Hypnotherapy Birmingham, UK withIan Evans Hypnotist and Therapist.Retrac Hypnotherapy Centre 23 Broad Rd, Acocks Green, Birmingham B27 7UX Tel: 0121 707 3588 |
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Hypnotherapy Case Studies All of the examples below are taken from clients that I have treated. They are all true stories; names have been altered to protect identity. Andrew was finding that whenever he was going anywhere with a group, he was a "bag of nerves". He thought that everyone was looking at him and judging him. The situation was even worse when the places he visited were completely unknown. These feelings were leading to what he described as "black moods" and interrupted sleep. After 6 sessions, things had changed significantly –as well as going out with friends, he reported being able to attend a rock concert; something that just a few weeks previously would have been unimaginable for him. Alison had a problem with people. She found it very difficult to speak to strangers, and even within her own family unit she found it difficult to speak up. Driving to meetings was almost impossible and the thought of being the focus of attention paralysed her with fear. She was kind enough to send me an e-mail, which I have slightly edited for the sake of brevity and clarity: “Previously I wouldn't have contemplated going to a group meeting alone, definitely wouldn't have driven there and certainly wouldn't have driven someone else anywhere! Previously at a meeting like that I would have gone out of the building at some point to escape and have gone to the toilets to cry or to be sick, my day to day life has changed dramatically now I don't feel as though I am walking around in a daze with a cluttered brain full of rubbish! My husband said he has seen an enormous change in me over the last few weeks and is really proud and pleased for me. I then even managed to find the courage to explain to him how he makes me feel when we are with other people. This now gives me hope that in future I will be able to speak my mind more freely and hopefully feel more content within our relationship. I have made remarkable progress in such a short period of time. Progress that six weeks ago I would not have thought possible! So thank you, very very much Ian. I am very grateful for the time, effort and patience you have given me. As you probably realised it took a lot for me to talk about some of my issues, but you put me at ease and I am very impressed with your work. If I come across anyone whom I feel would benefit from your help in the future, I will confidently recommend you to them.” Susan was a personnel manager at a well-known company. She was bright and intelligent, with a university education. She was having anxiety attacks when doing presentations at work and this was a big part of her job. She felt weak, stupid and was doing her best to hide it. After 5 sessions we had got to the cause of the problem and removed it. She reported that she was a lot better, and the only nerves she was now getting was the sort of “butterflies” we all get when in these type of situations. Sarah was one of the most phobic people I have ever seen. She couldn't even say the word “moth” without bursting into tears and shaking with fear. Her husband had bought a boat and she was dreading the summer with all those moths. Sarah was not a good subject for my normal style of work so I had to adapt some other techniques. She was absolutely determined to beat this phobia, and, bit by bit, she did. She was able to go to the butterfly farm in Stratford and have the huge butterflies around her. She was nervous at first but after a while became accustomed to it, and felt that come the summer, moths would no longer be the problem they used to be. Paula rang up for an emergency appointment. She arrived crying and behaving hysterically, saying that the very next day she was going to hospital for a throat problem. She had avoided hospitals for years, and now it seemed that her worst fear was about to be realised. I did some quick 'emergency' work with her, enough to get her to her appointment. She came back the following week to do some longer term work, and over the next few weeks we were able to release the real source of the anxiety. At her final session she had been to the hospital twice more, and on both occasions was perfectly rational. Furthermore, her speech therapist had noticed a marked relaxation in her throat muscles and her throat problem was slowly clearing up. It had been put down to a stress symptom which had now gone after the therapy. Alison came to see me about her driving lessons and how she went to pieces whenever she got into the car. After chatting to her for a while it became apparent that this was just one symptom and that there were lots of occasions where she was not doing as well as she might due to nerves. As well as taking Alison through hypnotherapy, I introduced her to a little technique to help her on her worst moments. She e-mailed 6 months later to say: "You are a star. EFT helps me through most driving days and the change in me has been noted by most people, so the help you have given me to get through the past year of learning is fantastic." Annabel came along with all the symptoms of bulimia, whereby she alternated between frantic bingeing and drastic purging (by self-induced vomiting and the abuse of laxatives). She was aged 24 and had been seeing another therapist without too much success. Over the course of several weeks, she described her feelings of feeling fat, stupid, unpopular and unwanted when she was younger. She also recalled several demeaning incidents where these feelings had originated. In many ways she was still seeing herself as that same child even though it was years ago and in fact she was indeed a very attractive young lady. Once this became clearer to her she began to get more control over the problem. Martin had been to see his GP who had recommended counselling, but it had not helped the situation. His blood pressure was also much higher than normal. He came to me after a panic attack in the gym. He was also worried about flying. We had 7 sessions together, and although at that time it was a little unclear about whether or not there had been any degree of