Angela is a 44 year old woman who had literally tried everything available for depression and anxiety in the trough of self help found in Los Angeles & San Francisco, USA and also in Vancouver BC.
Many of the methods she tried were in desperation for help, and even using mainstream modern medicine for drug therapies. Most significantly her lethargy for life was evident. Her luster and shine almost faded completely. She was literally in the "dark hell" of depression on her first session with me. Annette was also very gifted in art and writing and had lost interest in this along with many of her passions.
She often referred to our first session as, “how awful” she felt. She’d suffered from depression and anxiety for some 20 years, with various interventions, therapies and psychiatry, including drug therapies, and the like. All to no true benefit or accomplishment. Bright sunshine, or dark days didn’t make a difference in her feelings or thoughts.
After the first session Annette felt refreshed and invigorated, however, doubtful that it would work! On her third session, I could see she was invigorated, cheerful and returning to her self. Her biggest concern was if she would ever lose this feeling again. I could assure her easily and she agreed, once she has the remedy for depression in her, she knew exactly what to do to recover herself completely.
She beamed with delight, and recognized instantly it was in her hands how she felt and how she would keep herself feeling this way. She was not dependent on me, drugs, or anything. It was all up to her, just as it should be....
'I am renewed, but more, I am reborn. I have a completely different relationship with myself, the present and future possibilities. Before hypnotherapy, no amount of exercise, healthy food, SAD light, self-help reading, behavior modification, or anti-depressants had a viable effect. I could feel no true joy when I used my considerable creative mind to imagine a bright future. I would ask myself, What might make me happy? What are my heart’s desires? I would try to imagine, see myself in a loving relationship that was perfect for me, owning a bright modern architectural home – on the water or with a natural indoor swimming pool, doing yoga, writing, drawing, taking in foster kids, taking exciting vacations. . . No matter what I thought of, I couldn’t feel joy. In fact, I couldn’t feel any spark at all. Although I smiled at the world, my heart was dead. Self-hating, critical thoughts attacked. Weakening self-defenses followed. I was exhausted and often wished to kill myself – just to relieve the overwhelming pain.
According to Kathy Welter-Nichols, a Clinical Hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner at JustBeWell.com, I wasn’t benefiting from a mood altering dose of endorphins, the body’s own feel good chemicals, which most humans get daily. In addition, Kathy told me that even though I was sleeping nine hours a night, I was not getting the deeper sleep I needed to release these internal “feel good” endorphins, and still waking every morning in this gray dark place. My depression and anxiety was greatly alleviated when she “reset my inner clock” via hypnotherapy. Moreover, with the participation of my subconscious I would began to purge out-grown and out-worn thoughts and their malingering emotional residue, finally allowing my subconscious mind the freedom to support a much needed self-esteem boost. Simply and confidently, Kathy assured, “You should feel significantly better and better after each session”
Two months have passed. Singing and skipping have replaced perpetual angst and undefined worry. Life seems a playground. I’m comfortable in “the now.” The future is a wonderful mystery that I happily help create. Sure, I still struggle as a human being. But this human being isn’t depressed!
Angela/Vancouver BC
