Surviving to Thriving: Using hypnotherapy to develop positive thinking and overcome anxiety, addictions, trauma and more

By Anne Goodall

Are you tired of not living your best life?

Is anxiety, past trauma, depression or addiction weighing you down?

Despite working on these issues, are they unresolved, leaving you unsure how to live life to your full potential?

Surviving to Thriving is

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anne Goodall
• Release date: Dec 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9780645197075

Book preview

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Using hypnotherapy to develop positive thinking and overcome addictions, anxiety, trauma and more.

agoodall-thriving-titlepage

Text ©Anne Goodall 2021

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process, or in the form of a photographic recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or otherwise be copied for public or private use, other than for ‘fair use’ as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews, without prior written permission of the publisher.

The information given in this book should not be treated as a substitute for professional medical advice; always consult a medical practitioner. Any use of information in this book is at the reader’s discretion and risk. Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any loss, claim or damage arising out of the use, or misuse, of the suggestions made, the failure to take medical advice or for any material on third party websites.

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978-0-6451970-6-8

Contents

Introduction: Note to the Reader

A Moment of Terror

Anxiety

Depression

Panic Attacks

Suicidal Thoughts and Tendencies

Binge Eating

Weight Loss

Fertility

Postnatal distress

Fibromyalgia

Public Speaking

Alcohol

Gambling

Personal Development

FAQ: What Is Hypnotherapy?

Final Thoughts

About the Author

Acknowledgements

References

Surviving to

Thriving

Introduction

Note to the Reader

Tired of just surviving? Perhaps struggling, maybe with anxiety, depression or some form of addiction, for a while now? Or maybe it’s someone you love, and you simply wish you could find them the help and solutions you believe they need. Possibly you have tried many other forms of therapy but ended up in the same place. The truth is you have tried to change, you want to change, but real, sustainable change has alluded you. Here you are, living your life, not feeling your best, not achieving your goals and not on top of your game. Maybe life isn’t that bad, but it’s not that good either, and consequently, somehow or other, you have found yourself with this book in your hands, ready to explore a new way of thinking. Why bother? As we all know, if you keep doing the same things in life, you will keep getting the same results. Are you ready for your results to change?

My name is Anne Goodall. I am a clinical hypnotherapist specialising in anxiety, eating issues and some addictions. I didn’t plan to become a hypnotherapist and in fact, possibly like you, my original image of hypnosis involved people on stage making a fool of themselves. Clinical hypnotherapy is quite different, and my treatment protocols are combined with strategic psychotherapy, which specifically targets not just what you think but also how you think. My clinical training came about, having experienced many years of what I used to call having anxiety. I have since learnt that we don’t have anxiety; we do anxiety, and, as you will shortly discover, I wasted years of my life sometimes being overtaken with anxiety and other times being OK—surviving but not thriving. I tried, possibly like you, so many different forms of healing, but it was only when I discovered hypnosis that I managed to get out of the quicksand. That was many years ago; today, after helping hundreds of people to heal their lives, I would like to share with you what I have learnt.

***

Do you believe life is totally random and we don’t have any power to determine the future? Or do you think there are no coincidences in life, that you are meant to find this book, read at least the relevant sections, and then go and make the change you are looking for?

Either way, this book can be of benefit, regardless of which side of the fence you are currently sitting on. If you believe that you are powerless over your future, you may benefit from reading some of the true-life stories about how others thought, before they learnt to change their thinking. If, on the other hand, you believe that things are meant to happen, that we ultimately find what we are looking for, even when we sometimes don’t know what that is. Then you are meant to explore these chapters and possibly find what you are looking for.

I have chosen to address a diverse range of topics from anxiety, depression, addictions and personal development, to mention but a few. I have taken this approach because traditionally many people associate hypnosis with quitting smoking or perhaps losing weight, and yes, it is very useful for these problems. However, most people don’t realise that clinical psychotherapy/hypnosis can be highly effective in healing many conditions—including anxiety, depression, binge eating, panic attacks and fear of public speaking. What’s more, this treatment protocol can offer a sustained solution to conditions that can sometimes appear almost unfixable. You don’t even need to believe in hypnotherapy for it to work.

A combination of clinical hypnosis and strategic psychotherapy first seeks to determine what type of programs or processes (your behaviours) you are running. It is less about the context of the current event and way more about how you form your thoughts, opinions and beliefs. Because when we can identify how we think, then we can learn how to change it. And yes, you can know a lot of this information at the conscious level. However through hypnosis, we can reprogram your unconscious mind and teach you how to come to new conclusions for old problems. In essence, the programs are designed to transform your thinking to ultimately feel and act differently. In fact, you will notice throughout the book that many of my clients didn’t believe in hypnosis when they first came to see me, and it didn’t impact their ability to get results.

