The Fundamentals of Psycho-Sensory Therapies: Science and Techniques for Changing How You Think and Feel
In the realm of mental health and well-being, the power of psycho-sensory therapies is gaining increasing recognition. These therapies leverage the connection between the mind and the senses to help individuals manage emotions, alleviate stress, and promote overall mental and physical wellbeing. In this blog, we’ll explore the fundamentals of psycho-sensory therapies, backed by scientific evidence, and delve into techniques that can effectively change how you feel.
Why Psycho-Sensory Therapies?
Let’s start with a question….why do people seek support from a psychotherapist or mental health professional? In my experience it’s because ultimately they want to change how they feel. When we talk about our emotions we talk about how we feel and how we experience day to day life. It could be how we feel and respond to memories – traumatic memories or triggers. Specific situations – flying, social events or walking down the street, or day to day life – such as generalised anxiety or depression. Feelings are physical, we experience them, we do them and they can be incredibly pervasive and uncomfortable.
Talking about our feeling can be very helpful. Understanding them and learning to control or transform them can be life changing. This is where Psycho-Sensory Approaches come into their own – they can often give you an understanding sense of control and real hope.
What are Psycho-Sensory Therapies
Psycho-Sensory therapies, including hypnosis, encompass a variety of approaches that utilise sensory experiences to influence emotional and psychological states. At it’s heart Psycho-Sensory therapy is the combination of psychotherapy, holistic psychotherapeutic techniques and the understanding of the effects of evolutionary biology on our day to day feelings and behaviours.These therapies recognise that our senses—sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste—play a crucial role in how we perceive and process the world around us. By engaging the senses in specific ways, psycho-sensory techniques aim to modulate emotional responses and promote relaxation, resilience, and overall well-being.
The Science Behind Psycho-Sensory Therapies
Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of psycho-sensory interventions in improving mental health outcomes. For instance, research on aromatherapy—the use of essential oils to evoke specific emotions—has shown promising results in reducing anxiety and enhancing mood. Studies on music therapy have highlighted its ability to reduce stress, alleviate symptoms of depression, and improve emotional expression.
Moreover, techniques such as guided imagery, such as hypnosis, which involves creating vivid mental images to evoke relaxation and positive emotions, have been found to activate brain regions associated with emotion regulation and stress reduction. Similarly, progressive muscle relaxation—a technique that involves systematically tensing and relaxing muscle groups—has been shown to decrease anxiety and promote feelings of calmness. But there is so much more including self-havering, bi-lateral stimulation and ‘tapping’ and specific touch that can all have transformative effects on how we think and feel.
The Thinking and Feeling Cycle
So, in regarding to thoughts and feelings there its another fundamental and powerful difference between how I work and more traditional therapists.
Most therapeutic techniques focus on what you think. You and your therapist use your rational frontal lobe or ‘human brain’ to talk through your thoughts and thinking process, often with minimal input from the therapist. Sometimes approaches are used that teach you to critically analyse your thoughts, notice dysfunctional and unhelpful thoughts and learn to ‘manage’ them out ‘overcome’ them often through time and repeated exposure.
The belief is that if you change your thinking you can change how you feel.
Psycho-Sensory approaches, as I use them, aim to change how you feel which then leads to changes in how you think and therefore behave. When you feel positive, calm and happy on a day to day basis, you approach everyday life differently. How you feel has a tremendous effect on how you perceive the world around you. This is because our emotional brain acts powerfully and independently of our human brain and it ‘sets the soundtrack’ to our daily life.
In order to really control and transform your feelings you need to work with both you ‘human Brian’ and your ;’emotional brain’! Psycho-Sensory Therapies enable us to do that.
So what next?
Psycho-sensory therapies offer valuable tools for transforming emotions, reducing stress, and enhancing overall well-being. By harnessing the power of the senses, and our mind-body connection, you can learn to cultivate greater self-awareness, emotional resilience, and inner peace. Whether it’s through aromatherapy, binaural beats, guided imagery, or other techniques, incorporating psycho-sensory interventions into daily life can be a transformative journey toward holistic wellness. Embrace the sensory experiences that resonate with you, and discover the profound impact they can have on how you feel, think, and live.
If you would like to experience what it can offer you please get in touch or book a complimentary session with me.