Visiting the Dentist

I do not normally have a fear of visiting the dentist. In this article I will tell you how fears can pop up unexpectedly, and how you can help yourself.

Yesterday I had a trip to the dentist. Even as a hypnotherapist who helps people overcome their fears and phobias, there are some things I’d rather not be doing. Having dental treatment for example. It’s not my favourite way to spend part of an afternoon! When I booked the appointment last week it did not bother me. It’s just one of those things I needed to take care of. But when the day of the appointment arrived, I remembered that the dentist’s is not my favourite place. So I tried to rationalise it… I need to do it, it’s good for me, the appointment is only half and hour.

Fear of Dentists

The thing with fears and phobias is that they are not rational. It’s the unconscious mind that drives them. Although I don’t’ usually fear the dentist, I started feeling jittery that day. So I decided when I was parking outside that I would use what we call time distortion to make the time pass very quickly.

The Waiting Room

I ignored the time it took to go to reception… sit down… flick through a magazine… have a chat with the dentist and only include the actual moments lying back in the chair. Even then, I said to myself ‘this bit does not count’ as there was no treatment going on. I also made sure I had a short time to wait before my appointment. This is often out of our control. In order to remain calm, I often take a good book with me to help pass the time.

The Fear Response

I allowed my whole body to go limp and consciously relaxed every muscle in my body (as in the past I have realised my leg and buttock muscles were rigid!)… and started tuning in to the songs playing on the radio. I found that I didn’t really like what was playing, so I went further ‘inside’ and started singing the lyrics to an old favourite song in my head. It is quite a complex song, with lots of different musical interludes and voices overlaid one on top of the other, so I had to really concentrate. If I got a bit wrong, I started again. And if for a moment I remembered where I was, I just focused on my breathing and noticing how limp and comfortable my body felt lying there.

Before I knew it, I was back in the waiting room, and then at reception and in my car. Although the appointment was indeed for 30 minutes, it felt more like 5.

Self-Hypnosis for Going to the Dentist

As you can see, this is something I have taught myself to do. These are the same techniques I have used for other medical procedures like blood tests. I no longer worry about blood tests. I even used self-hypnosis to prepare for my caesarean section when I had my son. These are techniques I can teach you too. Once you have learnt them, they come in handy for all sorts of situations!

Ultimately, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, and I can teach you how to do it.

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