I may have talked before about the Rewind Technique which is such a very useful tool in treating phobias and also PTSD. It seems a bit awkward and cumbersome to administer but it is almost magic in its effectiveness. I am enthusing about it now as I have just used it very successfully with a client who was raped many years ago. She thought that she had put the incident behind her and recovered from it but a chance comment about her weight by a colleague suddenly brought the trauma back vividly. She tried to cope with these intrusive thoughts by behaving quite out of character in a way that would jeopardise her lovely family relationship and also compromise her work life. We used the visual/kinaesthetic dissociation technique (VKD) or Fast Phobia Cure accompanied by a deep relaxation. The technique enables the brain to reprocess the trauma and place it safely away in the memory in the "back of the mind" where it can no longer send damaging and intrusive thoughts into the client's day to day life. Such a very rewarding process.

I guess we can't like every client we see but we do have to enable them to feel worthwhile and valued - sometimes a challenge. It's good to take a step back from your initial reaction and leave some time and space to understand what "pushed your buttons".

Health and Confidence Issues

In the past week I have received two excellent and completely unsolicited testimonials which are really gratifying to read. The first is from the mother of a young woman who for several years had been subject to severe attacks of stomach pain and vomiting which were seriously interfering with her personal life as well as her studies. She came to see me very tired from a transatlantic trip (she is currently studying full time in the US) and this is what her mother reported about 6 weeks after the session: We are delighted to say that C hasn't had any "incidents" or "issues" since she came to you, whereas she would have had several a week and felt fairly rotten a lot of the time. She didn't even have a blip this week when she was sitting a major exam! We did buy her some very good probiotic tablets to help re-line her gut, but they would only repair the damage caused by her stomach upsets so full credit to you - again! Likewise I was approached through my website by a young man who is progressing in his career and finding making presentations daunting. He knows his subject well but also realises the importance of appearing confident in front of peers, managers and clients. Again, we did one session into which I built an anchor by which he could easily a confident time. Here is his feedback: I've been meaning to write you earlier but it was a bit busy. I am really happy to tell you I did very well in my presentation and it was truly on much better level, thank you :). To be honest, while I was waiting for my turn to speak in the presentation I was as nervous as I've always been, that's probably because of my past experience. However, the minute I started talking, it was all smooth and I was not nervous at all. I was on top of it and most of all breathing was truly natural. I held a pen in my hand to remind myself of the moment, I think this is similar to the wrist band that you've mentioned. So, an individual, tailored sessions of hypnotherapy can be very helpful indeed with a wide range of different issues.

I have recently been seeing a very interesting, talented and complex client. He presented with a deep and troubling depression which has recurred two or three times in recent years. Like many clients that I see, he was reluctant to take antidepressants, believing that he needed to gain an understanding of the underlying cause for his recurring dark moods in order to recover. Working with him has been challenging but also a pleasure as he has worked hard himself between sessions to achieve his goals. Just before our final session, he sent me the following testimonial: Just a note to say thank you for all of your help. You must have a lot of patience for your job and that is a commendation for you. I feel that by vocalising my thoughts I have learnt a lot about my difficulties, some of the reasons for them and now have a better understanding. I feel also that some of the questions that you have asked me have been very thought provoking and enabled me to kind of "put a jigsaw" of it all together much more. I now feel that my future progress is a questions of careful "process" and actions to achieve my goals of better self confidence and esteem; nothing is set in stone or can or will fly in through the bedroom window as if by some kind of magic. There is so much that I can do an I appreciate your help. Thank you.

Spent a fascinating day yesterday studying the Rewind Technqiue with Dr. David Muss. This technique originated in NLP for the treatment of phobias but has been honed down and intensified by David to a very effective technqiue for treating PTSD. You can see a demonstration of Dr Muss treating sufferers of nightmares, flashbacks and halluciations which haunt survivors after experiencing frightening life events like burglary, car accidents, rape sexual abuse, etc. on Youtube: http://youtu.be/GeSAqC5_JUg The Rewind treatment is the safest, fastest therapy around. Dr Muss, and those whom he has trained, have treated many different traumas. Visit the website http://www.artt.org.uk for more information. So many ,if not all of us, have experienced traumatic events which we know affect us but feel no one can do anything about. Dr Muss demonstrates that this is not true.

I am currently seeing a young woman for a needle phobia.  Phobias are very common and, of course, can relate to a wide range of triggers - flying, heights, spiders, birds, claustrophobia, dental and needle phobias to name but a few - and they can begin to severely limit the suffers life, sometime culminating in their being unable to leave the house.

My young client has been needle phobic for many years, unable even to look at pictures or watch injections or needles on screen.  This is now a serious problem for her as she has to undergo a minor medical procedure for a condition that is causing her great pain but is unable to have the necessary blood tests or, indeed, receive anaesthetic. 

She is desperate for help and, fortunately, there is a very simple and effective technique to deal with phobias.  This can usually be effective in one or two sessions.  With a really ingrained phobia - or a more complex mindset where one fear masks another - it may take more sessions, possibly up to four.

Don't let a phobia limit your life - check out the Hypnotherapy Directory http://www.hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk to find a trustworthy therapist near you.

I have just been listening to the Moral Maze on Radio 4. in the wake of the suicide of Frances Andrade.  The closing remarks struck a chord. Do victims of abuse have a moral obligation to “out” the abuser or testify?  My answer would be a definitive “NO”. 

 

A number of my clients have been abused, some of them horrifically, by both parents or other family members – or indeed strangers -  over many years.  Some have taken a decision to move on with their lives, put it behind them (and in some cases the abuse has been cruel and systematic) but the danger is past and why would they want to relive it all when, whilst it has shaped them, it is firmly in their past.   

For others the ramifications to their family, their children’s families and their wider environment would bring their whole world crashing down. They take the decision to take precautions to protect vulnerable family members where necessary but not to “out” the abuser and I have to respect that decision. 

So, some victims are more vulnerable than others.  We need to protect the innocent but we also have to respect the individual’s decision to testify or not to testify without apportioning blame.