Jordan and Joelle Hernandez 
Hi! My name is Jordan Hernandez and I am deathly afraid of pigeons. Wild for someone who lives in Hoboken and goes to Manhattan for work every day. This fear has taken over my life in many ways and I was desperate for something to change. Enter Dr. Karoline Fischer, Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) Hypnotherapist and a specialist in therapy healing services typically focused on mental health issues such as anxiety, trauma, PTSD, self-esteem, self-confidence, depression, grief, and heartbreak. While I wasn’t convinced my issue was as serious as most of the conditions she treats, I was curious to see if she could help me in any way. Read on to learn more about my experience with Dr. Fischer and if I was ‘cured’ of my fear.
Background on Dr. Karoline Fischer + RTT Hypnotherapy
Before I get into how I got here, let’s take a look at Dr. Karoline and her credentials to cure me of this fear.
Dr. Karoline Fischer is fueled by a deep passion for healing, which is why she has dedicated her career to Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT), Hypnotherapy, and emotional healing practices. RTT is a form of hypnotherapy that can quickly and permanently shift beliefs and habits that may be limiting by diving deep into the subconscious mind. It goes to the root of these beliefs and aims to shift pathways moving forward. Both a medical doctor and RTT certified, Dr. Fischer provides her services virtually around the globe. Over the years, she has been able to experience the positive outcomes of her patients and change lives for the better, including overcoming her own trauma and neglect. Dr. Fischer hails from Austria, but has since moved to New York City after winning her home country’s version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
Read More: 15 Places to Meditate in Hoboken + Jersey City, From a Local Therapist
My Background + Fear of Pigeons
For as long as I can remember, I’ve never loved birds. Growing up at the Jersey Shore, I wasn’t overly fond of seagulls at the beach, I can remember throwing fits at the zoo area Holmdel Park over the chickens being loose, and I had a full melt down once at the Staten Island Zoo when a friend’s family took me to visit and a peacock opened its feathers. But these fears were all manageable. Fall, winter, and spring were spent without seeing any seagulls. I didn’t frequent the zoo, so coming across exotic birds wasn’t a common experience, and while I would come to NYC often as a child, I still didn’t come in contact with pigeons too often. Yet as an adult, I have grown this fear to be completely unmanageable. I avoid places like train stations, certain city blocks, and eating outside because I know pigeons would be there. If friends suggested eating outdoors at a restaurant or park, I would either search TikTok to see if pigeons appear in the background of any videos or even call the eatery to ensure birds would not be present.
So where did this fear come from you may ask? That was what I was looking to find out.
The Process
After being introduced via email, Dr. Fischer sent over a few forms for me to fill out to explain why I wanted to connect her services. She also set up a free consultation call to discuss my fear and review what my ‘visit’ would look like. Questions on the intake form include basic demographic and biographical information and then get more detailed.
There were questions asking me to explain what bothers me most about my problem, my top three daily frustrations surrounding the problem, and what I have tried to use to fix this problem. This was a telling experience for me as I knew I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where this fear was coming from, and I knew it was taking over my life, but I had never acknowledged how much this was affecting my quality of life. A few days after we hopped on the consultation call where I spoke my answers out loud, answered a few follow-up questions, and Dr. Fischer walked me through what would happen during the hypnotherapy.
The Therapy
The appointment required me to have three consecutive hours in a comfortable setting with no interruptions. Dr. Fischer does all her appointments virtually, so I opted to take the session in my bedroom. The session is fully audio recorded (more on why later). She started off by reviewing the answers on my intake sheet and verifying she understood my fear and what I wanted to get out of the session. We agreed that I didn’t need to leave the session loving pigeons, but just being able to coexist in a world with them and not let the fear take over, where I go and what I allow myself to enjoy doing.
Because this is true hypnotherapy, there are parts of the session I can fully remember clearly and other parts that are a little fuzzy — she is very good at what she does, after all. Dr. Fischer started off with meditation-like phrases to get me into deep relaxation. As a person who practices meditation and prayer regularly and does a lot of work physically and emotionally to support their mental health, this was a normal occurrence for me. I was also able to slip into hypnosis a lot faster than her average patient.
Dr. Fischer asked a series of questions to try to understand the root of my fear. While we didn’t get to the exact root, which is why this is truly just an irrational fear, I was able to pinpoint several exact moments where I can remember the fear intensifying. All of these moments happened very close to when I first started my career after college and when I first moved out of home — two life-changing experiences where I likely had a lot of underlying and unrealized stress.
The session was very emotional. I did not expect to cry as much as I did, but as the tears fell, I could feel my mind telling myself there is no reason to be afraid. We dove into how this fear is holding me back and went through several affirmations to proclaim that I can live in a world free of this fear.
After the Therapy
After the session, Dr. Fischer pulls together a 15-minute audio recording that is emailed to the patient. This recording is meant to be listened to for 21 days straight, at least once a day. I opted to listen to my recording right before bed. It put me back into a meditative state and repeated the relevant affirmations daily. This part of the experience was crucial to consistently remind myself to let go of the fear and know I am safe.
I am happy to report that my fear of pigeons has lessened significantly. I no longer unnecessarily cross the street multiple times just to avoid a pigeon; I have gone on long runs in areas where I know pigeons frequent, like through the Hoboken Terminal and certain spots along the water. While I am still a little nervous around them and likely will always have a little of that fear inside of me, I am a lot more confident and I do not feel in danger after my experience with Dr. Fischer.
See More: Where to Go in Montclair + Northern NJ When You Need a Good Cry
Experiencing Hypnosis
Dr. Fischer has a proven track record of transforming lives. Her website, which is also the best way to get in touch with her, shares numerous testimonials about these life altering experiences. A 3-hour hypnosis session like the one I experienced is $500. She also has longer sessions and packages to support other issues and conditions. All discovery calls to learn more about her services and to discuss the best treatment options are free.
