9-Yr Old Celeste’s Breakthrough Story with Tics
“Dr. Lazarus is someone I will remember forever. Thank you, Dr. Lazarus, for all that you did for me!!!”
This letter is from a 9-year-old patient from out of state who was able to experience a breakthrough with her tics. Click the image to read more.
58-year-old woman with chronic tics
As a 58-year-old woman, I’ve been dealing with motor and vocal tics since I was a young girl. Relatively speaking, they are mild, but have been the cause of some bullying growing up.
In the past, I was told that not much would help and was given anti-anxiety medication for them (although I never took the medication). Instead, I have just done my best to try and suppress them on my own, often without success. At work, my patients and staff would constantly ask why I was clearing my throat all the time (“Are you sick?”), or blinking my eyes so much (“Are you tired?”).
I discovered Dr Lazarus in 2020 when googling about how to stop tics. I was skeptical but hopeful when he and I first met. We worked on obliterating my throat clearing tic. In a short time, much to my surprise, that tic essentially vanished. For me, it was a miracle. I was actually teary-eyed in relief, as I never imagined I would be free from the bonds of those tics. Lately, that blinking tic re-emerged and we again met to do a brush-up session.
I already know the tic will be suppressed with the homework he gave me, especially since I already experienced great success with him in the past.
What I really like about Dr Lazarus, is that he is kind, supportive, a great listener and an empathic doctor. In addition-his method really works.
10-Yr Old Joe’s Story of Keeping The Bed Dry
“Joe is a 10-year-old boy who had never been dry at night. At the first meeting, he talked with Dr. Lazarus and received some ‘homework.’ When he returned the following week, he had been dry five out of seven nights!”
At the second visit, he learned self-hypnosis-and he has been dry ever since. He chose not to return for a third visit because he had cured himself.”
5 Yr-Old Max’s Story of Controlling Migraines
“Max, Dr. Lazarus’ youngest migraine patient, was five years old and suffered from debilitating headaches that would occur about once a week and last all day. He described the pain as being like a tornado inside his head.
After working with Dr. Lazarus once, he was able to control the headaches and did not need to return for subsequent visits. The headaches still come from time to time, but Max uses self-hypnosis to avoid the pain.
“It takes a while to get the effects, but the results are good. It really, really relaxes you, even in a tight spot. I really hope people try this technique and if not, they are missing out on something they might really need.”
~ 5-year old Max
“All doubt as to if it works or not left me when I saw my son take control of something that had control of him. I was so proud of him and I will be forever grateful to Dr. Lazarus for caring enough about my son to share this gift with him.”
– Max’s mother
Sam’s Story of Eliminating Migraines
“I had migraines once a day with a really bad one maybe twice a month. After meeting with Dr. Lazarus two times, I haven’t had a migraine since. Dr. Lazarus really helped me out a lot.”
– Sam, who was 12 years old when he saw Dr. Lazarus for migraines
“I never knew how much Sam was in pain. He blocked it out of his life. When he was in a state of hypnosis, I had never seen him so relaxed. The self-hypnosis worked. He doesn’t have migraines anymore, and it’s actually helped me, too. Being in those sessions with him has helped me to relax, as well.”
– Sam’s mother
Michael’s Cough Tic Story
“I can’t tell you the impact that Dr. Lazarus has had on our family. Our son, Michael, has always been a straight-A student, and he got kicked out of school for disturbing other people with a cough tic. It really bothered him that he was disturbing others.
Dr. Lazarus had such an impact. Our son doesn’t have any tics anymore. We are in the process of relocating to another city, but Dr. Lazarus is still our pediatrician regardless of where we live. If he asked me to come to the west coast on a red-eye to help support him, I’d do it. That’s how much he means to us.”
– Father of 8-year-old Michael
Barry’s Story of Tics Fading Away, and Confidence Growing
“When Dr. Lazarus was in Cleveland, we flew there to meet with him, because Barry had reached the end of his rope. Our pediatrician had treated him with allergy medicines and a nebulizer before diagnosing him with Tourette Syndrome. Then, a neurologist at a renowned hospital recommended that he take an anti-psychotic medication for his tics.
