Melksham hypnotherapist offers support for those who suffer from SAD

LOCAL hypnotherapist Sandra Churchill says that hypnotherapy can help those who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) as the summer draws to a close and people who suffer from this condition start to feel the initial impact.

SAD has hit the headlines many times in recent years as awareness grows, but it’s not a new phenomenon. The Royal College of Psychiatrists suggests that for thousands of years, people have noticed that the seasons can affect our mood. It was not until the 1980s, however, that the term Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) first appeared. It is used for people who, although they sometimes become depressed in the summer, regularly become depressed in autumn and winter.

Sandra said, “SAD has symptoms much like depression, but it has a clear pattern, starting in autumn or winter and stopping in the spring and summer. The kinds of things that people might experience include loss of energy, low mood, which is often worse in the morning than later in the day, wanting to socialise less, a kind of need for hibernation, feelings of exhaustion for no real reason, loss of libido and so on.

“There are some subtle differences though. In depression, which isn’t related to SAD, people often sleep and eat less; with SAD, they often sleep and eat more. This can make people feel even worse. So who gets it? SAD is more common in women – about three times more common – and the further away you live from the equator, the more likely you are to suffer. It’s common enough that many of us can relate to these symptoms, but if your symptoms are bad enough to interfere with your life, you may well have SAD. In the UK, about 3 people in every 100 have significant winter depression.” Sandra says that hypnotherapy can help with SAD and explains about the approach she takes with her clients.

She says, “Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) can help with many conditions that affect our mental wellbeing, and this includes SAD. During the initial consultation I explain in detail about how the brain works and why it might ‘behave’ with some people in the way it does during the winter months. The Solution Focused approach encourages people to think in new and more positive ways. By means of imagery as well as suggestion, hypnotherapy also helps people who have SAD to change aspects of their behaviour, and refocus their thoughts in more positive ways.”

The Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (AfSFH) has been established to promote the benefits of the Solution Focused approach to improving mental wellbeing so that the public are more aware of this valuable resource. Sandra is a member of the AfSFH and is enthusiastic about the efficacy of the approach with SAD.

“Clients are often relieved to learn that there are different ways that the symptoms of SAD can be managed and actually enjoy the process, which often works quite quickly, as well as the results! I have been able to help many people reduce their SAD symptoms; it is such an amazingly powerful technique.” She is keen to stress that hypnotherapy is not a cure or replacement for medical intervention and that outcomes do vary.

Sandra works from the Melksham Chiropractic Centre at Spa Road in Melksham, Roundstone Surgery in Trowbridge and her treatment room at home in Warminster.

For an initial consultation, or to find out more please call 07515 441825 or e-mail: sandra churchill@virginmedia. com. You can also view Sandra’s website at www. churchillhypnotherapy. co.uk.