How to use hypnosis for erectile disfunction (ED)
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability to maintain an erection firm enough for satisfying sexual activity. While occasionally having difficulty maintaining an erection is normal, if it happens frequently and it consistently disrupts your sex life, your doctor may diagnose you with ED.
In general, the younger a man is, the better his sexual function will be. About 40% of men are affected by erectile dysfunction at age 40, and nearly 70% of men are affected by ED by the time they turn 70.
What will I learn in this blog?
• That ED can happen to a man at any age
• The causes are sometimes physical, but often mental
• That performance anxiety can contribute
• How hypnosis could help you get back in control
What cause ED?
According to Healthline.com, there are a variety of different things that can cause erectile dysfunction:
When you become sexually excited, the muscles in the penis relax and blood flow to the penis increases. Blood fills two chambers of spongy tissue that run along the length of the penis called the corpora cavernosa.
ED occurs when there’s a problem with this process. According to the Mayo Clinic, causes can be physical or mental, and can include:
• Alcohol use
• Illicit drug use
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• High cholesterol
• Heart disease
• Blocked blood vessel
• Obesity
• Metabolic syndrome
• Some medications, such as blood pressure medications
• Sleep disorders
• Scar tissue inside the penis
• Parkinson’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Depression
• Relationship issues
Male sexual arousal is a complex process that involves the brain, hormones, emotions, nerves, muscles and blood vessels. Erectile dysfunction can result from a problem with any of these. Likewise, stress and mental health concerns can cause or worsen erectile dysfunction.
Sometimes a combination of physical and psychological issues causes erectile dysfunction. For instance, a minor physical condition that slows your sexual response might cause anxiety about maintaining an erection. The resulting anxiety can lead to or worsen erectile dysfunction.
The brain plays a key role in triggering the series of physical events that cause an erection, starting with feelings of sexual excitement. A number of things can interfere with sexual feelings and cause or worsen erectile dysfunction. These include:
• Depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions
• Stress
• Relationship problems due to stress, poor communication or other concerns
How do I prevent it from happening??
The best way to prevent erectile dysfunction is to make healthy lifestyle choices and to manage any existing health conditions. For example:
• Work with your doctor to manage diabetes, heart disease or other chronic health conditions.
• See your doctor for regular checkups and medical screening tests.
• Stop smoking, limit or avoid alcohol, and don’t use illegal drugs.
• Exercise regularly.
• Take steps to reduce stress.
• Get help for anxiety, depression or other mental health concerns.
What can I do to get stronger erections?
Harvard Medical School (https://www.health.harvard.edu/) has some excellent tips for overcoming ED.
Start walking.
According to one Harvard study, just 30 minutes of walking a day was linked with a 41% drop in risk for ED. Other research suggests that moderate exercise can help restore sexual performance in obese middle-aged men with ED.
Eat right.
In the Massachusetts Male Ageing Study, eating a diet rich in natural foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and fish — with fewer red and processed meat and refined grains — decreased the likelihood of ED.
Pay attention to your vascular health.
High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and high triglycerides can all damage arteries in the heart (causing heart attack), in the brain (causing stroke), and leading to the penis (causing ED).
An expanding waistline also contributes. Check with your doctor to find out whether your vascular system — and thus your heart, brain, and penis — is in good shape or needs a tune-up through lifestyle changes and, if necessary, medications.
Size matters, so get slim and stay slim. A trim waistline is one good defence — a man with a 42-inch waist is 50% more likely to have ED than one with a 32-inch waist. Losing weight can help fight erectile dysfunction, so getting to a healthy weight and staying there is another good strategy for avoiding or fixing ED.
Obesity raises risks for vascular disease and diabetes, two major causes of ED. And excess fat interferes with several hormones that may be part of the problem as well.
Move a muscle, but we’re not talking about your biceps. A strong pelvic floor enhances rigidity during erections and helps keep blood from leaving the penis by pressing on a key vein. In a British trial, three months of twice-daily sets of Kegel exercises (which strengthen these muscles), combined with biofeedback and advice on lifestyle changes – quitting smoking, losing weight, limiting alcohol — worked far better than just advice on lifestyle changes.
How does hypnotherapy help with ED?
If you take a look back at some of the causes of ED, they are all areas where hypnotherapy can make a real change in your live. Whether it’s being overweight, drinking too much alcohol, anxiety, depression, stress, hypnotherapy can help you to resolve some of the causes.
Hypnotherapy works from 2 different directions, firstly to look and see what has actually caused the erectile issues in the first place, and then to give you the help you need to be able to get back in control.
Many people with ED suffer from performance anxiety that’s related to the act of having sex. It can turn into a vicious circle of worry and physical disappointment.
For example, if you’ve had an issue maintaining an erection in the past, or if your penis has ‘let you down’ on occasions, you may be anxious about how you will perform in the future. This anxiety can have a direct effect on your ability to achieve and maintain a strong erection when it’s needed.
Calmness is the antidote to anxiety. When your mind is calm, you see things in their true perspective, and with their correct levels of meaning. It’s ‘getting out of your own way’, so you can let your penis do one of the things it does best and prevents the negative thoughts from getting a hold and taking you someplace you don’t want to go.
Now, there is a side-effect of being calm, and it’s that your body relaxes. No longer at DEFCON 1 and under attack, your body feels safe to be able to do what it needs to do when sexually aroused.
Of course, there is natural effect from feeling and being calm and relaxed, and that’s confidence.
Feeling confident is certainly going to lead to better, more enjoyable sex. If you are confident on your ability to get a strong, lasting erection your mind can enjoy the experience of having sex, rather than worry about it.
In the sessions of hypnosis, you are taught to relax to a very deep level and you can also have a specially-recorded self-hypnosis session to use at home, then you can gradually replace the old feelings of anxiety about sex with new ones of looking forward to it, and trusting your body to perform.
It’s important to find a therapist that respects your confidentiality, so that you feel comfortable telling them all about your issues. And of course, if systems persist you should always see your GP for expert medical advice.
Remember, your exterior world is a reflection of how you feel on the inside. To change your outer world, you have to change your inner world. That’s where hypnosis really comes in.
To find out more about hypnosis and how it works, have a look here: https://thehypnosisclinic/com
What did I learn here?
That ED can be challenging; it has a variety of different causes, but can be helped by dealing with the underlying causes.
If you’d like to find out more about how hypnosis can help you to be free of anxiety, have a look at our website, https://thehypnosisclinic.com. We offer a free initial consultation, either by a Telehealth video link or at our clinic right in the heart of London’s Regent Street.