Post Natal Depression - the Light at the End of the Tunnel

This fabulous case study is narrated in the words of a very brave lady, who after 7 years, visited an NLP Professional to finally resolve her post-natal depression. It's a really heart felt study, We hope you are inspired when you read it...

Have you ever felt so low that you wondered if you would ever feel “normal” again because you had exhausted all of the options available to you and none of them worked?

This was the desperate situation in which I found myself during October 2009. Following the birth of my first child in November 2002, I suffered from severe post-natal depression. This was extremely debilitating and confusing – given that I had a beautiful baby boy. At this time, I was prescribed anti-depressants and referred to a psychologist on a private basis. After a number of sessions at a significant cost, my CBT treatment was complete. However, I was left feeling marginally better and that really we had only scratched the surface of the issues that I had.O

ver the next seven years, my depression frequently reared its ugly head and I continued to search for solutions to remove this permanent black blanket that seemed to insist on wrapping itself around me. The solutions that I sought included counselling, self-help books, reiki and medication. Nothing seemed to work on a permanent basis and because there had not been any trigger that I was consciously aware of, it seemed that I just had to accept that this chemical imbalance, as the doctors referred to it, would remain with me for the rest of my life. I just had to manage it.

In August 2009, I discovered I was pregnant with my second son. As with my eldest child, this baby was longed for and was definitely a welcome addition to our family. However, during September and October, the feelings of another bout of depression began to surface, only this time on a scale that I had never previously known. The magnitude of how I was feeling was over-whelming and I quickly realised that I could not manage the situation this time. In fact, the only way that I could see to resolve this was to end my life and very real suicidal thoughts occupied my every waking hour. This was despite the love and support of my wonderful husband and family. I knew that my last hope was to try something new and radical.

It was during my search on the internet that I came across Time Line Therapy™. It seemed to be the perfect answer but also in some ways too good to be true. Prepared to give anything a try and reaching out for a solution, I found an ANLP Professional Member, Christine, who delivered this therapy and contacted her to see if it could help me.

When I had my initial appointment with Christine, she explained to me that the process could work for me but that I needed to own it. She would provide the tools and guidance but I had to trust in the process and to want to change. At the initial session, Christine also explained the principles and methodology behind Time Line Therapy™ and showed me how to find my time line and navigate around it. We booked the next session in for two days later and this was to be when the therapy itself took place.

I arrived at the session with a mixture of emotions – I was excited but also scared – wondering what would happen if this did not work.

During the session we worked on five key emotions – anger, sadness, fear, hurt, and guilt. For each one, I moved along my timeline and through the questions that Christine asked, removed the negative emotion and took the key lessons that had been learnt from that experience. I soon began to realise that I had to trust in what my unconscious mind was telling me – some of the answers to Christine’s questions did not make sense to my conscious self but I allowed myself to say them.

After each emotion had been dealt with, I began to feel “lighter”. Almost instantaneously the blanket that had surrounded me for so long began to lift. Some emotions were more draining than others to deal with and there were more lessons to be learned with some of them. However, the reassuring part of Time Line Therapy™ for me was that I never had to enter into the emotion or the situation that I was dealing with. I hovered above it, at a safe distance on my timeline and if I did start to get too involved in it Christine would guide me away, using the techniques that she had previously taught me.

The effects of the therapy were amazing - instantly I felt like a different person. I felt lighter, brighter and ready to face the world again! After only one session! As the positive feelings I had were so strong and in such a stark contrast to those I had been experiencing, I wondered how long they would last for. Well, I can confidently report that almost a year after receiving my treatment, the positive emotions are still here and I feel as strong as ever.

NLP & Time Line Therapy™ has truly changed my life. My thought processes are different, the way in which I deal with challenging situations has changed. I am in control for the first time in a number of years. It is not just me who has noticed the change – those closest to me have seen a significant improvement and are still incredulous at the difference. People often comment that I look better than they have seen me looking for years – I guess that feeling good on the inside does reflect on the outside. For the first time, I am living in the “now” and loving my life.

I will always be grateful to NLP & Time Line Therapy™ and to Christine for providing the tools to enable me to totally change my life.