In the last article ‘Will anxiety ever go away?’ I described the typical characteristic thought patterns the primitive part of your brain displays when anxiety arises and why it can feel like a life sentence.  In this article, for those of you who like to understand the science and what is happening to you psychologically and biologically, I’ve gone in depth with the science of the stress response as, for many, it helps knowing it is a normal physiological response that has an on/off switch.  So, here we go, sit tight for the science…

The stress response consists of two strands, one activated by the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system and the other the Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis which is the focus of this article.

During minor every day challenges in life the HPA axis remains in a ‘baseline’ or resting state during which part of the axis, the adrenal cortex, produces smalls amount of cortisol, a glucocorticoid, which is then broken down by enzymes in the blood leaving just low levels of cortisol. 

Tick over – This is like leaving the car engine idling, just in case you need to need a quick exit.

During acute stress, when sensory receptors in the cortex perceives danger either externally through the senses such as sight or hearing, perhaps if you run into a polar bear or a bus is out of control and coming your way, or internally from worrying or frightening thoughts, the amygdala is alerted and releases a hormone, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). CRF stimulates the hypothalamus to also release CRF which sends a signal to the pituitary to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) causing the adrenal cortex to release high levels of cortisol into the bloodstream.  This excess of cortisol is detected by the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus and pituitary which all carry glucocorticoid receptors which act to inhibit the release of CRF and ACTH.  This is called a negative feedback loop and in times of acute stress the immediate danger is dealt with, the stimulus ceases and the HPA axis returns to baseline. 

Get away – This is the equivalent of jumping in the car, putting it into gear and slamming your foot hard on the accelerator and speeding away, then when you’re safe, stopping and taking the car out of gear again. See the video below for a graphic of this process.

However, during chronic stress when the amygdala is being continually exposed to danger, often perceived danger in the form of negative thoughts or worrying and what if-ing, the HPA axis becomes over stimulated and persistent high levels of cortisol in the bloodstream start to have a toxic effect on the glucocorticoid receptors which decline in numbers and in their inhibitory effect.  This results in even higher levels of cortisol in bloodstream which then cause those levels to increase further creating a positive feedback loop. It is this positive feedback loop of the HPA axis response to chronic stress that becomes a vicious cycle and you lose your ability to switch off the negative thoughts and why it seems like anxiety will never go away. 

On the run – This is the equivalent of jamming a stick on the accelerator so it’s stuck revving violently.

But anxiety will go away as you learn how to switch off this positive feedback loop, taking the jammed stick away from the accelerator and happily, your amazing body and mind have inbuilt mechanisms to do just that.

So, to summarise, it is your own internal negative thoughts that are switching on the HPA axis and in the next article I’m going to be giving you some tips and strategies you can build into your every day life that will interrupt the positive feedback loop.

Living under the dark cloud of anxiety or depression can be a nightmare.

No matter how hard you struggle or how hard you try and break through, those thoughts are always there, lurking in the background, just waiting for the chance to pull you under again…

I know because I’ve been there myself.

I’ve lived through dark days that feel like an endless battle, where I was desperately trying to keep my head above the rising waves. I’d tried everything in the books, but nothing was working.

Nothing was helping me stop the emotions from churning around inside me like a rickety rollercoaster.

Nothing I tried could bring back ‘the old me’. I felt hopeless. Like I would never snap out of this darkness and go back to the happy, carefree life I once had.

But then one day… a breakthrough.

It was a miracle that I discovered the raw, natural healing power of hypnotherapy.

Unlike all the other things I’d tried over the years, hypnotherapy was the only one that wasn’t focused on finding the source of my despair.

(This wasn’t about probing my past to find someone or something to blame for my spiral into those dark depths, and then trying to work up from there.)

Hypnotherapy was about healing me from the inside out and giving me the reins back to my life by showing me how to be in full control over my thoughts and emotions.

And, I’ve made it my mission to help others break free from anxiety and depression.

I specifically developed this unique, 6-week course to be delivered to you immediately via email (even if it’s at 2 A.M.) so you can access it from the complete privacy, safety, and comfort of your own home.

But that’s not all.

Each weekly session is structured exactly as a live ‘face to face’ hypnotherapy session and is fully supported through a variety of different methods (see in the details below).

Your full course package includes –

• A 1-hour live online Skype therapy session with a qualified and highly experienced hypnotherapist
• 6 video therapy tutorials (delivered at weekly intervals)
• 6 specially formulated, fully guided hypnosis sessions
• Interactive exercises to help you check your progress each week
• Handy printable check lists of Step By Step daily practices and routines to follow
• Unlimited email support
• Plus 2 bonus video modules

This online course gives you the exclusiveness and privacy of a face to face meeting with a qualified therapist, but from the comfort and convenience of your own home.

And it’s for a fraction of the cost you’d normally pay for this type of treatment.

Many people who desperately need help curing their depression and anxiety absolutely dread the thought of driving halfway across town to meet a therapist face to face (which I absolutely understand!).

And not everyone can afford to fork out thousands of pounds for these exclusive treatments either…

But other, online hypnotherapy courses are either ridiculously expensive, or just send you a book or CD in the mail… leaving you to try and figure it out all by yourself.

“Goodbye Anxiety, Adios Depression” is different.

Instead of costing thousands, you get the entire 6-week course for just £199.

