Frequently Asked Questions
It's understandable for clients to want to check out a service before deciding to book in for a session so here are some of the common questions clients ask the best way to satisfy yourself that you have made a great decision is to e-mail and have a conversation.
Will I Have To Face My Phobia?
The simple answer is NO!
I do not agreee or support the use of flooding or exposure therapy - the theory is by having someone face their phobia and subjecting them to it in stages it will begin to reduce. This approach is old and outdated and was one of the few approaches to dealing with a phobia before other more effective ways were discovered.
I have seen the damage flooding and exposure therapy has caused many people and have had to treat dozens of clients whose conditions were made worse by someone thinking facing a fear was the solution.
Let me explain why - If you had a broken leg from falling down the stairs would it get any better by repeatedly throwing yourself down the stairs again and reliving a fearful and painful experience, or partially falling in the vain attempt to get used to it? No! In the same way repeated exposure to the phobia often simply makes the person feel worse.
Whenever I do TV work they always want to film before and after the work is done, it makes for great TV. The before shot means the person has to face their fears and it makes for a good TV moment seeing someone is in abject fear. As much as I object to making anyone fearful without the first shot the after shot wouldn’t make any sense or good viewing would it? When we have done the work and there is no fear any then will the client be introduced to the situation, event, animal they were fearful of before we did the work - this is what the TV people call the “money shot” the one where people go “wow!”.
So breathe easily and rest assured that only when we have done the work and there is no fear related to the situation or event you were phobic of will you be able and asked to test the work at your own pace in a safe and supportive mindset, by that time were will be no fear. Leaving you to live your life phobia free - makes sense
Will It Work For Me?
Probably is the honest answer.
This may not be the 100% guarantee of results you want to hear but anyone saying they have a 100% track record of success is either being dishonest or they haven’t seen that many clients.
I know of NO leading expert who would ever claim that what they do worked for everyone every-time. However that doesn't mean that what we do won't work for you it probably will. There are no miracle cures, one size fits all solution that works for everyone all the time. If there was I would have heard about it and would be using it with every client.
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So I can’t say what may be possible for you until I know more about your phobia and your circumstances. But I can tell you having treated nearly 10000 people and almost every type of phobia you can imagine whatever you are experiencing won't be new or unfixable.
All you have to do is to attend your sessions or read the book with an open mind, be willing to follow the simple instructions and be willing to be pleasantly surprised. Do this and you will probably be successful, what I do guarantee is I will put everything into working to help you achieve your goals during your sessions.
I Don't Know How My Phobia Began Will This Affect My Outcome?
Whether you can remember how you got your phobia or not is never an issue, nor is whether you’ve had it all your life or if it’s something that’s developed more recently. Some people have a clear recollection of the original trigger event or situations which caused their phobias, for other it seemed to creep up on them.
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At some level ( I will call this the unconscious level ) you do know the causes and reasons why you are experiencing a phobic response and that's all that matters because throughout your sessions we will be retraining / re-educating / reprogramming (call it what you prefer) using a wide range of approaches to communicate to that part of your unconscious mind thats causing the phobia to turn down the fear response so you can remain calm, centred and grounded and feel in control.
What If I Can't Be Hypnotised, Or I Have Seen Another Hypnotherapist And It Didn't Work?
This is a common question especially for people who have seen other hypnotherapists, NLP'ers or coaches.
The solution to dealing with a phobia is rarely just down to do a hypnosis session or two. Think of hypnosis as a state of mind during which we can communicate with the part of your mind (your unconscious) which is doing the phobia response . It is an unconscious mindset which has a positive intention which is to protect you, but it’s simply over doing it’s job. Imagine a car alarm which is designed to protect the car but has become hyper sensitive and keeps going off far too loud and far too often - it will become a nuisance. What we will do with a series of thought exercises (another way I use to describe hypnosis ) is re-set the alarm.
In nearly 2 decades I have NEVER met anyone who isn’t able to imagine and I have NEVER met anyone who isn’t a good hypnotic subject. And that includes the 1000’s of people I have worked with on workshops and seminars. What they experience may seem and feel very different to what they expect when in a hypnotic state of mind, which is why some say “I’m not sure I was hypnotised” it's not that they weren’t it's just different to what they expected it to be like.
Another useful way to think of hypnotic trances is to realise you go in and out of them everyday, they are natural , ever day dreamed - you were in a trance, ever driven from A to B without really focussing on what you were doing - you were in a trance, ever read a book or watched a film and suspended reality for a while - you were in a trance.
Before your session you will be asked to listen to a pleasant relaxing meditation, simply so you can get used to hearing my voice before we meet.
All you need do is come along to your living phobia free session with an open mind, have a total disregard for what hasn’t worked in the past and be willing to experiment.
I Have Tried NLP / CBT / Mindfulness / Hypnosis / Tapping / Havening etc.etc.
And It Wasn't Successful - What Will You Do Differently?
