A Sense-Ability Case Study

A Case Study by Madeleine Morris*

Sense-Ability Solution Focused Hypnotherapy helped Madeleine overcome social anxiety and bad habits then find inner confidence and happiness.

Madeleine’s Story

Grief and Loss

In February 2016 I lost my beloved stepfather. We were so close and had worked through some tough times together such as troubles at school, my mother having a tumour and looking after my little sister together. He was the father I had always wanted. My real father, and my first step dad, walked out on the family at a young age.

MM gave up drugs after many years of use

Toxic lifestyle

School was never easy for me. Having someone who cared made it easier. After we lost dad, I got into a toxic relationship and turned to weed to get myself through the darker, sadder days.

Once I had gone to university, my weed habit became deeply ingrained. I could barely get up in the morning and didn’t know how to live my life. Everything was based purely on my weed.

Most days it felt like life wasn’t worth living.

Overcoming Social Anxiety; Giving up Weed

I had to deal with my social anxiety while quitting smoking weed.

I didn’t feel I could function as a normal, healthy person anymore, and now I wanted to move to a more positive mindset which looked past the negative parts of my life and focused on growth and success.

The hardest thing to deal with was learning to do things without smoking weed such as going for walks and eating food, learning to look after myself and dress nicely, wash my hair more and look after my skin. I had to overcome my fear of making friends with girls and managing my stress level and home life.

There were still a lot of obstacles I had to overcome.

A Simple Goal of Happiness

My goal was to be able to live a happy life so I could let go of things which made me sad, and cherish things that made me happy.

Best Hopes

That’s why I started seeing Jane at Sense-Ability Hypnotherapy & Coaching. At first, we did a lot of imagining positive futures and focusing on what I wanted, rather than what made me sad or I didn’t want.

Instead of focusing on the negative I focused on who I wanted to be. The first few sessions I didn’t even know what I wanted. It took a couple of weeks just to decide I wanted to get up in the morning and brush my teeth and eat breakfast. Slowly, after just a few sessions, I noticed I was living out my goals, dreams and ambitions.

Janes comment:

In Solution Focused Therapy we call this exploring Best Hopes. We ask how you want life to be, rather than how you don’t want life to be.

Madeline found confidence, peace and joy

Steady steps to happiness

I never wanted to be on antidepressants to make me happy. After a while, I found myself feeling happy from doing small things and starting to cut weed out of my life. It took about a year to get to where I am now with a few sessions every so often. After sessions, I found my brain clear from other concerns, allowing me to focus on resolving new issues. For example, in January 2020 I decided I was ready to look for love and by March I had found a lovely boy who is now my boyfriend.

I have now been off weed for over a year and live a happy fulfilled lifestyle. Although I have my days where I crave weed I find it easier to move through the sensations. I get a sense of happiness and pride when I wash the dishes and tidy my room and can finally go on walks again without wishing I was smoking a spliff.

Finding Confidence & Happiness

My mood boost has also helped to lift the family. We recently renovated the bottom floor of the house and now spend fun times together exploring and enjoying life regardless of the daddy shaped hole in our life. I’ve finally found my inner confidence and can talk about myself to others without feeling like a burden and in September 2020 took a leap of faith and moved in with some girls.

The power of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy

I wouldn’t be half the person I am now without Jane. I truly account her for saving my life and allowing me to live a life off tablets whilst finding the true meaning of happiness in myself. I’m so delighted with the outcome.

Jane’s comment:

In Solution Focused Therapy we call this exploring Best Hopes. We ask how you want life to be, rather than how you don’t want life to be. Madeleine was able to turn her life around with a little support. Young minds are plastic minds. The frontal lobe is still being formed and new neural connections are being forged. That means young people are prone to developing anxiety or developing unhealthy habits. However, these young minds can more easily develop positive habits and mindsets too, with some support. In this instance, Sense-Ability Solution Focused Coaching and Hypnotherapy can really help young people turn their lives around. Madeleine had two to four sessions at a time, often many months apart over a year and made remarkable progress.

Photo: (c) Unsplash Rick Proctor - marijuana; Unsplash Preslie Hirsch - joyful woman

Madeleine Morris is a pseudonym as my client did not wish to be identified

Jane Pendry
Sense-Ability Hypnotherapy & Coaching, UK
jane@sense-ability.co.uk
+44 (0) 7843 813 883
www.sense-ability.co.uk

Online across the UK & Europe

Please Note

* Please note Jane Pendry does not diagnose or claim to cure. Sense-Ability therapies are complementary approaches that promote and support self healing. Jane does not explore how or why traumas were created and does not offer counselling, or traditional talking psychotherapy which require different specialised training and supervision. For more on these services see The British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy.

Jane has the right to refuse treatment where she believes there is a risk of harm or where she believes Sense-Ability therapies conflict with your current treatment programme with a medically trained professional or a clinical psychotherapist.