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Hypnosis Berlin

Hypnosis for Hypochondria
Overcoming Fear of Diseases

Do you also suffer from the fear of getting sick? Are you afraid of the virus, cancer, sepsis, getting infected and many other things? Then you probably suffer from hypochondria. Hypochondriasis is a particular anxiety disorder that is, unfortunately, far too rarely taken seriously. A hypochondriac is afraid of being sick. This has different causes. In many cases, hypochondriacs have a particularly good sense of their body. They sense the smallest changes. This puts them on constant alert. Such a person is considered snivelling by his fellow human beings. He is often equated with Molière's "imaginary sick person".
Hypnosis for Hypochondria - Overcoming Fear of Diseases
Image: Hypnosis for Hypochondria - Overcoming Fear of Diseases

Hypochondria symptoms are real

How to recognize the fear of disease

First of all, I would like to emphasize: The symptoms that a hypochondriac experiences are absolutely real and not imagined. Affected people have real, genuine fears of illness and there is often a high level of suffering.

Hypochondria shows itself in people through different symptoms and reactions on a physical and psychological level:

Physical Symptoms
Mostly, affected people experience the fear of suffering from a serious illness also with physical symptoms such as sweaty hands, racing heart, palpitations, the blood pressure rises, trembling, tension, cramping, dizziness, nausea, sweating, sweating, strong tension in the body, inner restlessness and nervousness, diarrhea and urination can occur. The body reacts in real terms with feelings of anxiety. This state can further increase to the point of a panic attack, which in turn often also results in an inner confirmation of the severe illness.
Psychological Symptoms
Affected people fear illness or experience and feel a severe physical hereditary disease. You are often characterized by strong fears in your everyday life.
It can be observed that they observe their body and the natural reactions of the body significantly more and more closely and are fixated on noticing even the smallest changes.
Already slight pains or smallest change refer concerning already to serious illnesses as for example cancer. Also complaints of the gastro-intestinal tract can supply first indications for a cancer of the intestine. Affected persons are thus permanently in self-observation and assessment, but above all, they often make self-diagnoses in support with long searches on the Internet.
The constant anxiety is a great stressor and requires a lot of energy resources. This cycle of observation is reinforced by checking blood pressure, checking and reading up on the Internet and the conviction solidifies to be really sick. Often this results in doctor hopping (visiting a variety of doctors), because the explanation "you are healthy" is not sufficient given the clear self-perception, while at the same time the fear becomes greater and greater that the self-diagnosis is correct after all.

Hypnosis against hypochondria - hypochondriacs really suffer!

This is not only antisocial towards the sufferers, it is also wrong. Because hypochondriacs really suffer. They feel pain and get many other symptoms associated with the disease they believe they have. To do this, you use a human capacity that we all know. It is the capacity for "compassion." When someone tells us about an accident or surgery pain, or when we see relevant scenes on TV, we feel as if we feel the pain of the other person. This is one of the most important human qualities. Without it, true compassion would not be possible. So we already have two important and positive qualities that a hypochondriac must have. With Hypnosis Berlin you will succeed in losing your fear of diseases without having to miss these positive qualities.

Hypochondria self test

Do I suffer from the fear of getting sick?

The following questions may be the first clues as to whether you suffer from hypochondria:
  • 1

    Do you experience episodes of intense fear of being affected by a serious illness?
  • 2

    Do you experience any of the following symptoms: increase in heart rate and palpitations, high blood pressure, sweating, trembling, and dry mouth.
  • 3

    Do you put up with repetitive, medical examinations to uncover the causes of your symptoms?
  • 4

    Are you afraid of losing control of your body and health?
  • 5

    Do you experience intense feelings of anxiety about illness, even as if out of the blue?
  • 6

    Do you have the impression that you withdraw or avoid certain situations or activities?
If you can answer yes to one or more of these questions and feel restricted in your daily life and living, you should seek medical or therapeutic advice. You may have hypochondria. Please note that questions are always broad, so it is possible that people who are not affected by hypochondria may receive a positive result. Not everyone who has sweating fears about an illness suffers from hypochondria.

Hypochondria facts

Permanent fear of diseases

As if it were not bad enough to suffer from constant fear and pain, there is another problem that can become very dangerous. When a hypochondriac falls seriously ill, no one believes him anymore. This is not only true for friends and relatives. It also applies to the sufferer himself and even to his doctors. This leads to the fact that of all people, the one who takes such good care of himself often postpones really serious illnesses. But this is not the main reason why hypochondriacs actually die earlier, as a study by the University of Zurich shows. According to this study, the death rate for healthy men who complain about their poor health is three times higher within 30 years than for healthy people who also feel healthy, and for women the rate is twice as high. The reason lies in our body's ability to translate thoughts and emotions into physical sensations and symptoms. Put simply, the person who laughs, for example, releases a lot of hormones that increase physical and mental well-being, which in turn causes the person to laugh more often. A positive cycle is created. But unfortunately, we can also create a negative cycle just as easily. Worries and fears put our body under stress and lead to real illnesses. This is exactly where Hypnose Berlin comes in.

Illness fears are worries and fears of getting sick

As the following graphics show in their own representation, the fear of suffering a serious illness is quite real! These fears and worries run through all age groups. A full 44% of the people surveyed said they had recently become afraid of incurable diseases, cancer or AIDS. 67% of respondents aged 16 and over said they were most worried about becoming seriously ill. And as many as 21% of the even younger teens surveyed, ages 12 and older, said being terminally ill is what they fear most in their lives. In times of Covid 19 Corona, experts assume that the fear of catching an infection should become even greater and hypochondria will take up even more space in doctors' and therapists' offices.
44 %
der befragten Personen gaben an, dass sie in letzter Zeit Angst haben vor unheilbaren Krankheiten, Krebs oder Aids.
67 %
der Befragten im Alter von 16 Jahren und älter gaben an, dass sie sich am meisten Sorgen machen, ernsthaft krank zu werden.
20.5 %
The surveyed adolescents aged 12 and older said that they were most afraid of being terminally ill in their lives.

