How Past Fear Can Hold Back Future Possibilities
This session snapshot explores how anxiety, shaped by a long-past trauma, continued to influence present-day choices and relationships. Drawn from hypnotherapist training, anonymised and edited, this story illustrates how strategic psychotherapy, supported by metaphor and clinical hypnosis, works gently with resistance and reshapes limiting patterns from within.
Presenting Situation
The client was a woman in her mid-fifties who managed a shoe store. She presented with anxiety that surfaced when interacting with people outside her familiar social circle. Although she appeared confident in routine work settings, she admitted to withdrawing from new co-workers and avoiding any potential for deeper connection. Her concern was not rooted in shyness but in a deep sense of self-protection.
This protective mindset could be traced back to a traumatic experience from a few years earlier, when a former partner stalked her for more than two years in a small, close-knit town. Although the threat had long passed, her nervous system continued to react as if danger was still present. The fear had come to shape her approach not only to men but also to female acquaintances and authority figures, including a recent coffee invitation from her boss that triggered a strong emotional response. She acknowledged that her guarded behaviour could appear disinterested or cold, yet it stemmed from a desire to feel safe.
Discovery Through Strategic Conversation
During early conversation, the client spoke about her love of art and referenced several well-known prints displayed in her home, including the Mona Lisa. This became a gentle entry point to explore perception, meaning and emotional response. The conversation shifted toward recognising the contrast between situations where she felt safe and those where anxiety was triggered. She described physical sensations such as tightness in the chest, emotional detachment and a strong urge to disengage.
When asked what she wanted to change, she said she wanted to feel more comfortable connecting with others. But she also made it clear that, in her view, the issue couldn’t be changed. The way she spoke suggested the problem was caused by others and completely outside her control.
Trying to look at the issue differently was met with some gentle pushback. She appeared to anticipate the direction of questions and actively avoided uncertain responses, particularly the use of “I don’t know,” which often creates therapeutic openings. Some responses did not match the logic of the question, suggesting a protective mechanism. There was also consideration that the stalker narrative may have become part of her identity, offering control, familiarity or even validation.
Hypnotic Direction and Induction
Given the resistance to conscious questioning, the hypnotherapist shifted toward metaphor and indirect suggestion. A personal story was shared with the client about a worn pair of shoes that had accompanied the therapist on an unplanned journey across Europe with a friend. As the story unfolded, vivid memories emerged, describing how those shoes had navigated unfamiliar streets and spontaneous detours.
One of these moments led to an unmarked gallery door in France, where curiosity prompted the therapist to ring the bell. To their surprise, the owner welcomed them inside to view a private collection of original works, including paintings by Cézanne and Rembrandt.
The story concluded with a moment at the Louvre, standing before the Mona Lisa. Restoration work had recently revealed an earlier version of the portrait beneath the visible surface that had been unseen for centuries. The metaphor landed clearly. Beneath the layers of protection and fear, there may still be something original, unguarded and valuable.
The client was invited to see uncertainty not as something dangerous, but as a space where opportunity and trust can exist. The shoes in the story became a symbol of moving forward, not with certainty, but with self-trust and by one step at a time.
Session Reflection
She described the story about the shoes and the painting as the part that stayed with her most. It felt different to anything she had experienced before in therapy. It was easier to take in because she did not feel like she had to analyse it or give the right answer. She said it made her think about how she had been seeing things and whether something more was still there beneath the surface. The message about walking in someone else's shoes to discover new experiences also really resonated with her. It gave her something to reflect on quietly in her own time.
After the session, she said she felt more settled than usual and a little more open to the possibility that change could happen. She did not feel like anything dramatic had shifted, but something felt lighter. Taking one small step forward no longer felt as risky or out of reach. She said it was the first time in a while that the thought of change felt like it might actually belong to her.
Disclaimer
This example is drawn from a training-based reflection and has been fully anonymised. It is shared here to illustrate the structure, tone and direction of a typical strategic hypnotherapy session. It is not as a testimonial or claim of outcome.