Phobia: Ann

Ann (Hypochondria)
Student
Austin, TX

I've suffered from hypochondria for as long as I can remember and it made me constantly worried about being ill. I tried not to think about it and it would work for a little while, but it would always creep back in. I was wasting a lot of time looking up conditions online and checking myself for symptoms. I was constantly going and getting checked for illnesses that were not real. Going to the doctor wasn't a very good coping mechanism for me because I started to become worried that I was getting sick from an infected needle or other tainted equipment at my physician's office. It is expensive to go see the doctor, so it had become a financial burden as well.

All the worry was putting a strain on my relationship with my boyfriend because he was tired of me asking him if he thought that I could get sick from different things. My thoughts were affecting my general outlook on life. I couldn't look forward to the future because I felt like something bad was going to happen to me. I was constantly afraid that I had put myself in a risky situation where I wasn't careful enough and had gotten myself sick. There were even points where I had breakdowns because I couldn't control my irrational thoughts; I would convince myself that something that I had done had made me sick and I would get emotionally upset over it.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on Citysearch. I was skeptical at first, but I was so tired of feeling the way that I always felt. I was in a transitional time in my life and I wanted to put it behind me and not have to worry about things going forward. I started to notice results after the first session. I had a more positive outlook because I knew that I was working towards my goal and had the confidence to know that I could achieve it.

It really helps to talk about my problem with someone and address it rather than keeping it inside. I'm not stressed out the way that I used to be and I don't have to worry about going to the restroom in a public place anymore. I don't have to change my schedule or my plans to avoid certain situations and that gives me a lot more freedom. I have a process that I can go through now when I start to feel like I'm in a situation where I could get sick and I'm able to be rational with myself and prevent myself from getting worked up about it. This has definitely given me more confidence about my future and my ability to stay healthy and not worry about being sick.

I think the most important benefit for me has been that I'm able to overcome my problem and I can live a better life because of it. I have better relationships with people because I'm not burdening them with my problems and worries anymore. I have the freedom to live my life without worrying about being sick and that is such a relief to me.

There have been times recently where I had breakouts on my skin, before I would have freaked out and now I know that it's not a big deal and I'm able to put it out of my mind and not dwell on it anymore. I think that the problem was related to my reactions and I'm much better able to control the way that I handle situations that might involve the possibility of being infected by an illness. I am confident that I'm free of the hypochondria permanently and I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who suffers from hypochondria because it's a good way to develop a skill set that you can use to overcome problems and also address concerns that might come up in the future.

Phobia: Steve

Steve Mendez (Flying)
Revenue Officer
Austin, TX

I've had a fear of flying and heights since I was seven years old. I remember riding in a trolley car up the side of a mountain. At the time, the trolleys went vertically up the mountain and I wasn't prepared for that. I panicked and got yelled at and told to calm down. Ever since, I would do anything I could to avoid the fear. Even looking at aerial photos made me uncomfortable; anxiety would come up and my hands would get sweaty. I didn't even have to be near an airport, just the thought of flying just made me feel panicked and apprehensive. When I did try to fly, the wheels started rolling in my head because I couldn't see where I was going on a take off and the anxiety set in. It felt like the plane was going straight up forever and I felt completely out of control and couldn't board my connecting flight and just drove back home. My thoughts were totally consumed with fear and it was difficult. I refused to travel and I avoided it; I was living in a shell. Whenever training came up at work, I would do whatever I could to avoid it because I didn't want to get on a plane. If it was somewhere nearby, like Dallas or Houston, I would rather drive and inconvenience myself.

I wasn't seeing my family as often as I should. I'd gotten offers to go to Florida, Vegas, and the Bahamas. I wouldn't make myself available for those opportunities and I'm sure that I missed out on a lot of good times. It would have been cool to pet a manta ray or swim with the dolphins. Eventually, my family stopped pushing the issue and just let it go. Recently, my girlfriend bought a plane ticket for me to go to Vegas and I tried to make excuses to get out of it, but she wouldn't take no for an answer, so I decided to do something about this. I heard about A New Day Hypnosis at yellowpages.com. I wasn't sure if it was going to be for me. I knew it wasn't going to be a swinging watch in front of me, but I was a little apprehensive about it anyway. After my first session, I started to notice changes. I have a very different attitude about the whole thing and feel more positive overall about things. I got a better visual picture of the overall experience and the whole process has really helped to calm and soothe me. I'm in a better mood and I'm not as uptight. I don't feel that overwhelming apprehension that I had before and I'm not ready to push the panic button. After meeting with Laura, I read an article in a travel magazine and the author also had a fear of flying. He said that the one thing that improved his outlook was hypnosis, so I figured that I was on a good road.

