Solution Focused Hypnotherapy
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CASE STUDY 5. JAMES
Aug 4, 2024

CASE STUDY 5. JAMES

Meet James.

James came to see me for hypnotherapy as he wanted his independence back. He is an erudite young man who thinks and feels deeply. Having had a fall (where he injured his foot), coupled with the covid pandemic, and all that entailed, his confidence had taken a hit. He wanted to move away from where all of this had taken him and get his life back to a place where he was happy again.

James’s independence is something he holds close and protects with great vigour. He has to defend this on a day-to-day basis which, unless you too have a disability, possibly has not ever crossed your mind. The aim of the game was for him to move on in his life and in doing so, to then deal with whatever this would throw up at him. He wanted up and out.

Fairly quickly, James’s sleep improved, it’s not perfect but it’s better. And his resilience continued to build up bit by bit. After the 3rd session he noted that if he had a bad day at work, this would not pull him down into a darker place. And by session 5 he could at last see the light at the end of the tunnel, there was hope to be getting out to where he wanted to be.

Some of the themes in particular that emerged over the first few months of our sessions, was in dealing with the anxiety that kept rearing its ugly head throughout different aspects of James’s life, alongside a lack of happiness, and a poor sleep pattern. In his words, he was just living through the motions of his daily life. This may not sound too great, but actually with hindsight it was a good thing. It gave him the time and space to use his brain's resources really efficiently. It was a systematic process that paved the way for a more solid and incorruptible future by dealing with the issues that arose so thoroughly. This left him the space to rest and be more in the moment. Something a lot of us could do with!

James’s progress was on a far deeper level than I initially imagined it to be. I didn’t really have a plan as such as to where we were going but I knew to trust the process and that whatever progress he made, it would be a deep-rooted progress that would hold him in good stead. This is the beauty of hypnotherapy, the brain will deal with whatever it needs to deal with first, sometimes known, sometimes unexpected, but always in the right order for the best result.

We approached the goals in stages by breaking them down into smaller parts which worked for James’s analytical brain. There were times when he felt he was going up his scale and times when he was sitting on a plateau. This is what I think of as the brain resting between onion layers, preparing for the next layer to be dissolved or bashed down. Different layers need different levels of dissolution! He’d even have the odd downward trajectory but never for long, as his determination and resilience were forever strong.

I liked how James used the recordings in different ways. For example, he would have a recording for specific goals, and a recording he would use to aid sleep. This worked well for him, quite likely due to his analytical brain loving to tick off from the to-do list!

James has worked extremely hard on more than his initial goal. I suspect this is because he has always had to work that much harder, but also, I think it’s part of his many facets of his personality. Whatever it is, I have witnessed the work he has done and how hard he has worked and how much he has achieved. Would he have signed up for this if he had known beforehand? You will have to ask him, but for James, I feel like it is a big, old deal. Hitting a low low, is not always something we can share with others. It can be hard to even say it out loud especially when we are thinking about how it may impact the ones we love. But in addressing the things that knocked James down, and then going through the process of letting them go, literally and figuratively, is something that I watched him do at every turn, and he did it with grace and forethought.

Has James got to where he wanted to get to? Again, you will have to ask James. I believe so. His independence has returned; his confidence has become stronger; he goes to work as he wanted to – on his own, music on. When going through this kind of journey, you do hold a potential of difficult processes, elements of a baptism of fire for some of us, but I think that throughout this time with James, I have learnt so much and loved being a “facilitator” to a more positive future. Well done James!

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Fear of flying & Anxieties: After having a difficult year I decided to try hypnotherapy with Penny and it was the best choice I have made for myself! I'm now able to live more in the moment and have a better understanding of how to cope with or even eliminate my anxieties. I also had 2 sessions dedicated to helping to reduce my phobia of flying which helped me tremendously as I was able to get on a plane again without feeling terrified! Pen is always very positive and relaxed during our sessions and always makes me feel comfortable.

