Panic Disorder
Panic Disorder: A vicious cycle.
When anxiety is extreme, it can become panic disorder, characterised by panic attacks. And once you experience panic attacks they can have a habit of recurring and escalating… And the escalation can be further accelerated through the fear of the panic attack itself! It can become a horrible vicious cycle that is particularly distressing for the sufferer and that can lead to a withdrawal and self-exclusion from activities that were previously enjoyable. It can be severely life-limiting!
People often worry that the panic attacks common in panic disorder might cause them to have a heart attack… Let us reassure you on that point. The symptoms of panic, elevated heart rate, hard breathing, weak or shaking limbs, light-headedness, churning stomach, are all the result of adrenaline and cortisol being released into the blood stream. Adrenaline is used to treat heart attacks, so it is very unlikely to cause one.
People also worry that panic attacks might be a sign that they are going mad. Once again, let us reassure you on that point. There is no clinical evidence of a link between panic attacks and ‘insanity’.
In our experience those thoughts can be reassuring to sufferers in themselves, and can help minimise the effect of future attacks, but they don’t necessarily stop them.
At Transformative we have a fantastic track record in this area. As panic disorder is an extreme form of anxiety, we treat it in the same way. We use special techniques to unearth and resolve the underlying issues and to free the sufferer from this unpleasant, frightening condition.
To learn more about panic disorder and the panic attacks associated with it, read our blog post, The Science of Anxiety and Panic Attacks.
As with anxiety, every sufferer and condition is different, so the first step is a brief FREE telephone consultation in which we can assess your special situation and recommend the best course of action for you.
FAQs
What can I do to reduce my panic attacks?
The most important thing to do, difficult and counter-intuitive as it seems, is nothing! When an attack strikes, find somewhere to sit or lie down and wait for it to pass. Unfortunately, the more dramatic your reaction and the reaction of the people around you, the worse it will be for you the next time round. Read our blog post The Science of Anxiety and Panic Attacks to understand why.
Why does panic disorder happen?
Panic attacks are triggered by our 2-million-year-old brain when it thinks we are in danger. They are caused by the release of adrenaline and cortisol into the blood-stream which gets us ready for fight or flight. That’s where the symptoms come from: racing heart, hard breathing, churning stomach etc. Once we unearth the reasons why your brain is triggering your fight or flight response we can work on removing those triggers.
Can panic disorder be treated?
Yes, it can. Panic disorder and the associated panic attacks can be very effectively treated in a relatively short time-frame. See the testimonials at the bottom of our home page to see how we have helped many sufferers in the past.
Fears and Phobias
Fears and Phobias: It’s time to find freedom!
At Transformative we can treat all fears and phobias. Some of the phobias we have come across: fear of flying, fear of motorway driving, fear of water or fear of heights can have a profound effect on the sufferer’s life, limiting their activities dramatically. In some cases, as in the case of agoraphobia, the sufferer can even be rendered completely house-bound.
Whether your fears and phobias limit your activities severely or are just annoying and inconvenient, such as fear of public speaking or fear of insects and animals (fear of spiders, mice, cats or dogs, for instance) at Transformative we treat them all with empathy and understanding. We know that all fears and phobias are very real to the sufferer and will therefore take your’s seriously whether or not you or anyone else thinks it’s ‘silly’.
The main tool we use in the treatment of fears and phobias is clinical hypnotherapy. We have a proven track record in this area and a very high success rate. In the case of less serious phobias we can treat your condition in just one 2 to 2.5 hour session. In the case of more serious phobias, such as severe agoraphobia, for instance, we may need three or four sessions.
Talk to us about your fear or phobia today and we will tell you right away whether we are able to treat it or not and how many sessions it might take.
We treat fears and phobias at our clinic in Wicklow Town (see our Contact page for address and directions). By special arrangement we can also visit you at your home, if your condition prevents you from visiting us.
Use the form below to ask us any questions you might have about your fear or phobia.
FAQs
Have you come across my phobia before?
We have come across most phobias before, however whether we have or not is irrelevant. We can treat almost any genuine phobia and it really won’t matter to us if your’s is unusual. We know that to the sufferer a fear or phobia is very real and will treat your fear or phobia seriously.
Can phobias be cured?
Most phobias can be cured quickly and completely in just a few sessions using clinical hypnotherapy. We use special techniques to identify and find the root cause of your phobia and remove it permanently.
What causes phobias?
Fears and phobias generally originate through negative experiences or situations throughout life. They exist in the subconscious rather than the conscious mind. That’s why it can be difficult to overcome them using logic or willpower. That’s also why we use clinical hypnotherapy, which deals directly with the subconscious mind, to treat them effectively.
What if I can’t leave my home?
We are dedicated to helping people with phobias and can arrange to visit you at your own home if your phobia is so severe that you feel unable to leave the house.
