4 great ways to help conquer anxiety – part 2 – The Guessing Machine.

by Paul Howard

2) The Guessing Machine – How to conquer panic

One of the key things clients struggle with is their negative self-talk.  As I said in Part 1, planning for success. Clients plan to fail on a regular basis and they really struggle to make that change.  

https://www.sich.co.uk/hypnotherapy/hypnotherapy-for-anxiety-panic/One of the key reasons for this is something I call “The Guessing Machine”.  This part of your conscious mind can be taken too literally and when this happens it distorts the whole purpose behind the mechanism.

How to cure panic attacks fast

Conquer Panic - The Guessing Machine

The guessing machine is a part of your conscious mind that predicts the future.   Let’s look at how it does that.  The guessing machine uses your past experiences, conditioning and beliefs to predict the outcome of any forthcoming events. However, it only really predicts the worst-case scenario.  This is because it wants to prepare you for any danger that may occur.  

Now this may seem strange, but the sole purpose of this mechanism is to keep you safe, to help you avoid any possible danger.  Now unless you have had some clairvoyant training, obviously it’s not always right.  In fact, by definition, it has to be wrong in the vast majority of cases. This is because it predicts many different outcomes and obviously only one can be correct.  

Most people apply logic and reasoning to conqeur panic

For most people, we listen to our guessing machine but we also apply logic and reasoning to the possible outcomes. However, for people with anxiety, these outcomes appear to become very likely in their mind. This is not the way to conquer panic and let’s remember FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real.  Let’s look at an example of how this works.

conquer panic

For the sake of this example let’s look at someone with anxiety over public speaking.  This person has to give a speech at a social gathering, say a wedding.

Now if this person has had problems in the past with public speaking, perhaps made to read in school in front of the class where they were ridiculed by the teacher and/or their peers. Their guessing machine might create thoughts like “When you stand up to talk everyone will be watching you”, meaning that they will make a fool of themselves or “When you’re talking you won’t be able to get the words out”, meaning that everyone listening will be judging them negatively, etc, etc.  

For someone with anxiety, these thoughts will cause the subconscious to detect danger (of embarrassment) and instigate the fight or flight response that we call anxiety.

Now for people with no fear of public speaking they will rationalise these thoughts, generated by the guessing machine with opposing thoughts like “I don’t really care if I make a fool of myself, it will be a laugh.  I’m in front of friends after all”, or “There’s no way I won’t get my words out.  Why would that happen?”, and in doing so they negate the negative thoughts allowing the subconscious to relax and feel safe.

So how do we deal with the thought processes generated by the guessing machine?  Well, the first thing to understand is that the guessing machine has to be wrong most of the time.  Quite simply the worst-case scenario rarely happens.

However, of course with an anxiety situation, because we take notice of the guessing machine’s predictions, we make it far more likely to happen. So we have to rationalise and be able to differentiate between what is likely and what is unlikely.

How to stop panic attacks forever

This is the key to getting a more rational behaviour pattern in an anxiety situation. For instance, is it likely that people at a wedding are really going to care if you are nervous?  Highly unlikely as most of them will be thanking their stars it’s not them having to do it, and as most of them will be friends they will be willing you to succeed.  When you start to dismiss the unlikely outcomes out of hand and rationalise the possible outcomes in terms of how bad will it really be, the feelings start to change and you start to conquer panic.

Panic can be debilitating and overwhelming, leaving you feeling out of control and scared. If you want to conquer panic, you can us hypnotherapy as a useful tool that can help you conquer panic and take back control of your life.

What is the root of panic?

The root of panic can vary from person to person, but it typically involves a combination of physiological, psychological, and environmental factors. For example, some common causes of panic attacks may include:

  • Trauma or stress: Traumatic events, such as abuse or a natural disaster, can trigger panic attacks. Chronic stress can also contribute to the development of anxiety disorders, including panic disorder.
  • Genetics: Panic disorder may run in families, suggesting that there may be a genetic component to the condition.
  • Substance abuse: Alcohol, drugs, and even caffeine can trigger panic attacks in some people.
  • Medical conditions: Certain medical conditions, such as hyperthyroidism or heart disease, can cause symptoms that mimic a panic attack.
  • Negative thought patterns: Negative thought patterns, such as catastrophic thinking or hypervigilance, can contribute to the development of panic attacks.

Identifying the root cause of panic is an important step to conquer panic. By understanding what triggers your panic attacks, you can develop strategies to manage your symptoms and prevent them from occurring in the future.

Hypnotherapy can help you retrain your brain to respond differently to triggers that may cause panic attacks. During a hypnotherapy session, our specialist hypnotherapists will help you to respond differently to the guessing machines predictions. If you respond differently then by definition your thoughts, feelings and beliefs will ultimately change.

Removing panic disorder using hypnotherapy

One of the key ways hypnotherapy can help you conquer panic is by addressing the underlying beliefs and thought patterns that may be contributing to your panic attacks. We will work with you to identify these patterns and help you develop new, positive beliefs and thought patterns that will support your emotional well-being.

Hypnotherapy can also teach you techniques for managing the physical symptoms of panic attacks, such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, and shortness of breath. By learning how to control your breathing and relax your body, you can reduce the intensity of your panic attacks and prevent them from escalating.

Hypnotherapy is a safe and non-invasive approach to conquer panic. Unlike medication, which may have side effects and only treats the symptoms of panic attacks, hypnotherapy addresses the root causes of your panic and provides you with tools to manage your emotions and thoughts in a more healthy and productive way.

If you’re ready to conquer panic attacks and live a more peaceful, fulfilling life, hypnotherapy may be the right choice for you. Contact us today to learn more about how hypnotherapy can help you overcome panic attacks and achieve emotional well-being.

Part 3 – The 6 year old rule.

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1 thought on “4 great ways to help conquer anxiety – part 2 – The Guessing Machine.”

  1. Paul, is it also possible to load the sub-conscious mind with positive outcomes by modeling so that the guessing machine will draw on some positive thoughts too? Really interesting article. Andy

    Reply

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