Client reviews

Mum and 17yo daughter emetophobia/anxiety testimonial

“I’m a mum of a 17 yr old girl who from around the age of 8 has suffered with anxiety. It seemed to get worse as she got older and I tried everything to help her! From apps, meditating ones or just calming ones - they were all good in their own way but didn’t help her enough!
When she was going through secondary school and the stress and pressure got too much she would melt down and I would try to help and pick up the pieces every time. It was horrible to watch your child be so low and not knowing/ how to get through the hard times!

The panic attacks usually happened at night as that is when she over thought everything and couldn’t switch off. I took her to the doctors and they put us in touch with CAMHS, this was ok but she hated going to the appointments and it didn’t seem to help! Then about 18 months ago she came to me and told me she thought she had an eating disorder, I was mortified and got her help from the local eating disorder service, i couldn’t get my head round the fact that she had this problem but took her every week to her appts but I could still see that she wasn’t any happier and it wasn’t seeming to help!

Then at the start of the year everything started to add up, for example she would be vegetarian for a few months and then try to eat meat again, she would ask constantly about whether the food was in date or been cooked properly, and the big sign was her washing her hands constantly- they were red raw, bleeding and cracked! She was working with young children at the time so she was obviously so scared of picking up a stomach bug... I knew she wasn’t keen on being sick as last year she called me to come home from work as she felt ill -I didn’t think much of this at the time!

Then her little sister was sick in front of her and she literally fell to pieces - she had to move out to her grandads house for a few days -that’s when I looked up emetephobia! I found Lisa’s website and phoned left a message and she phoned straight back. I felt at once that I was doing the right thing and relieved that she said she could and would help, I booked in a session and didn’t look back - I thought my daughter wouldn’t want to go but I showed her the website and she was up for it!

I didn’t go into the sessions with her but I had my own book to work through... progress was slow to start with but one week suddenly something clicked into place with my daughter and she started to believe that she could get better. There were hard times along the way but I think they were needed to show her what to do and how to cope.

It has been about 2 months since she finished her sessions and I can honestly say that she has changed, her confidence has grown, she believes in herself and she’s just going out more, seeing friends and being a typical teenager! It’s really nice to see. Looking back I think I obviously picked her up when she was low and helped her along the way but she wasn’t being independent so she had to learn to be so.

There are times when she does come to me and I have to say ‘no - you do it - you can!! ‘ it’s been a really tough time but with Lisa’s help with the programme I feel really hopeful for my daughters future! Thank you so much for helping us and I mean us because I learnt loads too! Thank you Lisa.”

— Mum and daughter, Bournemouth, 2018

A Q&A with Jake, who worked with me to overcome anxiety and panic attacks

1. What brought you to The Thrive Programme?

My name is Jake, I’m 36 years old and live in London. I had heard about the Thrive Programme over the years but never fully committed to doing the course. I had been suffering from anxiety since about 23 years old. Whilst I was (on the surface) fully functioning and successful, anxiety played a huge part in my life and really stopped me from enjoying things which I would have otherwise loved. I had many ups and downs over the years, sometimes I was not so bad and other times I would get bad anxiety just standing in line at the supermarket. I guess the low point would have been having shots of whiskey prior to taking a train, plane or important meeting. There were so many times over the years I just resigned myself to the fact that I would never be ‘anxiety free’, though that was not through lack of trying. It’s crazy to think of how many different courses, therapists and programmes I went through looking for a “cure”, I tried CBT, counselling, acupuncture, a healer, naturopaths, NLP, hypnotism, a 10 day silent meditation retreat sleeping on a concrete bed with a wooden pillow, living with a zen monk in Japan and taking ayahuasca in the jungle (5 times!) to name a few. I randomly saw something online about the Thrive Programme in 2019 and decided to totally commit to it and do sessions with Lisa which has now brought me to writing this review!

2. What did you get out of going through The Thrive Programme with me? Was there a core thing within the course that stood out for you/made a big difference?

When you describe something as ‘life changing’ it can sound a bit over the top however the course generally has been that for me. I’ve totally changed the way I think and it has made such a difference to my life. Whereas previously I would have had some form of anxiety on a daily basis, I am now struggling to remember when I last felt anxious! Learning that feelings aren’t happening to me was a big game changer - previously if people would have suggested I was creating anxiety for myself I would have got a bit defensive, because it just seemed so ridiculous that if I could control it that I would decide to create these types of feelings. However once I started to learn how my thinking patterns and limiting beliefs were effecting me it was pretty easy to change it all.

