When my client, let’s call her Laura, first came to see me, her fear of spiders was overwhelming and really affecting her life. Even the idea of a spider on the wall, near the bed or even part of a Halloween decoration, which wasn’t real, could send her anxiety spiralling out of control. It was something she’d lived with for a very long time, and it affected her daily life more than she realised.
Together, we slowly broke things down. Step by step, session by session, her anxiety began to shift. And in just three sessions, she went from feeling completely out of control around spiders to being able to look at them calmly, even remove one from the room herself. The photo I have used for this is one she took herself whilst removing a spider from her home.
I’m sharing her story because fears and phobias come in many different forms. It isn’t just spiders. People often struggle with things like:
💡 Fear of the dark
🚗 Travelling in cars
🚇 The underground, lifts or escalators
✈️ Flying
🩸Needles or seeing blood
🦷 Dentists
And many more everyday experiences that can trigger overwhelming anxiety.
The good news is these fears are highly treatable. Evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy, mindset training and therapeutic tools have been shown many times how they can help regain control and live more freely.
One thing that stood out throughout our work together with Laura, was her determination. She was fully committed to overcoming this fear, and that played a huge part in her progress.
To me, nothing demonstrates this better than hearing it directly from someone who’s been through the process. Here’s her experience in her own words:
“I recently worked with Lisa to overcome my extreme phobia of spiders. She helped me break down all the different levels of fear I had around anything to do with spiders, and we worked on shifting my perspective while practising a calm mindset. After every session, I left feeling more confident, motivated, and genuinely excited about the progress I was making.
The real test came a few days after my third session when I found a big spider in my house, usually that would have sent me into a complete panic! Instead, I used the techniques Lisa taught me, stayed calm, and was able to capture it in a glass, and released it outside MYSELF - something I never thought I could ever do!
My phobia used to feel completely overwhelming and irrational, but now I feel in control. I am so grateful for Lisa’s support and couldn’t recommend her more to anyone dealing with any fear, phobia, stress, or anxiety. Thank you Lisa!
I feel so proud of myself. I am able to stop the irrational cycle of thinking and instead practise remaining calm and in control.”
If you or someone you know is living with a fear or phobia, whether it feels small, embarrassing or completely life-limiting, you don’t have to stay stuck with it. Change can happen more gently and quickly than you think.
If you’d like to talk about how I can support you, feel free to get in touch.