Excessive sweating can be a troublesome symptom. In mild cases it involves sweating in social situations, and this is extremely embarrassing to the sufferer. In severe cases, the sweating is so profuse that the individual concerned may have to wring out his shirt, or empty his shoes of water. Often such patients are referred for a sympathectomy operation, which may reduce the amount of sweating, but does nothing to remove the original causes of the problem.
Patients who suffer form excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) usually have an enormous amount of social anxiety, and it is this area which needs to be addressed in treatment. It has been David Kraft’s experience that hypnotherapy is a most useful tool for dealing with social anxiety and this in turn reduces the sweating response.
In the treatment sessions the patient is asked under hypnosis to imagine the social situations which he or she finds difficult. As they become comfortable with each situation in the hypnosis they find that this transfers into the life situation. During the session the patient is also taught self hypnosis which they are encouraged to practice at home on a daily basis.
Patients find that as the treatment progresses they gradually become more competent in dealing with stressful situations and authority figures so that for example interviews become less of a problem and they are better equipped for promotion.
Once the symptoms are under control some patients wish to explore the reasons why they were sweat excessively, and for these patients a psychotherapeutic approach is adopted and replaces the hypnotherapy.