hypnotherapy for overcoming nerves

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sydneysmum

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I was just wondering whether anyone has had hypnotherapy to help the overcome their nerves and whether or not it had worked. I desperately want to ride my darling Syd but just cannot get the confidence. Its me, not him, he is such a good boy. Please help :(:(
 
I had 2 hypnotherapy sessions to help me over come my nerves,at a cost of 90 pounds, it did nothing!!!! I bought the self hypnosis cds first, didnt work either!!
I sold the horse, as found out I was pregnant, for a months I didnt miss riding, but then I really started to miss it, had my daughter by c section so even longer till I could ride, but I started back up riding some of my friends horses, and am doing more now and riding more different horses than ever before and dont feel nervous at all!!! Have had a couple of falls and have realised I probably WONT die when I hit the ground, and that if a horse flicks its ears it does NOT mean it will fire me off lol!!!
I now make a point of looking up and where I am going to rather than at horses ears! Conciously push my weight in my heels so I cant tense up and talk the hind leg off the horse (waffle mainly) if I am worried. Before I get on, I run thru what is the worst that will happen.... The worst being I could fall off and get mucked up, or I could hang on for dear life but being in the school horse will have to stop at some point, or I could just jump!!!
Not sure if that is off any help x
Also, if you write down all the thoughts you have that make you worry about getting on, ask some one to read them out and they will seem really trivial!
 
Thanks lexis-magic Thats exactly how I feel and will have a go at what you suggested. I need to stop thinking so much and just get on with it. Clipcloppop I will look into you suggestion. I suppose its mind over matter isnt it and positive thinking (except Im crap at thinking positively) but will sure have a go :):)
 
I wish you lots of luck and positive vibes, I will be doing the same when i get my new horse, positivity and determination and making oneself get on wit it must surely work slowly but surely - i sure hope so!!!???
 
I had the exact same problem, wouldn't get on my horse and he had done nothing to warrant it. He only had to look in a direction we weren't heading and I used to lose it big time in a panicking fit.

I stopped riding, and sought help.
I went to a local riding school and had lessons on a confidence building plod, 5 lessons later I was hacking him out and cantering down the beach.
Whilst doing that I had the RS at my yard ride my horse, which only confirmed he had no problems, and it kept him going and prepared him for me being back on board.

I then merged the two, for the past couple of weeks I've been having lessons on my own horse and will happily hack out with a friend.

Its been a massive turn around, and having professional help was key, also Rescue Remedy :)
and a massive determination to do it, I've had my wobbles and a few biggies, but common sense finally hit home and I realised there was no way my boy was ever gonna put me off, and I knew it was me just being me!

You will get there, but I would consider something similar to what I have done - costs lots of money tho, only downfall lol, but it was worth it to me x
 
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I have had hypnotherapy and its was brill!! I was soo nervous i could even sit upright on a horse.

I had one session and used all the skills she had taught me, at first i thought what a waste of money as i thought i would be able to jump on a horse the next day and be really confindent sit up tall etc but that didnt happen.

But after about a week of using all the techniques it was all change and something clicked in my head. I jumped on my mare on a sunday evening and was sat up nice and tall with a good position it just happened- every one on the yard was in total shock it wasnt even an effort to stay in the position it felt really natural.

Hypnotherapy does work but takes time and you need to make sure that you are doing all the techniques that you are taught in your session.

Also some people need one session others may need ten!

Make sure you are going to a therapist who understands your equine nerves and who is also fully registered. :)
 
I had hypnotherapy too for nerves when riding (am a generally overthinking underconfident sort and this had filtered through to my riding too). I was a bunch of nerves on my good as gold girl - some days I felt too nervous to even walk down the track on her and would burst into tears if we walked into an open field.
I had three sessions, but they helped alot. It isn't a magic fix, but does teach you methods to interrupt the negative chain of thought that then feeds through to the physical reactions to nerves too. It helps put a stop and give you some control of this so that in the future and with practise you can stop these thoughts right at the start before they have a negative affect on you.
This is who I saw, would def recommend http://www.richardparsons.net/
I had a free first session which was really good - you need to feel comfortable with the person as you will chat about your nerves so you need to feel it is easy to open up to them. He also went through what I was expecting and what we would work though.
Def recommend!!
 
intouch said:
Emotional Freedom Technique - EFT - www.tapintoheaven.com for info (and teach yourself) but best if you can get a practitioner to start you off. It works for horses too.
Click to expand...

Agree with Intouch, and Bowen4Horses these are great tension-releasers. I had hynptherapy too for anxiety; the practitioner gave me a tape when I'd finished seeing him of his voice putting me into a state of deep relaxation. I used it for many years, and can still recall the tone and rythmn of his voice which I can apply when needed-and most of the words!

It's not a quick fix though, and the work you put in at home, will all be part of it. When I was training with horses in Ireland (in the dark ages...) our ferocious instructor would order us to whistle, hum or sing if we felt very tense-the theory being that as you expel air it lessens the tension in the body, which in turn feeds down to the horse. It did help, (took our minds of him probably!) much the same I suppose as deep breathing does.
very best of luck with it.
 
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