What Happened to You?

Imposter Syndrome

I was in an amazing new role, in a beautiful new country but at my core, I felt like I didn’t deserve to be there. Despite my years of experience and glowing references, I felt like it was only a matter of time before I was caught out and told by my superiors that they’d made a huge mistake in hiring me. I didn’t believe that I was worthy of success.

My imposter syndrome reared its ugly head in the disguise of an email notification.

Every time a notification popped up on my screen, anxiety would set in. ‘Is this the email telling me I’m going to be fired?’; ‘Have I made a huge error that I’m going to be told about?’; ‘Have they realised that they made a mistake hiring me?’

All these thoughts rushed into my mind within a split second of receiving the email, regardless of the fact that I was excelling in my work. And every time I opened the email, it was nothing to be afraid of.

So why was my body reacting this way? Every. Single. Time.

The Body Keeps The Score

It just so happened, I was training to be a Hypnotherapist at the time and the next session was going to be on age regression therapy – a technique that facilitates access to childhood memories by using a strong emotion experienced frequently in the present.

“If we want to understand the oak, it’s back to the acorn we must go.”

Oprah Winfrey

Now, I must admit, I wasn’t sure this was going to work on me and if it did, I was fairly convinced I’d be taken back to the time I was given detention at school aged 9 or 10 for drawing a treasure map on the school walls. I had been a trouble-free student up until that point and so I recall being devastated by this.

However, that was not my experience. The session, led by a fellow hypnotherapist trainee, enabled me to recall an armed burglary at my uncle’s home when I was aged 3 that I knew of but had no strong recollection of. I felt fear as if I was there and thanks to the skill of my hypnotherapist, I was able to put into context that traumatic experience. Following on from that session, I never had anxiety related to receiving a work email ever again.

So, my question to you is this: What happened to you? Have you thought about how the impact of a past experience could be affecting your life in the present? Could a self-limiting belief such as, ‘I am not worthy of success’, be rooted in a childhood trauma?

Your Journey Begins Here

If you or someone you know is grappling with similar experiences, know that you are not alone. Speak up, seek help, and embrace vulnerability as the beginning of your healing journey. Whether through trusted friends, professionals, or community resources, finding someone you can confide in can be life changing. I know this to be true firsthand.

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