Releasing PTSD

I (Betsy) arrived for an appointment for a pedicure and met the manicurist for the first time. She appeared to be quite anxious, as I noted from her shallow upper chest breathing and tension in her general demeanor. 

As a therapist for 50 years, working with 1000’s of clients, many of whom had received major psychiatric diagnoses, I always sought to find the best ways to establish rapport and help people feel safe and comfortable. The manicurist quickly opened up and shared that over the last 30+ years she had been in many different therapies and hospitalizations related to her past severe traumas. It was obvious to me that she had not yet found resolution to her problems. I asked if she would consider “trading” her services for mine. She was open to exploring that possibility.

We found a time to meet a week later. I worked with her using the NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) “trauma/phobia” process. (I have used it with 100’s of my clients who had been stuck in PTSD reactive responses, to help their brains release the automatic fight/flight response - with successful outcomes.) The process took less than a ½ hour and the manicurist showed significant change: slower, deeper breathing and overall relaxation in her physiology. 

We met again a week later. She reported feeling a general sense of well-being and appreciated experiencing better sleep with no nightmares (which had been occurring consistently for most of her life). She told me that her friends said she seemed happier and more at ease. We had several more sessions to work on other aspects of releasing her fears and past traumas, supporting her in moving forward with her life. (I also received many wonderful pedicures!)

As a psychotherapist/Change Facilitator, I believe it is my job to help people get the results they want.