Exam Overwhelm?….how hypnotherapy can help?
Exam season is here again and you may know a young person at uni or about to take A Levels or GCSE’s who is struggling with exam anxiety. How can hypnotherapy help?
Healthy Stress
Some stress is good for us. It motivates us to achieve and tackle difficult tasks but too much stress can easily get in the way of logical thinking, focus, concentration, and processing. Learning healthy coping strategies helps students handle their nervous feelings and are skills for life.
Mind / Body Connection
Fear and anxiety are powerful emotions that slow down blood supply to the brain and other organs, producing the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline in response to a perceived threat. These hormones prepare us brilliantly for action in a real emergency but are not useful for exams!
What does Anxiety Feel Like?
People experience anxiety or nerves in different ways, including butterflies, tummy aches, sweaty palms, headaches, shaking, dry mouth, a sudden need for the bathroom, inability to sit still, or a racing heart. Many people have sleeping or eating issues and just having fun in the usual way may feel impossible. Chronic anxiety may be seriously detrimental to the student’s overall well-being and to their success.
Relaxation
Hypnotherapy induces a state of deep relaxation, allowing the entire nervous system to calm down, and alleviating the physical symptoms of anxiety. Self-hypnosis techniques can be taught and used when needed, even during an exam.
Visualisations
Guided visualisation exercises help students to imagine themselves succeeding in their exams. The unconscious mind can be fooled into thinking a good outcome has already happened.
Cognitive Reframing
In gentle trance, negative thoughts about exams and learning can be reframed and replaced with more empowering ones. Building inner self-belief at this deep level can be life-changing as it affects all areas of life.
Behaviour Change
People often behave differently if they think they will fail and will unconsciously ‘give up’. Changing how we think results in our behaviour also changing. This may include finding more effective study habits that suit our individual learning styles and maintaining a growth mindset so that we are also more motivated to study.
Power of Suggestion
Hypnotherapy techniques can be powerfully enhanced by suggestive recordings students can listen to when they need some instant support. These ‘word weaves’ tap into exactly what the individual student’s subconscious needs to hear and are a powerful part of my hypnotherapy ‘toolkit’.
All in the Mind
Cognitive Hypnotherapist, Alison Scott, commented, “Preparing for exams is not just about how much cramming of information we can manage but also about our state of mind. The ways we behave when studying and taking exams are based on the prediction patterns developed from past experiences. Our unconscious mind expects us to feel a certain way, and so we do. Hypnotherapy challenges the unconscious mind’s expectations, reduces negative emotions attached to previous experiences, and allows the mind and body to refocus and reach a calm and confident state.”
Alison Scott – Cognitive Hypnotherapist
Call me on 07989 535527 for a free consultation.
Recent Testimonials - 2024
“My sessions with Alison were massively effective. I feel much less anxious, the voice in my head is much kinder and I’ve really been able to put some trauma behind me. I can actually talk about it now without crying immediately which is huge! THANK YOU ALI!! You are amazing. I also love my word weave and think I’ll listen to it forever!
“Ali is amazing. She is supportive, caring and kind in her approach and I instantly felt safe and that I could tell her everything and anything without any judgement. I am so grateful for her help and support and feel like I’m back to being me! I couldn’t recommend her enough and if you are considering hypnotherapy, then definitely speak to Ali!”
SPECIAL PRE-EXAM PACKAGE
x2 hourly sessions plus a bespoke ‘word weave’ recording - £160 includes online support. Sessions can be remote or face-to-face.
Email - ali@alisonscotthypnotherapy.co.uk
Instagram - aliscotthypnotherapy
Twitter – Alison Scott @AlisonS39
https://www.facebook.com/alisonscottcognitivehypnotherapy
LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/alison-scott-43100a13a