Episode 13: Wednesday 30th July - The Speakmans on ITV 2.00pm weekdays
Bryony is terrified of all dogs. Every day before she leaves the house she’s worried that she’ll bump into a dog. She works full time in a fancy dress shop but is also self employed as a children's entertainer and will refuse work if the family have a dog or if the event is at a park. Bryony gets the train to work every day, she lives a 5-10 minute walk from the train station but she refuses to walk as the route has dog walkers, so her mother drives her there every morning. She won't go to the beach, park or anywhere dogs might be. A dog has never bitten her but she remembers have a nightmare aged four and a dog had attacked her in the dream. Bryony hates living her life in fear and just wants to go outside and feel comfortable.
Can The Speakmans help Bryony overcome her fear of dogs? Will Bryony be able to stroke a dog after her treatment?
Charlotte has been plucking and picking at her body for seven years. Her 11 year old daughter started school around this time and she felt like she had nothing else to do. Charlotte has scarred her entire body and will pick at anything which results in bleeding and scars. Charlotte hates leaving her home as she feels people are looking at her. Charlotte and her fiance Martin have become more like friends and the family rarely have days out as Charlotte hates going out.
Can The Speakmans help Charlotte overcome her addiction to picking her skin?
In this episode we can see the way that when working to overcome a phobia it is always good to be solution focussed. In simple terms that means that starting to focus on what you want rather than what you don't want is an excellent first step. Too often we could find ourselves caught up in the idea of thinking about all the things that we do not want rather than the way we want thing to be. As an example if I was to speak to someone with a fear of dogs and ask them what they wanted they may often reply "I don't want to be scared of being around a dog any more" This is of course what they DO NOT want and not what they want! If you were to say.."I want to be able to walk in the park and enjoy the green grass and sunshine" then that would be starting to turn around what it is that you really want.
It was interesting to see that the Speakmans showed her photographs of dogs and she was not bothered. They stated to her that when they do this normally most people are scared of the photos. It does make me wonder if they would be better chosing someone who they thought had a more typical phobia then?!
In common with most Clinical Hypnotherapist I would not spend my time showing a client pictures of something they are scared of as a first way to deal with a phobia. Rest assured that when you arrange to get help for a fear of phobia then you will not have to be subjected to this rather old fashioned desensitisation method.
If you are looking for help with anxiety and stress, a fear or phobia or any other problem the there is a great deal of free advice and support here including FREE MP3 downloads for relaxation and "How to Stop a panic attack".
Some advice on chosing a therapist...
If you are looking for a therapist to help you with any issue then do make enquiries and ask two ot three people about how they will help you. One of the most important things is picking the right person for you. This can give you confidence before you even begin, and the right therapist can guide you to exactly where you would like to be. With the correct support for you it will be so much easier than you ever imagined to move forward. You can let go of worries, stress and anxiety and bad habits with help. You never need to do it alonse.
You can email me on [email protected] or call me on 07980 233160 if you would like any help or advice.
Asking for help can be very difficult, and once you have done that things can already start to get easier for you.
