22/12/2025
Our autonomic nervous system has two modes: sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic mode is actioned when you body senses a threat or danger causing you to go into fight, flight or freeze mode- depending upon which action is appropriate to save you from the threat. In these modes certain bodily functions will shut down, such as digestion, fertility, your breathing will increase and your muscles will tense in order to prepare your body to protect yourself against threat.
For example, if you were trapped in your house with a fire you may try to flight (run) to safety. If you were face to face with a tiger you may try to freeze (hide/stay still)
The parasympathetic mode is responsible for controlling your body’s responses at rest, helps aid digestion, you are happy and calm and engaging. All your bodily functions are working in sync together. When no threat is detected your body will be in parasympathetic mode.
However, these days we are faced with a lot of stress in our every day lives and this can cause your body to go into sympathetic mode and stay in that mode which causes health problems such as panic attacks, IBS, anxiety, constipation, high blood pressure, low immunity to name a few.
Hypnotherapy can be very effective at calming and relaxing to body and mind thus keeping our ANS in parasympathetic mode in non-emergency situations by helping us cope better with stress/trauma/threat.
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