Welcome to our very first edition of Beyond the Veil.
In this e-magazine, we plan to dispel myths about hypnotherapy… such as you won’t cluck like a chicken, or do things you don’t want to. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis, and you are in control at ALL times.
Stage hypnosis has damaged our industry, and we plan on taking it back through education, information, and good old-fashioned truth.
Hypnosis is one of the most powerful modalities for getting to the root cause of an issue. It can be rapid, especially in properly trained hands.
All of our articles in Beyond the Veil come from members of Hypnotherapy Council of Australia, so you know they have the expertise and know-how to set you on the right path, and give you lots of options for healing and health especially for Trauma
First up is Telehealth.
Telehealth is rapidly becoming the future of hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, psychology and now even psychiatry. For many it is compelling to have so much autonomy, control and convenience:
This is one of the key benefits of the work-from-home hypnotherapist. We get to choose our schedule, and we can work around kids’ school pick-ups and drop-offs, school events, personal appointments or a lunch date with the girls! We can even work in our comfy PJs if we choose to (bottoms of course).
There is also the amazing aspect of telehealth, which opens you up to the entire world for clients, not just your local town. Therapists commonly use video calling platforms like Zoom,
Amwell, Talkspace, and Therapist Anywhere for online therapy sessions, as these platforms generally offer security compliant features necessary for protecting sensitive patient information. My fav is Zoom. It is easy to set up, offers security features, recording features (with clients’ permission of course), whiteboard options, plus many more features.
Accessibility:
Telehealth breaks down geographical barriers, allowing individuals in remote or underserved areas to access qualified hypnotherapists and psychotherapists. This increases the availability of mental health services to those who may otherwise not receive them.
Convenience:
Clients can attend sessions from the comfort of home, reducing the time and stress associated with travel. This convenience can lead to increased attendance and lower cancellation rates.
Flexibility:
Teletherapy often offers more flexible scheduling options, accommodating clients’ busy lives. This flexibility can lead to a more consistent therapeutic experience and better outcomes.
Reduced stigma:
Some individuals may feel more comfortable engaging in therapy from home rather than in a traditional office setting. This can make it easier for them to seek help and discuss personal issues without the fear of stigma. These are all wonderful reasons for telehealth, however, the number one reason is… you guessed it: TRAUMA!
Yes, trauma is one of the significant factors driving the push for telehealth, particularly in mental health services like psychotherapy and hypnotherapy. Here are some key reasons why trauma plays a role in this trend:
Number 1 on this list is...that trauma clients will actually turn up!
The rapidly increasing number of no-shows with trauma clients has really been the driving force. This is due to most trauma sufferers, especially with PTSD, have the ever so awesome accompaniment (NOT) of social phobia and social anxiety, some even agoraphobia. This is best friends with hypervigilance, who may or may not have been trained by 007 himself! This occurrence was leading to many, many clients to cancelling just before the session. Although the therapist would be very empathetic... and secretly a little miffed, the client would feel they let themselves, and the therapist down... again! This was a no-win situation for everyone.
So, telehealth was born to save the day!
This is what it means to trauma clients:
Immediate access:
Individuals who have experienced trauma may require immediate support and intervention. Telehealth allows for quicker access to mental health professionals, which can be crucial for timely care.
Comfort and safety:
For many trauma survivors, the idea of attending in person therapy can be daunting. The comfort of being 10 in their own environment during telehealth sessions can help reduce anxiety and create a safer space for discussing traumatic experiences.
Increased demand for services:
Events such as natural disasters, pandemics, and social unrest can lead to widespread trauma. As more people seek help to process their experiences; telehealth offers a scalable solution to meet this increased demand.
Reduced barriers to care:
Telehealth eliminates many barriers that trauma survivors might face, such as transportation issues, physical limitations, or the stigma associated with visiting a mental health clinic.
Enhanced outcomes:
Some research suggests that online therapy can be just as effective as in-person therapy for certain trauma related conditions, such as PTSD. This evidence supports the adoption of telehealth solutions in treating trauma.