His father and I decided this was not a road we wanted to travel, and we began to look for alternative methods of treatment. Fortunately, our research led us to Dr. Lazarus. We flew to Cleveland in search of an answer.
Our son’s first appointment went well and he was excited to return a month later. At his second appointment, he learned techniques to help himself to get better. He practiced his techniques daily. As his tics faded away, his self-confidence grew, his self-esteem improved, his performance at school improved, and his spirit returned.
Dr. Lazarus empowered our son with a tremendous gift that he will carry with him everywhere. We cannot begin to express our gratitude for the time and confidence he has given to our son.”
– Mother of 12-year-old Barry
Caroline’s Story of Becoming Tic Free, Without Medication
“When a neurologist diagnosed Caroline with Tourette Syndrome, I went home and I started reading books and freaked out. As a parent, you think the worst. There was not a whole lot out there to help us figure out what to do about this, and I wasn’t big on medication.
When my daughter was ready and said, “The kids are making fun of me. I want this to stop,” we called Dr. Lazarus. In two or three sessions, she was tic-free until we told her we were going to have another baby, and then she started all over again. But that’s a different story. We had a couple of tics then, too!
My point is that Caroline’s life has been enhanced by this. And it’s a non-medication way to treat your child. The upside is vast and the downside is, I think, nonexistent.” – Mother of 6 1/2-year-old Caroline
Steven’s Story – “My wife and I are both very thankful”
“My son is a really smart student and very sensitive, and the pain that we had to see him go through was terrible. What Dr. Lazarus did with him was just amazing, and my wife and I are both very thankful. We feel like we’re friends forever. We are just very happy.”
– Father of 10-year-old Steven
Brooke’s Story of Decreasing Her “Flinch Tic”
“When we first discovered Brooke’s tic, she would describe it as a flinch. In the beginning it was very strong, almost seizure-like. But we didn’t want to jump to put our child on medication. Our pediatrician had heard Dr. Lazarus speak, and we thought it was certainly worth the trip, so we went to see him. Brooke loved him immediately and responded to him really well.
“It definitely has to be something the child wants to do. She picked one tic that bothered her the most and discussed it with him. They dealt with it. Most of her other tics have subsided. Instead of seeing a tic ten times a day, I see it once maybe every two weeks. It has really subsided, and she knows how to control it, and it’s a great feeling.”
– Mother of 6-year-old Brooke
Bob’s Story of No Longer Doing His Shaking Tic or Vocal Tics
“Our 9-year-old son Bob has had the pleasure of being treated by Dr. Lazarus over the past few months. We flew from Canada to see him and have been absolutely thrilled with the results. We hope that other people who are dealing with some of the same issues will too be inspired to see Dr. Lazarus and get the help they need.
Bob has Tourette Syndrome and has had numerous tics since he was 6 years old. Over the past year, we modified his diet and used supplements to help to control his tics. He also started getting migraines about a year ago, however, since we have taken sugar, dairy, and MSG out of his diet, he does not get them as often as he used to.
Bob is a very energetic, outgoing child who loves people. Fortunately for Bob, he has done quite well socially with his tics as he has a strong personality and lots of supportive friends. However, a few months ago he started making some vocal tics such as yelling and some weird noises. We have always been very supportive of his tics, not making a big deal out of them, but we were worried about how disruptive these tics would be at school and around his friends. Our number one priority with Bob has always been his self-esteem and we were fearful of what was in store for him in the future.
I had read about Dr. Lazarus in the Latitudes Online magazine and decided to call him to see if he could help us. We had 3 visits with Dr. Lazarus and were very happy with the results. We live in Canada so it was definitely a huge commitment to go and see Dr. Lazarus, but after speaking with him on the phone we felt it was worth a try.
At our first visit Dr. Lazarus made it very clear that it does not matter how much the tics bother us as parents. Bob has to be motivated to want to change the behavior. Bob really enjoyed his time with Dr. Lazarus and thought that the techniques that he showed him were really cool.
