For many of us, anxiety can cause constant stress and pressure in our lives. You may feel trapped in a negative cycle of fear and worry, and feel like you are a prisoner of your own brain.
Anxiety robs us of our presence, purpose, and joy in life and negatively affects our relationships with ourselves and those around us. Hypnotherapy is a great option to treat anxiety disorders – helping to ease your stress and fears and improve your mental health.
Book your Hypnotherapy at Shift Brisbane here.
Hypnotherapy techniques we use to treat anxiety disorders
Before we talk about the individual techniques we use at our Brisbane hypnosis clinic, let's talk about what hypnotherapy actually is. Going into hypnosis or trance is something that every person is capable of. The issue we have with clinical hypnotherapy sessions is that most people relate it to what they have seen on the movies or in stage hypnosis. You know when you're driving from one place to another and you forgot the journey to get there? That's you in trance. When you're daydreaming? That's a trance state. When you're meditating deeply? Your brain is doing the same thing as when you're in our hypnotherapy sessions. It's gentle, you're fully conscious and we can't make you do or change anything that you don't really want to change.
Australian hypnotherapists learn techniques to put you into a trance state or hypnosis using voice prompts and often music to accompany. While medical treatment for anxiety focuses on things like sedatives and SSRIs, we focus on the negative thought patterns that can lead to anxiety and help you regain control of the anxious brain.
When you’re in hypnosis, several techniques can be used to support relief from your anxiety.
Timeline Therapy
This is gently and safely going back to points in the timeline of your life where you may have experienced trauma that is causing you issues today.
This does not mean that you will be re-traumatised all over again, it just allows you to briefly look at the strong emotions that were present at that moment to find a different relationship to your experience.
We can then facilitate the release of stored emotions or help you to make the realisations that you need to truly heal and to find freedom from the past psychological residue that is impacting your present.
Parts Therapy
Looking at the different parts of yourself. Which ones are more dominant? Which ones do we want to bring forward? For example, there may be a part of you that is motivated for change, to connect differently with people, to challenge the negative self-talk, but the part of you that is frightened, withdrawn and stressed in us is more dominant.
We can work to bring forward the calm, self-compassionate and brave parts of ourselves in this type of therapy. Hypnotherapy helps to elicit these parts and make the positive changes needed to reduce anxiety.
Emotional Detox
This is where we identify emotions that you are holding on to and take you through a process to release them using guided visualisations under hypnosis. Sometimes negative beliefs and other forms of pervasive thoughts can lead to us harbouring emotions we don't need anymore. Hypnotherapy work is a powerful way to release fears and anxiety and work through the deeper issues that cause them.
Counselling services
Sometimes the therapy sessions we offer include an element of counselling so you can look at the reasons why you are anxious and figure out what psychological interventions will work best for you. This can lead to healthier coping mechanisms which not only helps anxiety but also various mental health conditions.
Our treatment process for anxiety disorders
Anxiety disorders don't happen overnight and the process of alternative treatments like hypnotherapy sessions depends on how it presents for you, the root causes of your anxiety and what is going to work best for you as an individual. At the first hypnotherapy session your therapist will listen to your story, discuss what is going on for you and plan out the therapy session. Professional hypnotherapy is much more effective than talk therapy and can lead to significant changes after just one session. Most of our anxiety clients need 4-6 sessions to make the most positive change.
Why choose Shift for anxiety hypnotherapy in Brisbane?
At Shift we believe that our old patterns and emotions from past life events hold ups back from living our best life. We offer holistic hypnotherapy in a professional and calming environment.
Book your Hypnotherapy at Shift Brisbane here.
What to expect from your first hypnosis session
An initial hypnotherapy appointment is $220 and is approximately 75 minutes long. Return appointments are $205 and are 60 minutes long. Hypnotherapy for anxiety can be used as a standalone treatment as a complementary treatment with conventional or other health care.
You can book your appointment using our easy online appointment scheduler 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Book your hypnotherapy appointment here.
The current wait time for an appointment is approximately 1-2 weeks – be sure to check the next few weeks for availability in your search results. If you have an urgent concern that cannot wait, please call us on 07 3367 0337 and we will do our best to fit you in earlier.
Your anxiety treatment will be with our senior hypnotherapist Gary Deed. Gary is a member of the Australian hypnotherapists association and has been helping patients to manage anxiety for over 5 years.
