Phobia: Jackie

Jackie Mendez (Driving)
Inside Sales
Austin, TX

I've had problems with driving for the last twenty years. I was scared and didn't want to drive on the highway; I always had to have someone drive for me whenever I needed to go anyplace further away. I just avoided it and the fear got worse. Even talking about driving made me hyperventilate and feel like I couldn't control myself. I would find other ways to get places so that I didn't have to drive on the highway and everything took a lot longer. I wasn't able to go anywhere by myself. It was pretty bad because I couldn't run an errand or go when I wanted to. I had no independence and had to wait for other people to drive me. I had to ask coworkers to drive me places and I was embarrassed about it. One night, when my ride had had too many margaritas, I was forced to drive us home and had to go down the access road all the way from Georgetown and it took me three hours to get home.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on Citysearch. When I read that Laura had won the hypnotist of the year, I decided to call. I started noticing that I felt comfortable and less tense when someone else was driving and that I actually wanted to drive.

I feel more relaxed and in control now. When I think about driving, I'm not so scared. I drove last Friday and there was a lot of traffic, but I still felt comfortable. I was focused and relaxed and just ready to do it. If I started to feel nervous, I remembered what Laura and I talked about. I feel more confident now because I can do stuff whenever I want. The most important thing for me has been the relaxation about being able to drive on the highway. I would recommend A New Day hypnosis to anyone who wants to fix this problem and I'm confident that I will continue to make progress.

Phobia: Tara

Tara (Driving)
Grants Manager
Austin, TX

I've had problems with driving-related anxiety for the last twelve years. If I drove on the highway, I would have a panic attack about once a week. I avoided highways and took other routes. One out of every three times I got on the highway, I would panic. Austin is surrounded by highways and in order to get anywhere you have to hop on one. The anxiety was affecting my quality of life. I couldn't be spontaneous about going places with people in my car because I didn't want to jeopardize other people's lives with my driving because I was always fearful.

I once had an anxiety attack when I was driving with my husband on a foggy bridge over Lake Michigan in Wisconsin, it was horrible and we had to pull over. Up to that point, my husband hadn't realized how bad the problem was for me, when he saw how bad it could get, it shocked him and after that he was always fearful about me driving.

I would try the highway, but I would always have an escape route. I'd always know what exit was coming up so that if I had to pull over and get off at the exit I could do that. I would stay in the right lane if I needed to pull over on the shoulder. I never felt in control, the panic always had control of me; it had a grip on me no matter what I was doing. I was always anticipating the fear and the panic whether or not I was driving.

I've tried different things to stop my panic attacks: drinking water, having snacks, and preparing for my trip well in advance. I had supplies on hand. When I started to panic, I would pop a tic-tac or drink some water to help me breathe. It helped me get through it, but I would often have to pull over anyway until I could calm myself down.

I was looking online for hypnotherapy in Austin and I find out about A New Day Hypnosis on yahoo. I had been hypnotized before in a comedy setting, so I knew it would work. I really didn't want to go on medication and thought that this would be a good option for me. I noticed a change in my behavior after the first session. I wasn't planning my routes as much and I was much calmer and I didn't have a panic attack. My husband also commented that I wasn't carrying around water and tic tacs in the car.

I feel more in control now because I can drive anywhere. I've done overpasses and I've gone on the highway every day since I started this without any problems. I was always afraid to drive my husband's car because it was brand new and I didn't want to have a panic attack and wreck it, but now I'm able to drive it because I feel in control and his car is really fun for me to drive.

I feel more confident now because I don't balk at the fact that I might have people in my car when I'm driving on the highway. I can drive anywhere and I've proven to myself that I can change and I know now that I don't have to live with this anymore.

The most important benefit for me is that I don't have anxiety when I get into a vehicle. I overcame that fear and accomplished that goal in my life. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who has anxiety about driving because it works. As long as you believe in yourself and set your mind to it, you can change anything. I'm confident that I'm free of this problem permanently because after living with it for 12 years; I've gone a month without an incident and that tells it all for me because it really does work.

Phobia: Michael

Michael (Public Speaking)
New Business Developer
Austin, TX

I called A New Day Hypnosis because my career had started demanding more public speaking and presentations, responsibilities that had caused severe stress. Although I am a very outgoing and social person, when I was asked to speak in front of a group, whether for a meeting, or formal presentations, I would suffer both mentally and physically.

From the moment I found out I was to present I would put myself in an almost panic like state. I would not sleep, and had difficulty focusing. As I began to present, my heart would race and breathing became erratic. It would usually take me a few minutes to recover before my speech and actions became more normal.

