Teeth Grinding Stress - Can Hypnosis Help?

In the six years since I began to introduce others to the soothing, calming and healing affects of hypnosis I have come to realize we all have issues.  In our personal lives.  In our careers.  And in how we view ourselves.

Here’s a recent example.  This past week I shared the hypnotic process with a woman who works in the health and wellness industry.  She’s a fitness junkie and an active practitioner of Pilates, yoga, cardio exercise and weight training.

Her physical beauty is just part of her story.  She is personable, intelligent, focused in her career and, as a result, in a job she loves and finds fulfilling.

It’s all perfect, right?

Not quite.  Like all of us, she deals with stresses from multiple sources – some new, others long-standing.

She has a strained connection with a close family member.  She has been in difficult romantic relationships.  She works in an industry that can be unstable at times.

Soothing visualization is a part of the hypnotic process.

As I have written about on this blog, stress is negative energy our body often seeks to remove through physical outcomes.   

We could have trouble sleeping at night.  Our immune system might become compromised leaving us open to illness.  We may develop chest pains or tightness of breath.

For her, the physical outcome is grinding teeth.  It happens often and especially at night.  And, creates an unfortunate and self-perpetuating cycle of grinding…which leads to anxiety…that generates stress…which causes more grinding.

Can hypnosis help unwind the cycle?

In my approach, an introductory session walks a person through a hypnotic induction to make sure they are comfortable with the process.  I focus visualizations and suggestions on general stress relief and self confidence.

Yoga practitioners tend to be excellent hypnosis subjects because of their ability to focus.  This woman was no exception as she dropped quickly and deeply into a wonderfully relaxed state.

We didn’t address the teeth grinding, yet I had her come out of hypnosis feeling positive, confident and in control of her surroundings.  Here is what she wrote to me in an Email exchange the next day:

“It was so wonderful to meet you! I feel great…I plan to use what I learned yesterday in the yoga class I am about to take.”

After some research on Hypnothoughts (an online community of hypnotists), I sent her a couple of examples of how positive visualization has helped people overcome teeth grinding.  They’re included below. 

I’ll update the blog if we meet up again to take this issue head on.

Example 1:  My hypnotherapist had me relax my jaw muscles, then double it, and again double it, (I was drooling at this point) and gave a very direct suggestion that my jaw and mouth stay that relaxed while I sleep. I've had great results though during times of extreme stress I notice tightness. I then reintroduce the relax suggestion with self hypnosis.


Example 2:  When I married my husband I had to find a quick way to "cure" bruxism. He ground his teeth so badly every night I couldn't sleep. Every 3-4 weeks he had to get his dental appliance either repaired or replaced.

Since I was really new to hypnosis I did a very easy direct approach, "Every time your teeth touch while you are sleeping you will immediately relax your jaw and mouth muscles". Yes, I now know I didn't address the cause, but one session and 3 nights listening to his tape fixed the problem. Once every 3 to 4 years I notice a little grinding and put the tape in the player. Usually one night is enough reinforcement.

We have been married going on 17 years. The only unhappy person is the dentist who actually called to see why Herb had quit coming for fixes.