3. Did you enjoy the experience? Did anything surprise you?

I really enjoyed it. That’s not to say it wasn’t hard work and it didn’t require a whole lot of commitment from my end however it was totally worth it. I was surprised when I took the self-esteem quiz, as I always felt like I had had pretty high self esteem. But what I didn’t realise was I was never actually processing positive things I had done or achieved, it was almost as if I was slagging myself off and being my worst critic, which I didn’t realise I was doing.

4. Has The Thrive Programme helped you? If so, how would you say your life has changed going through the course, and afterwards.

Yes it totally has - I know look forward to things which previously I would have been anxious about. Something just as simple as going for a meal now doesn’t need to be some thing where I need to look at the location before we go, sit near an exit or drink during so that I can comfortably hang out with my friends. There are too many things to mention in a few sentences but it really has helped me immensely.

5. Finally, would you recommend the programme to others?

Absolutely. I have already referred several friends to Lisa who have had the same experience as me. Going through the book in a structured way with a consultant makes a huge difference and is worth every penny. Everyone is always quick to spend money on clothes, holidays or nights out but when it comes to mental health or well being they suddenly worry about costs - in my mind that is the wrong way around, there is nothing more important than your state of mind and happiness, so paying for a course like this at ten time the price would still be a bargain.

“It’s funny because after I overcame my emetophobia this summer I saw so many butterflies outside; they’re a reminder to me to keep growing, changing, and challenging myself towards the life I want. Thank you Lisa for getting me there!”

— Grace, 18

14 YEAR OLD JULIA IS OVER HER ANXIETY, OCD AND EMETOPHOBIA

My name is Julia and I’m 14 years old. For the past 5 years I have had emetophobia, anxiety, and OCD. I would suffer panic attacks constantly created by large or simply small little things –– related or unrelated to sickness. I felt extremely powerless in my life, and I wasn't living it to my fullest. At times I felt I would never escape my phobia and that I was stuck with it forever. I had just experienced the toughest month I had ever encountered with my phobia when I found the thrive programme. I went through the young person's edition of the emetophobia book, but I wasn't cured completely. I realized that I hadn't worked hard enough on it and its teachings –– so my mom and I found a consultant and bought the adult book. I am currently on chapter 11 and I feel so full of knowledge and in control of my life. I don't find myself avoiding every opportunity I’m given out of fear of my phobia being triggered, and I finally feel like I’m living.

A few weeks ago, I was at home when my dad went unconscious and collapsed in our kitchen. I was looking at him just as it was happening. Watching his body suddenly turn limp and his face drain of color was terrifying. My first thought was to panic and cry even though I didn't want to. But after I registered that I was telling myself to panic, I realized I didn't have to. I was creating the panic, nothing else was. I was completely in control of how I reacted to this situation –– something I never would have recognized without the help of the programme. I stayed calm and rushed over to help my dad. While my sister called an ambulance, I stayed with him. I know that I never would've been able to do that several months ago. I would have stood watching him from afar, frozen with fear. But I dove right in to help.

When he collapsed, he hit his head and broke many dishes. As someone with emetophobia –– whenever someone would hit their head, I would get extremely anxious and I would find it hard to calm myself down. But this time my only concern was finding out what happened to him. I didn't even have time to let myself go down that stressful road of “Oh my god, he hit his head. What if it’s a concussion? That's really scary, I can’t cope with this.” Instead I sat next to him, held his head and applied pressure to his wound. I talked to him, trying to calm him down and make sure he was okay: physically and mentally. I remained calm and collected myself for myself and for him. Once he was at the hospital it was just me and my sister at home. There was a huge mess, but someone had to clean it –– so I started to. Cleaning up also involved washing all the blood off the floor and towels.

But instead of being terrified of even looking at it because the memory would be too painful, I talked to myself. I realized that the towel had no significance to my feelings and that I had no reason to let it make me upset. So I cleaned it up, made my bed and talked to myself. In that situation I realized how I reacted was completely up to me. Obviously, I was a little upset, but I didn't let the anxiety and distress get to me. I know that I never would've been able to react the way that I did if I hadn't put in the effort that I have while going through the programme. Truly an amazing feeling and I can't even imagine what life would be without this programme.”

— Julia, 14 years old, USA