M. Frizzell (Thunderstorms)
Round Rock, TX
I've suffered from a fear of thunderstorms for the last three years. It made me agoraphobic and I didn't want to leave the house because I was afraid that there might be a thunderstorm. It made me panicky and insecure. It could be a sunny day and all I would have to do was think about rain and I'd immediately have a panic attack. I felt like I was hopeless.
I couldn't function or control anything. I went to the hospital twice; once they admitted me and another time I just drove there and sat in the waiting room. I figured that if I really freaked out that they would help me. It was awful because I'm pregnant and I was out of control not only for myself, but for another life too. I felt like I was going crazy and I needed to be committed. If I had a panic attack I knew that I wouldn't be able to control it. I would have really irrational thoughts and was afraid that I was going to lose consciousness or die.
It affected my relationships with friends because I would opt out of activities if there was bad weather. It also had an impact on my relationship with my husband who would have to pick up the slack every time there was a panic attack, and they had become really frequent. He would have to sit up with me all night long if it was raining and take care of all of my responsibilities.
I've tried going to a therapist to solve my problem and it got worse because I was talking and thinking about it so much. When I took medication I always felt like it was just the medicine that was making me okay and I'm really opposed to taking it, so I just quit. I did desensitization listening to thunderstorm CDs which did help, but not 100%.
I heard about Laura on yahoo local. I read the reviews and thought she had the most professional website, so I felt confident about doing it. After meeting with Laura, I noticed that the triggers started to decrease. I began to feel more confident that this would work. I felt like I could gain control of the problem without medication and that gave me a real sense of relief.
I generally feel better because I'm more relaxed. I definitely have more focus with changing my behaviors. I've been happy with the success that I've had and feel like I can control the problem. I feel so much more in control. Even if I have a twinge of panic, I can talk myself out of it and control my thoughts. I feel self-confident and know that I can conquer it. I feel like I can do it myself now and that's what I'm most happy about. I don't think that I could have gotten that with any other method.
I would absolutely recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who is suffering from panic attacks because it's a healthy alternative to other things. It's a way to equip yourself with a personal tool rather than becoming dependent on a counselor or a drug. I'm confident that if I were ever faced with it again I could handle it and I've never had that belief before. I've already recommended Laura to lots of people and I've been really happy with my success.