A client came to me feeling extremely apprehensive about a major operation to his head.  We worked together to get the anxiety under control, and he wrote the following note to me a few days after the operation:

‘Dear Hazel,

I just wanted to say a massive thank you!! 

I have no doubt that the time we spent together had a huge impact on my state of mind running up to, and on the day of, my operation. It went ahead on Monday just gone, it was 12 hours, had no complications, and was successful. 

The team at Bristol are amazing, and supremely happy with my rate of recovery, they say I’m well ahead of where I should be, so much so I came home yesterday.  A big hug to you!’

“Out of all the therapists over the years, you are the only one where I come out smiling.

You’ve taught me to look forwards instead of backwards. You have opened gateways. It was the best decision I ever made, to come and see you”.

I am desperate to share something with you: Last night I spotted a beast of a spider tucked in the corner of my bedroom. I was calm. I went to have a look at it. I even took a photo. I then decided to leave it and went downstairs to give it a chance to wander off. It didn’t. I got into bed, put on your relaxation CD and went to sleep. I was nervous, I was sweating like a pig, but I didn’t cry, I wasn’t hysterical. And I just kept telling myself I was OK. And I was.
This morning I cannot see it, I am a bit wary of being taken by surprise, but I am also aware that it may have wandered off and I won’t see it again. I feel this is a MASSIVE achievement!

‘Very many thanks Hazel, for your support helping me quit smoking after 30 years.  After 5 weeks I still have not had any real cravings for tobacco.  Fantastic job.’

‘Hazel has been a great help to me at a time when I was finding it difficult to relax and sleep. I found her weekly sessions so helpful, as well as having her CD, also the way she explained how the brain works.’

‘I started seeing Hazel because I was suffering with anxiety, panic attacks & other associated symptoms & I didn’t want to turn to anti-depressants. I felt very low, tearful, lacking in confidence & was not enjoying life anymore. Over a 12 week period with Hazel that all changed, she explained the workings of the brain so you had a clearer understanding of anxiety. Hazel teaches you coping skills & she has many helpful suggestions up her sleeve to turn your negative thoughts into positive ones. The sessions don’t involve talking about your past, it focuses on the future & what you want out of the life. The trance sessions always left me feeling refreshed with an optimistic view for my future well being. Thanks to Hazel’s support & words of encouragement I am much happier, more confident & enjoying life again. My head is free of worry & negative thoughts but if it ever returns I would have no hesitation in seeing Hazel again.’

‘I live in Stroud and work in London. On a Monday morning I would grab whatever I remembered I needed, stuff things in a bag, cycle down to the station like a maniac, usually catching the train by the skin of my teeth and sometimes missing it. Then I’d arrive in London without something or other that I really needed. Then I’d get stressed phone calls from my partner at home saying ‘I wanted to put x on your desk but couldn’t because there is no space. When I tried about twenty things slid off onto the floor’. Madness. And exhausting. I don’t do that anymore. I had tried repeatedly to get out of this counter-productive pattern of disorganization and lateness that was impacting on my home and work life. It was only when I started working with Hazel that I found the tools to do so. And to do so for good. Hazel talks about ‘helicoptering up’ and getting a vantage point on the situation. She gives great helicopter rides.’

‘When I first went to Hazel, I was in, what I thought to be a no win situation. I was anxious, off sick from a job I hated and I couldn’t see a way out. I couldn’t sleep; my relationship and physical health were suffering – I felt helpless. For 12 years I had been on medication for anxiety and depression. Over the years I learned everything I could about what I was experiencing but I had reluctantly accepted that depression was something I’d always have to live with.

After sessions with Hazel, I realized that I had a choice and I didn’t have to feel that low or anxious again. Solution focused hypnotherapy is exactly that, you do not focus on the negatives in your life, rather the positives and the solutions. Hypnotherapy is not done to you but with you. The sessions are positive, being in trance is pleasurable and you increase your understand of what you want and how to achieve it.

Making that first step to meet Hazel was terrifying at the time but the sessions have helped me to turn my life around. I have increased my self-confidence, reduced the amount of time spent worrying, I am not on any medication anymore and my sleep has improved massively. I was able to take control of my life and I now have a new job which I love, am looking forward to getting married, and starting a family next year.

I have also started working on losing weight and have lost one and a half stone already. Five months ago, I never believed that I could feel like this. I wish everyone knew about solution focused hypnotherapy!’

‘I came to Hazel at a time where I really felt I was lacking in confidence after a series of nasty run-ins with a co-worker left me feeling uncomfortable and anxious at work.   I always felt my emotions were never far from the surface – while everyone else had moved on from the situation at work, I never felt like I had truly put the experience behind me. Hazel really helped me to process my unresolved feelings and emotions, so now when I think about it I no longer feel like I am re-living what happened. I feel more confident, relaxed and much, much happier after seeing Hazel, and am incredibly grateful for the help she has given me’

‘I had been a smoker for over twenty six years. I thought I would never be able to give up after numerous failed attempts, using conventional methods. After just one session of hypnotherapy I have not smoked for nine months. Amazing! I would highly recommend hypnotherapy with Hazel to any smoker trying to give up.’

‘Like myself, you will only meet Hazel because you have life difficulties, things that you cannot make sense of, that put you apart from others. However ‘off the moon’ you first feel, hang in there. You will end up on terms with yourself, and ahead of others, who do not know, or understand, the mechanics of our heads.’

‘I went to see Hazel as a last resort to resolving chronic generalized anxiety disorder. I had spent hundreds of pounds on various therapies in a bid to cure the isolating anxious behavioural pattern I had adopted, none of which worked and I felt hopeless, at an all-time low. Hazel and I didn’t really discuss the anxious thoughts I often had, but focused on the positive aspects of my life. Even after my initial trance session I was astonished at the improvements I noticed. What amazed me more was how sub-conscious these changes were. I felt calmer, more relaxed and in control of my life. With every session that passed, I saw bigger improvements. Hazel really has changed my life and I will be eternally grateful for this.’