Hypochondria causes

This is how the fear of illness arises

Research today assumes that the cause of hypochondria and anxiety is a combination of several risk factors that tend to favor a course. For the exact causes are not known until today, why some people tend to be rather anxious or cautious and others not. Parenting styles can promote hypochondria in childhood and adulthood. When children learn at an early age that even mild symptoms are dramatized by caregivers, they learn a certain way of dealing with bodies and illnesses: Thus, the evaluation by adults and their behavior can lead children to perceive illnesses as particularly bad and frightening, even as life-threatening, and to store them away for themselves. In addition, childhood experiences of their own illness or illness in their close environment can also cause children to become more cautious in adulthood and develop fears that this could happen again. As with most mental illnesses, extreme stress, strain and excessive demands favor the development of a hypochondriacal illness.

Hypochondria consequences

What consequences can the fear of disease have?

It is often the case that hypochondriacs put up with weekly visits to the doctor, while others feel great anxiety about being examined by a doctor and having their self-diagnosis confirmed. Both types are heavily burdened by the permanent and omnipresent fear of illness. The longer the hypochondria and fears of illness persist and remain untreated therapeutically, the greater the pressure of suffering and the burden on those affected. Confidence and hope for recovery decrease, affected persons feel helpless and at the mercy of others.

Summarize the consequences of hypochondriacal fears as follows:
  • Increased feelings of helplessness and insecurity can show in private and professional life: psychosocial, somatic and economic consequences.
  • Problems and difficulties often arise due to permanent fear of illness, mood swings and depressive mood in social and professional life up to loss of work or separation in relationships.
  • Affected persons often accept a large number of repetitive medical examinations in the belief that the causes of their symptoms can be discovered after all - or avoid any visits to the doctor out of fear.
  • Affected people withdraw more and more from friends and family and often feel that their fears and anxieties are not taken seriously.
  • The fear of being affected by a disease leads to sparing, avoidance of physical activity such as sports.
  • Repeated reassurances and striving for external security from doctors, friends and relatives intensifies the problem of anxiety.
  • Episodes in which sufferers have little to no anxiety progressively decrease and become shorter.
  • Increased risk due to "self-therapy or self-medication".

Hypochondria and secondary conditions

As a result of hypochondria, other mental illnesses may also occur. A large part of those affected suffer from depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, anxiety disorders such as panic disorder, can also be associated with hypochondria. It should be mentioned that the mental illnesses can arise due to hypochondria, but can also lead to hypochondria, that is, can be its trigger and cause.

Hypochondria and mysophobia

Fear of infection - Coronavirus (COVID-19)

A special variety of hypochondria is mysophobia. This is the fear of contact with dirt and infection by viruses and bacteria. People with mysophobia are often recognized by red, chafed hands. This is because those affected wash their hands excessively, especially after shaking hands but also after contact with objects.

Fear of contracting viruses

Mysophobia usually leads very quickly to social isolation. This is because people not only do not want to shake hands with anyone else, they are also afraid of the dishes in a restaurant, of cooking at someone else's house, and of the dirt that their friends might bring into the house. The events surrounding the Corona virus have made mysophobia, the fear of viruses, particularly extreme. It's no wonder, either. After all, there is a real danger and even the government recommends that we refrain from shaking hands. Hypnosis Berlin will help you distinguish the protective from the pathogenic fear. Together we will find ways to help you feel safe without becoming lonely. Find your way back to a normal life with Hypnosis Berlin.

Hypochondria hypnosis treatment

Treat fear of illness with hypnosis

In hypnosis we will get to the bottom of your fear of illness. We will find out where it originates and untie the first fear knot inside you, which causes all other fears. At the same time, I will provide you with means to recognize and curb emerging anxiety attacks. But part of treating hypochondria is learning to recognize and use your special gifts. This includes your ability to empathize, which enables you to understand the pain and grief of others so well. Here you have to find the right balance between compassion and detachment. Your good body feeling, on the other hand, wants to be used by you without limits. It shows you your limits and abilities. If you learn to use your body feeling correctly, you will be healthier and happier in the long run. I promise you that!

More Information

Hypnosis Appointment Booking

  • The first hypnosis session usually lasts 120 minutes and includes getting to know each other, a detailed anamnesis and your first hypnosis.
    After booking an appointment in the online calendar, you will receive detailed information about your hypnosis session by email and will receive the hypnosis e-book free of charge when you book the first session. Follow-up appointments usually last 90 - 120 minutes, depending on the current situation and the resulting needs.
    You can find detailed information about the prices under Hypnosis Prices.
  • Smaller topics and issues can sometimes be solved in one session. In particular, hypnosis for smoking cessation takes place in one intensive session. More complex issues that accompany people longer are treated in four sessions on average. Hypnotherapy is to be understood as a short therapy. There are also exceptions where I support clients over several years at their express request.
  • Usually clients come for a follow-up appointment at an interval of 1 to 4 weeks. I have had very good experiences with a session interval of 1 to 2 weeks. I would like to emphasize here that in my experience this depends on the topic and the client.
  • Under the following link you can select and book your appointment yourself in the online calendar: Make an Appointment.
  • You will receive an invoice for each session. This does NOT show any fee codes of the GebüH and does not contain any diagnoses. The session is to be paid privately at the end of the session in cash or with EC card. The practice does NOT bill public and private insurances.
  • You can find more questions and answers in the Hypnosis FAQ section - frequently asked questions about hypnosis.

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