From Stuck to Free: Case Studies of Change
Real Stories, Real Change
Every challenge we face is deeply personal, yet the patterns of stress, anxiety, and emotional blocks often follow familiar threads. The case studies below highlight real people who have experienced rapid, lasting shifts using my approach.
These stories cover a range of struggles, from everyday worries to deep-rooted fears and trauma. You may notice that the usual approach of challenging thoughts plays little role here. Instead, a much deeper impact is made by working directly with the patterns and emotional imprints—both resetting old ones and embedding new, more supportive ones. Whether you relate to one directly or not, these stories offer a glimpse into what’s possible when the mind is given the right conditions to reset.
Performance Anxiety
A normally confident woman found herself highly anxious in interviews to the point where she could barely speak without her voice shaking. Within minutes, we identified a few earlier experiences that had triggered this response: a distressing situation at school, an abusive relationship at university, and a recent job interview.
Each of these memories still carried a high emotional charge. Rather than discussing the specifics, I simply checked if she was open to releasing the distress they held. Initially, she was concerned that addressing the abusive relationship might make her forget important details, but once reassured that her memory would remain intact, she agreed to proceed.
I guided her through a few processes that, within a minute each, completely decharged the emotions tied to these experiences. Even when she tried, she could no longer bring up the feelings associated with them.
Next, we focused on her upcoming interview. Although her anxiety had already dropped significantly, she still felt about a 5/10 level of nervousness. We cleared this within a minute, and to her astonishment, she could no longer make herself feel anxious even when trying. This happened because we had released the emotional imprints that had been fueling her anxiety in the first place.
Finally, we identified a new way of viewing the interview process that resonated with her—one that would help her perform well while remaining relaxed. Using another process, we deeply embedded this perspective to form a positive emotional imprint. A week later, she contacted me to say she had never felt more confident in her life, and the interviewers even commented on her self-assurance.
At no point did we need to challenge her thoughts. We simply made a few strategic adjustments within her mind, unraveling old emotional knots—and that was all that was required.
2. Social Anxiety
My client appeared confident on the outside but often felt overwhelmed around people, even those he was already familiar with. He wasn’t sure why but knew he had felt this way since at least his school years.
He recalled first experiencing this anxiety in primary school, coinciding with a period of bullying. To his surprise, simply thinking about this memory triggered high anxiety. This is common—when we have unresolved negative experiences, our brain may start seeing others as a threat.
When we are constantly perceiving threat, anxiety makes sense. However, he recognized that his current response was making him miserable. We quickly cleared the distress tied to the bullying memory, and he described feeling as though a huge weight had lifted.
Before this, the thought of social situations had felt deeply stressful. After clearing the childhood memory, this anxiety was cut in half. Then, I used a process to remove the remaining emotional charge until he could no longer make himself feel anxious, even when trying.
The following week, he had to attend a convention—something that normally would have left him in turmoil. Instead, he felt significantly calmer. A small flicker of anxiety surfaced on his way there, but he was able to clear it within seconds using a technique I had taught him.
He remains an introvert, but now he feels completely at ease around people—whether familiar or new. At no point did we have to challenge or analyze his thoughts. Simply resetting the emotional charge around certain memories and triggers was enough to create deep and lasting change.
3. Stress at Work
My client was in a high-pressure job while also managing increasing demands at home—caring for elderly parents and supporting teenage children through difficulties. As a result, she felt constantly overwhelmed and was struggling to cope.
Most people would find this situation stressful. The first step was to separate the stress from the situation. From a place of calm, life’s challenges still need to be addressed, but when we are overwhelmed, our thinking becomes rigid, and obvious solutions remain hidden.
In just a few minutes, the lump in her throat and tightness in her chest disappeared, replaced by a deep sense of calm. From this clearer state, we brainstormed practical options. She felt that one of her siblings should help more but felt stressed at the idea of asking. Once we cleared this stress, she still had some natural hesitation, but she knew she needed to make the request. We then removed the final resistance and planned an approach that would minimize the risk of conflict with her sibling.
Next, we addressed a few worst-case scenario thoughts about falling behind at work. By decharging these, we transformed them from insurmountable fears into simple problems to solve. She felt more confident speaking to her line manager about possible adjustments—either delegating tasks or negotiating flexibility. Even if the answer was no, she now saw it as a manageable situation rather than something to fear.
A week later, she was coping significantly better and resetting her nervous system when things became overwhelming using the techniques I had taught her. She also realized she was ready for a career change and had begun applying for jobs that would better suit her situation.
Despite no immediate practical changes to her day-to-day life, we had adjusted her mindset in a way that empowered her to take action and regain control over her work-life balance.
4. Grief
A teenage girl had lost a parent in traumatic circumstances a few months ago and had been present when it happened. Since then, she had been unable to attend school and was struggling to function day to day.
I reassured her that she would still grieve her loss, but that it was possible to grieve in a way that felt less overwhelming. She had two extremely distressing memories—the traumatic event itself and the funeral.