Flexibility in scheduling:
Survivors of trauma may have erratic schedules due to their circumstances or may struggle with specific triggers. Telehealth allows for more flexibility in scheduling appointments, making it easier for them to maintain consistent care. Overall, the push for telehealth in mental health services is partly influenced by the growing recognition of how trauma affects individuals and the need for accessible, flexible, and effective care options. For many years, reputable therapists shied away from online sessions, feeling they were too impersonal, not enough contact, fear of dropouts and were simply not comfortable with this platform for their valued sessions.
However, with much more modern platforms and society’s ability to embrace the online world, that simply is no longer true. Of course, there are those therapists who just love the face-to-face contact, and that is fine too.
It is predicted that by 2028, the majority of clients will be via Telehealth. Will you be equipped to transition?
HAVENING
The Calming Technique
We have all by now heard of this innovative technique...but what is it?
Havening is a therapeutic technique aimed at reducing stress, anxiety, and trauma by using touch combined with gentle visualisation and positive thinking.
The Havening Technique was developed by US neuroscientist and Harvard Graduate Dr Ronald Ruden.
He explored the concept in his 2010 book When the Past is Always Present. However, this psycho sensory technique received its biggest publicity boost when Paul McKenna a celebrity hypnotist became a firm believer in its value. Paul McKenna drew substantial media attention when he began offering workshops and therapy sessions in Havening. The problem with this is, Havening was then often assumed to be a form of hypnotism. Which is not correct.
Here’s a simple breakdown of the process, how to do it, and benefits:
What is Havening?
Havening is a psychosensory technique & involves "havening touch," which means gently stroking your arms, face, or hands while thinking about a stressful memory or situation. The touch is soothing, similar to a parent comforting a child, and it helps the brain process negative emotions. Whether you ever received a sensitive, nurturing gentle stroking by a parent or not, we all know unconsciously what we needed, which makes this technique so rich, to entice the parasympathetic nervous system to relax.
What is the scientific evidence?
The founders of Havening, brothers Drs. Ron and Steven Ruden have been researching for 30 years to find the best way to help people deal with trauma. They initially explored tapping therapy (also known as Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT) and discovered that it could help people overcome phobias. During their research, they learned that using gentle touch and tapping into our brain's natural ability to create delta waves (which can be measured with a QEEG) was even more powerful and effective.
How to Do Havening:
Find a Quiet Space:
Sit or stand in a comfortable place where you feel safe and undisturbed.
Identify the Trigger:
Think of a stressful memory or anxiety inducing thought. It shouldn’t be overwhelming at this stage.
Use Havening touch: Face:
Use both hands to stroke your face gently, from the forehead down to the chin.
Arms:
Stroke your arms from your shoulders to your elbows, or vice versa.
Hands
Rub your palms together or gently squeeze your hands.
Focus on Positive Thoughts:
As you apply the touch, visualise a safe, calming place or repeat positive affirmations to reinforce a sense of peace and safety.
Breathe Deeply:
Take slow, deep breaths to help calm your body.
Repeat:
Continue the havening touch while concentrating on the negative thought or memory, allowing the feelings to diminish over time.
Benefits of Havening:
Reduces Anxiety: It can help lower feelings of stress and anxiety when facing challenging memories or situations. Emotional Regulation: Promotes better emotional handling and helps individuals process past traumas. Increases Calmness: The soothing touch can help induce relaxation and a sense of safety.
Empowerment: Encourages self-soothing and empowers individuals to manage their emotional responses. Havening can be a helpful tool for self-care and emotional healing, but for complex issues, consulting a professional is advisable. It is also such a simple, easy technique, that kids can be empowered to do this themselves.
Do I Need a Mental Detox? by Perth Hypnosis
Do you find yourself battling negative thoughts and emotions?
The signs that you may be in need of a mental detox are subtle but impactful. If you’ve been feeling tired, experiencing tension headaches, mood swings, difficulty concentrating, or restless sleep, it might be a signal that your mind is overloaded with unnecessary stressors. Take a moment to reflect on your recent past and how you’ve been feeling.
