Amy Smith

My names Amy Smith and I practice as a Thrive consultant in a village called Conington just outside Cambridge.

I very much enjoy my life, I have a beautiful bouncing baby boy, (a little girl on the way) I’m happily engaged and live in a quiet village, enjoying all the countryside has to offer as well as my lovely little home.

So what is Thrive and how did I become a Consultant?

I spent a number of years in my late teens and early 20’s battling depression, anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia and becoming locked in an endless cycle of taking medication as well as being semi-reliant on alcohol and cigarettes. The medication helped me maintain the exterior of a semi ‘normal’ person to all that knew me and over the years I developed a profound ability to hide my inner battles through fear of being judged or labelled. After being passed around various psychologists, psychotherapists and counselors and being ‘diagnosed’ with a wonderfully long list of different conditions I had come to the conclusion that this was just who i was…………or was it?

One fine day, I decided that my fear of flying (anyone who flew with me during those years is likely to tell you it was not a great experience for them) had got too much and I needed a hypnotherapist. So I found someone based in Cambridge and I went for it. His name was Rob Kelly. He was bald, brash and rather too flippant for my liking (I didn’t think he was taking me seriously). Mr Kelly explained to me that I was creating my fear of flying through my high desire for control and that hypnotherapy was not what I needed, what I needed was a psychological programme which would focus on my desire for control, why I had it, my thinking styles and more importantly how I felt about myself (self esteem), social anxiety and how powerful I felt in life and by concentrating on these fundamental principles my fear would diminish.

I had six sessions with Rob Kelly.

I then proceeded to quit my job, book a round the world ticket (for one) and drop the antidepressants.

Don’t get me wrong, life was still a battle but everyday I felt as though I was gaining more and more control. As I applied the skills and techniques I had learnt I started to like the person I was and therefore began to fear judgement from others a whole lot less. I certainly had blips over the next couple of years however I can honestly, hand on heart say that I have now cured myself of all those symptoms.

I now have no fear and I know how to manage my thinking in order to get the most from life. I love my life with every ounce of my being and I am free of any anxiety that I allowed to hold me back.

I had a choice to continue ‘living’ or start ‘thriving’ and I chose the latter. In the words of my father ‘life is not a rehearsal’ and I will take no prisoners in being sure I get the most out of every minute of it. Why? Because I have self worth, I deserve it (as does everyone) and I will not be held back by my previous limiting beliefs and unhelpful thinking styles.

I CHOOSE to enjoy life, I CHOOSE to have a job which I enjoy, I CHOOSE the friendships that I have, I CHOOSE to devote my all to my family and I CHOOSE to maintain perspective.

I cured myself through my thinking, so why not spend my life being sure to help others do the same? I trained as Thrive consultant Pictureand I’ve never looked back. I LOVE watching people change their lives every week and its a privilege to be a part of that process.

You do not need to have been ‘diagnosed’ with mental health issues to see a consultant or even just read the book. The programme is about helping each and every person whether you have no diagnosis but want to learn to ‘Thrive’ in general or have a long list of psychological or physical conditions and want to get the most out of life.

www.mummythrive.com

www.thrivewithamy.org