I made a decision that I could not live my life with this fear anymore, let alone advance my career, and I went to see Laura. Quite simply she helped retrain my brain to look at these situations differently. I had, gradually over time, convinced myself that these were extremely stressful and uncomfortable situations. Without Laura's help I would never have been able to overcome this.

From my very first session I began sleeping through the night, something I had not been able to do in a very long time. Over time, by following the methods Laura had shown me, I no longer obsessed with upcoming presentations. I trained my brain to look at these situations from a much more positive point of view and what happened was amazing. I started to actually look forward to them as an opportunity to flourish and excel rather than to fail.

I would recommend hypnosis, and particularly A New Day Hypnosis, to anyone who allows phobias affect their everyday lives. There is no reason to let your fears limit the potential you have to succeed.

Phobia: Kristi

Kristi Curry (Public Speaking)
Self-Employed
Austin, TX

I've had problems with public speaking over the last ten years. I felt out of control. I was anxiety ridden and it stopped me from doing what I needed to do. I couldn't make eye contact with anybody and felt like there was something that separated me from the audience. I would start to freak out as much as a week before I had to do a speech. I was always avoiding and postponing speaking opportunities, it was hard. I just didn't really want to be doing it. I felt anxiety and it really didn't feel good to do it.

I started to do Toastmasters to overcome my stage fright and almost didn't make it in the door thinking that they might ask me to talk. The fear of public speaking didn't fit my persona because I'm seen by everyone as the rock that they can depend on. Career wise, the fear had become a stumbling block. My business depends that I have enthusiasm and express to other people what my business is about. I had to have the drive for doing what I do because that's what gets people interested. If I didn't have that, my business would not survive, so it was essential for me to overcome this problem.

I knew that I had to do something and I woke up one morning and thought to myself that hypnosis might work. I called A New Day Hypnosis and after my first session with Laura, I volunteered to speak at Toastmasters and won a ribbon for my talk. It was really strange for me to want to volunteer and be open to getting up in front of the group. During the speech, I felt more connected to the audience and noticed that I had more confidence. I felt like I was able to have a formulated idea about what I was going to say. This has been a great tool to keep me from getting spun up. The ability to relax has been a key piece because when I'm relaxed I can make progress. If I stay spun up I don't get anywhere and there's nothing to be confident about.

At this point, I will be speaking at a wine and cheese client appreciation night coming up. This is my first professional speech for my business and this is also the first time that I'm not saying to myself "how do I get out of it?" I know that my message needs to come across to people. I'm crafting that now and I'm actually excited to see how it goes. It doesn't bother me to think about getting up and talking and it's amazing to me that I'm not freaking out. Now I want to say these things and just think about the importance of the messages that I have to share.

I feel more confident and in control now. It has changed the overall cause and effect of everything that I'm about. I'm progressing in directions that I want to progress in and that's been huge because my livelihood depends on it. I would absolutely recommend A New Day Hypnosis and plan to give a speech about hypnosis at Toastmasters. I feel like I've achieved a real benefit from it. Hypnosis is this nebulous thing that nobody really understands it or knows what it is and I've had people tell me that it's scary to them because it's about someone controlling you. People have this image about hypnosis and until you do it, it's hard to understand what it's like. I look at hypnosis as a tool to help me do the things that I want to do. I'm confident about the changes that I've made because I don't have that feeling of avoidance anymore. I don't feel overwhelmed and I'm just ready to do what I need to do.

Phobia: Dana

Dana Turet (Public Speaking)
Psychology student
Austin, TX

I've had problems with public speaking pretty much my entire life. I've always been shy; my mom said that I used to hide behind her legs when people tried to talk to me. As I got older, it just became really difficult to function in school and in social situations where it's expected that you'll be able to stand up in front of people and speak confidently.

In college, it was required that I was able to perform at a certain level and act like an adult. I always thought of myself as a confident person, but whenever someone would ask me to stand up and speak, I didn't feel confident and didn't trust myself to just get up and talk. It affected my self-esteem and made me really question my ability.

When I tried to get in front of people, my hands would shake, my voice would shake, and I would get out of breath. Everybody always had advice on what to do, but I just couldn't fix it no matter what I tried.

I'd heard about hypnosis in one of my classes and was a little apprehensive about how it worked, but I knew that I needed help. When a friend recommended Laura's services I decided to find out what it was all about.

I noticed a change in my behavior after my first session. I had to give a speech the next day and I felt more confident and relaxed. I noticed that when I got up to give the speech, I didn't feel that paralyzing feeling. I felt more relaxed and in control.

