021990049
rebecca@shinehypnosis.co.nz

Working with a Hypnotherapist

Vanessa Davey, CEO and founder of Venus Network, explains how working through a phobia helped her experience more freedom and stress relief

by Vanessa Davey, CEO Venus Network, as featured in the Venus Magazine, Winter 2014

Before working with Rebecca ~ the problem

An incident when I was eleven years old left me with a phobia of staying home alone overnight. My 15 year old sister and I were home alone one evening when I heard a noise outside our lounge window. Not thinking what I’d actually see if I looked, I went and checked out what the noise was. As I opened the curtains I saw a prowler running away from the deck, and the chair that he had been sitting in watching us had been pulled up to the window and was rocking from his swift departure.

 

In that moment I made a very unconscious decision to not stay home alone, again, ever. At 39 years old it had finally become rather inconvenient to feel this way. No matter how many coaching conversations I had, I couldn’t seem to get to the heart of the matter. My husband was spending more nights away tramping as he’d recently picked up this new sport. I now needed to overcome this so I could enjoy my time home alone and not dread it.

Working with Rebecca - the experience

It was around this time that I was having a RAVE (one-on-one meeting) with Rebecca and she talked about phobias and how we just live with some of them thinking the fear is normal. In that moment I clicked that the petrified 9/10 crazy-scared feeling that comes over me staying home alone, isn’t actually normal and there might be a way to overcome this phobia.

 

I hadn’t fully appreciated the extraordinary work hypnotherapists do to help people experience more freedom in their lives. The subconscious mind (where phobias are created and exist) has powerful programming built in to protect us yet thankfully it has made allowances to unlearn these old fears. This is the work I did with Rebecca. I have had three sessions, which she recommends as the foundation to overcome a phobia. They were held at her home office in the North Shore. I felt completely safe, comfortable and taken care of during my 90 minute sessions.

What has become Possible Now - the benefits and results

I’m thrilled to share that my fear of staying home alone is now at a 2/10 and is dependent on the level of stress in my life at the time. I am so grateful to Rebecca for helping me with this phobia.

 

What I also received that I wasn’t expecting, was help with my stress levels. I experienced such deep calm and relaxation from each of the three sessions. I also have introduced a new habit of listening to a 25 minute relaxation audio that she gave me. At least three times a week I listen to this guided relaxation audio just before sleeping. This has helped me feel happier, calmer and more relaxed as I go about building Venus Network with my team.

 

A lot of hypnotherapy is about accessing positive and resourceful states to help you be more healthy, happy and successful. I will be continuing my work with Rebecca to support my mind and body to operate from a relaxed, stress-free space, as I know it has a dramatic impact on the quality of my life and the success of my business.