When you arrive at Shift at Brisbane Natural Health you will start your appointment with our hypnotist learning more about you and what you’d like to work on using hypnotherapy. During the initial 75 minute session Gary will use relaxation techniques to facilitate the session. Some people have heightened receptivity to stress and noise and because of this we do everything we can to make you feel comfortable. We want to create an environment where you feel safe and secure and able to share your issues. We have an amazing team who will make sure you are comfortable during and after your session.
Hypnotherapy can help to facilitate some profound changes in your body. Patients that benefit the most are those that have identified that they have some habits, behaviours or thought processes that are not healthy – and they want to make a change.
There are several reasons to try hypnotherapy for anxiety and depression or weight loss or quit smoking hypnosis at Shift Brisbane.
Hypnotherapy is safe, affordable and effective for the treatment of many issues. Think of it as healing and strengthening the mental and emotional parts of you. The part where we often store our most deep-seated fears and the part which can stop us from reaching our full potential.
What our clients say...
Megan Usher2024-03-27 I can’t speak highly enough of Katherine and her team. Since my husband and I have been seeing Katherine, our physical and mental health has rapidly improved. Which has impacted our relationships and the general mood of our household. I have personally seen many doctors for my symptoms, but it wasn’t until I started to see Katherine that I truly began to understand my body and start the healing process. I have experienced a dramatic improvement after taking the herbal medicines. My husband had been told by every doctor and specialist that he was totally healthy, and yet he was severely struggling with his symptoms. Katherine was able to identify the reasons for his symptoms very quickly, and he too has experienced a big improvement. I know we still have a way to go, and changing habits can take time. But we are so grateful to have found the Shift Clinic and to finally feel like we are getting somewhere with our health. Katherine’s podcast ‘The Shift with Katherine Maslen’ is also an eye opener and very informative! I have learned so much about the women’s body through listening. Di Bailey2024-01-29 My daughter referred me to Vanessa Coben as I was experiencing gut issues and was unable to detect or remedy my problems. Vanessa advised me to take on challenges in gut testing and bloods to determine the direction I needed. Vanessa's regular appointments, diagnosis and herbal formulas have exhalted my confidence in a healthy gut. Vanessa is professional, caring, understanding and a very gentle soul. I recommend her to anyone experiencing same problems as I had. I also recommend Shift at Brisbane Natural Health as their staff and administration are warm and friendly inviting a welcoming atmosphere to clients. All the best to everyone at Shift. Michon van Staden2024-01-12 Katherine and the team at The Shift Clinic were super supportive, friendly and welcoming. After 6 months of treatment with Katherine, my energy is back and my immunity is stronger! Vicki Machan2023-10-22 I stumbled across Katherine Maslen and her aptly named Shift Clinic through a podcast by Shelly Craft of The Aging Project. Katherine spoke with passion about gut health, which was an area I have struggled with for over a decade. I looked her up and booked an appointment for an assessment and couldn’t get there fast enough ! I was excited and confident that this time I was going to see a change. I wasn’t wrong. The most amazing thing about the Shift Clinic is their team, who are embracing and supportive and work as a collaborative unit. I was ‘project managed’ through months of healing, both physically and holistically. I was introduced to a form of ‘therapy’ I’d never even considered when I met Jess, the clinics Intuitive Healer, who helped me unpack and resolve some personal issues that were roadblocking my emotional progression forward. This complemented my gut healing progress that was being managed so well by both Katherine and Vanessa. I would never have found Jess if not for Katherine, or entertained the idea of something so ‘left field’ for me. The whole experience of being with Shift has been healing, nurturing and uplifting. I’ve progressed on a physical and spiritual level, they’ve educated me on myself, and the team are now an integral part of my life I won’t be leaving behind. I enjoy immersing myself in the tranquility of the clinic, the genuine warmth of the girls at reception when I arrive, the soft music, the herbal tea brewing. It’s like a big, warm hug. I can’t thank them enough or recommend them to enough people. They have changed my life ! Nicole Ann2023-07-28 There probably isn't enough space to write the long review that Katherine and the whole team at The Shift Clinic truly deserve but I'll start with this. You saved my life. Words will never be enough to express how grateful myself and my family are for the journey that I continue to be on with my healing and growth. The Shift membership is one of the best health models on offer in the world and when things were incredibly dark at my lowest, I was able to receive the help needed from all of my practitioners at the clinic who all knew my history at every appointment without having to continually tell my story from the beginning. It is so beneficial as a patient that all of you work together to heal people. Not only have you all helped lead me towards the light of health, you've been giving me the tools needed to understand how to grow and heal myself. The added bonus I