Chloe

Chloe came to me for help with family issues. She had seen a number of counsellors, but she felt that none of them had really helped her come to terms with things that had happened in her past. She had spent many hours talking about what had occurred, but as she said “I often just ended up feeling worse. Going over and over what happened with them sometimes gave me nightmares, it was like I was never going to escape the bad feelings.” She said all she wanted to do was move on and that she wasn’t happy with the way her mind kept focusing on the past. “I know I shouldn’t [focus on the past] but just saying that doesn’t make it go away. I need to find freedom from it all.”

Chloe struck me as a lovely gentle soul, who had got into the habit of pleasing everyone else and ignoring her own needs. “Honestly Gabrielle, sometimes I don’t even know what I want. I’m just not used to thinking about it!” she told me at our first session. We have worked together to strengthen her sense of self and to get in touch with what she really wants for her self and her life. She has had a breakthrough in recognising that it’s not bad and selfish to look after yourself and put yourself first. “I’ve recognised that putting my own needs first is not selfish, in fact it’s very important because otherwise I’m just a doormat, and no body takes any notice of doormats!”.

We continue to work together and she says that every day she feels she’s getting stronger. “I no longer spend hours worrying about what happened in the past, ” she says “and I am still growing and learning. I would highly recommend you as you were able to shift things for me that others couldn’t. Thank you Gabrielle.”