Falling at 100 mph

I was lucky enough to recently do something I had always wanted to do. I l jumped out of a plane at 10,000 feet. It was wonderful. Do feel free to watch the video. http://youtu.be/3pvYwfO8QBI

 I appreciate that it is not everyone’s cup of tea. In fact many people said they felt nervous just watching the video. I, however, felt only excitement about the jump.  Many people actually commented about how cool I seemed to be. Being a hypnotherapist, of course gives me an unfair advantage, when it comes to overcoming nerves. Naturally, I used certain techniques to remain unafraid. The good news is, that you can easily use these same techniques to overcome any nerves you have. Whether that is overcoming a fear of flying or being able to do public speaking, these techniques can help you.

A great technique that you can do without hypnosis is Systematic Desensitization. This technique works by pairing the feeling of relaxation with the scenario (e.g. a skydive) in your mind. It's impossible to feel relaxed and anxious at the same time, so the association of relaxation replaces that of anxiety.

Systematic Desensitization – Pairing Relaxation with the Trigger

  1) Get yourself into a lovely relaxed state, by closing your eyes and taking deep slow breaths.

2) When you feel very relaxed, double that level of relaxation, perhaps by counting from 10 to 0 and allowing yourself to go deeper into relaxation with each number that you count.

3) When you are really relaxed imagine yourself in the situation which you feel anxious about. Really imagine it as vividly as possible, as if you're actually there. Notice what you see, hear and feel.

4) All the time concentrate on relaxation and hold on to that level of relaxation.

5) If you start to feel anxious, then let go on the trigger and focus once again on relaxation.

6) Imagine the whole scenario all the way through to the end and see yourself successfully handling it.

7) Repeat as often as possible, gradually increasing the severity of the trigger, e.g. imagining progressively higher heights.

When we feel anxious about an upcoming event we often think about it. The problem is we often think about the most frightening part. Or we imagine ourselves coping badly. From now on, whenever you imagine a nerve wracking situation, imagine it through to the end, when you are once again safe. Also imagine yourself coping in a calm way. This teaches the brain that the fearful situation actually turns out ok.

I hope these tips help. Please do leave comments below if you use any of these techniques.

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