So many people are restricted from doing things they would like to achieve because of something they are afraid of. Fear can be caused by a number of things including, a bad experience, imagining something terrible might happen or from something that is deep rooted in the subconscious memory that the person has no recollection of or why they are experiencing fear. Whatever the reason, and whatever the fear, when the fear is so intense it can be overwhelming and cause the person physical and mental distress.
A recent client came to see me to try and conquer their fear of the dentist. Their goal was to be able to pick up the phone and book an appointment to see the dentist. Even when they told me that this was their one wish, in their own words, “small steps and one thing at a time”, they physically shook with fear and became very emotional at the thought of doing this. Whilst they had taken the brave step to see me in the hope that they could achieve their goal, they couldn’t imagine that they would ever feel calm enough to pick up the phone. They didn’t believe that they would ever be able to get over the all-consuming fear that they felt even at the mere mention of the name ‘dentist’!
This is my client’s story:
"I have suffered from a paralysing fear of the dentist since I was a small girl and despite being able to force myself to go when in pain or when something needed doing, having reached my 50's I wanted to be able to book an appointment for a check-up without the terror of going taking over every waking moment before the appointment - I also did not want all my teeth to fall out!
I admit I was a little sceptical about the whole process of hypnotherapy, but Amanda could not have been more professional or understanding. Throughout my sessions with Amanda, she provided clear and logical explanations for any reactions I may have had during my hypnotherapy sessions which really helped me understand things very clearly, these sessions also ultimately helped me understand exactly what my actual fear related to. During our sessions, which were a combination of both hypnotherapy and counselling, Amanda was able to help me discover what was causing me this complete terror - even the thought of booking an appointment led to sleepless nights. She also provided me with a variety of tools to cope with and become more in control of my own thoughts and fears and ultimately enabled me to achieve my goal.
With Amanda's help and professional expertise, not only have I been able to phone and book an appointment, but I have also successfully attended the appointment. More importantly to me though, I was able to do both without terror taking over every waking thought, either before making the phone call to book an appointment or attending the appointment itself.
I never thought this would be something that I would be able to conquer as my fear of the dentist has been part of my life since I can remember, but I can honestly say if I can do this then so can anyone. The level of professionalism, yet compassion and empathy demonstrated by Amanda was exemplary and for anyone with a similar fear or phobia, I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Amanda to help you deal with this."
If you have a fear of the dentist or a fear of something else that is holding you back from achieving your goals or doing things that you would like to do/enjoy, then please don’t suffer. Counselling and/or hypnotherapy can really help.
Everyone is different and we all face our fears in our own way and at our own speed. Sometimes however, we need a little bit more help to conquer them.