Anxiety/Stress: I went to see Penny as I felt stuck, struggling to cope & unable to move on in life. I had 12 sessions.  I had never really done hypnosis before & really struggled to focus on the words as my mind raced everywhere. Penny reassured me it would still work - which it did. It took a couple of weeks to kick in but I really appreciated the time taken to focus on the issues & Penny's positive attitude really filtered through. Slowly my positivity increased, the overthinking eased off & my sleep improved. This allowed me to problem-solve & plan more changes to make. It was like moving a large rock - once we got it moving progress started to happen & towards the last few sessions things started to speed up. I would recommend Penny to anyone who feels overwhelmed or near a crisis point.

Pain: I had 12 hypnotherapy sessions with Penny. The hypnosis was relaxing & reviving and seemed to link with my subconscious & bring me back to positive feelings. I still use the audio which acts as a kick-start if doubts start seeping in. I also found Penny's voice calming & reassuring. I have no reservations in recommending Penny. I liked her honesty in what the therapy could offer. I have been very happy with the outcome of the hypnotherapy.

Stop Smoking: Both myself and my husband decided it was time to stop smoking. My husband had smoked 20+ a day for 35 years and I had also smoked on and off for years. We can both honestly say we have never felt better thanks to Penny, she made us feel comfortable and was very reassuring, after just one appointment we were smoke-free.  We are now looking forward to extra holidays with the money we have saved and also stress free knowing we can travel and not worry about going without a cigarette.

Stress Buster/Body Image: Pen has helped me massively increase my resilience to stress. Tasks which seemed ongoing and impossible became doable. While work may still be stressful, the speed with which I bounce back is great and has allowed me to put in boundaries, both personal and professional. It has increased my self-confidence and assertiveness and has improved my sleep patterns so much. Penny has also taken me through several weight-loss sessions from which I am feeling the benefits and feel now that I am in the right place to start an exercise regimen and take control of my fitness.

Sleep Issues: I was slightly sceptical over hypnotherapy, probably because I was frightened of being made to do something I didn't want to. But my sleeping was all over the place and I'm a constant worrier, so thought I'd give it a go - I am so pleased with how relaxed I felt and how my sleeping has improved. I feel much calmer now and can rationalise things better than before. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone with for a variety of problems or habits, and Pen's voice is greatly comforting when I listen to the recording when going to sleep. I know I can come for a top-up whenever I need to.

Public Speaking: I wanted to try hypnotherapy in order to deal with the anxiety I experience before speaking in public. My sessions with Pen have helped me reduce this in such a short amount of time it is really unbelievable how effective they’ve been. I now feel calm and focused and those waves of panic that tripped me up before talking in public have entirely gone away. I can’t stress enough how effective these sessions with Pen have been. She is calm and an intuitive listener who instantly puts you at ease. I wouldn’t think twice about recommending her sessions to anyone.

I would highly recommend Penny for helping and supporting anyone suffering with anxiety. My son Louie was suffering from panic attacks and it was heartbreaking watching him missing out on having fun with his friends because of a general fear something was going to happen. Penny was recommended to us by a friend who’s daughter was suffering from anxiety and was attending sessions with Penny to tackle this and couldn’t talk highly enough of her. So we thought it must be worth a try. Louie started having sessions with Penny and the difference was amazing, he started being more confident and less panicky and slowly started getting back to his usual happy go lucky self, which was a joy to see. I’m sure anyone who has a child, family member or friend that suffers from this realises how stressful this situation can be on a day to day basis. So get in touch with Penny, it could change your life.

From Katie's mum: "Pen, thinking just how bad she was and how far she has come! I have no doubt in my mind that if anyone else’s child is suffering then you are the person to help! We are so thankful".

Hypnotherapy.... The final piece of the puzzle that completed and transformed my life. Amazing!

I had hypnotherapy to help me with my anxiety and depression and honestly, it changed my life for the better. I was in a place where I thought there was no escape from these feelings. However, hypnotherapy turned things around for me greatly. My OCD has also died down massively and it has also helped me through the very rough time at school. I'm extremely grateful for Pen's clear and kind understanding and I strongly recommend this to anyone who is having these similar feelings as well, as it will change your life for the better.