supplements, like melatonin, in an attempt to relieve these signs of depression. Many individuals who have this condition also visit psychiatrists when their condition is at its worst.
Each of these therapies result in with variable degrees of effectiveness. Despite this, all are definitely more costly and require more time than two recently introduced, innovative methods. Hypnotherapists have perfected the art of teaching both NLP and hypnotherapy strategies for depression. Through hypnosis, clients learn to talk themselves out of a depressive period and resolve their symptoms. These useful therapies, hypnosis and NLP, have resulting in an astonishing degree of success in assisting individuals to recover from, and prevent future problems with SAD.
Summary: Seasonal Affective Disorder is a kind of winter blues that returns every year at almost the same time. Only persons who suffer from this disorder can choose whether to continue battling the symptoms on their own, year after year, or to try to get assistance in healing from this illness once and for all. Hypnosis and NLP for seasonal depression are two beneficial, innovative treatments that provide a quick relief from these feelings without consuming excessive amounts of money or energy.
Alan B. Densky, CH specializes in depression and stress related symptoms as an NGH certified hypnotist. During his 30-year career he’s helped thousands of clients. He offers hypnotic therapy for depression CDs. Visit his Neuro-VISION self hypnosis website for the hypnosis article library, or watch his free videos on hypnosis.
- Alan B. Densky, CH