I'm cured! Believe it or not, there is an actual croaking lizard inside. - photo by Robert Lalah

This is not a hoax. I actually did it and I think it worked. I was hypnotised to overcome my fear of croaking lizards.

I have been hearing for quite a while that hypnosis can help you overcome your fears, but I've never been brave enough to try it (the thought of someone messing with my head is not appealing).

However, the more I read about people's fear of croaking lizards, the more terrified I became to the point where they invaded my dreams. Comforting myself with the thought that it was an accepted 'branch' of medicine that has been practised for centuries, I complied.

In the back of my mind, I didn't actually believe it would work, but I hoped for the best. The thought of it was also very creepy.

However, hynotherapist and psychologist Dr Rose Johnson assured me that during the process, I would be completely conscious and that I wouldn't do anything strange. No clucking like a chicken or anything.

D-Day

As soon as you enter the Institute of Psychological Development on Windsor Avenue, you feel as if you have entered a spa. The entrance is dimly lit, a very relaxing aroma intoxicates your nostrils and the sofas are the most comfortable. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. I immediately relaxed, any inhibitions I had quickly melted away.

In Dr Johnson's office, I sat on her sofa. A psychologist and hypnotherapist for over 20 years, she adjusted the volume of the soothing music she switched on as soon as we were seated. She explained that there were a number of methods that could be used, but we were using the Fast Phobia model, which includes timeline, empowerment technique and music.

I was told to close my eyes and imagine my timeline, keeping an eye on the present. Then, I was instructed to keep my eye on it as I floated above it. After that, I was instructed to go back to a time when I was carefree and confident with no fear of lizards.

What I focused on was my last fearless memory of a lizard. As children, one day, my cousins and I sat on a huge rock in the country and stoned a green lizard to death.

By the time it died, it had turned black and we buried it under a pear tree. A few days later, we dug it up. By then, it was just a black slimy mass overtaken with maggots. From there, it all went downhill for me, I was petrified of all lizards, especially the transparent, croaking lizards.

The movie

Dr Johnson then instructed me to imagine myself in a movie theatre. I was in the control room, in charge of the projector, and I played the movie of my life from that memory to the present with all my encounters with lizards.

At first, I was petrified. I relived all the emotions I felt when I encountered these creepy, crawly things. Dr Johnson spoke to me constantly as I played the movie over and over. Forward, backwards, in black and white and colour. The more I did it, the less terrified I became. After about 10 minutes, I was allowed to open my eyes. I was so relaxed, I wanted to sleep.

The encounter

Then, the source of all my distress was brought into the room in a bottle. At first, I was a bit hesitant, then I took the bottle and stared at the underbelly of the creature. It just laid there, so I shook it a few times just to make sure it was alive and it wiggled around a bit and that was it. I felt absolutely nothing.

Three nights later, I saw one running on the wall as I entered my house. Maybe I told myself that I shouldn't be afraid, but whatever it was, I watched it run right over my head and calmly went inside.

Last week, I woke at about 3:00 a.m. and there was one in my bedroom. I just laid there looking at it as it chased moths, then I went back to sleep. I still don't like them, but I'm no longer terrified of them.

(See related stories on pages 30 and 31.)