It was after his second visit that we really noticed a difference in Bob. In fact, when I spoke with Bob on the phone at the airport while he and his dad were waiting for their flight home, Bob told me that he now knows how to control his tics! Over the next few days, we noticed significant improvement in his vocal tics and what Bob called his “shaking tic”.
Dr. Lazarus had Bob focused on the tic that bothered Bob the most which was his “shaking tic”. Bob also told me that it was really cool that when he felt the urge to do his “shaking tic” he would visualize a stop sign and then he would not need to do his tic afterwards. Bob felt very excited and empowered that he was able to control his tics.
Bob no longer does his shaking tic or any other vocal tics.
He still does some eye blinking and sniffing tics and what we learned after his third visit was that those tics are not bothering him so he chooses not to work on fixing them. Bob has the technique and tools that he needs to be able to control his tics if he feels it is necessary. Although he still is doing some of his tics, it is amazing to see how much better they are as a whole and how he no longer does the tics that were definitely the most distracting!
As an added bonus, on our last visit Dr. Lazarus was able to help Bob with similar techniques for his migraines. A few days after our last visit, Bob came to me in the morning and told me he had just had a migraine without the headache!!
He said that he lay in bed and worked on his visualization techniques, and after a few minutes, his headache was gone. That really is amazing, since Bob’s migraines would usually consist of about one and a half hours of his screaming in agony followed by vomiting for at least another hour. In fact, just two days ago, he experienced what he called another migraine when he woke up, and he was again able to control it through his visualization!!
We are thrilled with our results from Dr.Lazarus and we highly recommend him to anyone in need. In fact, I would be happy to talk to anyone who may have any questions or concerns as we feel that it is so worth it.”
Eve’s Story of Disappearing Warts
“Eve, a 10-year-old girl with recalcitrant warts, had been to a dermatologist and received various treatments, all of which were unsuccessful.
After having the warts for over a year, she saw Dr. Lazarus. After just two visits, her warts disappeared.”
Karen’s Story of Healing Her Warts
“One day, I noticed that I had a wart on my foot. My mom brought me in to Dr. Lazarus to see what we could do about the situation.
We got in there, and he requested that I talk to my wart! Personally, I thought he was crazy. But I followed what he told me to do. I felt weird talking to my foot, but every night before I went to bed, I told my wart how I wanted it to leave. And soon enough, I noticed my wart starting to disappear.
I was so amazed that this crazy idea of his actually worked. It did though. This is my experience with my wart.”
– Karen, now 12 years old, about her experience when she was 7 years old
“My daughter awoke one day with a wart on her toe. I told my husband, who is a doctor, about this wart, and asked how we should treat it. He picked something up from the drug store that was over the counter. We used this for a few weeks and did not notice any results.
We then found Dr. Lazarus and made an appointment for him to see it. He looked at the wart and gave us a few options. Dr. Lazarus said to Karen that he would prefer her to try something that he feels would really work. He suggested to Karen that she talk to her wart each night, or even a few times a day, and tell it to go away. I thought to myself with a chuckle, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I laughed and Dr. Lazarus said if you laugh, don’t believe, and you are not serious, this will not work. Karen felt that she would give this a try. He told her to go somewhere private like her bedroom to talk to her wart. Karen went home after seeing him and did it. Within three weeks the wart disappeared and to this day has not returned. We were very grateful and talk about this experience quite frequently.”
72-year-old Canadian Woman’s Story of Beating Tourette’s Syndrome She’s Had Since 7 Years Old
“Two weeks have passed since I completed your Medical Hypnosis treatment protocol and I’m still trying to absorb my new reality. I’ve had Tourette’s since I was seven, without ever having a break from the tics – until now. As I sit and type this letter to you, I am – for the most part – free of those awful, intrusive and overwhelming movements that controlled my body and mind for so long. When the tics occasionally come knocking at my door, I have many strategies of self-hypnosis that I learned from you, and they always succeed in sending the offending tics on their way.
I step back for a moment and remember how I felt when – just a few weeks ago – I came across your website and learned about you, and about the work that you do. I remember how desperate and desolate I felt on that day, trapped in this prison from which there seemed to be no escape.