What really clicked for me was the whole idea that you can't unlearn something, but that you can replace it with something new. I knew that I couldn't make my fear of public speaking disappear, but I could learn new behaviors and techniques to help me move in a different direction. The most important thing for me has been learning how to control aspects of myself that I couldn't before.

I would recommend Laura's services to anyone who wants to overcome their fears. People can save themselves a lot of stress, worry, and effort. I tried so many things that didn't work and if I'd known that it could be this easy, I could have saved myself a lot of time.

I'm confident that I've overcome my fear of public speaking and there's no way that I could go back. The things that I've learned have changed the way that I view the issue and approach the problem. I wouldn't want to go back to the way that I was because it wasn't working for me and now I feel happier and more in control of my life.

Phobia: Christian

Christian Weber (Flying)
Tea Salesman
Austin, TX

I've suffered from a fear of flying for the last twenty years, but didn't have a serious problem until I had a traumatic flight about three months ago. I got on the plane and it was really bumpy. I thought that everyone felt a certain amount of pressure when flying and I realize now that things weren't okay even before the difficult flight. Under normal circumstances I was able manage the anxiety, but I'd been going through a lot of pressure at work at the time and couldn't handle the combined stress of the flight and the tension that I had already been feeling.

There was a lot of turbulence on the flight and I became so anxious that I couldn't bring myself to board the connecting flight to my destination. I couldn't control my response to the environment around me, so I had remove myself from the situation. I wasn't able to just deal with what was going on and keep going and I felt disappointed and angry with myself. After that, I was so worried about that scary experience happening again that I couldn't imagine stepping onto a plane. That made me feel out of control. When I wasn't able to accomplish the mission once, I thought that I might not be able to do it again.

Not being able to fly was having a big impact on my life. It was affecting my work situation because I am required to travel for my job. We'd be sitting in meetings and someone would suggest that we go to California to meet with these guys and I would always say that I didn't think it was a good idea right now, I realized that I wouldn't be able to stall forever. It was also affecting my personal life because I have in-laws in Minnesota and my parents are in Germany; so flying is really essential in maintaining these relationships.

Laura was recommended to me by my doctor and I didn't have any concerns about hypnosis because I wasn't threatened by it. I started to notice changes right away. I became more aware of the anxiety that I'd been feeling within my life and looked at things differently. I started making changes and I feel more in control now.

I flew recently and noticed the difference in the way that I felt leading up to the flight and on the plane. I could even tell that I was doing better on the return flight compared to the departure. I was able to change the way I responded and that made me feel more confident. It was definitely a mental exercise, but I could do it. It's been a work in progress and I feel even better about flying now than I'd felt before I had the traumatic experience.

It feels good to know that in a relatively short period of time I can learn to do what I need to do. The biggest benefit for me has been the fact that I can fly now and keep getting better as I go. I've also noticed that I'm getting much better sleep. My wife noticed in the past that I'd started scratching my face in my sleep. It would wake her up because it was so loud. She said that I haven't done this since I went to A New Day Hypnosis. I feel calmer and less anxiety in general.

I'm confident that I'll be free of my problem permanently because I've gotten to this point already and I've seen so much progress. As I keep doing this, the suggestions that I'm giving myself are becoming more concrete and solid and the fears are just going away.

I would recommend Laura's services to anyone who wants to overcome their fear of flying. It's given me the realization of what's going on and the tools to help me overcome it. I would never tell somebody to go see Laura and she'll fix you because it's not that somebody else is going to fix you. You gain the tools to learn to make changes for yourself.

Phobia: Elisabeth

Elisabeth Henderson (Needles)
Receptionist
Austin, TX

I've been afraid of needles for as long as I can remember. My mom told me that when I was six months old I was getting my vaccinations and had a hysterical fit; I was sweating, panting, and screaming.

I absolutely could not deal with needles in any way. At the doctor's office, I would start breathing really hard and my heart rate would speed up, I'd have tunnel vision and all these horrible thoughts racing through my head. I would sweat, my hearing would go out and I would feel like I was going to throw up. I would kick like an infant and totally lose control. It had gotten to the point where I would refuse to get blood drawn or get any shots. My phobia about needles made me afraid to go to the doctor.

I started to realize that my problem was becoming more serious when I recently had a TB skin test. I thought that I'd psyched myself out enough that I wouldn't react and I made it through my appointment okay, but the feelings just came over me as soon as I got in the car to leave the doctor's office. My vision started going dim, I started sweating and breathing really hard and my heart was pounding. I had the radio blasting in my car and it was almost like someone was turning it down because I couldn't hear anything. I was in traffic on I35 and I pulled over into a Wendy's, I barely remember stumbling into the restaurant and passing out on the trash can.

