Hypnosis helps you overcome anxiety and fear from your life.

Living with the fear of dogs

‘Mandy’ was brought to me for hypnotherapy by her lovely Mum, because Mandy was struggling with a fear of dogs. She was 16 years of age and wanted to be able to walk up the road without worrying about a dog being out and about. She wanted to be able to visit her friends' houses and attend other family celebrations like birthday parties without being fearful or anxious about being near their family pets.

Interestingly, Mandy's family once owned a dog when she was much younger but she didn't remember it. There was no history of any negative encounter or incident involving a dog either. The only thing Mum could offer was that in her early years she was minded in a home where the minder was nervous of dogs.

But, it doesn’t really matter how Mandy became fearful of dogs.

The real question is… How can she overcome her fear of dogs? The answer is Hypnotherapy.

How a hypnotherapy session works

When Mandy came to me for hypnotherapy we chatted for some time. I asked questions about how she felt or reacted and coped while being out and about and meeting dogs. More importantly though, I wanted to find out how she wished to feel and act when visiting family and friends and going for walks, even if a dog were present.

Once I had this information, I put together a strategy that I could use to help her. Through the process of hypnotherapy, which means using hypnosis during her therapy session, I helped Mandy to reframe her old story. Together, we changed that story about the fear of dogs to one where she could be comfortable with dogs. Her new story would allow her to be content enough to even pet a dog especially one that is a family pet and loves to be rubbed. This new story, which Mandy was now playing in her mind, was one of so much more freedom and confidence and the ability to enjoy life to the full. Mandy was enjoying her new mind movie!!

Fear of dogs is healed through Hypnosis

When the hypnotherapy session was completed, I invited Mandy to come with me to meet our family pet Phoebe and she immediately agreed to do so. Doing that meant she could experience first-hand, in a safe and regulated setting, the opportunity to get close to a dog and feel it's coat and to say 'Good dog' to her new friend.

As my lovely client sat on the floor beside our dog, she stroked her and chatted to her freely and calmly. It was amazing to watch.

The change that had happened within a 90 minute hypnotherapy session was astounding.

Mandy’s Mam watched on in tears as her daughter, once scared of dogs, was now relaxed and comfortable in the company of a dog. It was a remarkable transformation.

Hypnosis helped Mandy overcome more than her fear of dogs...

Mandy got the opportunity to know that she can achieve amazing results in her life. She now knows that all she needs to tell herself is the 'right story' in her mind. She can use her mind to make changes in her life so that she can live the life of her dreams.

I am so happy for Mandy, her Mam and all her family with this outcome.

Right now, this family are considering adopting a dog!

The moral of the story is…

Do not allow fears or phobias restrict your quality of life. Decide today that you are free to live the life you desire. Hypnotherapy will help set you free from your fear or phobia.

Reach out to me and let’s have a chat to see how I can help you.

Book a Complimentary Call here.

If you’d like to know more, read about other people who’s lives were enhanced through…. Hypnotherapy.

How PTSD can affect you

A young lady called ‘Lisa’ requested my expertise as a hypnotherapist, to help her overcome her anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her difficulties stemmed from having been in a car accident while living abroad. The accident left her feeling emotionally scarred, resulting in her having difficulty relaxing, sleeping, travelling, and enjoying her life. Her sense of fear of being in a car was really impacting her everyday life. The anxiety she felt was overwhelming and it stopped her from getting out and about. This had a major impact on her everyday living. It also affected her ability to concentrate and to study, and indeed the flashbacks from the accident affected her sleep and her overall wellbeing. While Lisa never used the word trauma when she spoke about the car accident, the flashbacks and the effects on her mind combined with all the difficult body reactions told me that this was indeed a trauma response.

How does hypnosis help with PTSD?

We started our work together with a free 30 minute consultation. During this call Lisa got to tell me a little bit about how life had been for her up to the time of the car accident. She told me about some of her struggles since the car accident. She mentioned feelings such as anxiety, overwhelm, fears and panic. She told me how she wasn’t sleeping very well and was waking up with flashbacks and bad dreams. This was affecting her concentration and ability to focus and she was still trying to push on with her studies and college exams. As time went by, she was concerned about her future and how she was going to be able to get back to having a ‘normal’ life again. It was apparent that the aftermath of the car crash was now presenting as post-traumatic stress. As a therapist I listened to her experiences and assessed the nature and severity of her anxiety and PTSD symptoms.

When Lisa arrived for her in person consultation, she was welcomed into a very calm work space. In this environment Lisa and I could begin our therapy work together. Here Lisa could begin addressing her fears, post-traumatic stress and anxiety as she opened up about her experiences in a therapeutic setting.

As her hypnotherapist, my job entailed doing a comprehensive assessment to understand Lisa’s triggers, traumatic memories, and her emotional responses. I also got the opportunity to ask Lisa about her hopes and dreams for her future and she got to share her goals with me. This is very important information as it is the real starting point in preparing the therapy plan to come. With all this information I was then able to compile a personalised hypnotherapy plan to address Lisa’s specific needs.

What happens in a hypnotherapy session?

A hypnotherapy session incorporates relaxation techniques, guided imagery, and cognitive restructuring to help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and to reframe the traumatic experience. In Lisa’s case, one of the first things was to ensure that Lisa had what I call… A grounding kit. This means that Lisa learns how to stay calm and stable within her own body and it helps her to self-regulate her nervous system. Through hypnotherapy, this allowed Lisa to adopt a coping strategy for her future which we called an Anchor. This anchor would ensure that Lisa could remain calm while travelling again whether she was driving or as a passenger. It would also help her manage her anxiety and feel more in control and self-assured as she goes through daily life. During the hypnotic state, I helped Lisa to access her subconscious mind and reprocess those difficult traumatic memories and feelings and thoughts. In effect, Lisa got the opportunity to relax away the stress and the trauma response which had lodged in her body and her mind because of the accident.

Hypnotherapy for stress free living

Thanks to hypnotherapy Lisa’s life changed for the better and she was full of the joys of life again. She said she felt a great sense of relief and release as though her mind had been cleaned out. Stress and anxiety were completely gone from her mind and the scary thoughts and images of the accident were all behind her.

It’s so powerful to think that hypnotherapy, which is therapy that uses hypnosis, had such a profound effect on Lisa’s ability to recover from anxiety and PTSD and effectively help her regain her self-confidence. I’ve been in contact with Lisa again to follow up on her progress. On a follow up call, I’ve learned that she has been off travelling the world again. She’s been enjoying life whether it’s on planes, trains, busses, or taxis and her anxiety and PTSD are a thing of the past.. where they belong!

So, here’s the thing…

Do not allow anxiety or PTSD to restrict you in your life. Decide today that you are free to live the life you desire.

Reach out to me and let’s have a chat to see how I can help you.

Book a FREE DISCOVERY CALL here.

If you’d like to know more about how hypnosis has helped other people then click HERE

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