Anxiety Case Study: From Panic Attacks and Seeking Love to Choosing Herself
This client story is based on real therapeutic work. Identifying details have been changed to protect confidentiality.
Anxiety Case Study: From Panic Attacks and Seeking Love to Choosing Herself
When “Laura” first came to work with me, she was struggling with anxiety attacks, sadness and a persistent feeling that she was not worthy of love. A recent relationship breakdown had intensified everything. She was crying frequently, missing her former partner and finding it difficult to imagine moving forward without the relationship.
Laura had previously been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder and had received psychological support. She also disclosed a history of depression and suicidal thoughts, alongside prescribed medication for her mental health and diazepam for periods of acute anxiety.
On her intake form, she described feeling hopeless and worthless. She rated the impact of the problem on her life at 8 out of 10.
Laura wanted to love herself, release the guilt and shame she carried and feel more confident. Most importantly, she wanted to prioritise herself and make decisions based on what was best for her rather than continually seeking another person’s approval.
At first, much of her pain appeared to be about the relationship she had lost. As we explored her history, however, it became clear that the breakup had activated a pattern that began much earlier.
She Had Learned to Look for Love Outside Herself
Laura described a childhood marked by instability, abuse and difficult family relationships. She had also been blamed for painful events that no child could have caused or controlled.
These experiences left her carrying a deep sense of guilt and responsibility. She learned to question whether she was good enough and whether she had somehow caused the problems happening around her.
As an adult, this became what Laura described as an unrelenting need to feel loved by a man. Even when she received love or reassurance, it rarely felt like enough. She continued looking for evidence that she was chosen, wanted and secure.
When that reassurance became inconsistent, she experienced anxiety, anger and fear of rejection. The harder she tried to feel certain of another person’s love, the more vulnerable she became to losing herself within the relationship.
Laura was therefore not only grieving the end of one relationship. The separation had activated much older feelings of not being chosen and not being enough.
Our Work Was About Helping Her Choose Herself
During our consultation, I explained to Laura that our work would not focus on changing her former partner or repairing the relationship for her. We would focus on her.
We worked with the guilt, shame and beliefs that had led Laura to depend on other people for evidence that she was lovable. The aim was to help her understand that her worth did not rise or fall according to whether one particular person chose her.
Real love would not require her to prove herself, tolerate instability or continually abandon her own needs. A healthy relationship would need to include trust, consistency, respect and emotional safety.
This meant helping Laura move away from asking:
How can I make him choose me?
And towards a very different question:
Is this relationship worthy of me?
That shift became central to the changes that followed.
The First Changes Appeared in Her Boundaries
Thirteen days after her first hypnotherapy session, Laura was already responding differently.
When her former partner reappeared without demonstrating that the underlying problems had changed, Laura did not automatically interpret his attention as proof that they should resume the relationship. She maintained boundaries that would previously have been difficult for her to hold.
She was also responding differently within a challenging family relationship. Instead of chasing connection, trying to repair everything or making herself responsible for the other person’s response, she allowed herself to step back.
These moments were significant because Laura was interrupting a pattern she had repeated for years. She was no longer treating someone else’s attention as more important than her own wellbeing.
One of the phrases we used during this stage of the work was:
I choose myself.
This was not about becoming uncaring or rejecting everyone around her. It meant recognising that maintaining boundaries and refusing poor treatment were expressions of self-respect.
Thirty Days Later, the Panic Attacks Had Stopped
By Laura’s 30-day follow-up, the changes had become more visible. She reported that she had not experienced a panic attack during the previous two weeks and had not needed her as-required diazepam. Her sleep had improved, she was procrastinating less and she found it easier to complete everyday tasks without becoming overwhelmed.
Her attention was also shifting. Instead of allowing thoughts about her former partner to dominate her day, she was focusing more on herself and the life she wanted to create.
The relationship still carried an emotional pull. Laura loved him and wanted to believe things could be different. Our conversations therefore focused on the distinction between loving someone and being well matched with them.
