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Reese Witherspoon Says Health Struggles Left Her Needing Hypnotherapy

The ‘Big Little Lies’ actress opened up about her past mental health challenges

Reese Witherspoon is detailing her years-long struggles with managing anxiety and panic attacks, and how she eventually discovered relief through a hypnotherapist. Speaking on an episode of the Las Culturistas podcast, the 49-year-old actress shared with hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers that her panic attacks were once so severe they left her crying. In search of a cure, Witherspoon said she first tried meditation, but found concentrating difficult—and that medication she was subsequently prescribed left her feeling sleepy and “like a zombie.” In her mid 30s, however, the Legally Blonde star found help with a hypnotherapist specializing in neuro-linguistic programming—a set of practices used to reprogram and reframe the client’s thinking patterns, according to Psychology Today. It is a tool that can be used in hypnotherapy, a practice that helps clients to achieve a relaxed state and accept guidance or support. Witherspoon shared that the method taught her to focus on the outcomes rather than the immediate moment. In stressful situations, she now imagines a positive result and encourages herself by thinking, “We’re gonna get there.”