Depression
Depression: Hope and help is here.
Depression is a very common condition. It is said to affect 1 in 10 people at any given time. If this true, that would mean 470,000 people in Ireland are experiencing some level of depression right now. If you experience depression yourself, you are therefore certainly not alone!
Depression can range greatly in severity. It is not unusual for people to feel sad, down or depressed at some point in their lives. Often these feelings can be triggered by negative events or situations. However, a low mood will tend to lift after a few days or a couple of weeks at the most. Small changes in your life, particularly if they address a temporary situation that’s causing you to feel down, can also lift a low mood.
However, if the low mood persists, if small changes seem to make no difference and if people, events, situations or things that used to lift your spirits no longer do so, you may be experiencing a more serious level of depression, and for some people, depression can become chronic and debilitating. Depression can affect every aspect of the person experiencing its life. It can have a far-reaching impact on families, work, friendships and relationships. It can lead to feelings of isolation, hopelessness and loneliness.
It is most important that people experiencing the condition, or those close to them are able to recognise the signs of depression and seek help for it.
The HSE identifies eight key indicators:
- Low mood lasting two weeks or more
- Not getting any enjoyment out of life
- Feeling hopeless
- Feeling tired or lacking energy
- Not being able to concentrate on everyday things
- Comfort eating or losing your appetite
- Sleeping more than usual or being unable to sleep
- Having suicidal thoughts or thoughts about harming yourself
At Transformative we offer help and hope. The first thing we do is undertake a FREE telephone consultation with you in which we discuss your situation and agree the best form of treatment. We have psychotherapists who are specially trained in treating depression and bi-polar disorder, and/or we can use clinical hypnotherapy to address any past trauma or negative events that may be contributing to your condition.
See our blog post on ‘How should we handle Anxiety and Depression in our children and young people.’
If you would like to arrange an initial telephone conversation, please use the form below to make contact or visit our Contact Us page.
Can depression be cured?
It can certainly be treated, and at Transformative we have enjoyed great success with our clients. The range of treatments and therapies we have available and the way our therapists work together, means that you will get the very best programme for you.
Will my depression just go away?
It is possible, but if you want to be free of it, the very best course of action is for you to tackle it. If you pick the phone up to us, or if you prefer, simply complete the form below and allow us to contact you, you are guaranteed complete confidentiality. You are also guaranteed that you will be speaking to a highly experienced and qualified expert who will talk you through your options with compassion and understanding.
Why does depression happen?
There are many possible causes, including issues with mood regulation in the brain, genetic vulnerability, medications, and medical issues. It can also be the result of the suppression of emotions related to past trauma or negative events. The suppression of anger for instance. Sometimes more than one of these factors can be involved. That’s why it is important for us to talk to you and understand your own specific situation before recommending a course of action.
Hypnobirthing
Hypnobirthing: Confidence, connection, control.
“The hypnobirthing programme with Transformative was invaluable to me and helped me to get rid of the fears and worries I had about labour. It also enabled me to create a calm state for myself to focus and relax, both in the lead up to the event and during labour, meaning I was more in control and confident about the entire birthing experience. I had the empowering, natural birth I wanted, and credit goes to Tim and the full programme. I can’t recommend it highly enough!”
Cara, Dublin.
Our new one-to-one hypnobirthing programme ‘Mother & Baby Harmony’ – A brand new ‘mix and match’ 3-part programme for expectant mothers:
i. Nutrition for you and your baby (optional)
ii. Positive re-programming and deep connection with your baby
iii. Hypnobirthing, relaxation and Pain control.
The connection between an expectant mother and her growing baby is a deeply physical one, with both the mother’s and the baby’s bodies changing dramatically as the baby grows and gets ready to come into the world. We know how important it is to pay attention to this physical connection and to these physical changes, making sure that you develop healthy habits and that you and your baby receive the right nutrition to help you both stay healthy throughout this special time. However, with the relentless focus on the physical, in some respects our society has forgotten to place equal focus on the mental connection. The irony of this is that focus on the mental enables greater control of the physical… This is where we come in, helping you to identify, feel and use mental connections and by doing so to tune in to both yourself and your own body and your baby, enabling you to connect with them on a deeper level and helping you to relax and to control any physical discomfort you may feel as the baby grows and, most importantly, during the birth.
With this in mind, we are proud to introduce a brand new holistic service for expectant mothers. Bringing together elements from our health and wellbeing, hypnobirthing and pain control programmes, Mother & Baby Harmony is a comprehensive programme for pregnant mothers and their babies.
