Maggie was unable to travel to have hypnotherapy in Salisbury due to being in the throws of the Corona virus pandemic. She wanted help with weight management, and despite us never having met and all our work together being done remotely over zoom, her results were still exciting.
Maggie was familiar with stage hypnosis and in her words, “Doubted it would be like the TV shows.” After her first experience which she had in the initial session, her first words after she opened her eyes were, “Wow, that was amazing!” Understanding how it feels creates a confidence to then really dive into doing the therapeutic work.
Over the 5 sessions we had together we uncovered the key root to her current eating behaviour. This was buried deeply in her childhood and was not something she was consciously aware of. But as we spoke about it, the logic became obvious.
As is common with weight management, whilst the focus is on food related habits, other changes also start to emerge
“It gave me confidence, self-worth, determination and helped me use positive language to achieve my goals. I am now confident, have lost some weight already and I feel energised and worthy!”
It is quite common for weight management issues to go hand in hand with low self-esteem. By working with the power of the mind, not only can the physical image change, but the clients view of themselves also changes. This then stops a downward spiral and creates a very powerful upward spiral. The better you look and feel, the more confident you become, the more you look after yourself and so it goes on.
Maggie was a pleasure to work with. I hope that post lock down, we’ll get to meet each other face to face. In the meantime, she will have the last word:
“Just to say that Caroline is a complete professional, whilst putting clients totally at ease. I am so glad I found her.”
If you can relate to Maggie’s story and would like to chat, please get in touch.
Anne’s motivation to contact a Hypnotherapist in Salisbury was triggered by her needing help to get through a difficult time in life. Her husband had suffered from 2 strokes, resulting in significant care needs. Anne found herself in a role of carer, whilst also trying to continue her busy lifestyle. As a result, the pressure and stress was taking its toll on her. She was starting to have problems with sleeping and also noticed changes in her eating habits leading to her gaining weight. She also had a stress related sinus issue which, understandably, was escalating.
Anne was curious about hypnotherapy and very open minded. When she was asked how she would describe the feeling to someone else, she said, “It is nothing to be concerned about. You are in a relaxed and safe environment. Tension is dispelled and reassurance is given throughout.”
We had 4 sessions together, in some of which we used hypnosis, in others we spoke about her future. The sessions were spread over a total of nearly 4 months. This gave Anne time in between sessions to use some of the techniques she’d learned and to feel the impact of them.
One of these was to practise a relaxation process. Clients are offered a personalised recording. By listening to this regularly, it can not only relieve stress but also enhance a relaxed approach to life.
By our final session together she had made some adjustments to other areas of her life which had reduced her stress. She was sleeping better, felt more in control of her food choices and her sinus condition was noticeably improved – something she felt delighted with.
At the end of our work together she expressed the following:
“I have been able to clear the wood from the trees, able to look at perceived problems and have a different perspective now. I’ve re-prioritised my life and am handling things better. It is like I’ve gone through a tunnel into the daylight and am leaving my negativity behind. Many thanks for steering me in the right direction, the relaxation recording helps me back to normality when I need it.”
We cannot predict what challenges lie ahead in life. When those challenges originate from those we love, it can often make the impact higher.
If you are experiencing something in your life over which you feel you are losing control, please do get in touch. I’d love to chat about how hypnotherapy may support you adapt in a way that can still support a quality of life for you.
Angie came to see me with the brief simply that she had lost her direction. In her own words, “I feel like I am drifting on the sea and don’t know which way is up.”
She was someone with a number of pressures in life; a dependent mother, a single Mum to a teenage son with learning challenges and most significantly, a job she hated. She wanted to move away from the area but felt that her responsibilities meant she had to stay in Salisbury.
Our work together was two dimensional – firstly looking backwards at what was ‘anchoring her’. We started accessing emotions she had buried that she was unaware of, and then looking forwards to create a future that motivated her to take action. The result:
Whilst I will miss seeing her in and around Salisbury, I am delighted that she has found a new life for herself and is no longer drifting. What I also found particularly exciting was that her work not only found her new direction, but just like ripples in the pond, her action had an impact on those around her. Her mother was delighted at the prospect of going back to her home town and her son has opened doors to opportunities he had not found in Salisbury.
A few final words from her: “I am more confident and more focused. It (hypnotherapy) has changed my life dramatically. I could not have done any of this without you.”
When Sally first contacted me, she was experiencing a growing dependency on alcohol over the last 12 months. It had reached a point where she felt there was an alcohol addiction and she wanted to gain back control.
She, like many, expressed a slight scepticism towards hypnotherapy. Her scepticism was fed by a 6 week counselling course (based around another condition) which she felt had delivered little benefit.
The first session is always a gentle session supporting an experience of hypnosis. Sally described the feeling as deeply relaxing and noted how time had just flown by – as in this state of relaxation your perception of time changes!
Returning for her second therapeutic session Sally told me that she had not had a drink since the last session and more importantly, was not missing it. This session was a few days before Christmas and she was experiencing some anxiety that the normal festive activities would take her back to square one. However on her next visit (early Feb) she told me that Christmas had been great and she had gone through the whole Christmas period without a drink.
