Career highlight
I've had so many amazing experiences with clients, but one experience stands out as memeorable. About 8 years ago, just 3 months after receiving my certification as a Bodyworker and hypnotherapist, I was working with a client on some anxiety and anger issues. She was so amazed by how powerful hypnosis was in dealing with her problem that she asked if perhaps I could help her husband. He had been diagnosed with a rare neurological degenerative disease similar to ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was told that it was incurable and that there was no drug or treatment available. He had been steadily deteriorating for 12 years and he was not expected to survive much longer. He was confined to a wheelchair and had little control over his face. He could no longer speak, was only able to mumble garbled sounds and he drooled constantly. He suffered from tics, and often got locked into repetitive movements. Additionally, he had trouble sleeping and had no motivation to do his physical therapy, virtually his only treatment.
Her hope was that I could possibly help with the repetitive movements as those were the most alarming symptom. If he was at the dinner table and accidentally hit the table with his knife, he would repeat the motion again and again, faster and harder and she couldn’t stop it. At first, I didn’t think this was something I could deal with but I ran it by my hypnosis teacher and she encouraged me to work with him, noting that hypnosis had already been used successfully to eliminate tremors in Parkinson’s patients. And of course, it certainly wasn’t going to hurt him.
They couldn’t travel to me so I drove the 2 ½ hours to them. Though unable to speak, I was able to get him into a deep trance state. After a 45 minute first session, I was able to eliminate the tremors and repetitive movements and get him to sleep more soundly. A week later, we did a second session. As I brought him out of trance I asked him how he felt and he clearly replied, “I feel good”. His wife pulled me aside and said, “I think I’m imagining things, I thought he just spoke!” I assured her that he had indeed and as we were talking, he got out of his wheelchair and walked over to us! Her jaw nearly hit the floor. After an additional few sessions, it was hard to tell he was unwell at all. Soon, he was back to hiking, gardening, walking the dog. Now, nearly 8 years later, I recently spoke to his wife and she told me he had just gone for a checkup and the doctor had told her his vital signs were perfect, he wished he was as healthy.
I have since successfully worked with clients with Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, MS, Parkinson's, Tinnitus, and others, as well as supporting clients with Cancer, managing symptoms and anxiety/fear.