Raj Sahota
Raj said ‘I was petrified of dogs even the small ones. If a dog was to pass me or be near me I would go into a state of panic and felt i couldn’t breathe. I was made aware that my fear is what attracted dogs to move closer to me made me even more scared. It was awful and along with my fear of being in a swimming pool. If water was to reach my arms and shoulders again I would be in panic and would need to get out of the water immediately. This fear of both took the joy of not being able to enjoy time with the children doing normal family activities like going for walks in the park or swimming together.
Meeting David was a unforgettable experience and a very interesting one too. I found I dictated the session and David was very accommodating in how I wanted the treatment to be in the two hours we had.
I began by telling David how my life as a teenager was difficult with my parents and I had felt abandoned as they had refused to be a part of my life due to traditional Indian beliefs. This had led me to have feelings of guilt which I carried with me and David picked up on these. Talking about myself I realised I had come a long way and looking at developmental therapy was a positive move. All this underlying fear and anxiety I had felt was connected to my fear of dogs and swimming pools. I realised I had to let go of this guilt and burden I carried for the last 17 years. ‘
I remember the word David said. “they just don’t care enough or they would get in touch….”
‘Obviously my beautiful children always come first and I would love to have the perfect family around them to support them but that’s just not always possible, I have lived with a fear instilled into me from a young age and this is something I would not want my children to experience. Acceptance of this has helped me to start moving forward with my future and not to live in the past. The fact I have had this treatment for the fear of dogs and swimming pools was a feat in itself, now I have the capacity to reduce this anxiety I feel fantastic and ready to tackle anything. The CBT and Nlp helped the Hypnotherapy plant the seeds and whilst in the trance like state I lost some time and my body felt heavy to the point where I couldn’t move it. There was some music and David’s words flowed through my mind. When I came out of the trance I felt different….lighter would be the best way to describe it and I remember David’s words of how I controlled the fear.’