***

There are many ways of potentially reading this book. Either you could decide to read it cover to cover or go directly to the chapter with the condition that is of most interest to you. Either way, you will get to share in the journey of the lives of these incredible people who have opened themselves up to share their journeys. I only ask that you commend their courage and treat their stories with the integrity they used when sharing their vulnerabilities.

‘When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.’

~Paulo Coelho

A Moment of Terror

I sat in my regular sized, economy class seat listening to the usual bustle of passengers boarding the plane: organising their carry-on luggage and the din of children complaining from the back cabin—but none of that mattered to me. As the flight attendant made her way down the aisle, immaculately dressed and manicured, wearing a reassuring smile taught in flight attendant school, informing the passengers to put on their seatbelts, I battled with the incessant voice screaming in my head. When it was my turn to receive the instruction, I vaguely remember looking at her as if I had lost all English comprehension. Well trained and diligent, the flight attendant noticed I hadn’t followed her instructions, and so she repeated them: Please put on your seat belt and prepare for take-off. But I couldn’t . . .

I turned to my boyfriend (my now husband) of a few months and embarrassingly mumbled, I don’t think I can fly today. Now, he was aware that I didn’t like flying and noticed I had been a bit white-knuckled. But to hear myself say out loud, I don’t think I can fly today, was a surprise, even to me. I’m not going to pretend that I remember what he said to try and persuade me to calm down or how the flight attendant would have tried to dissuade me from escaping. All I can remember is this voice in my head, screaming, YOU HAVE TO GET OFF NOW!

And that was it. I was out of there, off the plane quicker than you could say jam sandwich. I didn’t worry that fleeing the aircraft would scare my boyfriend out of my life or that my action would more than likely cause the whole plane to be delayed. None of those thoughts went through my head. My only thought was, GET ME OUT OF HERE! If I had only known all those years ago that someday my anxiety would overcome me, then maybe I would have found something earlier to sort it out permanently.

Where It All Began

I now tell this anecdote during talks and refer to it as my walk of shame, but it was by no means the beginning of my story dealing with anxiety. That goes back way further, back to almost twenty years before. Back as a twenty-something-year-old- working in a new job. In those days, I had no idea about anxiety, depression or anything of that nature. My concerns were like most twenty-something year olds, which revolved around having a job, earning money, having a partner and partying. That was pretty much the extent of my vision. It was only after a long day’s work when I went back to a hotel where my boss and I were staying.

We had some spare time, so he suggested that we catch up later before meeting with some clients for a business dinner. For me, that meant a bit of me time, and what better way to spend it than in a big bath of warm bubbly, relaxing water. What I didn’t expect was that it would change my life forever.

When I had enough soaking in the warm water, I got out of the bath and went to head back to the bedroom to get changed. But as I put my hand on the doorknob, I was in for a huge surprise—the door wouldn’t open. I was locked in a hotel bathroom. There were no windows, only an extractor fan making a loud, annoying humming sound. I suddenly thought, what happens if the room runs out of air? It may seem strange, especially if you’ve never had a panic attack. But for me, the best way I can describe what happened was like something switched on in my brain. This completely overwhelming feeling, which I can only describe as panic soaring through my body and barely being able to breathe. I vaguely remember getting back in the bath and rocking forwards and backwards. I was so scared that I didn’t even think to call out for help. I couldn’t think straight; the only thought going through my head was that the room would run out of air, and I would die. Now, I know from a practical perspective that may seem like an exaggerated response—but there is no logic in panic attacks.

I am not exactly sure how long I stayed in that bathroom, but I can definitely tell you that for me, it felt like a lifetime, although it most probably wasn’t any more than half an hour. Eventually, when I persuaded myself to try to open the door again, after several attempts, it came free. What did I do next? Well, I did what I thought best to do. I went downstairs and didn’t tell anybody. Who wants to admit to having a full-blown panic attack over a simple incident like a locked door? I just drank a few extra glasses of wine that night and tried to pretend that it never happened.

Specific Anxiety Can Become Generalised

That event changed something in my brain. It was subtle at first. I would refuse to lock toilet doors, or I would lock it and then reopen it a few times before I could relax enough to use the toilet. I found myself beginning to hate getting into lifts, so I would take the stairs. I also noticed that I kept this new part of myself a secret even to those closest to me. I was embarrassed and didn’t quite understand what was happening to me. So, if I was out with a friend shopping and they wanted to take the lift, I would pretend to go get something else and purposefully find a safe way of going upstairs, or at least safer according to how my brain was working. This behaviour or program went on and on for a while, then I would go through stages of it seeming to disappear. But I noticed if there were stressful times in my life, then it appeared to worsen. Even so, I kept it as my little secret. I didn’t want to show the world my weakness. By the time I reached my earlier thirties, I went backpacking and flew around the world on my own, I thought I had conquered it. Although I knew I still carried a few peculiar habits, I tried not to give them too much attention.