The programme is spilt into three modules, with each part comprising 2 sessions… Six sessions in all:
Module I – Nutrition for you and your baby (Optional)
Session 1 – 90 Minutes
One 90 minute session with a Dietary Counsellor who is also qualified as a Wellness Coach. They will look at every angle of your current eating habits (and cravings!) and will help advise on the perfect food programme and wellness plan for you and your baby. Everyone is different, and your programme will be unique to you, taking into account your lifestyle and your own personal food preferences.
Eating the right foods (and avoiding the wrong ones!) is essential, particularly during pregnancy, and can ensure that your baby receives the right nutrition to help them develop naturally and healthily. Eating the right foods in the right way and at the right times can also minimise heart-burn and bloating, give you more energy and help you sleep better.
Session 2 – 90 Minutes
Your next session will be with a Clinical Hypnotherapist. The first part of the session will be a consultation in which they will take time to understand your own personal wishes and help tailor the rest of the sessions exactly to your needs. During the second part of the session the therapist will use clinical hypnotherapy, to help you make the dietary and healthy eating changes recommended by the Dietary Counsellor easy for you to achieve by embedding them in your subconscious mind and connecting with your baby. Making the healthy food choices that will help you and your baby receive the right nutrition is made easy through hypnotherapy.
Module II – Positive Re-Programming and Deep Connection with your Baby
Session 3 & 4 – 90 Minutes each
In these sessions, again using clinical hypnotherapy along with hypnobirthing techniques, the Clinical Hypnotherapist will start to re-programme all of the negative information that all women are exposed to throughout their lives around childbirth. From early in our lives we are all bombarded with negative messages and images about childbirth, whether through TV, films and books or through the women we know that have had children and who seem to revel in the “horror stories”… Even the word “labour” contains the connotation that the experience will be hard work!
This part of the programme powerfully re-programmes the subconscious mind to remove all of this negative mental baggage and replace it with positive programming, reminding you that giving birth is a beautiful and natural process to be eagerly anticipated and not feared. It also replaces the negative, violent words we are all so familiar with, such as “contractions”, “pain” and “pushing” and replaces them with gentle, natural words like “surges” and “birth-breathing”.
During these sessions we also create powerful, natural subconscious connections between you and your developing baby. This allows you to feel, and be, more deeply in tune with each other.
Module III – Relaxation and Pain Control
Sessions 5 & 6 – 90 Minutes each
In these sessions, again we use cinical hypnotherapy and hypnobirthing techniques to prepare for the birth by teaching you deep physical and mental relaxation that you will be able to use when the time comes to give birth to your baby. We show you how to take your mind to a beautiful place and how, by doing this, you can stay calm and relaxed throughout the process, and how this peaceful mental state can transmit to the baby, building on the deep connections you already have.
We show you, and help you practice how to control any discomfort that may come as the baby gets ready to enter into the world.
This programme is accompanied by an MP3 file that you can take away and listen to in your own time to help reinforce the sessions and keep you and your growing baby calm and anxiety free throughout your pregnancy and during the birthing process.
FAQs
What are the benefits of hypnobirthing techniques?
Hypnobirthing techniques can help you have a shorter first stage labour, less intense discomfort during childbirth, a shorter stay in hospital and less fear and anxiety.
When is the best time during my pregnancy to undertake this programme?
There is no wrong time to undertake this programme, provided there is enough time before your due date to fit in the six sessions, however, we would recommend undertaking the programme as early as possible during your pregnancy, as all the parts of the programme work together to reinforce positivity and well-being, to help your baby develop healthily and peacefully and to help you both to connect on a deeper level.
For hypnobirthing techniques to work whilst giving birth, does the hypnotherapist have to be present?
Not at all! We would never be present, or look to be present, at the birth. We prepare you for the birth of your baby and teach you techniques that you can use yourself.
Where can my ‘Mother and Baby Harmony’ sessions take place?
It is important that you feel as comfortable and are as relaxed as possible during the sessions. You can visit our beautiful peaceful clinic in the heart of Wicklow Town, or if you prefer, we can visit you in your own home. If your employer is covering or part-covering the cost of your sessions as part of an employee maternity benefit scheme and has private meeting rooms or treatment rooms on site, we can even visit you in your workplace.
Is your hypnobirthing programme to a group or one-to-one?
Our ‘Mother and Baby Harmony’ programme is one-to-one and is entirely focused on and tailored to you.
How long is the programme?
The programme is generally a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks long, although it can be tailored to fit your schedule. We recommend that sessions are at least one week apart.
How much does it cost?
Our hypnobirthing programme is completely flexible. You can do the full 6-sessions, or you can do any one of the modules as a stand-alone, or in any combination. Costs therefore vary from €295.00 inc VAT for one 2-session module to €845.00 inc VAT for all 6 sessions. Contact us using the form below or via our contact page to discuss your tailored programme. Payments are also flexible and can be spread across the duration of the programme either evenly or in any other way that suits your budget. We accept all major credit and payment cards in person or via phone.