She was hesitant to think about them because they were too painful. Within a few minutes, we ran a process that updated these memories without her needing to focus on them directly. To her surprise, she could now think about both while remaining calm, despite the horror of what she had witnessed.
This shift alone felt like she could breathe again. I explained that grief naturally comes in waves—some days we feel overwhelmed, while others we feel calmer—but that neither state changes how much we love and miss someone.
With this in mind, I taught her a 60-second process to help regulate overwhelming moments. She chose a comforting thought: "It’s a relief to know he’ll always be with me in my heart." When we embedded this perspective, she felt a profound sense of peace.
A month later, she was back at school and coping much better. On the tougher days, she was able to regulate herself using the process I had taught her, which meant that, while grief was still present, it no longer felt overwhelming. She found that she could navigate her emotions more easily and manage daily life in a way that would have felt impossible before.
5. Intrusive Thoughts
A woman in her 40s was experiencing distressing intrusive thoughts about harming herself. Once they started, they could last for hours, leaving her deeply unsettled. This wasn’t the first time she had experienced such thoughts, and we identified past periods in her life where similar feelings had emerged.
These periods were tied to feelings of not being enough. She chose to keep the details private but was open to resetting the emotional charge linked to those memories.
Within minutes, the distress disappeared, and she felt calmer than she ever remembered. Next, we identified a more empowering perspective: "Despite everything, deep down I know I am a good person." Since she already felt peaceful, this process helped deeply embed that truth.
Finally, I taught her how to scramble intrusive thoughts if they arose. The following week, she reported a significant decrease in their frequency, and when they did appear, she was able to clear them within seconds rather than being trapped in them for hours.
6. Childhood Trauma, Depression, and Overwhelm
A young woman came to see me, feeling overwhelmed and barely able to cope with daily life. Her childhood had been filled with terror and abuse, but even the thought of recalling specific memories felt unbearable.
I reassured her that she didn’t have to share any details or even think about them directly. With this in mind, she chose an early memory to work on, and within minutes, we used a process that released the emotional charge. To her shock, she felt immediate relief. At that point, she wanted to tell me what had happened—she described a moment from childhood when her father had driven at high speed toward a wall, threatening to kill them both, only to swerve at the last second, purely to terrify her.
This was just one of many traumatic experiences in her life—one of the lesser ones, in fact. Rather than working through them one by one, she chose to clear the distress from a specific period of her life in segments. She decided to start with the trauma she had experienced between the ages of 5 to 10. Using a process that didn’t require her to recall or describe the memories, we released the emotional charge tied to that entire period. This allowed her to process the change gradually rather than tackling everything at once.
After this, she selected another memory to work on but chose to keep the details private. When we finished, she paused for a moment, then told me that a sick feeling—one that had been with her for as long as she could remember—had disappeared completely. She pulled out her phone and looked at a photograph, staring at it open-mouthed. It was an image of herself after being beaten almost to death by her father with a baseball bat—evidence taken for the police. Normally, she couldn’t even glance at the picture without feeling physically ill. But now, she had no reaction at all. The memory was still there, but the overwhelming emotional charge that had gripped her for years was gone.
As the emotional weight lifted, she felt calmer than she ever had. But this new state of calm was so unfamiliar that it was unsettling. Rather than rushing forward, she decided to take time to acclimate to it before clearing more. The following week, she returned, now fully adjusted and even enjoying this newfound sense of peace. She estimated that we had addressed about 20% of what she had been through, and she was ready to continue.
Over the next few sessions, we progressed at her pace, gently clearing distress from significant segments of her life. After experiencing the process a couple of times, she began doing each clearance herself, finding it quick and easy. I guided her as needed until she could confidently apply it on her own.
At one point, she became alarmed at the idea of feeling completely calm. She had spent so many years in survival mode that peace itself felt unsafe. I reassured her that even though her brain was calm, it could still generate a survival response instantly if needed. I also reminded her that her father was no longer a threat. With this in mind, she agreed to take on a new perspective: "It is safe to feel safe." Once we embedded this deeply, she felt a noticeable shift—this single adjustment alone brought an immense sense of relief.
For several weeks, she remained in a state of deep calm. Then one day, she was triggered by a scene on TV involving a violent parent. But instead of spiraling, she instinctively applied the process we had used in our sessions, and within seconds, the distress dissolved. This moment was a major turning point—it confirmed that she wasn’t just free from the past but now had the tools to maintain her emotional balance no matter what came up.
At the end of our final session, something unexpected surfaced. She admitted that she felt immense guilt about not being in contact with her father, even though she knew deep down it had never been safe. She wanted the guilt gone so she could move forward in life, making decisions that were right for her. We worked on this, and within minutes, the guilt dissolved, allowing her to fully embrace her future without the weight of misplaced obligation.
Now, she feels calm, in control, and no longer burdened by her past.