Sally has since made periodic visits as a ‘top up’, typically when life is stressful, and she seeks to reinforce her new beliefs around drink. She is not teetotal and can enjoy a glass of wine of an evening, or share a few glasses with friends and enjoy it. But she can also go out and not drink and no longer feels the NEED to drink.
When asked now what her impression of hypnotherapy is, she has moved from scepticism to, “It worked – amazingly!!”
If you are experiencing something in your life over which you feel you are losing control but may also have some scepticism, please do get in touch to find out more.
Julia came to me reluctantly, having been sent by another client and coming only to pacify him! Her insomnia had led to her not slept for more than about 4 hours in over 10 years. We did just one session and that night she slept for 7 hours. We kept in contact for a while and she was regularly sleeping through the night.
Extracts from her email to me are below:
” My Dear Caroline I can not tell you the difference in my sleep pattern, and I feel as if I have more energy.
I had no idea the Arthritis in my hip was waking me, now I turn and continue sleeping. Since my session with you I sleep much MUCH better. Not every night/day is the same but I do sleep for at least 5 hour, often up to 8 hours.
I did think what you do is “mumbo jumbo” but not any more. It was amazing and if I could bottle your voice I would make a fortune as the gentle way you speak was very relaxing. I do go through your relaxation process as I get into a comfortable position and often fall asleep before I get to the end.
My husband says its likened to a switch that I sleep so well compared to before we met. I’m sorry I haven’t emailed you before now but my life is very busy, but one thing not worrying me is insomnia!”
In 2013, Philip developed a condition in his foot that inhibited his mobility. This led to the need to make adjustments in many areas of his life. He struggled with these changes and things took a significant downturn following the death of his brother in law. Feelings of loss, insecurity, anxiety, problems making decisions and concerns about his future culminated in an increasing depression.
From a person who had had full control of his life, he found himself, “Living my life in fear with the feeling that there was something inside my head that was stopping me moving forward.”
Philip and I worked together over a few months. I gave Philip some practical tools to analyse his emotions to get a better understanding of the triggers of anxiety. He also started to notice what helped him feel better. This greater awareness of the external forces on his own internal state has helped him feel much more in control. This also helped him to be far less influenced by the words and actions of other people.
“I feel calmer in myself and more able to deal with situations as they arise. I’,m no longer unduly concerned about the future as I try to live in the day and not look back.
Life has improved and almost back to where I was before my illness. Whilst I still have moments of doubt/fear/concern, I am more able to deal with them and to not let them overtake/overcome me.”
Feelings of depression are experienced by most people at some time. The work that Philip has done does not mean that he will never feel depressed again. The key difference is that he now has a much greater awareness of his emotional state. This leaves him more able to take steps to prevent any decline back to that more clinical state of depression. He has tools to pick himself back up quickly on those days where, as we all experience at times, the clouds come over!
“Initially I was unsure about contacting Caroline as I thought that I could resolve my problems myself without outside intervention but I realised that I needed professional help.
The decision to get in touch with Caroline proved to be one of the best decisions of my life. If I had not done so, I would still be in that ‘dark place of despair’ with the potential consequences of that situation and its impact on my life and that of my partner.”
If you can relate to that ‘dark place of despair’ please know there is a light for you to find and I would love to have a chat with you .
Sonny is in his mid 70s. He contacted me to ask if I could help him overcome a phobia of eating chicken – a meat he had been unable to eat since very early childhood. The mere thought of eating it created nausea and revulsion.
The aversion had caused him some minor embarrassments at social functions over the years. However, a recent medical diagnosis had resulted in the need to drastically change his diet. He had been advised to adopt a high protein, low fat diet. He was not keen on beef, could not eat pork for religious reasons, and lamb was too fatty. Thus the variance in his diet had become very limited making it even harder to stick to the new regime.
Sonny had some preconceptions about hypnosis but had been encouraged by neighbours and family to, “Give it a go, as after all, what have I got to lose!”
In the first session we successfully recalled an experience directly relating to chickens. Reviewing that memory (known as regression) allowed a significant change in his attitude to eating chicken. At the end of this first session, he felt as if the issue had been “75% resolved”. The remaining 25% however did not have anything to do with the aversion – and this is very common. This new problem was related to what we call the “what if monkey” – that part that lives within most of us that jumps up and asked, “What if I …..” and in Sonny’s case, “What if I fail?”
The second session addressed this issue and the following feedback was received from Sonny shortly afterwards.
“The problem is now resolved. The fact I eat poultry now after over 70 years abstinence must mean a significant change has occurred. In addition, my wife, adult children and grand-daughter are so pleased with the change in my phobia of eating chicken.”
Like many people, Sonny was nervous of the concept of hypnosis. His thoughts post the two sessions;
“I had expected the hypnosis part of the process to be completely unconscious as seen on TV shows. Instead, I experienced some heaviness particularly on eye lids but was completely focused on the dialogue with the Therapist. I was aware of ambient noise but this was disregarded as attention to the dialogue was the principal requisite.”
Sonny has since recommended Caroline Cavanagh to a neighbour, referral being the highest form of recommendation.