My name is Sandra Wilson and I'm a clinical hypnotherapist and psychotherapist with consistent 5 star ratings on google.  I was recently featured in "3 best rated" website as the second best rated in Bristol!  That is quite some achievement but I know I put my heart and soul into being the best therapist I can possibly be.   I thought it might be a good idea to share a little bit about me and how I ventured into training to be a therapist.

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I won't give you my whole life history but suffice to say, I was always an anxious child! I worried about everything, and probably experienced my first panic attack at the tender age of 5.  I was lying in bed, trying to work out why I existed, what lay beyond the stars, what else was out there and to my utter dismay, could not find an answer that satisfied me.  It resulted in a mini meltdown that I completely internalised.  

 

I grew up to be an anxious teenager, overwhelmed by my awkwardness and inability to fit in.  My early home life presented challenges. But I did begin to grow out of my anxiety especially after I left home, made more friends, went to University and discovered the joys of independent living.   Anxiety was never far behind me though, always waiting to pounce and hijack any attempts to go out on a first date, speak in large groups, abseil down the sides of tall buildings….and the odd thing was that nobody really noticed (except the maybe the abseiling thing).   My anxiety was very well hidden, I believe it’s termed “high functioning”.   I did function very well; a high achiever, some may say.  However, no matter what I achieved, I never really addressed my cripplingly low self esteem.  I had a deeply held conviction that I was not good enough, and never would be.  In spite of overcoming many challenges in my life, I believed I could not handle any future challenges.  

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Things came to a head a few years ago when my panic attacks returned, hand in hand with their best mate, enduring and distressing insomnia.  This seemed to be partly related to hormonal fluctuation (I am a woman of a certain age!) and my doctors did little but offer me anti-depressants with an assertion that the "peri menopause" did not exist.  In desperation, I decided to try hypnotherapy.  The main lessons I learned were that no matter where this stuff comes from, it IS possible to make positive changes.  My problems lay deep within my subconscious mind, in its misguided attempts to keep me safe.  All my life, I had been telling myself that I was not capable or worthy in spite of any evidence to the contrary – no wonder my brain panicked whenever it was faced with challenges!   No wonder it couldn’t relax and let me sleep!  So began a slow process of inner discoveries, relentless positive reframing and regular pats on the back. 

 

I learned to love and appreciate the person that I am, faults and all, because none of us are perfect.   I let go of the past and became more focused on helpful solutions.   You can do this too!  Anxiety can be your best friend when you are in real danger, but it can destroy dreams and create an inner void so vast that no amount of good company, love of others or realised ambition can fill.  I believe that you can really change the way you think and feel through hypnotherapy.   It gave me a chance to move on, and I want to help others to do the same.   I don’t have a magic wand but I have a great sense of humour, a real appreciation of the wonderful warped, imperfect weirdness of the human condition and a genuine desire to help others.   If you are interested in working with me, I will be completely committed to helping you to the best of my ability.