People sometimes wonder if the testimonials on my site are real, or if I just made them up. Well, I can tell you I'm simply not creative enough to make this stuff up!
The following are the words of a current client I've been working with on several issues that have been bothering her for years... some since childhood. After a couple sessions, the change has been so powerful that she's felt a need to express it in messages to me and other friends of hers. Below is a mix of what she wrote to them, to me, and on her blog. Take a look...
"I am FASCINATED!
I was as skeptical as anyone could possibly be... and positive that there was no way I could ever relax like that. It is not as bizarre as it sounds nor as terrifying to be "out of control" (which you are not) as I thought it would be. Friends of ours know Sean socially so I asked... got excellent feedback and took the plunge.
Sean is really fun and funny.
One of my fears is the phone. Sean called this morning to confirm due to ice on the roads and I called him back. No big deal?
Easy for you to say! I could answer a call most of the time, but returning a call was like pulling teeth. I saw the message, hit the button without thinking (or panicking) and called Sean back. Be there in 5 minutes, the roads are fine. I noticed how easy that was. So far so good....very good.
Unfortunately, in 5 minutes I was sliding backward on the steep, icy hill at his entrance. Had to call again (good grief...was this a test?) and ask if Sean could come rescue me.
Superman Sean came to my rescue and while "listening to the sound of his voice", he talked me down the hill. This is the "when pigs fly" moment. Shyness and stage fright were only the start of things... performance anxiety had a way of literally paralyzing me. In fact, the day of my first session with Sean, I could hardly make my way to his big comfy chair... with Sean pointing to it.
(In the past) when performance anxiety kicked in I simply could not function... there was no following directions, no appropriate response, just nothingness, as if frozen... as if drawing an enormous blank. Sliding down this hill, with two parked cars mere feet away, was a disaster waiting to happen in every sense.
When Sean arrived and explained how to get out of this mess we had the kicker: No panic attack, no shaking, no blanking out, no fainting or freezing, except from the cold. Nothing short of miraculous.
This was big... really BIG. What on Earth had just happened?
From the start I wondered how I was going to know this was working. I wondered what life would be like without being gripped by that powerful sensation of fear. What would "not panic" feel like? What does the absence of anything feel like? Would I recognize any change if it happened?
Tentatively, I would say it feels good. It feels safe. I feel grateful to the point of tears which feels odd... the tears part. I can see that there is more than a glimmer of hope... so much more.
This feels like Relief... quiet, very calm, relief.
The coolest thing is that it is effortless. I feel as if someone has reached down, pulled me up out of a deep pit and set me on my feet.
Strength, plus hypnosis, now have me skidding happily toward yet another great adventure. Yahoooooooooooo! Feel as if I am conquering my world!
No matter... high-five, fist bump, big hug and THANK YOU, Sean."
Ann Russell
Roswell, GA
Showing posts with label panic attacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label panic attacks. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Panic Attacks: How to Stop Them
When people have panic attacks, they don't come from out of nowhere. There is a specific process by which people take themselves from one state to another. That process has to do with what they're thinking about, and how, specifically, they are thinking about it.
For example, in order to go from a state of complete comfort and relaxation to a state of panic, something has to happen. For most people, it's something they actually see or experience that tells them "Hey! Get ready to fight! Something bad is about to happen!" A wonderful example of this would be witnessing an elephant running through your living room.
Real or Imagined? What's the Difference?
What's different in people who experience panic attacks is that they can go from relaxation to panic without any external stimuli whatsoever. The change is a result of a progression of thoughts, which can be just as powerful as the "real thing."
The subconscious mind can't distinguish between "real" and imagined sounds and images, which is why you can simply imagine a frightening situation and actually feel the fear response in your body. If you disagree, just recall a time when you heard a noise late at night and wondered if someone was breaking into your home. Now ask yourself, was that fear "real?"
From Calm to Panic - One Man's Journey
Here's an example of how a person might experience a panic attack:
Let's say a man is spending a nice, quiet evening at home while his wife is out with a friend. She said she'd be home by 11:00, and it's now 11:30. The man says to himself: "My wife is never late... not unless she calls. She has a cell phone, so why wouldn't she call?" Then he creates an image of his wife stranded by the side of the road, or perhaps in an accident. If he's really good at having panic attacks, he might even create a vivid image of his wife - injured, unconscious, thrown from her vehicle.
For him, these images have the same power and impact as if they had actually happened. The longer he waits, and the more he thinks about it, the feelings become stronger. He replays those graphic images over and over again in his mind until he can barely breathe. Eventually, his experience is the same as if the imagined events had actually occurred. As for his wife... well, she was out having fun and simply lost track of the time. It happens.
Change the Path, Change the Experience
The way to deal with panic attacks is to interrupt or modify this internal thought process. There are several ways to do this. One way is by learning to manipulate those internal thoughts and images to lessen their impact.
To try this out for yourself, create a big bright image of something real or imagined which you find particularly frightening, and notice the how your body feels in response to that image. Now make the image black and white, and shrink it down so that you can barely see it in your mind. Now make it dark and blurry. Does that have any impact on the feeling in your body? For most people, the response is a fraction of what it used to be.
This is just one way you can use your mind and your imagination to your advantage. There are many others. With a little practice, you will learn to gain control of your experience and take it in a new direction.
For example, in order to go from a state of complete comfort and relaxation to a state of panic, something has to happen. For most people, it's something they actually see or experience that tells them "Hey! Get ready to fight! Something bad is about to happen!" A wonderful example of this would be witnessing an elephant running through your living room.
Real or Imagined? What's the Difference?
What's different in people who experience panic attacks is that they can go from relaxation to panic without any external stimuli whatsoever. The change is a result of a progression of thoughts, which can be just as powerful as the "real thing."
The subconscious mind can't distinguish between "real" and imagined sounds and images, which is why you can simply imagine a frightening situation and actually feel the fear response in your body. If you disagree, just recall a time when you heard a noise late at night and wondered if someone was breaking into your home. Now ask yourself, was that fear "real?"
From Calm to Panic - One Man's Journey
Here's an example of how a person might experience a panic attack:
Let's say a man is spending a nice, quiet evening at home while his wife is out with a friend. She said she'd be home by 11:00, and it's now 11:30. The man says to himself: "My wife is never late... not unless she calls. She has a cell phone, so why wouldn't she call?" Then he creates an image of his wife stranded by the side of the road, or perhaps in an accident. If he's really good at having panic attacks, he might even create a vivid image of his wife - injured, unconscious, thrown from her vehicle.
For him, these images have the same power and impact as if they had actually happened. The longer he waits, and the more he thinks about it, the feelings become stronger. He replays those graphic images over and over again in his mind until he can barely breathe. Eventually, his experience is the same as if the imagined events had actually occurred. As for his wife... well, she was out having fun and simply lost track of the time. It happens.
Change the Path, Change the Experience
The way to deal with panic attacks is to interrupt or modify this internal thought process. There are several ways to do this. One way is by learning to manipulate those internal thoughts and images to lessen their impact.
To try this out for yourself, create a big bright image of something real or imagined which you find particularly frightening, and notice the how your body feels in response to that image. Now make the image black and white, and shrink it down so that you can barely see it in your mind. Now make it dark and blurry. Does that have any impact on the feeling in your body? For most people, the response is a fraction of what it used to be.
This is just one way you can use your mind and your imagination to your advantage. There are many others. With a little practice, you will learn to gain control of your experience and take it in a new direction.
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