Why psychological and physical tremors need different work
Hypnotherapy can help against tremors in several ways — on both a psychological and a physiological level. In the unconscious, hypnosis can set the right suggestions to help the shaking stop.
Causes of tremors
The line isn't always clear-cut, but tremors can broadly be sorted into two categories: psychological and physical shaking. One arises from processes in the psyche, the other from damage at various points in the body. Hypnosis can help with both kinds of tremor — but the therapy looks different in each case. That's why, before treating your tremor with hypnosis, the possible cause should be medically assessed first.
Psychological tremors
Psychological tremors are often triggered by certain feelings or situations — frequently as stress-shaking, for instance in social situations. Thoughts and imagined scenarios can trigger it too. Sometimes only the hands shake, sometimes the whole body, or more rarely another body part — the unconscious can be quite creative here.
In some cases, the triggering feelings or moods aren't consciously perceived at all. That can go so far that the involuntary shaking is the only sign that something isn't quite right. If everything's been medically checked and nothing stands out, doctors are often at a loss for good advice — a hypnotherapeutic assessment can make sense in that case.
Hypnotherapy for psychological tremors
Treating psychological tremors is highly individual, since the underlying psychological causes differ from person to person. Still, certain aspects show up often: how you handle stress or pressure is frequently a theme, and whoever starts shaking usually benefits from a somewhat thicker hypnotic skin. The ability to create your own inner calm also often needs to be hypnotically practised first.
If the head is too controlling, pent-up feelings can also trigger shaking — allowing that inner flow and giving the feelings the right space often helps then. In the end, it's also about bundling and directing your own energy, instead of letting it dissipate into the shaking. A slight hand tremor, say with stage fright, often goes unnoticed by most people anyway — here it's often a matter of interpretation: switching from "nervous" to "pleasantly excited" can already be the change that fits. Whatever fits in the individual case, there are many approaches in hypnotherapy against tremors, and treatment is possible even when it isn't clear beforehand exactly what's triggering the shaking.
Physically caused tremors
Uncontrollable shaking also has many physical, usually neurological causes — damage to the brain from trauma, a tumour, or a stroke can trigger it, as can conditions like Parkinson's. Physical damage is usually more resistant to change than psychological misdirection — rebuilding takes time, even with hypnosis. And as with any treatment, there's no guarantee of success. Still, hypnotherapy can exert influence in the desired direction.
Hypnotherapy for neurological tremors
The brain is plastic — neurologists aren't the only ones who know that by now. And whatever is changeable can also be hypnotically encouraged to change. If the brain is damaged, hypnosis can stimulate self-healing; if that succeeds, the tremor can in some cases be reduced or even resolved. Here we use the full spectrum of medical hypnosis to align the body toward self-healing — from imagery and metaphor to unconscious directives, all of it can have a positive influence on the brain's regeneration.
With conditions like Parkinson's, treating the tremor with hypnosis is possible too, but usually works to maintain rather than rebuild. That isn't meant to take away hope, but to prevent overblown expectations. Regeneration can be guided, but hypnosis is no magic where a snap of the fingers fixes brain damage — repetition specifically achieves a great deal in the brain.
Hypnosis can help with many kinds of tremor, and whether it's action tremor or resting tremor usually makes little difference. That holds for both psychological and physical tremors — treatment and expected duration differ depending on the cause.
