Phobias can feel overwhelming, often stopping us from living life fully. Hypnosis, a powerful tool for breaking through fear, helps the mind’s learned responses and creates a lasting change. My story illustrates how hypnosis helped me overcome a lifelong fear, showing the incredible benefit for dismantling phobias. Whether your fear stems from a specific situation or general anxiety, hypnosis can unlock a new sense of freedom. Read on to discover how it transformed my life!
I was in a swimming pool, subjecting myself to yet another round of swimming lessons. My heart was pounding, my mouth was dry and my breathing was very erratic. It was unfortunate that the instructor either didn't read my state of panic, or worse still, chose to ignore it.
What happened next was a moment which brought the class to an abrupt end. To be fair, I had asked the instructor not to come near me. As he approached, I brought up my knee and made contact. He yelped and we both clambered out of the pool and made off in different directions. I had completely lost control and was gripped by panic.
Over the years, subsequent lessons weren't as dramatic, yet I always reached a point where I could not control my rising panic. Time after time, I would sign up, change location, change instructor, invest in new swimwear and turn up full of hope. Even as I drove to the pool, my heart started thumping.
"You are born with only two fears; fear of falling and fear of loud noise. All the rest is learned and it's a lot of work!" Richard Bandler
My whole mindset shifted when I was away from home, on an NLP practitioners training course. We were discussing how hypnosis helps with phobias. Our trainer asked for a volunteer and I put myself forward. What happened next was profound and quite surreal.
Tracy, our hypnosis trainer quoted Richard Bandler, the co-creator of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) "You are born with only two fears, fear of falling and fear of loud noise. All the rest is learned and it's a lot of work!" Think about the amount of effort which goes into worrying about stuff and how destructive it is.
My phobia of swimming pools was dismantled in a matter of minutes. A lifetime of fear vanished in a hotel conference room, surrounded by my fellow NLP trainees, being filmed for demonstration purposes and nowhere near water. To test my rapid change in thinking, I quickly signed up for an intensive learn to swim course over 200 miles from home and yay! I became a swimmer!
Hypnosis is not only super effective for dismantling phobias, I use it in hypnotherapy sessions to help free my clients from anxiety, stress, limiting beliefs, trauma, manage chronic pain, break bad habits and repair bad memories.
Here are a few myth busting facts about hypnosis.
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Hypnosis is the most natural and deeply relaxed state of mind.
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Hypnosis is not about losing control, but about gaining it.
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You are fully aware of your surroundings at all times.
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You are neither asleep or unconscious!
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You are able to work through and deal with the most challenging thoughts in a relaxed state.
My voice is the only tool we need. No pendulums, watches or hard plastic beds in my coaching studio. Relax on my cosy sofa or armchair, or even stand up if you prefer!
For more information about my NLP coaching and hypnosis programmes, explore my website and I welcome you to get in touch.