Even people who have managed to avoid the direct health effects of Covid are not immune to the stress of living through a global pandemic. Lisa Bleasdale, a hypnotherapist who offers in-person sessions in her Somers office, says hypnosis can help people regain the equilibrium they may have lost over the past two years.

“Hypnosis can ease anxiety and create a sense of peace and calm, rebalancing a person after they’ve been in such a heightened state,” she says. “Hypnosis may also help someone who struggles with fears or phobias—a type of anxiety disorder where you are intensely fearful of something that does not pose a significant threat.”

According to Bleasdale, hypnosis eases anxiety by encouraging the body to activate its natural relaxation response through the use of a phrase or nonverbal cue: slowing breathing, lowering blood pressure and instilling an overall sense of well-being. She also uses hypnosis to help people through career and personal transformations, such as divorce; help them free themselves from addiction, including smoking, and negative habits like procrastination; facilitate weight loss; and help people overcome emotions like fear, anger, anxiety and grief. Sessions are available both in office and via Zoom.