wasn't expecting is how I'm now healing my own home too. The work you all do is changing lives. Thank you for changing mine. I am eternally grateful. Xx Steven Creevey2023-04-18 I started seeing Shift during the Covid pandemic and I was struggling with my overall health. I found the team to be very supportive and focused on the job of assessment, ongoing regular support and providing me with the best supplements and advice for my various health challenges. Thank you Shift and Vanessa for all of your help and guidance. Brendan Vasen2022-12-09 Katherine is wonderful and helped me get on the right track with my diet and healthy eating definitely Recommend Izzy Tanzer2022-12-05 I couldn’t recommend The Shift clinic and especially Dr Vanessa. After being diagnosed with an auto-immune disease my body felt like it was crashing and I needed help. I would not be where I am today without the help from Dr Vanessa and the knowledge she has passed onto me. She made the process easier and was always there for support when I needed it. The clinic is such a beautiful space and you feel calm as soon as you walk in. The receptionists were always so lovely and helpful and explained the membership process easily. Thank you so much Shift Team x Cath 712022-07-04 It would be fair to say that the last two years, in particular, have been a challenge for me personally. After battling with any number of illnesses over a long period of time, my partner of six years entered a period of rapidly declining health and was deemed a multimorbidity patient. As a result, our planned wedding happened much quicker than expected & I gave up my job to become his full-time carer before he passed away. During his decline my sole focus was him, in some ways to the detriment of my own health and whilst I acknowledge that grief played a major part in some of my weight gain, I also know that I’d developed bad habits over many years; snacking, emotional eating, convenience eating, living a mostly sedentary lifestyle to name just a few. If the loss of my husband taught me anything it is that life is too short and that our health matters! I needed to find something to help me rediscover joy in my life and to help me feel like my old self again. Following a personal recommendation and some google research of my own I came across The Shift Clinic. Having always been an advocate of natural therapies I thought this could be just what I needed to help me find my way back to lightness – physically and emotionally. I joined the 8-week weight loss challenge and I’ve not looked back. My appointments with Hypnotherapist, Rebecca and Naturopath & Nutritionist, Carolyn have provided me with the tools to; identify self-sabotaging behaviours, acknowledge all parts of me, start small, set realistic and achievable goals, feel supported, get back up when I fall, move – even if it’s only for 10 mins at a time, celebrate small wins, stick to the plan and remember that anything is possible. 8-weeks down the track I’m just under 10kg lighter physically. I’ve still got more weight to lose but for the first time in a long time, I know I’ll achieve it because the biggest ‘shift’ for me has been in how I think and how I feel, the routines & rituals I’ve put in place and the way I speak to myself. The Shift Clinic really can help you ‘shift’ you just have to be willing to let it.
Book your Hypnotherapy at Shift Brisbane here.
Our expert team of anxiety hypnotherapists in Brisbane
Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist
Gary Cosier
Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist
I'm here to help
Ask me a question
Ready to book? Book online here.
Anxiety hypnotherapy FAQs.
Top 11 signs of anxiety:
Frequently find yourself thinking and fretting about things that happened weeks or months ago.
When you make a mistake at work, or even in your personal life, you have a hard time letting it go and beat yourself up over it.
Trouble sleeping because you’re playing over the day you just had in your head relentlessly.
Out of nowhere, your throat feels incredibly tight and it becomes hard to catch your breath.
Constantly apologising for the smallest of things that other people wouldn’t even think twice about.
Having thoughts about your future at least once a day, and can’t seem to calm down about what’s next.
Nail biting or other similar nervous habits that occur without even noticing.
Avoid confrontation at all costs. The thought of confrontation creates negative physical sensations and mental images.
Sense of dread or feeling for no reason that you are in danger.
Digestion problems like IBS that seem to happen after stressful situations or encounters.
Numbing behaviours such as binge drinking, sugar addiction or smoking.
We are here to support you with any mental health condition you are concerned about. People often come to us with anxiety disorders and have been to their medical doctor, or sought other professional medical advice that has been unable to help them long term.
At Shift Brisbane, we have a range of services that can help you improve your mental health and ultimately, help you live a happier and healthier life. One of the most common treatments we recommend for anxiety is hypnosis – or clinical hypnotherapy. This therapy is used to help treat any anxiety disorder or panic disorder as well as treat depression, panic attacks, dissociative disorders and fear disorders. It is also an effective method to support weight loss, struggles with gambling and quitting smoking.When you think of hypnosis, you may imagine what you’ve seen on TV during stage hypnosis or in a movie. Clinical hypnosis is very different and it can’t make you do anything that you don’t want to do. When you’re in hypnosis, it is called being in a trance state or hypnotic state.
