Loretta Peters Martin is a Certified Clinical Hypnotist practicing in Nashville, Tennessee. "... I get a deep sense of joy by helping other people. "

The person I am today is not the person I have always been. Like many people, I came from a dysfunctional family. Although I seemed pretty normal in the eyes of others, I grew up with low-self-esteem and low-self-worth. I won't go into all the ways I was issued, but let's just say that whenever an opportunity would arise, I would sabotage myself every time. Whenever I experienced the least bit of happiness, I would feel guilty. I struggled with health, well-being, relationships, career and weight for years.

When I was in college, I had to work long hours at Wendy's Hamburgers because I was on my own. Between classes and work, I was so overloaded and overwhelmed that I was about to give up, when a friend of mine told me about free on-campus counseling. I went to see the counselor, and that was the beginning of getting to know myself a little better. This counselor taught me how to manage my time more wisely and to not take everything so seriously. She also taught me to lighten up and not place so many unrealistic demands upon myself because that subconsciously set me up for failure.

Years later, when I moved to Atlanta, I landed a job at CBI/Equifax as an Executive Assistant to one of the VPs. But because I was still struggling a bit and did not understand where the negative emotions were coming from, I took advantage of the in-house counseling. There my eyes were opened to a new world. I attended "Adult Children of Dysfunctional Family" support groups, where I was able to share with others and express some suppressed anger and negative feelings. Also during this time, I read books like Co-Dependent No More and The Road Less Traveled and other self-help books that shed some light on my issues.

A year or so after leaving Equifax, a friend of mine introduced me to a psychologist/author friend of his, who agreed to see me and allowed me to pay him what I could for a few months in order to help me get to the next level. This, too, was continued soul-searching for me.

I read James Redfield's The Celestine Prophecy and Deepak Chopra's The 7 Spiritual Laws of Success and from then on, I was hooked on seeking and searching and learning and growing. I was amazed at all that was transpiring in my world. Like-minded individuals began to mysteriously appear in my life. Each time I met someone, they would refer another book. Each time I read another book, I would meet someone new who would do the same thing, and each book would lead me to another book.

Over the years I read hundreds of books, saw countless practitioners, and attended many seminars on my path to self-discovery. Ever since, I have grown by leaps and bounds. Books by Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, Andrew Weil, Marianne Williamson, and many more have helped me experience the magical rewards of getting to know who I really am and becoming the best person I can be.

I made the decision that I want to help others learn and grow and eliminate self-sabotage, and I get a deep sense of joy by helping other people. This is why I now do what I do. I became a hypnotist because I sincerely want everyone to THRIVE... to be happy, healthy and achieve their goals.

Honoring you and your path, I am,

~ Loretta