Dr. Robert Reiner provided much needed treatment for my mouse phobia. When I first met with him, he immediately put me at ease. He listened carefully and empathetically and assured me that in the span of just a few months I would be able to have a mouse crawl on me while remaining calm. Of course, I looked at him like he was crazy and doubted that the treatment would ever be successful. But I was also sick of living in fear and so I decided to take a leap of faith and put my trust in Dr. Reiner. This turned out to be a great decision.
Over the course of the treatment, Dr. Reiner slowly and gradually helped to desensitize me to mice. He had me start off by viewing images of mice before exposing me to live mice. Meanwhile, he taught me simple relaxation techniques that helped me to tolerate my anxiety during this process. He also hooked me up to biofeedback equipment to show me that I could control my body?s anxiety response ? this discovery was very empowering. Throughout all of this, Dr. Reiner was extraordinarily patient with me and helped me to feel like I was in charge of the process at all times. By the time I graduated from treatment (just a few months after I had begun treatment), I was able to have a mouse run across my foot (my greatest fear prior to embarking on treatment!) while calmly engaging in conversation. I never in a million years thought that I would be able to achieve this, considering I couldn?t even be in the same room as a mouse when I started treatment. My husband could not believe it either and feels very proud of the progress that I?ve achieved.
I feel incredible gratitude towards Dr. Reiner for helping me to shed this irksome phobia that has interfered with my life for too long. I know that I could never have made these gains without his patience, expert guidance, and encouragement. I would encourage anyone who is dealing with a phobia to not hesitate to seek help from Dr. Reiner -- he is simply the best at what he does. Don?t get me wrong, the process can feel difficult at times and progress may not always be purely linear. However, if you invest in the treatment and allow Dr. Reiner to guide you than I have no doubt that you will be as successful as I have been in improving the quality of your life.
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