Overcoming Rumination and Panic After Divorce with Hypnotherapy

A Case Study

Client Background

This client came to hypnotherapy several months after a sudden and painful breakup. Her husband had unexpectedly left the family for another woman—a shock that she initially managed with remarkable composure. However, around six months after the separation, she began experiencing panic attacks and persistent rumination.

Although she understood that the marriage had ended long before the formal separation and was, in many ways, ready to move forward, her mind remained stuck in a cycle of replaying events and conversations. She described feeling trapped in the past, unable to stop analysing what had happened and why.

Presenting Issues

Panic attacks

Intrusive thoughts and rumination

Difficulty sleeping

Feeling emotionally stuck despite a logical readiness to move forward

Hypnotherapy Treatment

We worked together over several weeks, combining face-to-face sessions with Zoom appointments. The treatment centred around Solution Focused Hypnotherapy techniques, using specific language patterns designed to shift her perspective from the emotional brain to the logical, rational part of the mind.

The sessions created a space where she could access calm, clarity, and control. As therapy progressed, the client reported that her thought patterns began to shift. The intensity of her emotional responses lessened, and she was increasingly able to think clearly and constructively about her next steps in life.

Importantly, we addressed the impact of rumination on her sleep. By using relaxation and guided visualisation during sessions—paired with audio recordings for home use—she began sleeping through the night again and noticed her anxiety levels drop.

Outcome

Today, this client is sleeping well, feeling calm, and actively enjoying life again. She’s taken steps to rebuild her future and now uses the hypnotherapy recordings during times of stress to anchor herself back in her “safe place”—a calm, grounded mindset she learned to access during our work together.

Her journey is a powerful example of how hypnotherapy can gently but effectively support emotional recovery and help restore balance, especially after major life upheaval.

If you would like to find out more or discuss how hypnotherapy could hep you then get in touch

Joy Faith - Healing Hypnotherapy