success, he e-mailed me a couple of months later: Hello Ian, Difficulty using the telephone Les was a successful young man. A few months before seeing me he had changed jobs and for some inexplicable reason found himself avoiding answering the telephone, fearing who might be at the end. If he had no alternative but to answer, he would find it difficult to relax and talk as he wanted to. We had 5 sessions together; eventually the problem began to make absolute sense, and we were then able to remove the fear so Les could get on with his job. Carol was a professional worker who had suddenly and inexplicably developed claustrophobia. Carol couldn't get to all the sections of the supermarket as they were perceived to be too far from the door; cinemas were impossible; she struggled with trains; aeroplanes were worse; and she couldn't go to the basement at work to get files. All of these situations would result in a panic attack. After 6 sessions Carol was able to sit in the basement with all the lights off, could go as deep into the supermarket as she wanted and – as the ultimate test – she went on the Birmingham Wheel (like the London Eye). She is going to America later this year – on a plane! (Photo used with permission) Barbara was experiencing panic attacks whenever she was out on her own. She was avoiding going out, particularly to places like supermarkets. She was becoming trapped in her own home and depressed as this had been going on for 6 years. After 7 sessions Barbara had let go of almost all her anxiety and was able to get on a bus and go to the shops on her own. Supermarkets were now okay – the only remaining anxiety was if there was a big queue – but the huge panics had gone completely. With continued exposure, we were confident this residual anxiety would leave soon. Performance and Social Anxiety Fazia was in her early 20s. She had flitted from one temping assignment to another. Her anxiety was getting worse since it started 4 years ago. She was getting hot flushes, fearing the worst and having uncontrollable feelings of worry. As a result she found it hard to get a permanent job, and at interviews she went to pieces. Four sessions later she ended her therapy when she felt a lot better – and got a permanent job. Several months later she recommended me to her uncle. Harriet was depressed and lacked confidence since the break up of her long-term relationship. She felt unable to stand up for herself at work, was referred to a counsellor by her GP and was on Prozac. After 7 sessions she reported feeling much better; she had been able to say "no" at work in a number of situations, where before she would have felt inclined to say “yes”. This is one of my favourites! Pam was successful at work but suddenly handed in her notice when she found out that they were moving to a nearby office block and that she had to use stairs that were open at the sides. Also, the office was on the top floor, and for her this was unbearable. Her boss was mortified that he should lose one of his best employees and paid for her to come and see me. Seven weeks later she was walking up and down those stairs on her own and able to look out of the office window without any fear whatsoever. Of course, she withdrew her notice. Simon was extremely distressed by flying and had cancelled previous flights at the last moment because he felt unable to get on the plane. Not only that, he found it difficult to be a passenger in a car. Things had come to a head when he had booked and paid for a 3-month holiday to America. After 6 sessions, his anxiety had almost gone. The next week we went to the airport together and he confirmed that this caused no anxiety whatsoever. The following day he flew to America without fuss. Don was a highly paid and well-respected health care professional. He was off work sick with anxiety attacks that were endangering people under his care. He was not sleeping well and having strange dreams. This was quite a complicated case as there were lots of issues and layers, but after 6 weeks, Don was taking stock of his life. He was reconsidering his job and his long-term relationship. He was also contemplating going back to his country of origin, in order to deal with a few issues that he was avoiding which had surfaced during therapy. Whilst there was no particular outcome to this case, at least he was able to identify the source of his anxiety and then contemplate decisions that would alleviate it. Another memorable case, whereby Richard was displaying violent outbursts affecting his relationship with his long-term girlfriend and their children. During therapy, he identified massive feelings of being ugly, not a worthwhile human being and completely lacking in self esteem. After 6 sessions there had been a massive turnaround once the cause of these issues had been identified. It was as though 20 years of self-hatred had built up inside of him ever since a particular incident in his youth. Letting go of the guilt and shame attached to the significance of this incident enabled him to be calmer, and he commented how he had caught himself walking down the road with his head up, whereas normally he would look at the ground. He was one of the happiest clients I ever had leave here. More precisely, things that flutter unexpectedly. Elaine was only 21 and at university. On her way to university each day, she had to go past pigeons, and she was taking detours to avoid them. She had had a phobia of birds as far back as she could ever remember. We got to the causes of the problem, removed the anxiety and dealt with any residual anxiety by first going to feed the ducks and geese, and then chasing pigeons round St Phillip’s churchyard in Birmingham City Centre. Her eyes filled up as she proudly proclaimed, "It's gone - it's gone!" As she threw her arms around me, I was as pleased as I have ever been that this young lady’s life had changed for ever, as her phobia had previously interfered with so many aspects of her life. I have a huge pile of other case studies next to me but I hope that by now you have got the picture. There is hope for you when you feel ready and are committed to do something about it. For Hypnotherapy Birmingham, ring me on 0121 707 3588.
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