As I have said before it’s rarely one thing works for everyone approach which is successful; and it’s not that you were difficult or that things didn’t work it’s often the wrong approach was used.
Plus I don’t count myself as being the average coach, there is a world of difference between working with someone who has mastered their craft training with and working alongside most of the best in the world. I don’t say this from a place of ego I say this because I have devoted myself to mastering all the disciplines I use. If you want the best results, work with someone who has trained and worked with the best in the world.
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I have lost track of how many people attend their living phobia free sessions keen to tell me who they have seen and what hasn’t worked - some even know all about the techniques that were used and come in almost proud of being resistant - some even turn up thinking they will be a challenge. They aren’t!
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The attitude I have with clients is that taught by my mentor Dr. Richard Bandler (co-creator of NLP) which is "my clients will change or one of us will die trying and it won't be me!” Now although that’s a joke and no one has died we will both be working together with relentless simplicity so that it will be almost impossible to experience your phobia by the time we are done.
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Be assured that If you have tried other therapists, clinics or even group courses, my approach is totally unique and each session is specific to you my client, as I’ve said before there is no magic bullet solution but there is a method which I use to literally collapse the phobia so the behaviour is difficult and in most cases impossible to run.
So if you have seen others I congratulate you on being persistent now all you need do is attend your sessions with a great attitude such as “let’s smash this - this time” have an open mind, be willing to follow the instructions and be willing to be pleasantly surprised.
I Have Multiple Phobias How Many Sessions Do I Need To Book?
Call and discuss with me what you are experiencing and when I know what's going on I will be better able to answer this question, however I will still recommend all clients to book in for the Living Phobia Free programme of 1 x 2 Hour session. This is successful for most people with simple phobias ( related to one event or situation) and can also be effective for multiple or complex phobias.
What happens is when someone learns to be phobic of one event, situation, or thing the unconscious mind generalises to other events, situations, or things which it perceives as being related. Think of the original phobia as a weed and the other phobias are offshoots. We don’t need to deadhead each and every phobia; the way to deal with multiple phobias is to kill the weed off at the roots. As a person overcomes one phobia the brain and unconscious mind learn to also change the others.
I have had many clients who came in with one phobia and for whatever reasons didn’t want to discuss the others who found that the work we did changed all of them.
I suggest if you schedule for the Living Phobia Free programme you budget for an additional session but we can discuss this at the end of the first programme of sessions.
You Seem A Little Bit More Expensive To Other Local Therapists I Have Found On The Internet.
I’m sure you will agree that in life you get what you pay for. Although my rates may be slightly higher then the average therapist / coach / hypnotherapist you aren’t working with an average therapist and I dont say that from a place of ego just check out the testimonials and see for yourself what others say. For phobia work I have maintained the same rates for nearly 20 years to make the breakthrough programme accessible and affordable to as many people as possible. Therapy rates are a fraction of corporate and coaching rates.
Remember you are paying for experience that has costs 10’s of thousands of pounds and nearly 20,000 training and coaching hours - that is priceless.
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If costs are a real issue then read my book "Living Phobia Free" and take yourself through the stories, exercises and you will be working through all the things we would do if you were having a private session.
I have lost track of the handful of clients who decided to shop around and the few who chose to see someone else because they would save money most came back later wishing they had been willing to invest in themselves properly from the beginning.
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When you have your initial conversation please have your diary to hand to book in after the call, if we believe working with you is a suitable fit - people who say on the call I'm checking out someone who is cheaper have the wrong attitude and please be advised we will probably decline to work with you if a cheap service is your only concern - it's a defeatist attitude from the start.
And remember that attitude is important, you need to commit to having an open mind, being fully committed and being willing to follow instructions. Let's Talk
What Happens Before, During And After My Sessions?
I will never share the details of a session with a client before we meet as the actual process will vary for every client. Plus you knowing what we will do is irrelevant as you are no expert in treating a phobia are you? Nor are you trained in or an expert in any of the interventions I will be using - so explaining what will happen is of no consequence - all you need to do is attend with an open mind and be willing to experiment.
Booking your session is simple and I take ALL clients through the same procedure without exceptions.
Firstly we need to talk - email us your enquiry and I will arrange a time to talk. I aim to respond to all enquiries within the day and as I am often working with clients it will be my colleague Roberto you speak to initially. Roberto is experienced and has worked with me for many years and is able to answer any questions you have and determine whether we will be working together. When Roberto is satisfied we can work together he will arrange the dates and times of your 1 x 2 Hour session.
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You then go to the Booking Page on this website and make payment, agreed dates and times are held for 24 hours and then released so please make payment to secure your times
Secondly we will confirm the details and send you:
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A consent form for you to print out and bring along with you to your first session.
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A link to hypnotic meditation which you can listen to for FREE before your first session.
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A zoom link for your programme.
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Finally attend your session having listened to the recording at least once and bring your consent form along with you.
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After the session you will be able to test the work we have done at your own convenience knowing that you will no longer be fearful.