It's been relatively easy. I'm more confident about the whole thing. I've noticed changes in other parts of my life as well, I take initiative on things now and I volunteer and take charge, so it's been a positive experience all around. I have a better understanding of the whole situation; I know what to expect and I know that I won't get all freaked out like the last time. This is going to go a lot different. I would highly recommend A New Day Hypnosis. It's like night and day from where I was and I'm willing to face the fears. I'm confident that on the way to the airport, I won't be apprehensive and I know that I won't be nervous because I know what to expect and there is really nothing to be freaked out about; I'm ready to go now and I feel confident that I can do it.

Phobia: NJ

NJ Osuna (Success)
Personal Trainer
San Antonio, TX

I've suffered from a fear of abundance and success for the last eight years. I was procrastinating and starting things, but not finishing anything. I felt like, knowing everything that I know and reading everything that I could read, I was getting a lot of information from books, but I wasn't able to enact anything. I knew my purpose in life, but I didn't know how to do it. I wasn't living the life that I was chosen to live and I felt like I had gone as far as I could go on my own.

I've tried counseling to help with my problem and it works to some extent. When you've had a habit this long it's more like default and it's really about changing the default. I've done bio-neuro-feedback at St. Mary's University. You have electrodes hooked up to your brain and if you are thinking positive things that strengthen you positive emotion, it helps keep the direction of the ship and deters negative thinking. It helped, but it wasn't a very common practice and they were only offering it for a short period of time, so it didn't help me long-term.

I ran out of resources and the resources that I had were useless to me because I didn't have the capacity to use them. There was this door that I couldn't get behind and I knew there was something great on the other side. I've worked a lot of jobs in my life and I was past the time where working little odd jobs was fulfilling for me. School didn't feel stimulating and everything was just at a stalemate. It was like trying to play a chess game with myself and I felt very discouraged.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on yahoo local. I think that there is no one way to always achieve something and it's really a collaboration of avenues and efforts. This was something I hadn't utilized yet and I've known other people who used it and had success. I felt like this was the right time for me to do it.

I noticed results almost immediately because I felt such a low level of stress. I was motivated and enthusiastic. It's been pretty easy because I started taking charge of things and taking action in my life. I've gotten more done in the past month than I have in several years. It's made a huge difference for me because I feel more confident.

The law of attraction is a concept that I've always known about, but now I can act on it more. Even if you have the tools you go back to that default if a change isn't made. Hypnosis helped to push me over the threshold and now it's kind of like getting a big birthday present. You can see your name on it, but you don't know what's in there. When you open it, it's so awesome. Now that I've opened the door and I can see what's there for me and it is so amazing.

I have a lot more confidence and a lot more to give to people in my daily life. School used to stress me out and now I don't worry about it. I just go and do it and it's a lot easier. I've been able to launch my boot camp and hire a GM, which would have taken a couple of years before hypnosis.

I think this has been a bit of redemption for me. The adventure has begun and everything that I was focused on is now coming to life. Now there is always something to do and I'm happy to do it. Everything that I need to do just opens another door for me in a way that I haven't experienced before. I would definitely recommend A New Day Hypnosis because I think that people owe it to themselves to see what's there. There are some really simple opportunities in life that can give such a big payoff and this is one of them. I am confident that I'm going to achieve everything that I want to achieve. The defaults have changed and now I'm just establishing the new habits.

Phobia: Roland

Roland Martinez (Public Speaking)
Engineer
Austin, TX

I've had problems with public speaking for the last ten years. As time progressed, it got worse and I started to worry about speaking at meetings and in smaller groups. Throughout the day, I felt apprehensive and didn't look forward to any meetings or events where I'd have to speak in front of a group of people. It negatively affected my career because I would only give short answers at meetings and wouldn't elaborate or speak up if I had something to share. I wasn't helping with projects and wasn't getting higher profile promotions. It felt out of control. If a meeting came up, there was no way to avoid it, so I just tried to get through the day. I didn't have control of where I was going with my career and I was consumed with thinking about what I was going to say in meetings. I've read books about public speaking to try and overcome it. The books focused on different techniques, but it didn't really work. I even took a public speaking class, but it was still a struggle and it didn't eliminate any of the feelings of anxiety.

