Blushing and flushing when anxious, help using hypnotherapy
Firstly it is important to discount any medical reasons for blushing or flushing such as high blood pressure or menopause. For this reason the patient should have a medical check up first.
Blushing and flushing caused by anxiety
Blushing and flushing can often be psychosomatic and caused by stress and anxiety. Typical presentations include when speaking in public or when faced with a peer group.
Blushing is often considered to effect “shy” or “introverted” people more, and although this may be true, extroverted people can also be effected.
Blushing caused by attention and focus facing inwards
It is natural to blush as a result of compliments, change in room temperature, emotional stimulation and so on. Where blushing becomes abnormal is when the blush or flush continues and will not seem to stop. Actually without the emotional signal being sent, the blush, which is simply increased blood in that area, drains away very quickly. Prolonged blushing occurs when the anxiety signal continues to be sent, effectively telling the body to keep blushing.
Part of this process relates to the effects of anxiety on perceived judgement. When anxious many people focus their attention inwards, trying to guess in what way others might be judging them. In effect they feel judged, therefore start focusing on themselves in a self critical way. This focuses the attention inwards, often causing physiological effects of anxiety. This can trigger a number of responses, such as panic attacks, sweating, blushing and flushing, all of which are effectively fight or flight responses.
Therapy for blushing, using hypnotherapy and CBT
CBT is a frequently recommended response to anxiety generally, since it helps to adapt perception and threat analysis, and can also be used as a stress inoculation therapy method.
Hypnotherapy is a well respected tool in anxiety management and performance anxiety, and can be used to change perception and where a person’s focus lies in the situation. Hypnotherapy can reduce overall stress, make the situation seem less threatening, encourage positive emotions to be attached to the perception of the situation, and tailor attention so that it is no longer focused inwards triggering the physiological response.
Each individual is different, and therefore for some people there are deeper reasons for feeling judged, social phobia or having low confidence. These could be relationship, trauma or developmentally based for example. For those people with deeper rooted causation, psychoanalysis or counselling is helpful in gaining self awareness, empowerment and new choices.
Hypnotherapy for blushing in Edinburgh, Falkirk and Glasgow
Stuart is a CNHC registered hypnotherapist. CNHC is the voluntary regulator for complementary therapies set up with UK government funding and support. It is also an AR. Stuart is registered with the CNHC AR . ARs are the accredited registers maintained by the Professional Standards Authority for healthcare professionals not subject to statutory regulation.
Stuart trained from 1993 to 1996 in psychoanalysis, stress counselling and clinical hypnotherapy with ASM, (externally NVQ accredited and assessed diploma course and CNHC accreditation route via SSM), a professional body specializing in stress and psychosomatic related conditions as well as general therapy.
Stuart has clinics in Edinburgh, Falkirk and Glasgow, Scotland. Clinics deal with hypnotherapy, hypnosis for blushing.
Key words: Blushing, embarrassment, confidence, flushing, sweating, nervous, anxiety, hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, NLP, relaxation, self image, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Falkirk, Dublin.
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