A (3:52)

Okay. Tonight, Feeling safe healing from ptsd. Now, I've been asked a few times to do something on ptsd, which stands for post traumatic stress disorder. So here it is. But before we dive in, I just want to give a caveat. This may not be your cup of tea tonight, so I encourage you to listen to the introduction and see how you feel about it. We will not be going to specific scary places in your mind, but we will be addressing the tension you may be carrying in your body. Of course, this is designed to help you sleep, and it will do that, but if you feel you'd like to listen to it when you're awake during the day, you can do that too. And you may, if you have major post traumatic stress issues, want to do this with some support around you. So if you fall into any of those categories, feel free to go find one of your other favorite sleep magic episodes and listen to that to go to sleep tonight. But I hope at some point you do listen to this. Great. Back to our introduction. I like to think of PTSD as a reaction getting stuck in the body. We experience something, we tense up as we experience it or after it for a short period of time or sometimes a long period of time, and that tension sort of sticks. For whatever reason, we weren't soothed in the moment, or the scary thing kept on happening and the body just held on to the tension. And this tension becomes PTSD when the body holds it longer than is necessary, and particularly when we move into safer environments in which the scary thing is no longer happening and we're still tensing up. And PTSD can get triggered when words or ideas or behaviors around us pull us back into the tension, back to the feeling of the scary event from the past. And to a hypnotherapist, this makes total sense. You see, the subconscious mind is holding the tension, and the subconscious mind doesn't understand time or space. Now, this is a great quality of the subconscious mind when it allows you to envision your future as if it's happening right Now. But it's not so good if your subconscious mind continues to replay the past, pulling you back into the tension. Now, in my private practice, I encourage people to think of their subconscious mind as a tree with rings in it. You know, when you look at a tree stump and you see all the rings, each representing a year of that tree's life, and imagine that for you, a ring represents tension that you're holding in your body, tension from an intense or scary event. And it's locked in there like the ring of a tree. And no matter what you think about it or say about it, or how much you journal about it, the ring is stuck in there, bringing you back to that vibration. And it's one of the most frustrating things about PTSD for the sufferer. They know they have this condition, they live with it all the time, but they're witnessing it from their conscious mind, analyzing it, trying to understand it. But that's not the part of the mind that can heal it. It's kind of like the leaves of the tree trying to heal the trunk. It just doesn't work that way. You have to go back to the trunk to heal the trunk, which, by the way, is totally possible, but it requires hypnosis to get there. I know this might sound a little woo woo or mysterious, but really what I'm saying is this tension is being held deep, deep in your being. So we must return to that deep place and relax you below that ring in order to release it. You can't really do it from above from analyzing or thinking. So when we approach PTSD from this perspective, feeling safe in your life isn't about creating the perfect environment outside of you, about controlling what happens or the behavior of others. It's about letting go of those rings of the tree inside of you, because chances are, you don't need them anymore. So we will go into deep relaxation tonight and give your body permission to let go of that tension from the past to move on. And it will. It's actually aching to do that. So get yourself into a safe and comfortable position and let's begin. Allow your eyes to close easily and gently as you bring your awareness to your breath. And just allow your breath to be normal and natural. Nothing fancy. But your awareness, which has just been contemplating what I've been saying, has been outside doing stuff in the world all day. Gently invite that awareness back to your breath and just slow it down.

D (10:25)

Good.

A (10:28)

Everything is good. Now I'd like you to bring your awareness up into your eyelids for a moment and imagine that your eyelids Are feeling loose and limp and relaxed. Nice and heavy, even warm. And as your eyelids are getting heavier and heavier, I'd like you to accept the suggestion that your eyelids are so relaxed that they will not open. And now I'd like you to test your eyelids to make sure they won't open by wiggling your eyebrows. Now, I know your eyes could open if you wanted to open them. But I'm asking you to pretend wiggle your eyebrows as your eyes remain shut. Good. Now, this lovely warm feeling around your eyes is the same quality of relaxation you will soon have throughout your entire body. So let's imagine that relaxation now moving back into your head. Like a warm mist of relaxation is taking over every single cell of your brain, Causing your scalp to relax, causing your head to feel heavy, heavy on the pillow. And as that mist of relaxation takes over your whole brain, all mental tension disappears. And your face is feeling nice and relaxed. And that mist of relaxation is moving down now into your neck. As your neck softens. And let's go. As the relaxation moves down into your shoulders, more muscles of your shoulders feel melty and relaxed. As the relaxation moves down into your arms. Now feel your arms getting nice and heavy. So heavy, comfortable and relaxed. And that lovely feelings moving all the way down. And your hands and your fingers warm, open and relaxed. Now you might know this already, but from this moment on, no sound that you hear in your environment will bother or disturb you in any way. Bring your awareness to any sounds that may be happening around you right now. Just notice them. And now allow those sounds to actually take you deeper into relaxation. Good. Those sounds are simply vibrations. And as you let them move through you, they're taking you deeper. Just as my voice is taking you deeper and deeper. As that mist of relaxation is moving down now into your chest. Inside of you, that mist is spiraling, softening and open, deepening your whole chest cavity. Moving down deeper now into your torso. Deep, deep into your belly. So you're relaxing from the inside as your lower back softens and lets go. And any muscles you may hold unconsciously during the day in your belly are releasing when your pelvis is feeling very heavy on the bed. Because the day is done and this is your time. As a mist of relaxation moves down your legs, all the way down.

