A few months ago I was really struggling to get through my driving test. Although I was performing confidently and competently in my lessons, on test day the nerves kicked in and I just couldn’t seem to hold it together. The amount of time and money I was spending on extra lessons and tests made me more and more worried and desperate, which as I’m sure you can imagine, only resulted in a negative spiral. Then my driving instructor, who had been contacted by Rachael to inform her of her expertise in cases like mine, suggested I give hypnotherapy a go. I pride myself on being a practical and logical person, who doesn’t subscribe to any ‘woolly thinking’ of any kind, so I was very sceptical but more willing to try anything that might help! Before meeting with Rachael, my imagination cooked up some stereotypical ideas of what to expect a hypnotherapist to be like… wittering on in the kind of flowery language that practical, logical, sceptical people cannot hope to follow or an intimidating, jargon-spewing person on a power trip about how they can put me in a trance and mess about with my brain… Thankfully, Rachael is about as far away from both of these ridiculous characters as it is possible to be. I was greeted by this smart, calm, professional young woman who seemed every bit as practical and logical as me. I felt instantly reassured, at ease and optimistic about the session. As we entered the session, Rachael continued to speak very plainly and explained all the techniques in very straight-forward, practical, logical terms, so I found it very easy to understand the psychology and how and why the techniques worked. No woolly thinking anywhere! In just a couple of hours I was able to completely diminish the tear-inducing feelings of anger, frustration, shame and humiliation that clung to my memories of failed driving tests, and built up a vivid multi-sensory imaginary situation of being calm, comfortable, confident and in control which I could call to mind whenever I wanted. Such as before heading out on another test! After the session, Rachael created a personalised recording for me to listen to regularly to reinforce what we had achieved in the session. I found this incredibly helpful, and to be honest I really enjoyed giving myself even just this short relaxation time every evening! As Rachael created the recording personally for me, her words were very well chosen and were easy to listen to and absorb in a relaxed state. Anyway, I suggest you give Rachael a call if there’s something you’re struggling to wrap your head around.. and in case you were wondering… I passed my driving test on the very next attempt! Now, about that fear of spiders… Alice, York, North Yorkshire (Yes we met to sort the spider phobia!)

Alice, York, North Yorkshire

“I saw Rachael for assistance with motivation in the workplace and in my personal life. She took the time to understand what I was looking for and immediately put me at ease about the process. She carefully explained everything we were doing and was good at making sure I got the concepts and could put them into practice for myself. She has a genuine and considerate attitude. The results have been fantastic, I’m now feeling more productive and focused at work and even on the squash court! The exercises she teaches you to use really work!”

Duncan Ashenhurst