This is an excellent deal, because the 1-hour live Skype session alone is worth that much!

But, instead of just a one-off session, you get a full 6-week course with unlimited support the whole way.

Who is this course for?

• For anyone who has ever suffered from stress, anxiety and/or depression
• For anyone who feels like they can’t cope with their daily life and responsibilities
• For anyone who struggles day in and day out with anger, insomnia, panic attacks, OCD, IBS, eating disorders, addictions, migraines and headaches
• …and has had ENOUGH of their suffering!

You can stop the dark thoughts and crazy emotions and get back control of your life.

You will discover how anxiety and depression develop and what really causes it.

You will learn short and long term techniques for dealing with anxiety & depression.

You will understand why your sleep patterns are disturbed and your sleeping will improve.

You will be able to adopt new habits which will allow unwanted patterns of behaviour to fade away.

You will become aware of any unconscious and conscious misalignment and learn how you can correct it.

You will be able to identify more easily when your imagination has taken control

You will understand how you can influence your ‘luck’ to be good or bad.

Understand about how your hormones are affecting your moods and how you can influence that.

Learn new strategies for dealing with people so they don’t cause you stress and anxiety.

Discover your personality archetype, what makes you tick and why you do the things you do.

You will have more energy

You will be more motivated to do the things you need to

You will be able to cope with life’s situations more easily

You will be calmer

Learn how to get ‘unstuck’ and move on with your life.

How Is The Course Delivered?

Once you have clicked the link below to ‘order now’ you will be redirected automatically to a form to enter your best email address where you would like the course delivered.

Then when you click submit, you will be immediately redirected to the first Module of the course and your first hypnotherapy MP3 to download instantly.

You will also receive an email from Emma with instructions of how to arrange the one to one live session and links to the first part of the course so you can go back at any time.

Then each week, same day, same time, the next module will be delivered to your inbox, even if that’s 2am!

Emma Triplett HPD, DPH, MNCH(Reg) AfSFH

Hypnotherapist, Psychologist & Life Coach

Emma is the Founder of Old Town Hypnotherapy having opened the first branch in Swindon in 2011 after training in Solution Focused Hypnotherapy at the prestigious Clifton Practice in Bristol.  She later went on to open the Brighton and Hove branch before adding Mindfulness, NLP and Life Coaching to her skillset.

Emma is not a stranger to anxiety and depression.  In 2002 after a 15 year stressful corporate career she cashed and burned out of the IT industry with stress and depression.  At that time much less was known and, at a loss of how to get help except to be given antidepressants and signed off work, Emma resigned her job and ran away to Nepal where she started a Social Enterprise.  However as the recession took hold in 2008, that business began to fail and history was set to repeat itself as the stress levels rose.

But Emma discovered Solution Focused Hypnotherapy and began training as a practitioner understanding that there is a prevention and cure for anxiety and depression that everyone can do for themselves if only they have the right information and training.

Since then Emma has helped literally hundreds of people rid themselves of the life debilitating symptoms, opened 6 branches of Old Town Hypnotherapy and is now on a mission to empower others to make the internal changes necessary to rid themselves of these toxic diseases.

Emma is the owner and Director of Old Town Hypnotherapy Ltd and also runs her own Life Coaching business, EmmajTriplett.com where she regularly holds Personal Development & Coaching Retreats on the Island of Gozo where she lives.

1.  Can this course open a can of worms I wasn’t expecting and make me any worse?

No.  It can only help, it cannot do any harm whatsoever. At Old Town Hypnotherapy we practice Solution Focused Brief Therapy.  Going back into the past to find ‘reasons’ can be particularly unhelpful for anxiety or depression, focusing on the problems or what you ‘think’ caused it will make the problems bigger.  We don’t do that, we focus on what you would like to change or get better – future orientated.

2.  What if I can’t ‘go under’ without a hypnotherapist being present.

That’s not going to happen.  Being in a trance or under ‘hypnosis’ is just a matter of relaxing.  For the first time or two some people feel anxious about what will happen, but when they discover nothing ‘happens’ then they relax and go into a trance easily.  A trance is just a state of relaxation, so in fact it is easier to achieve a state of trance at home than it is in the therapy room.

3.  Will I have access to a Therapist for help if I need it.

Yes absolutely.  You have unlimited email support and you have a one to one Facetime/Skype session.  You can ask about anything you don’t understand or want further information on or just to use as a sounding board if there’s something on your mind.

4.  How long is each session

You should set aside an hour and half each week for the new course materials.  The therapy video can be from 20 minutes to 40 minutes long. You will have weekly exercises to do each week and then each week we finish with a self hypnosis session that is usually about 30 minutes.

5.  What if it doesn’t work?

What if it does? It’s a typical thought pattern of anxiety to ‘what if’ from a negative point of view and for depression it will most likely be ‘it won’t work, nothing can help’.  Sadly these are both self sabotaging thought patterns because they stop you getting the help you need. The course comes with a caste iron, no quibble money back guarantee, so if you’re not happy with what you receive, then just email me and I will refund every penny.

6.  What if you’re not real?

If you’re concerned we’re not ‘real’ you can check us out with Companies House in the UK, we are a registered Ltd Company (number at the bottom of the screen) or even simpler call me and have a chat about it, the number is at the top of the screen.