Awakening Old Monsters

Due to many different reasons, when I returned from my backpacking, I decided to create a new life for myself in a new country. For a long time, I had felt I was living the life that others had decided for me rather than the life I desired. And so, after much deliberation, I decided to emigrate from Ireland to Australia. I sold my house, my car and my belongings, left my family and career and went back to study. As you can imagine, although this might sound exciting, it also was a time of significant change, huge uncertainty and brought lots of stress.

Facing the unknown is a common trigger for anxiety, so when I moved to Australia, I was also quite anxious. I was worried that things wouldn’t work out, that I might have to return home, literally with my tail between my legs, admitting I had made a big mistake. Hence my anxiety began to furiously gurgle to the surface. Suddenly, I found that I couldn’t go into any lifts at all. I felt panicked when the train doors would close and beginning to struggle to execute even the simplest of tasks. I was back running panic attacks, and I hated it.

Amid this, my new boyfriend suggested that we take a week’s trip to sunny Queensland. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I didn’t know if I could fly anymore. How crazy for somebody who had flown over from Ireland not that long before, been a backpacker and flown all over the world to say that she couldn’t take a domestic flight. So that is how I ended up on that dreaded day doing my walk of shame. Of course, there is no shame in anxiety; I practically ran off the plane that day because I was desperate. I needed help, but that isn’t how I saw it at the time.

The search was on. I tried everything imaginable to get my anxiety under wraps, starting in the doctor’s office. Medication was prescribed, but when I read about the side effects, I decided that they sounded as scary as my reaction to enclosed spaces, so I didn’t go down that road. However, I was on the hunt for a solution. I tried meditation, kinesiology, energy healing, exercise, herbs and homoeopathy, to mention but a few modalities, but I couldn’t find a lasting solution. There were periods when I would try and avoid situations that made me anxious, but primarily it was there underneath the surface. It even got so bad that I had to quit my part-time job in a shopping centre due to feeling claustrophobic. In my head, I had this irrational need to know I could escape from my environment if necessary. I know it may sound crazy, but anxiety and especially severe anxiety lacks everyday logic. On top of this, running anxiety is exhausting, energy-draining and takes the pleasure out of life. But it’s also something that I hid, so sometimes it was almost like living a double life.

Finding Solutions: There Are No Coincidences

I can’t give you the exact date for this next event. I also must tell you that I don’t follow any form of organised religion. Growing up in Ireland during the troubles where I regularly heard new stories of people killing people in the name of religion didn’t warm me to be drawn to any altar. However, I was raised a Catholic, and although I don’t attend church, I believe there is something bigger than us. And so, I remember a day when I simply put it out there and called on a higher intelligence. I remember saying, I don’t know what you are called, some people call you God, others call you Source, and others use a different name like Universe. I don’t care about the label, but if you are somewhere out there, I NEED HELP! Please, please help me get rid of this anxiety. That is all I remember. I asked for help, and I trusted—or maybe I should say more accurately—hoped that I would find something to help me. I remember thinking, I can’t do it my way anymore. I needed some guidance, help, inspiration—something to give me lasting solace.

Help can come in surprising ways. Maybe a month or so later, I was at my friend’s apartment, and they were cooking dinner. Since the cooking space was limited, I decided to look at their vast bookshelves. From my earliest days, I have always been fascinated by books, and they were my constant companion as I grew up as an only child. I have always been amazed at how, when I am attracted to a certain book, typically it contains the information that I need. This time was no exception. As I began reading what I thought was a random book, I found myself drawn to a chapter outlining the work of Ben Harvey, who at the time was unknown to me.

When I asked my friends about this author, they assured me that he was the Australian version of Dr John De Martini, or a bit similar but different to an Australian Anthony Robbins. As coincidence would have it, he had a free weekend workshop coming up. At the time, I had no idea that I was getting my request answered, but I did feel drawn to check him out. As the day drew close, I became concerned about how I would handle the train. Still, two weeks later, I headed to his workshop in Sydney with no expectations but rather a sense of intrigue and curiosity.

Sitting there in the audience with a hundred or so other people, I listened to how Ben had overcome some big challenges and was impressed that he was now living what appeared to be a pretty decent version of himself. I was intrigued by what he was saying and drawn to some