I did an online search for phobia cures and I found A New Day Hypnosis. After the first session, I was able to calm myself and slow down instead of just letting it overtake me. I'm getting better sleep and I'm able to fall asleep much quicker. I feel more relaxed and I'm not as cranky. It's been easier than anything I've tried because of the coaching, the different tips that I've learned and different techniques. I feel more in control now. I speak up more in meetings and feel comfortable just throwing things out there and getting responses back. I can slow myself down and go through things in my head, so I'm better able to organize my thoughts. I'm also open to impromptu meetings at work. I'm conveying my thoughts easier and I feel more confident.

The biggest benefit for me has been a more positive outlook about going to work every day. Some people from our Dallas office will be visiting soon and I know that I will be presenting for them. I know at the meeting I'll be prepared and I won't worry about it. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to work on public speaking. The coaching is really important and reinforces what I'm learning. I'm confident that I have the resources I need to be successful.

Phobia: Dina

Dina Gutierrez (Bathroom)
Associate Project Manager
Austin, TX

I've suffered from a nagging anxiety revolving around an urgency to go to the bathroom for the last ten years. In the beginning, I thought that I might have a medical problem. I investigated all the medical aspects of the issue that I thought might be the cause and couldn't find an answer. It turned out that my mind was controlling me. As a result of the anxiety, I wasn't very active or social. About half the time, when I was invited out I went, but I needed to be in complete control of the situation. I had to be somewhere that I felt safe and I had to drive myself so that I knew that I could leave at any time in case I started to feel uncomfortable.

I started to do a lot of things by myself and put up boundaries with other people. I was trying to control everything which made me feel more out of control. I isolated myself because if I couldn't control it, I wouldn't do it. It was very dark, negative and lonely for me. I didn't meet new people and I wasn't able to be a good friend in the relationships that I had. I wasn't there for anybody but myself. Traveling was difficult; I felt even more anxious and over thought a lot of things. Isolating myself didn't give me any kind of self image or self confidence and made me feel depressed. I've done regular therapy and it helped me deal with other general stresses, but it didn't do much with this specific issue. I decided there was still something that I needed to do to take care of it.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis from my stepmother's friend and decided to make an appointment. I was noticing results after the first session. My thought process changed and I was thinking more positively. I was playing the CD over in my head without having to listen to it and I found myself spontaneously thinking of positive messages from my session.

I feel like I don't need to be in control now and it's allowing me to open up and go with the flow of things. I don't get overanxious and I know that I can't control every situation, but I'm still putting myself out there. I'm open to new experiences and I feel more confident. Being able to talk to other people and put myself out there gives me more confidence because I know that I feel comfortable.

The most important benefit that I've received from hypnosis is developing a better self image. I'm going out to dinner with friends, exercising with other people, going out for drinks, and taking part in social activities because I'm not thinking anxious thoughts anymore.

I would recommend A New Hypnosis because I have something to fall back on and a reminder of all the positive things. I have a greater sense of control of my mind and I can change my outlook on things. My problem might seem minute to other people, but to me it was my whole life. To most people, the urgency to go to the bathroom isn't something to dwell upon, but it played a major part in my life. I'm confident that I have the tools to continue this new thought process and to strengthen it. I know that there are options out there and it is possible to overcome my limitations.

Phobia: Amy

Amy S. (Public Speaking)
Austin, TX

I've had problems with shyness and fear of public speaking for the last thirty years. Whether it was a social or professional situation, I wasn't able to feel comfortable just being me. The issues were affecting my work because I regularly have to speak in public for my job. I have to be in a leadership role and take charge of projects. If I'm scared or anxious all the time, it makes things really hard. When I had to speak publicly, I would get really nervous about it and obsess over it for weeks. Every time I thought about it, I felt physically anxious and I always lost sleep. I knew there was a part of me that really wanted to do it, but a bigger part of me dreaded these experiences, so I was constantly fighting with myself. My heart rate would shoot up and I couldn't speak without my voice shaking; I was tied to the podium and couldn't move. My thoughts and physical reactions to these situations made me feel really out of control.

