If you are avoiding flying because the idea of getting into a plane is just too terrifying, then perhaps now is a good time to uncover the causes and bring your apprehension down to a more manageable level. We know that the fear response, when working properly, is an amazing function that fires us up and gets us in a position to either fight or to run like hell. It gets us out of scary places when we need to get out, and when the danger is over the system returns to normal and all is well. The problem comes in when, for some reason, we rev too high with the fear, or we rev to an appropriate level but then forget to turn off the response when the danger is past.

Fear of flying is an excessive response to a situation that should more appropriately cause something like mild apprehension or, well, no discernable reaction at all. Once you’re in the plane there’s nothing much you can do about what happens, so you might as well relax and enjoy the flight. But if you can’t do so, then something is happening that is triggering the fight or flight response. Perhaps you had a bad experience on a flight once, or perhaps you suffer from claustrophobia or from the fear of losing control. Whatever the cause, we can find it using hypnosis and then “reset” the body and mind so that a more appropriate reaction is given.

Treatment using hypnosis will involve discovering whatever causes might be at work, and it will also involve mental rehearsal of pleasant flight experiences to create new neural pathways associating flight with excitement, adventure, or other positive effects. Immediate relief can be expected from the very first session, but it’s best to factor in at least three to five sessions to really get those new, fearless, habits anchored in your body and mind.

I have spent many years living the passion of being a writer and now it has been my good fortune to be involved in teaching Creative Writing at university level. I’ve learned the hard way about how to express myself in prose – that is by making millions of mistakes and writing thousands of pages that were simply destined for the dustbin. Out of this has come several novels, one of which has been published, and I am now working on another book.

If you are an aspiring writer or even an established writer, you can benefit from some personal coaching on both the technical aspects of writing and on the emotional side. Writer’s block is something most of us struggle with at some time or another, so if you’re in the grips of it, let’s see what’s behind it and get you up and running again.

I also run ongoing writing workshops, focusing on the novel and other long prose forms.

The inability to find a work in which one can invest one’s passion and enthusiasm is one of the greatest causes of unhappiness in the world today. So many of us go through our lives in a state of low-level despair because we have to get up every day and go to a job we don’t care for, just so that we can survive.

Some people know exactly what they’d do with their lives if only they had the money to do so, while others simply don’t know what they’d love to do – all they know is that what they’re doing right now isn’t it. If you’re one of these, welcome to the club! I have spent a good part of my life in just such a place and it has become my passion to help people get the hell out of there and into something that gives them happiness and fulfilment.

It’s not always an easy path, following your passion – or even finding your passion, but I believe it is one of life’s greatest tasks. So many times we look at other successful people and wish we could be like them – somehow they seem to know just what to do with their lives, and the money just seems to roll in for them. But if you look closely, you’ll often see that they have just the same issues with work and life path as you do.

I used to envy doctors and lawyers because it seemed they had ‘proper jobs’ until I realised that it could be pretty darn boring being a doctor and seeing the same old complaints over and over all day. There must be many doctors and lawyers out there wondering how on earth they got themselves into the work they’re doing and wondering what more there is for them.

If you are one of those who wishes they could find their passion in life or find a way of breaking out and living their dream, perhaps it’s time to do some more work on the issue. I can help you uncover those dreams that you’ve smothered under tons of stone because you think they’re impractical or impossible or just too insignificant to even mention, and I can help you gain the courage and the perseverance and vision to turn them into reality. It might not always be an easy path, but we need to get going with that first little step.

Frequently asked questions:

• How many sessions will it take?

You should consider at least three sessions, but you might find that it takes a few more. Coaching can be an ongoing relationship, at least while you’re still finding your feet in your new perceptions.

• What does it involve?

I will use coaching techniques and processes to guide you to a resourceful state of being in which wise and visionary choices can be made. Through well-aimed questions and objective feedback I will help you ground your perceptions and discover real and practical ways in which you can begin manifesting your desires. If necessary we can bring in some hypnotherapy to really get the imagination and subconscious aligned with your new direction.

• What if I really don’t have a passion?

Nonsense – everyone has, it’s just that we bury our passions deep down because we think they’re silly/impractical/frivolous/indulgent/
insignificant/mad/crazy/hopeless/impossible, etcetera and etcetera. You’re here for a reason, and your life task is to find out what that is. It’s a sacred journey, so let’s begin it now!