Trance is like being in deep meditation. It uses guided relation, concentration and focused attention to achieve heightened awareness. Your body will be relaxed and you’ll usually feel calmer. These benefits are often an enormous relief from the symptoms of anxiety.
In this relaxed state, you can access your subconscious mind – those deeper parts of yourself that are sometimes not immediately apparent.
Over 90% of your mind is subconscious and this is where our most deep-seated beliefs and values are stored. By accessing this part of ourselves, we can treat you and make significant changes and help to release emotions and past traumas so that you can heal and overcome your anxiety symptoms.
Yes, hypnosis is a great way to treat the underlying causes of your anxiety and improve your daily life. Most people will need several hypnotherapy sessions to treat their health concerns. You can understand more about how hypnotherapy can help treat various health conditions here.
When clients come to see us at Shift Brisbane for anxiety and depression, it is rarely because of just fear, worry or panic – there’s always an underlying cause that we then develop a specific treatment plan for. We use several techniques including guided relaxation and simple mind control to take your brain to a safe, altered state. You will finish the session feeling calm and after a few sessions, you will see improvement in how you feel and your well being.
An important part of the process is exploring the triggers for your anxiety. We ask you questions like:
What causes your anxiety episodes?
What historical point/s in your past may have initiated the onset, such as trauma or grief?
What physiological processes are in play?
What other strategies will support your healing?
“Anxiety is a distorted perception where you are overestimating risk in your life and underestimating your inner strengths.” Hypnotherapy can help you find new perceptions and learn how to access your strengths.
1. Finding release
One of the first stages of working with your anxiety using hypnotherapy is to look at one of the first times at these symptoms first appeared in your body. It is possible in the safety of hypnosis to look at this stressful experience or emotion with a degree of distance that the trance offers. Often people remember small events that may have felt insignificant at the time but have set us up with a limiting belief about ourselves that is not helpful. This belief keeps us stuck in a state of stress when you are exposed to your particular trigger, or environment. In the safety of hypnosis, and with a qualified therapist’s support and guidance, you can begin to release the intensity of the emotions and physical symptoms of anxiety.2. Reframing your experiences
In hypnosis, it is possible to see where your trigger was first pulled, yet be able to place some distance between you and this event. In this space, we can begin to use our kind, compassionate, adult wisdom to see the bigger picture and reframe the experience. Maybe you can forgive yourself, or see a higher perspective? Maybe you can comfort that part of you that is still a frightened child? Maybe you can find a deeper compassion for yourself and the fallout from any trauma with more understanding? By making meaning from these stressful situations our pain allows our brain and nervous system to process, integrate and move out of the fight or flight response and move into peace, calm and understanding.3. Recreating what you experienced
Using self hypnosis you can allow your unconscious mind to recreate the anxiety-provoking experience from being ‘terrifying’ into something ‘safe, secure and grounding’. This is powerful. Your unconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between what is real and vividly imagined. This is why we can experience anxiety over something that is in the past, or the future. We can use this part of our brains to help overcome trauma and treat anxiety – you do this by re-imagining the “trigger” moment and making it something that is empowering for you. You can learn new ways of becoming more calm, confident and in control and practice the situations that once caused you to feel anxiety. And we are here to help you.You don’t need a referral to see our Brisbane hypnotherapist for your anxiety symptoms. We see many patients with anxiety, panic disorder and other mental health conditions directly, without the need for a GP referral.
Hypnotherapy appointments can be done face-to-face or online from anywhere in the world. We help our patients with hypnotherapy every day to work through all kinds of issues including anxiety and other mental health conditions.
At Shift, our highly trained therapist Gary Cosier uses a combination of hypnotherapy, psychotherapy and other techniques to help you to Shift your mind. Gary will give you an in-depth understanding of human development and the impact your environment can have on your everyday life – on decision-making, emotional stress, depression, weight management, self-esteem, sleep patterns and many other life issues that can affect your well-being.
Head here to book an appointment online or call us on 07 3667 0337.
Book your Hypnotherapy appointment online here.
Keep your Feet Warm for Optimum Fertility
Benefits Of Acupuncture To Manage Anxiety
Japanese Acupuncture vs Chinese Acupuncture – 7 Key Differences
Acupuncture For Ankle Injuries
Can Acupuncture Help Treat Bells Palsy?
Acupuncture Treatment For Hayfever