I tried reading self-help books, doing psychotherapy, yoga, meditation, talking to friends, basically anything that I could think of to take care of the problem. Some things helped, with cognitive behavioral therapy I reached a plateau, but moved away and left my therapist. When I tried to do things on my own I was limited subconsciously. When I read self-help books, it made sense to me, but it was still just a conversation with myself. My friends were biased and sometimes you just need an impartial outside source.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis when I was doing a search on yahoo. I found out that I was a good candidate for hypnosis after going through the questionnaire, so I decided to schedule an appointment. I started noticing results right away. I was thinking about things in a different way and instead of obsessing, I told myself a more positive story. I feel more in control now and I'm not losing sleep over things anymore. I've had two or three big occasions presenting in front of other people and I didn't obsess over them. It was really cool being able to think about a future activity and feeling fine about it. I feel more relaxed and I can move around during a speech or presentation.

This process has been a lot easier than anything that I've tried before. It appeals to my logical side and somehow takes away the baggage. I don't have to fight with myself anymore. If I flub something during a speech, I'm okay with it. I feel more confident because I'm comfortable in my own skin. I find myself talking to people that I don't know and putting myself out there in a way that I never would have before.

The most important benefits that I've received are feeling more comfortable, more confidence, and just being okay with being me. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to work on shyness and public speaking because it works. I'm confident that I'm free of my problem permanently and I've been telling all my friends about it. I feel leaps and bounds from where I was. It was hard to envision myself feeling comfortable giving a speech or being myself in a social situation, but because those things have happened for me now, I have a frame of reference for it. A few weeks ago, I had a meeting out of town and I was a different Amy, now I know what that feels like and it doesn't seem like a far stretch to do it again.

Phobia: Lauren

Lauren Snyder (Back Handspring)
Student
Bastrop, TX

I've had problems with fear of doing a back handspring for the last six months. I had a mental block and I felt like I just couldn't do it. I really needed to get this back handspring because I wanted to try out for cheerleading at school. If I did competitive cheerleading, I needed to get the back handspring out of the way. I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to do it and that made me feel stressed. I knew that if I couldn't overcome this it meant that I probably wouldn't make it onto the school team.

I told myself that I was going to do it right; I would start to run and decide that I wasn't going to do the back handspring, so I would end up falling on my back. I didn't know what was going on with me. I tried putting sticky notes around my house to remind me that I could do it, but it didn't work. My coach told me that I had to get over it and that made me frustrated. I couldn't get my brain to listen to me and I didn't have focus. I was afraid that I would never be good enough to make it in tumbling.

My mom read about A New Day Hypnosis on Citysearch. I had talked with her about going to a hypnotist and I just laughed at it. I thought I would be looking at a swinging watch and thought it would make me dizzy or something. I was so desperate to get over this that I was willing to try anything.

I noticed right away that I was feeling more confident. It's gotten a lot better and I've made a lot of progress. I feel more in control and I'm able to focus better. I'm not doing a sideways back handspring and that's a big relief for me. I feel more confident and a lot more positive about things. I'm like a motivational speaker in class because I tell everyone that they're going to do perfect back handsprings just like me.

The most important thing for me has been the ability to focus my mind. I would recommend A Ne Day Hypnosis to anyone who is a gymnast or cheerleader with this problem because it's really helped me a lot. I feel more confident, I've gotten rid of bad habits, and I sleep better at night. I'm fixing all my problems now and I'm excited because I tried out for cheerleading and made it onto the team! I know that I'll continue to be able to do the back handspring and make more progress to meet my goals.

Phobia: Charity

Charity Bentley (Heights)
Flower Shop Employee
Austin, TX

I've had problems with fear of heights for the last year. I was really afraid of falling and being in high places. I would drive different roads and not do certain things so that I didn't have to drive on overpasses and other elevated areas. I wouldn't go sight seeing if it had anything to do with heights. I couldn't even stand on the second level at a shopping mall. I felt out of control and it was embarrassing. I was self conscious because I couldn't do anything and I'd become very dependent on my fiancÈe to get around. I was freaking out about it a lot and it made my life more stressful and difficult.

