Combining hypnotherapy with mindfulness may improve the healing benefits of both therapies, according to a pilot study out of Baylor University in Texas. Mindfulness hypnotherapy is a promising treatment that can offer profound mind-body benefits for anxiety, stress relief, and other potentially serious health issues.
Mindfulness is a meditative practice dating back centuries that involves an awareness not just of your environment or situation but your feelings, thoughts, and sensations. When you practice mindfulness, you acknowledge and accept your feelings without guilt or judgment.
While mindfulness has its roots in antiquity, it offers many benefits for our modern world and is associated with improved mental and physical health and a greater sense of well-being. Much like conventional meditation, mindfulness helps you focus your attention and cope more effectively with stress.
Research shows that mindfulness can transform your brain, especially the regions associated with your sense of self, emotional regulation, and gray matter. Practicing mindfulness regularly can:
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Improve attention and memory
- Promote empathy
- Improve self-regulation
- Reduce blood pressure and heart rate
- Promote relaxation
Hypnosis also deals with focused attention but includes a few additional elements, such as deep relaxation and subconscious suggestions to help reduce symptoms. Hypnotherapists have used hypnosis for years to treat pain, anxiety, depression, and other stress-related conditions and symptoms.
Combining Mindfulness with Hypnosis
The Baylor study combined mindfulness with hypnosis in an attempt to develop an intervention that could be more time-effective, easier to implement, and potentially even more effective. Developing a more mindful attitude can be a long, extensive process. The goal of combining it with hypnosis was to help implement mindful changes more quickly and effectively so that people could reap the benefits faster.
In the Baylor study, researchers evaluated more than 40 people who were struggling with high stress levels. Half of them had weekly mindfulness hypnosis that included:
- Present-moment awareness
- Nonjudgmental awareness of the senses
- Nonjudgmental awareness of thoughts and feelings
- Compassion for self and others
- Awareness of personal values and meaning in life
- Transition to long-term practice of mindful hypnotherapy
- Self-hypnosis training
The group was also provided with 20-minute self-hypnosis audio recordings.
The second group received no interventions.
Researchers found that the group that used mindful hypnotherapy reported both an increase in mindfulness and a decrease in stress. The average participant practiced on a daily basis and were happy with the interventions as provided. The non-intervention group had no significant changes in their stress levels.
While the sample size was small, it does offer new avenues for future research in the area of mindful hypnosis, particularly regarding anxiety, depression, and pain.
The Benefits of Mindful Hypnotherapy
Both mindfulness and hypnosis are deeply relaxing and offer profound health benefits. Combining them can help you get the most out of each practice. Furthermore, when you use hypnosis downloads, you can incorporate suggestions that encourage you to remain mindful and emotionally still and present throughout your day. Using hypnosis downloads for mindfulness can help you feel more grounded, less stressed, and more balanced and aware in your everyday life.
With a new mindset and new way of looking at the world around you, what might you accomplish?
If you are ready to learn more about mindfulness hypnotherapy, we can help. At Renewed Edge, our hypnotherapist can help you develop a more mindful approach in each aspect of your life and a grounded sense of inner peace. Contact us today to learn more about our hypnosis downloads or to schedule your appointment with our certified hypnotherapist.