When I read about your extensive experience and success in helping patients with tics, I dared to be hopeful, and immediately wrote an email to you. I didn’t really expect a reply, so imagine my surprise when just hours later I received a most kind and compassionate email from you, setting up a time for a half-hour phone conversation to take place the same day!
I remember how nervous I was as I waited for your call – and then how excited I was to feel the first real glimmer of hope. By that evening the decision was made, and I went about planning the trip that was going to change my life.
From the very first minute, you put me at ease with your warmth and genuine caring, and over the next five days proceeded to teach me about self-hypnosis. The results were immediate, and it was then that I knew that my life had already changed.
Your knowledge and expertise shone brightly as you followed a routine, while tailoring the lessons to meet my personal needs. It was hard work for both of us and despite my sheer exhaustion (and perhaps yours!), your support and encouragement helped me to remain determined and committed, and to take full advantage of what you have to offer. I felt completely comfortable at all times and appreciated your flexibility in remaining open to my requests and suggestions.
And the moments of laughter that we shared still make me smile.
How can I ever thank you? Actually, I know exactly how: by continuing to practice the techniques and strategies that I have learned, so that I will never again experience the terrible struggles I battled for so long. And of course, you know just how willing I am to share my experience with others living with Tourette’s.
I feel so fortunate to have met you and to have had the privilege of learning from the best.”
56-year-old with Tourette’s Syndrome Story
A 56-year-old patient with Tourette syndrome wrote the following letter. We met once a week for 5 weeks total.
“Dear Self:
Okay, this is an interesting letter to write. I’m writing as my 56-year-old self, giving you, my 55-year-old self, some insight into how I annihilated those tics.
Thinking back over these many years of when the tics have dominated our life, I find it pretty amazing that the power of the mind is what finally helped us take control over the tics. I say tics (plural), because although you are just working on the throat clearing right now, these skills you are mastering will help you win the fight over the blinking and sniffling, too. Remember when we met with a doctor in the distant past, and he told us that hypnosis and meditation would not work against tics? How wrong he was! The issue/problem is that he put the idea into our mind that we were powerless against those tics, and that suppressing the urge to tic would result in a rebound surge in the tic later on. We believed this and it had been a self-fulfilling prophecy since then. Learning to reset our mind has been a powerful force against the tics. The amazing part is that there has not been a rebound surge in the tics with this technique. I’m still amazed at how well this technique works.
There were some very powerful stories and images that helped to carry us to this point, where we are now free of tics. I recall all the stories and videos of kids who were able to stop their tics – especially the girl with the screaming cough and the boy with the throat-clearing tic. Learning that throat clearing is a common tic felt reassuring and validating. Seeing the young boy conquer the tic was empowering. Thinking of these stories reminds our brain that we are not accomplishing anything by throat clearing – this has helped us overcome the urge. We have to often remind ourselves that the sensation we have in our throat is just that – it is a sensation, it is a tic, it is not a physical issue and it is not necessary. We can just let it go.
Sometimes you may have bad tic days. Don’t be discouraged – sometimes you will have a harder time battling that tic. On those days – bring out your arsenal. Think of the tennis match vs that tic. That’s right – the match where you destroyed it 6-0, 6-0. You have the focus and the power to beat it. You can also remember the boy who beat his throat clearing and remind yourself that it is just a sensation. You don’t need to respond to it. You are stronger than the sensation. Or you can use the sensation – take the sensation in your throat and imagine you are a fire-breathing dragon with ultra-focus power. Take the sensation and use it to focus your energy – if you are on the tennis court – use it to win the point. If you are not on the court, go there in your highly focused mind and use your mental energy to win the point.
In the office you might find it harder to control that tic in the moment – do a quick visualization of your drawing – the sound of silence. Take a deep breath and believe in yourself and believe that you can fight the urge.
Sometimes I equate the sensation with a mosquito bite that I don’t want to scratch, so I just ignore the sensation. The other amazing side effect of this battle against those tics, is that it has helped us learn to slow down our brain and focus. Our tennis game has really improved with this visualization and focus. Our relationship with our mother-in-law has improved. Our blinking and sniffing and any other tics that have tried to emerge have also been squashed with our new brain power.
