A HYPNOTHERAPIST has helped a mother-of-three pass her driving test after nearly 20 years of suffering crippling anxiety since her brother’s death.

Georgie Cobb was just 17 when her 19-year-old brother was killed as he was hit by a lorry on a roundabout while riding his motorbike.

The debilitating anxiety which arose from that time prevented her from learning to drive and, when she moved to Barton Stacey a year ago, it left her and her three sons feeling isolated.

Now 36, she passed her driving test in October after seeking the help of clinical hypnotherapist Ed Francis to overcome her fear.

Talking about the anxiety from her brother’s death, the teaching assistant said: “My friends were learning to drive at the time but I became fearful. I was so young but so old at the same time, I would see all sorts of danger around every corner.

“For me, over the years it became much, much worse and having my own children made it worse. Any circumstances similar to those in which my brother died would put the fear of God into me.

“It was crippling.”

Rural life was the push Georgie needed to learn to drive after her fear began to impact on family life with sons, Josh, 13, Elliott, 12, and Charlie, nine.

“My husband was away with work and if the children needed picking up early from school it was impossible,” she continued.

“It was particularly difficult in school holidays as we would be stuck at the house or we would go for a walk up the hill but that was the extent of our entertainment unless somebody took pity on us and came to visit.”

After nine months of lessons however, her anxiety was still standing in the way of her passing her test.

“The night before a lesson I wouldn’t sleep and I would have panic attacks,” she said.

“When my instructor arrived I would spend 10 minutes outside the house talking to put off having to drive. I couldn’t even get round a corner properly without panicking about being in the right gear.”

Georgie saw an advert for clinical hypnotherapist Ed Francis, who holds clinics at The Wellington Centre in Andover, and after an initial consultation he formulated a treatment plan which included emotional freedom techniques (EFT) - a method of releasing emotional energy blockages.

“I knew it was what I needed,” she said of the treatment plan.

“Just thinking about cars would bring on these feelings of fear but after the first consultation there was an emotional shift, no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t make that feeling happen.

“The next time I got in a car my driving instructor couldn’t believe the difference. I reversed out of the drive and drove straight to Winchester.”

Following three therapy sessions, Georgie passed her test on October 17.

“It feels great, I feel liberated” she added. For more information about Ed Francis Hypnotherapy, click here