People would see me react to these situations and think I was nuts. I was embarrassed because it was so small and silly and I knew that people did this all the time with no problem. I felt very out of control. I had this feeling of dread and knew that I would go into hysterics and wouldn't be able to control my reactions. I was afraid that later in life I would avoid necessary treatment that I might need.

After my experience at Wendy's, I realized that I needed help. I did an internet search for hypnotherapists in Austin and I found A New Day Hypnosis. I decided to meet with Laura because she seemed so confident that it would work. I overcame my fear after the first session. The change was effortless; I didn't even know that it had stopped until I was at my appointment in the doctor's office. I hoped that it would work for me, but I still wasn't sure. I took the recording of my hypnosis session into my appointment and just closed my eyes and listened to my CD while I waited. When the doctor put the needle in my arm it was like I didn't feel it. He held my arm up to my face so that I could see the needle in my arm and I didn't think anything of it. It almost seemed microscopic to me. I'm just shocked at the way that I can see needles and not have any reaction at all now.

Phobia: Brian

Brian Wise (Travel)
Bookseller
Austin, TX

I began having problems with anxiety in 1980 and it's been on and off since then. It's kept me from going places and doing things that I wanted to do. I had been able to make progress, but recently it was getting to the point where I noticed that things were started to slide back. I was having panic attacks related to different driving situations and things were getting out of control; I was constantly worried about nothing specific and felt a tense feeling, but couldn't really identify the source.

Anything that involved going outside of a certain geographic range would become a big problem for me. My stomach was in knots and I had a real sense of edginess, which wasn't a comfortable way to live. I've tried medication and generalized talk therapy to fix my problem. The outcome was pretty good, but I hadn't been able to overcome that final hurdle. I'd already begun work on my problem, but I needed something to speed it along.

I saw a flyer for A New Day Hypnosis at Bookpeople. I'd used hypnosis in the past and had good results, so I didn't have any concerns about trying it again. After meeting with Laura, I began to notice less anxiety and fewer unwanted thoughts. As time has gone on, it's gotten easier and easier. I feel more relaxed and making changes hasn't been too difficult for me.

I definitely feel more in control now. I'm going more places that I haven't gone and it's getting easier each time. I have my personal CDs and I can listen to them anytime, which is a very powerful tool for me. I feel good and have a sense of normalcy again. The general anxiety is gone and I feel more confident because I can go places and know that it's not a big deal. A long-time friend is getting married in Arlington this year and the best benefit of this experience for me is the fact that I'll be able to fly there and not feel panicked about it or worried that it will be a huge ordeal.

I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis because I've found it effective. I like the fact that I can listen to my CDs whenever I want to. I am confident that I'll be able to explore more of Austin and go farther without worrying about it and it's such a relief for me.

Phobia: M.

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.

Self-Confidence: Brett

Brett
Student
Austin, TX

I have grappled with issues of low self confidence and low self-esteem all of my life. I struggled with anxiety in professional and social situations and it was hard for me to talk to new people and focus on what exactly I wanted to do with my life. I didn't know how to move forward. If someone approached me in a social setting, I got nervous and didn't know what to say. I was extremely awkward and tense and I just froze up when someone tried to engage me in conversation. Networking is really important for my future and I was finding it difficult to even begin to think about trying to get out there.

It was hard for me to feel comfortable around people that I didn't know that well. I didn't know what was going to happen with my career goals and I felt myself becoming a little bit hopeless and fatalistic. I was unnecessarily freaking myself out about things and my head was all over the place. I wasn't focused on what I wanted to do with my life and I just felt stuck and powerless.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on citysearch. I was open to trying something kind of different, so I decided to schedule an appointment. After the first time, I noticed a general feeling of relaxation that I hadn't felt before.

This has been a great experience for me. I notice in my day to day interactions with new people that I can be myself and feel more comfortable. It's been easier for me to talk to new people and not feel self-conscious in social situations. I know that I can take steps to ensure that my life will be more the way that I would like it to be. I am planting little seeds now and I'm building the future that I want for myself.

Hypnosis helped me to get me out of the habitual mindset that things will always be the same. I now understand that I have control over my life and that been a really great benefit for me. I feel more motivated and I have a better sense of mental clarity, which helps me to stay productive. I am more organized and focused and I have a better idea of what I'm going to do when I wake up. I have a list of things that I need to accomplish and when I get them done, I feel a sense of success.

I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who has problems with self-confidence or anxiety because it has helped me a lot. I think having low self-esteem is a habit and hypnosis helps to break the habit. I see my place in the world differently now. I value myself more and I know that I will be able to contribute to society. This process has given me the push that I needed and I feel more confident and in control than I ever have before.