It’s completely freeing. It will take ongoing work and focus, and you can look forward to all the rewards you have already felt and all the rewards in store for you. Keep up the good work – YOU ROCK!”
37-year-old Woman with Chronic Migraines Story
In my early thirties, I began to suffer from chronic migraines. I would have at least 1 bad attack per week along with daily head pain. There was not much that would prevent my severe attacks, and I would have to cancel my plans, lay in bed in the dark, and not be able to parent my 2 small children. It really was awful and debilitating.
I started seeing a Pain Management doctor at Stanford and went through a series of triptan medication to help with my attacks, but between my constant intake of Advil to now the triptan medication, I felt like I was always taking something for the pain. I would often suffer through the pain with an ice pack wrapped around my head just so I could take a break from the medication.
The beginning of 2021, I switched general doctors and it was then that my new doctor recommended I try hypnosis with Dr. Lazarus. I’ll be honest. At first, I was extremely skeptical. My doctor pushed me to try it and seeing as I had nothing to lose, and nothing else seemed to be helping my chronic pain, I decided to give it a go.
Dr. Lazarus is kind, patient and caring. He truly cares about his patients and only has one goal in mind – helping heal your pain and to manage the pain severity. He does not do hypnosis in the tv sensationalized way – where he swings a watch, and you are hypnotized, and then you are magically healed, or acting like a chicken. He has a unique way of teaching his patients how to self-hypnotize, using personalized experiences of his patients. It is almost akin to a deep, personalized meditation whereby you get into a trance of whole-body calmness. With only a series of 5 sessions, I can happily say that my migraine pain level has decreased by at least 50%, and that I no longer experience severe attacks where I am paralyzed by the pain. I still listen to my hypnosis sessions which Dr. Lazarus records, and the best part is, that I can use my self-hypnosis techniques throughout the day to keep me calm and help tackle the many ups and downs of life. I would recommend anyone with chronic pain meet with Dr. Lazarus for medical hypnosis.
Adult IBS: “Dr. Lazarus helped me get my life back”
For the record, I must state I am a practicing physician who has always been somewhat skeptical about the benefits of therapy and was particularly skeptical of anything that might be construed as hypnotherapy. So…I began my sessions with Dr. Lazarus as a non-believer and only engaged his services out of desperation.
My IBS symptoms began over seven years ago during a particularly stressful period in my life, when I was well into my sixties. My symptoms were debilitating as they kept me in the bathroom so frequently and for such prolonged periods of time that my quality of life was totally disrupted. In reading about IBS, I learned that the only cure for this problem that has been found to be effective is hypnosis, specifically under the direction of someone trained to work with IBS patients. After doing a search for local practitioners of this obscure corner of medical practice, I came upon Dr. Lazarus and just had a good feeling about him after reading his online materials.
I don’t know what I expected given the term “hypnotherapy”, but what I experienced with Dr. Lazarus did not involve being put in a trance and told I would be cured when I awakened. Rather it was more like having a talk with a compassionate, supportive, and knowledgeable friend, who worked with me in a collaborative effort rather than telling me what to do. I came to look forward to our sessions, as I felt relaxed, relieved, and empowered by his manner. I had tried everything I could think of to help myself prior to seeing Dr. Lazarus. I ate less, avoided “trigger” foods, took part in fun competitive sports, got adequate sleep, and used relaxation techniques – nothing worked for more than a few days.
Here’s the amazing thing that I still find difficult to believe. After my first session (of four) with Dr. Lazarus, I was dramatically and inexplicably better. Not only that, but my improvement persisted. My quality of life was immeasurably improved.
I no longer had to worry about having ready access to a bathroom and I was no longer physically uncomfortable all day long.
It was actually miraculous. When I relate my experience to my professional colleagues, they are both surprised and amused that someone like me would even consider this therapeutic approach.
Frankly, I am too. Dr. Lazarus was able to overcome my skepticism and demonstrate to me that alternative medical interventions can be valuable and successful, medical interventions.
I am forever grateful to him for facilitating my return to a normal existence and helping me get my life back.
Dr. D.
