From Healing Myself to Helping Others Do the Same
My path to becoming a hypnotherapist didn’t start in a classroom—it started with a question: Is there more to life than this? That simple question led me on a personal healing journey, and eventually to a practice that helps me walk through life facing problems with curiosity. For the most part they are lessons waiting to be learned and the answer is inside us—this is not just for me, but for the people I now work with.
Where It All Began
A few years ago, I found myself at a point in life where I finally had some space. My kids were older, more independent, and for the first time in a long while, I could ask myself what on earth did I want to do next?
I’d been on a bit of a personal journey from postnatal depression to self exploration— and this led me through a wormhole of science and psychology, now I was starting to ask questions, looking for meaning, and trying to make sense of a world where nothing was what it seemed. I can’t exactly remember what attracted me to shamanism as my modality of choice, perhaps the connection to spirit through the animal kingdom but as I folded my arms and fell backwards from the edge of my world I knew wherever I landed it was meant to be.
The place I landed felt like coming home. Within 20 mins of listening to my teacher I knew I was in the right room. Two years of deep training in traditional, cross-cultural healing practices. The experience was powerful, beautiful, mind blowing. I met amazing, gifted people, authentic in their own journey. I witnessed things that expanded my understanding of reality, what it is to be human, my world view and what’s possible when it comes to healing and personal growth. The power of intention, community and relationship with nature. That the human condition comes from looking outside for answers when really all the answers lie within, if only we look.
And through it all, I realised something pretty big: my strength lies in my compassion, holding space, in being present for others and in empowering them to find their own way through.
Now I choose so immerse myself in this world and it shares so much wisdom with me but I appreciate it’s not for everyone. Opinions are just opinion and not truths after all. Merely calling it all “wooWoo” only tells me it’s something you haven’t really explored and I’m certainly not going to try to convince you. But the benefits of common shamanic healing practices such as soul retrieval and extraction medicine can be paralleled with modern trauma therapies. It’s thought that the deep states of trance achieved by the shamanic journey may facilitate neuroplasticity, helping rewire the brain. The act of ceremony itself provides a safe container for the nervous system to shift from fight/flight/freeze into regulation and healing. From Carl Jung to quantum entanglement theories we are only scratching the surface of understanding these ancient ways, but all we really need to know is that they work. But I am not going to try to convince you.
In the early days I found it very difficult to shift from that world and return to this world and my corporate job (can you imagine). But with time it becomes easier and that is the job of the Shaman, to walk between worlds by definition. So that’s exactly what I did.
So, What Is Hypnotherapy?
Forget the stage shows and swinging watches—hypnotherapy isn’t about being “under” or out of control. It’s actually a really practical, research-supported method for working with the subconscious mind—the part of us that drives most of our habits, beliefs, and behaviours or where the magic is. And just to be clear we can all choose not to be hypnotised but why would you when you can achieve so much change and transformation through hypnosis? We are all in a state of hypnosis at various points throughout the day after all.
In a hypnotherapy session, you’re guided into a focused, relaxed state (kind of like when you’re deeply absorbed in a good book or driving a familiar route and forget how you got there). In that state, the critical, overthinking part of your mind steps aside, and we can work directly with the part that holds on to old patterns—sometimes for decades, sometimes for generations. The shaman calls it ancestral healing today it is epigenetics!
We can shift those patterns. Gently. Effectively. And often surprisingly quickly.
Why It Made So Much Sense
What struck me straight away was how familiar it felt.
Even though the study of hypnotherapy was new to me at the time, I could immediately see how it connected with what I’d already been learning and how congruent it was with my ethos. I firmly believe we all have it within ourselves to overcome our traumas and limitations and hypnotherapy advocates for this. Lasting change requires conscious responsibility that we must choose to unreservedly undertake.
It gave me a way to bring together everything I value into helping people: deep listening, understanding the whole person, and creating real, lasting change in partnership.
A Blend of Old and New
What I’ve noticed is that modern therapy, coaching, and wellness approaches are often built on ideas that have been around forever. Techniques like breathwork, guided imagery, or calming the nervous system—they’re not new. We’ve just found new language and research to explain why they work.
That’s what hypnotherapy offers—a clear, grounded way to help people rewire the old stuff that’s holding them back. It’s practical, science-informed, and deeply personal. And it works.
What I Bring to the Table
Something I feel strongly about is consent and clarity. I’m trained in multiple healing approaches, but when you come to me for hypnotherapy, that’s exactly what you get. No hidden extras. No fluff. Just focused, professional support tailored to you.
That said, I do bring all of my life experience and training into the way I hold space. My job isn’t to fix you—it’s to walk alongside you while you reconnect with your own capacity to grow and change.
Why I Do This Work
Since becoming a hypnotherapist, I’ve seen people let go of habits they thought they’d never break. I’ve watched confidence grow. I’ve supported clients through anxiety, self-doubt, stress, and emotional overwhelm. And time and time again, I’ve seen what happens when someone is given the tools to create change from the inside out.
I love working with people who are curious. People who are ready to shift gears, even if they’re not totally sure how yet. If that’s you, you’re not alone. Change doesn’t have to be hard. It just has to be intentional.
Want to Know More?
If you’re interested in hypnotherapy or think it might help you, I’m happy to have a chat. Whether you’re stuck in a pattern, struggling with a mindset that’s holding you back, or simply curious—this work might be the next step for you.
You can learn more about my hypnotherapy sessions here
Or get in touch.
Clinical Hypnotherapist | Compassionate Listener | Real Human Being
The Last Known Wilderness 
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