★
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Paul..( performance anxiety, fear of public speaking)
Public speaking - I came to Pippa sceptically at my final straw wanting support on public speaking, as my role requires regular media appointments and public engagement and I was really not coping.
Having sat with Pippa and outlined my absolute dread every time I was asked to talk she taught me how to reprogram my anxiety, oozing me with confidence in my ability, and now I'm engaged in local and national media once a week and without compromising my ability it's simply another task!
Rugby - I've always enjoyed playing sports, however, in the past year the standard of rugby has increased, as a result before a game the pressure of the game was causing me to doubt my abilities impacting on my performance.
Having sat with Pippa and conducted BWRT she reassured me I'd see a difference... it took me 4 games and Pippa to ask how Rugby is going to realise I now don't even think about the pressure before a game - mind blowingly effective!
Pippa/ The experience - I've been a client of Pippa's for a year and have not once been put to sleep! Being a trained and qualified counsellor I am always interested in exploring new approaches to my own personal development. Pippa's empathic approach allows me to reprogram and focus on my future development as oppose to focussing on the past, which allows a much more clear and positive clarity in all that I do!
D.D ( anxiety)...I found Pippa in a time of great stress and anxiety. Through her practical and calming approach, she was able to help me process the feelings I was experiencing and help me build mechanisms to deal with these feelings in the future.
It only took a couple of sessions with Pippa to help me get back to the feeling of strength and stability in my everyday life.
I continue to use the relaxation tapes that Pippa gave me after our sessions, and I am comforted by the fact she is just a phonecall away, if I ever find myself in a similar situation again.
Megan ( due to medical problems had very low self esteem/anxiety making condition worsen)…… "I had to text you this weekend to say that it really has worked! I've felt much more confident and happy to tell people about it all ….Yes when i listen to the cd it does help me feel a lot more relaxed. Thank you so much, you have helped me loads! :) "
Sue (severe panic attacks affecting her job) …. "Hi Pippa just wanted to let you know, back at work , a bit nervous but NO panic attack. I'm delighted!!! Thank you so much S"
Alison ( needle phobia) ….. "Wow why didn't I come years ago, it is like magic! thank you!!"
Pat ( long standing depression, ocd and anxiety) ….."I hadn't considered trying hypnotherapy because of past misconceptions but sessions helped my anxiety triggers more than anything else I'd tried (and I'd tried pretty much everything over the years). I now see hypnotherapy more like a relaxed talking therapy for my brain processes which certainly works for me."
N.M ( IBS)...."Before, visiting Pippa I was experiencing a high amount of stress and anxiety from the impacts of being a sufferer of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. After, a whole year of using a variety of medication, prescribed by my local GP, & following extensively the advice from the Gastrologist and Dietician, I found that nothing really helped reduce the intensity and frequency of my IBS symptoms. Which negatively impacted my life by causing an enormous amount of stress and anxiety. This however, dramatically changed when I met Pippa. With her non-judgemental and friendly attitude, it was very easy to discuss openly and allow Pippa into my deepest and troublesome thoughts. After, just three sessions with Pippa the frequency and intensity of my stress and anxiety rapidly diminished, which impacted positively on my IBS symptoms. If I knew about Pippa's amazing therapy a year ago, it would have saved myself from all the gruelling side effects from the prescribed medication and the stress and anxiety that came with the hope that each new medication would work."
V.M (fear of flying) ....If you, like me, fear flying, then there are plenty of ways of getting round it. The Euro train is a boon. And, well, there are always those rainy holidays in the UK to treasure.
And that's how I managed. For a long, long time. Until I got offered the chance to go to China. For three weeks. To visit my son. To travel around with my other son and his girlfriend. And, I'd always, always , always wanted to go to China.
Having investigated the Trans Siberian train, cadging lifts in lorries and cycling, I reluctantly came to the conclusion that now, at the age of ****!!, I needed to confront my problem. Psychotherapy offered a route forwards. And that's where Pippa came in.
There are a lot of Psychotherapists around, believe it or not. But how to choose? I looked only for professionals registered with the GHR and on the Hypnotherapy directory. That seemed to be an important badge of authenticity.
Pippa's stood out. It had been put together thoughtfully and helpfully. That was important. It indicated that here was someone who had an eye for detail and was prepared to dedicate time to their calling. I contacted a couple via email and again, Pippa got back to me straightaway. Another useful indicator. Here was someone who cared.
I didn't know what to expect when I went to see Pippa. I felt rather nervous. Was I going to have to discuss the Electra issues arising for my love of Richard the Panda when I was two? Visions of Carry On Spying, where each Carry On hopeless was hilariously hypnotised, played back in my mind. Where would the session be? In Pippa's kitchen? On her sofa? I had no idea. Pippa didn't sound like an Viennese name...but, again, who was she?
I was relieved to meet an upbeat, empathetic and highly professional person who has her own consulting rooms in a dedicated building, well away from any kitchens, fitted or not. My session went by very quickly and I was not asked to do anything remotely strange. At the end of the session I felt relaxed and upbeat myself especially as there was no attempt to lure me into other appointments and treatments.
Pippa did give me a few mental exercises to do before my immense journey to China. That made sense and I did them, but not in an anxious state and not in any obsessive manner. And I'm glad, because they helped me to feel that I was preparing myself as best I could.
And how did it all end? Did I sit and scream all the way to China and back again? Did I make a bolt for the door or try to squeeze through the window?
I had great time. Two eight hour flights to China saw me touchdown and leave in a calm and confident manner just like all the other international jet setting passengers ( Yes, I really did feel like that). I had overcome the Air India food, grumpy cabin crew, broken in flight entertainment monitors and turbulence from Delhi to Shanghai with ease. Later, just to test myself, I flew from Shanghai to Chengdu on an internal flight which skirted the mountain ranges in an earthquake zone and flew from Beijing to Nanjing sitting next to a man who was shaving and wanted to stand up and run about when he shouldn't have been. Pippa's pretty good, I thought as I strode casually down the rickety steps at Nanjing Airport.
And Pippa needed to have been good. Because I flew home alone. Son number one and girlfriend had a wedding to attend. Son number two had to conclude his business in China.
Pippa needed to have been good because the plane was grounded amidst a monsoon on the tarmac in Shanghai. For hours . And when we eventually did get up into the air, I had to make the journey knowing that despite healthy connection times, I had missed my connection in Dubai, the world's busiest passenger airport. I had no money. No phone( I had dropped it and broken it in China). No email access. I had no idea how to re-book onto the next flight, having never really flown before .
I have to confess. I was slightly stressed sitting on the tarmac in a storm in China, alone, with no onward flight and no idea how to tell my family in the UK not to come and meet me as I would be arriving a day late. But everyone else on the plane was also worried. Being a little stressed was a normal reaction. And when I realised that, I knew that taking a risk, feeling a bit silly and going to receive coping strategies from a Psychotherapist such as Pippa, had been an excellent and very rational thing to do.