Since I've moved to Austin I've noticed that there are a lot of bridges and I found myself taking longer to get places so that I wouldn't have to drive certain routes. I decided that I needed to take care of my problem before it got more out of control, so when I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on yahoo, I decided to make an appointment.

I started to notice that I had less anxiety getting on overpasses and didn't feel as nervous when I was driving with other people. I went on a trip to San Francisco and I'd been really scared because I knew that there were going to be a lot of high places, but it turned out that it wasn't as bad as I had imagined. We drove up some mountains and went over a couple of big bridges and I was able to handle it.

I do whatever I want now. I don't have to wait on my fiancèe or depend on him to take me different places, which gives me a stronger feeling of control. I feel more relaxed and more confident and really feel that I can do anything. I'm not held back anymore. I feel less anxiety and that has made the quality of my life a lot better.

I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who has a fear of heights because it's all about your subconscious and the way that you think. I don't think a lot of people really understand what hypnosis is all about and how it works, but I'm confident that I've seen a lot of progress and that I'll continue to improve.

Phobia: TJ

TJ Diaz (Motorcycle Racing)
Entrepreneur
Austin, TX

I decided to use hypnosis to overcome my fear during motorcycle racing. I've always competed in motor cross, but I've had problems for the last few years. The fear had become so overwhelming that I wasn't having fun anymore and I wasn't motivated to get better. Biking had been my escape from corporate life and when I didn't have a vehicle to do it, things weren't working out for me. I was feeling more negative and less confident.

It had been my salvation on the weekends and I didn't have it anymore. I felt like I couldn't control some specific aspects of my life and that made me feel more stressed. I tried to meditate and do creative visualization to overcome my problem and they didn't really work for me. In my mind it worked out, but when I was in the moment I still choked.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on Citysearch. Laura had a lot of good reviews so I decided to call. I noticed a change after the first day; I immediately noticed that when I was performing sports I progressed much faster than I had in the last three years. It's been easy to have the confidence to commit to something and believe in it. I'm more focused now and I have a different way of looking at things, which makes me feel good.

I feel more committed and less fearful of making other changes in my life. I'm more in control because I'm accomplishing things incrementally and I'm moving forward. Making this change has allowed me to make decisions without over thinking them and taking more risks in my life.

The most important benefit that I've gotten has been relaxation, I've learned to quiet my mind and I'm noticing patterns in my life that I'm much more in tune with. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who has a limitation in their life. Everyone has some issue that they are trying to overcome and they may not know how to tap into the more cerebral aspect of how to accomplish things.

This process allows you to put on a different lens and look at things from the outside in. Hypnosis is one vehicle to allow you to get into that mindset so that you can actually move things further along the way. I'm confident about where I am and my progress. I've achieved a lot more than I thought that I would and I'm on another level now. I have a new foundation that I can stand on firmly and I plan on just going further and further from here.

Phobia: Shannon

Shannon (Public Speaking)
Actor/Writer
Austin, TX

My issues with confidence have been a lifelong challenge. I'm establishing myself as a working actor and wasn't able to pursue my goals. It felt humiliating and overwhelming and it had become painful to pursue challenges. I tried and tried, but it wasn't getting any better. I didn't feel like I had a handle on my emotions in these situations. That made me feel out of control and it was not fun.

I hadn't had any experience with hypnosis and I hadn't known anyone who had used it before, but I wanted to be proactive about overcoming this limitation. I was a little concerned about using hypnosis and wondered about the subconscious; worrying that something might happen while I was in an altered state.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on both Citysearch and yahoo.com. I decided to call because there was a lot of good information on the website and I had read a lot of positive feedback.

After my first session, I noticed results right away. It's been really great to be able to work on it and make progress. Now I have some skills to deal with my nervousness and I'm able to remind myself that I've felt confident before and that I can draw from that. I feel more in control now. I have a lot less fear when auditioning or meeting people in intimidating situations when I perceive the stakes to be high. I feel much more confident now and I just feel equipped to handle all sorts of different situations that might come up and have success with all of my goals.

The most important part of the process for me has been learning how to deal with these kinds of situations and being able to handle them. I'm confident that I'm free of my problem permanently because I've been in several situations that would have been a real problem in the past and I've been able to handle them with a calm demeanor and haven't lost control. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to work on their confidence and overcome anxiety because I've found Laura to be intuitive and insightful and the process has been very helpful for me.