D (16:10)

All.

A (16:10)

The way down to your feet and your toes feeling so heavy, so heavy. Good. Imagine now that you are walking along a gentle path. And with each step the ground feels steady beneath your feet, solid, certain, supporting you completely. Up ahead you notice a doorway. It's simple but welcoming. And you know, deeply know, that behind this door lies your safe place. A place that belongs to only to you. A place no one but you can go. You step closer, your hand resting on the door, and as it opens, you feel a wave of peace pour through you. You step inside and you can feel this space is yours. It might look like a room or a garden or a clearing in the woods, or perhaps only a soft glow, a feeling of sanctuary. Whatever it is, it is welcoming you completely. And now you prepare to go even deeper into this peace and safety. In a moment, I'll count down from 10 to 1. And with each number I say you will feel yourself descending a gentle staircase before you that leads into another safe place within this safe place.

D (19:33)

10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

A (21:23)

Here you are in your deepest, safest place. Everything here is arranged for your comfort with the perfect textures, your favorite colors. Even the air around you embraces you as you feel yourself settle. Now, there's a beautiful bed in front of you, and you lie down as your body unwinds completely. You are safe here. You are safe here. Now that you're feeling safe and comfortable, notice that your body is still carrying parts of your past. Perhaps you're holding patterns of feelings you've had or events you've experienced. They may come to you as emotions or images or just a sense, an experience, or a person. It's all okay. There's no right or wrong. You may have patterns of energy that have been running below the level of your conscious mind for a while, some for many years. Your body has been recording every moment of your life. Responding, reacting, sometimes holding in an effort to protect you. And that's normal. We all hold patterns in our bodies, but we can also grow beyond them. Just as you grew from childhood into adulthood, you let go of the patterns you needed as a child, and you can let go of old patterns now, patterns you no longer need. It's okay. But first, allow yourself to tune into these patterns in your body just for one more moment. You can focus on one or experience them as an overall pattern or tension. Just feel them, notice them. Good. Now allow this scene to fade as you come back to your breathing. Well done. Now, I'd like you to imagine that another version of yourself, the one hearing me speak right now, is entering your safe place where your previous self is lying down on the bed. You see this earlier version of you on the bed, experiencing the patterns within the body. Now look into the eyes of this earlier you feeling the patterns. What do you see in those eyes. And now I'd like you to lie down next to yourself and hold this earlier version of you. Just hold yourself.

D (28:14)

Just hold.

A (28:18)

Yourself and take your time. You have all the time in the world. This part of you needs soothing. So you say to them, you are safe now. The past is over. You made it through. Thank you for protecting me. But I will take care of us now. You can let go now. I know that we're safe, so it's okay to relax. Notice what's happening. How is your earlier self responding? As you say to them, you did a great job. Thank you for getting us through those experiences. You are really strong. You are really brave. And you can let go now. We are safe. I love you. I am holding you. I will protect you. Now notice your previous self relaxing. As the patterns are releasing, dissolving. And as they let go, they're relaxing into your arms. Softening, snuggling, letting go in a way they haven't done in years, maybe ever. And it feels so good. And now the two of you are merging together as the previous you melts into your body and you are one again, feeling relaxed and free. As you say from deep inside. I am safe. I am relaxed. I feel secure. My whole being is here in this present moment. I am safe. I am relaxed. I feel secure. My whole being is here in the present moment. I am safe. I am relaxed. I feel secure. My whole being is here in this present moment. As you feel your body sinking into the bed. All your muscles letting go, your body relaxing as your mind is relaxing, as you drift and float.

D (40:34)

Sa it it, Sam. Sa it.