Love alone does not make a relationship healthy. Trust, consistency, respect and a willingness to take responsibility also matter.
Laura began considering what she genuinely wanted from a partner rather than reducing her needs to accommodate what one particular person was willing to offer.
The Same Beliefs Were Affecting Other Parts of Her Life
As Laura’s immediate anxiety reduced, we began noticing that the same self-worth patterns were affecting other areas of her life.
She hesitated to make herself visible, questioned whether she was good enough and sometimes held herself back from pursuing what she wanted. Receiving greater recognition or success felt uncomfortable because it required her to take up space and trust in her own value.
Our next stage of therapeutic work therefore focused on self-worth, visibility and the fear of stepping more fully into her potential.
The aim was not simply to make Laura more productive. It was to help her feel safer being seen, expressing what she wanted and allowing herself to create a life that did not depend on another person’s approval.
She began directing more of her energy towards her own goals, future and personal growth.
Progress Did Not Require Perfection
Laura’s progress was meaningful, but it was not perfectly linear. There were moments when the old relationship pulled at her emotionally and times when she questioned whether showing care or giving another chance meant she had undone her progress. Our work helped her become less critical of herself during those moments.
Being compassionate did not mean she had to resume an unhealthy relationship. Caring about another person did not make her responsible for rescuing them. One difficult decision did not erase the boundaries or self-awareness she had developed.
This was another important part of learning to choose herself. Self-worth did not require Laura to respond perfectly or become emotionally detached. It allowed her to treat herself with compassion while remaining clear about what she would and would not accept.
She Was Building a Life That Did Not Revolve Around Being Chosen
By our later follow-up, Laura reported that she was managing her anxiety well and was no longer relying on diazepam. She was making more plans for herself, engaging more fully with her life and becoming more confident in her decisions.
The panic attacks stopping was significant. But the broader transformation was that Laura was beginning to trust herself.
She could set a boundary without believing she was cruel. She could experience disappointment without turning it into evidence that she was unworthy. She could offer compassion without abandoning herself. She could pursue her own goals and allow her life to become important.
Laura originally came to me wanting to feel worthy of love. What she began discovering was that her worth did not need to be granted by another person. It was already hers.
What Laura’s Story Shows
Anxiety, panic attacks, relationship difficulties, procrastination and fear of visibility can appear to be separate problems. For Laura, they were connected by deeper patterns involving guilt, shame, self-worth and the need for external validation.
This is why I do not work only with the most visible symptom. Reducing panic can provide important relief, but deeper change involves understanding what has taught someone to feel unsafe, inadequate or responsible for everyone around them.
My approach combines Rapid Transformational Therapy®, clinical hypnotherapy, conversational hypnosis and Somatic Trauma-Informed Coaching techniques. I adapt the work according to the individual client and what emerges through the therapeutic process.
For Laura, the work began with anxiety, panic and the pain of a breakup. It expanded into guilt, self-worth, boundaries and her ability to make decisions based on what was right for her. She was not simply learning how to cope with anxiety. She was learning how to choose herself.
Looking for Help With Anxiety and Self-Worth?
I am Julie Chal, a Rapid Transformational Therapist, anxiety specialist and Clinical Hypnotherapist based in Perth, Australia. I work with clients in Perth and online across Australia and internationally.
If anxiety, panic attacks, relationship patterns or a persistent need for external validation are affecting how you feel about yourself, my Tranceform Anxiety to Thrive program is designed to explore and work with the deeper beliefs and emotional patterns contributing to those experiences.
The first step is a 50-minute Consultation Call, where we discuss what you are experiencing, what may be contributing to it and whether my approach is appropriate for you.
Individual experiences and outcomes vary. Hypnotherapy is not a substitute for medical care, and medication should only be changed in consultation with the prescribing healthcare professional.
Important: If you are thinking about suicide or believe you may be in immediate danger, please seek urgent assistance from an emergency or crisis-support service. My consultation call and therapeutic program are not crisis services.
This story reflects one client’s individual experience. Outcomes and timeframes vary according to each person and their circumstances.