Anxiety & Stress Reduction Flashcards

A client with health anxiety repeatedly seeks medical reassurance but remains anxious. In hypnotherapy, which approach would address the reassurance-seeking cycle?

Answer: Building tolerance for uncertainty using hypnotic suggestion

Building tolerance for uncertainty breaks the reassurance-seeking cycle by helping the client function calmly without needing constant external validation.

Which element of Milton Erickson's approach is MOST aligned with treating anxiety without direct symptom-focused suggestions?

Answer: Permissive indirect suggestions that bypass conscious resistance

Erickson's permissive, indirect style bypasses the client's conscious defenses and resistance, making it especially effective for anxiety where direct confrontation can backfire.

When using hypnosis to address test anxiety, the most critical suggestion category to include is:

Answer: Confidence and calm recall under exam conditions

Suggestions for confident, calm recall under actual test conditions use future pacing to rehearse successful performance in the specific anxiety-triggering environment.

What does the term 'hypervigilance' mean in the context of anxiety, and how does hypnotherapy address it?

Answer: Excessive alertness to threats; hypnotherapy reduces CNS arousal through relaxation and reframing

Hypervigilance is an overactive threat-detection state; hypnotherapy reduces CNS arousal and reframes perceived threats to break the cycle of constant alertness.

A client experiences panic attacks. Before using hypnosis, the BCH should FIRST:

Answer: Screen for medical causes and confirm no contraindications with the client's physician if needed

Panic attacks can have cardiac or neurological causes; screening and physician coordination ensures the hypnotherapist works safely within their scope of practice.

In stress inoculation hypnotherapy, the client is asked under hypnosis to imagine a mildly stressful scenario while remaining relaxed. The PURPOSE of this is to:

Answer: Build resilience by rehearsing calm responses to graduated stressors

Stress inoculation rehearses calm coping with graduated stressors, building the client's confidence and resilience for real-world situations.

Which post-hypnotic suggestion phrasing is most effective for a client who experiences sudden anxiety spikes?

Answer: 'Whenever you notice that first signal of anxiety, you will take a slow breath and feel calm spreading through you'

Effective post-hypnotic suggestions are contingent, realistic, and tie the trigger signal to a specific, learnable coping response rather than making absolute promises.