Dental Phobia Hypnotherapy Worthing
Would you like to learn, at a pace that is comfortable for you, to make that dental appointment, show up, and sit through it without overwhelming anxiety, nausea and fear of losing control any second?
Do you want to be able to take that all-important care of your mouth and teeth without feeling trapped and completely at the mercy of the dentist?
Wouldn’t it be great if you could feel normal and in control at the dentist so you can live your life without that nagging bother that you have not been for a check-up for a long time?
My Name is Alex Vrettos, I am a therapeutic Hypnotist based in Worthing, and I've been helping people with their fear of the dentist since 2011. In person and online.
“Most clients are happy with what we achieve in three sessions”
I recommend my three-session structure for £270, but a pay-as-you-go option is available.
Sessions are calm, conversational and tailored to your comfort level.
You do not need to sacrifice your teeth in order to avoid those feelings of dread and panic.
Many people with a dental phobia experience major improvements surprisingly quickly once they understand how the fear cycle works. Would you like to find out more?
Your mouth is an important part of your good health, and your teeth are a significant part of the first impression you give to people, but the person who monitors and takes care of those things feels like a threat, and just thinking about the dentist causes sweats, palpitations and the shakes. That’s bad, but the thought of experiencing these symptoms when someone is leaning in close is ten times worse.
The dental office is a sensory experience with very specific sounds, smells and tastes that set your teeth on edge and your skin crawling - the sound of suction, the buzz of the drill, the snap of latex gloves, the clinical smell, the light shining in your eyes as the dentist leans in close. It can all feel overwhelming.
Maybe it’s just been an age since your last check-up, and you can’t help wondering if everything is alright in your mouth. Perhaps you’re experiencing mild discomfort, but the anxiety of making an appointment is worse. Or years of avoidance have left your teeth in a state that you feel deeply ashamed of, which is making it even harder to go.
The dentist cannot be avoided forever, but the shame and embarrassment of the phobia or the anticipation of pain mean staying away is easier.
Does this sound familiar?
It’s just part of the routine for so many people, so why does the idea of going to the dentist feel so terrifying for you?
Why Does Anxiety Overwhelm You When You Think About Going To The Dentist?
If you experience dental anxiety, it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. Your mind is actually working exactly as it was designed to.
Unless it is the quickest and easiest of checkups, a trip to the dentist is rarely a truly pleasant experience. The mouth is an intimate and sensitive space, and so dental procedures are quite invasive. There’s no getting around that fact.
It's the most natural thing in the world to have thoughts focussed on keeping you away from uncomfortable situations.
Almost everyone likely has similar thoughts to you when it comes to dentist visits. The difference is that for most people, those thoughts quickly pass into the background.
Such fears can be as simple as a slow build over the years. One visit is unpleasant, and the mind decides: ‘I didn’t like that’. The next visit is tense with anticipation of unpleasantness, which makes it more unpleasant, and that anticipation builds every time into nerves, anxiety and then panic. Your thoughts about how unpleasant it is going to be become bigger, louder, more intense and more frequent. They feel more convincing and more emotionally real and end up eclipsing all thoughts of trust, safety and necessity.
Now, the fear of judgement and anticipation of embarrassment add to the anticipation of pain and invasive procedures. The experience gets worse and worse in your imagination, and so it feels unbearable in real life too.
That’s why the panic happens. Your nervous system is now convinced there is danger and is looking for a way out, even though, rationally, you know you are safe. Your imagination has become more real than reality.
How To Stop Fear Of The Dentist With Hypnotherapy
During your sessions with me, you will learn how the mind and body work together to create the fear response.
Together, we’ll work on changing your relationship with the thoughts and feelings that currently feel so threatening, helping your nervous system respond in a calmer way.
Instead of fixating on the unpleasant elements of the experience, you can maintain focus on taking the best care of yourself.
We’ll mentally rehearse scenarios that once filled you with dread, with a cool head and a calm heart, helping your mind and body learn a different response to the thoughts about the dental appointments. All this will be done at a pace that feels comfortable for you.
Imagine breaking free from the cycle of avoidance and finally getting the dental care you’ve been putting off, and knowing your teeth and gums are in good shape.
See yourself sitting in the waiting room, bored, looking and feeling like everyone else who is sitting still, calmly waiting, as if for a bus.
Think about being a good role model for your children at the beginning of their lives of dental care.
How nice would it be to simply have confidence in your smile without all the effort?
It is all achievable.
What Treatment For Dental Phobia Looks Like With Me
I generally work within a three-session structure, although some people choose to have additional sessions depending on their goals and previous experiences.
Session 1: We’ll explore your experience of fear and help you understand how the mind and body work together to create the fear response. I’ll also introduce you to hypnosis through some simple experiential exercises and thought experiments, which can be good fun, so you can begin seeing your anxiety in a different way.
Session 2: Using hypnosis, we’ll explore how your mind learned this fear response. From there, we can begin reshaping those responses into something calmer and more helpful.
Session 3: We’ll strengthen the progress you’ve made, build confidence around making and attending appointments, and help your mind and body become more familiar with responding calmly as we expand your comfort zone.
If you'd like to explore whether this approach feels right for you, you’re welcome to get in touch.
Fear Of The Dentist FAQs
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Probably. 80% of my clients are happy with what we achive in three sessions.
There is no one size fits all guaranteed method as everyone is different. your treatment will be tailored to you.
We will use hypnosis to reduce or remove all excessive and unnecessary anxiety and you will learn to change your relationship with any anxious thoughts and feelings that remain so they no longer control you.
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There are many ways to do therapy.
Hypnotherapy with one hypnotherapist will be different to hypnotherapy with another.
Life is a work in progress. It is good practice, if one thing does not work, to try something else until you solve the problem.
You are afraid of the dentist, but you know they are safe. These are two stories in your mind. The fear story feels more real than the safe story.
A session with me works on two fronts - we make the fear story less real and the safe story more real.
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Yes.
Gagging can be a natural reaction to some work done at the dentist. if you develop a fear response to the gagging it can get much worse.
We can help the mind feel safe in teh chair, reduce the fear response to gagging and it will happen less often and not bother you, or it will stop.