Ask yourself the following questions:
•Am I feeling restless?
•Do I experience mood swings for no apparent reason?
•Am I finding it more difficult to focus or easily distracted?
•Am I finding it difficult to handle stress, or feel overwhelmed?
•Do I tend to be less patient, raise my voice, or get angry quickly?
•Do you feel mentally fatigued or burnt out?
If you answered ‘YES’ to any of the above, it may mean you need a MENTAL DETOX
Why Detox Your Mind?
Most of us have heard of detox programs or processes for our physical bodies to improve physical health. Some of us regularly use these to good effect, but the one thing most of us neglect is our mind health it’s easy to overlook the clutter accumulating in our minds. The effects of this mental buildup can manifest in tension headaches, restless sleep, and a pervasive sense of fatigue. All this has been building in our emotional minds, and it won’t go away.
Do you find it difficult to quiet your mind?
The Power of Mind Detox…
Relaxing Solution – Reset your Mind, Restore your Spirit
A mind detox deals with and removes accumulated noise and clutter with a simple process.
Our simple process uses the power of the SUPER-CONSCIOUS to release those accumulated negative influences, and unwanted noise, resetting your mind and restoring your spirit.
Our Mind Detox process involves a gentle yet powerful balance of your mental state by releasing the mental toxins that have taken residence in your mind. This process allows for a holistic improvement in your overall mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.
Benefits of Mind Detox:
•Being naturally content
•Enjoying better sleep
•Improved concentration levels
•Increased energy
•Enhanced immune system function
•Lower stress levels
•Improved cognitive function
•Better overall physical health
This process takes approximately one hour. It is a powerful process that can provide mental clarity and well-being. By taking the time to invest in yourself, you can unlock a happier, healthier mind and a more positive outlook on life.
Taking Action
If you’re ready to experience the benefits of mind detox. Book Online or Contact us now
Sessions are available in our Yokine and Cockburn clinics, or online. If you would like to be a certified Practitioner, we are training.
MICHAL 0423 130 700
KENNETH 0431 959 204
Embracing AI Technology in Hypnotherapy: A Personal Journey
By Lynne Gardner, Strategic Psychotherapist and Clinical Hypnotherapist
As a registered nurse with fifty years of experience, I’ve witnessed the rapid evolution of healthcare technology. A little over a year ago, I was introduced to the idea of incorporating an AI assistant into my hypnotherapy practice. The concept immediately appealed to me, promising to save time and enhance efficiency during clinic hours. However, as with any new technology, my primary concern was confidentiality.
Given my extensive background in healthcare, I was cautious but decided to explore this option further. I first downloaded an AI app commonly used by doctors and psychologists, with the necessary security features to meet Australian standards for confidentiality and secure storage of client information. While the app did an excellent job of summarising sessions, I found it didn’t quite meet my expectations. It was useful, but I wanted something more personalised and specific to my work as a hypnotherapist.
That’s when I turned to my son, Matthew, who has over 10 years of experience in the IT sector, specifically within the healthcare industry, to create a solution tailored to my needs. Matthew understands the unique requirements of healthcare professionals and designed Hypnoflow.com.au with hypnotherapists in mind. The platform is fully customisable, allowing it to adapt to the way each therapist works with their clients. With his expertise in healthcare IT, Matthew ensured that the software met the highest standards of security and functionality.
What I love about using Hypnoflow.com.au is that once I have the client’s consent clearly outlined in a dedicated section of my consent form Hypnoflow transcribes the session and turns the transcription into session notes. The AI then summarises the session, highlighting key points, improvements, tasking, and other relevant details. Within five to ten minutes of the session ending, I can send a personalised summary, along with the recording of the session, directly to the client. Everything is securely stored in a password-protected portal, where clients can log in and access all their session details in one place.
If you haven’t yet considered incorporating AI into your practice, I highly recommend giving it a try. The right technology can streamline your workflow, freeing up more time for you to focus on your clients ‘needs. Hypnoflow has made a significant difference in my practice by
offering a solution that is both tailored to my work and compliant with the necessary security standards.
Whatever system you choose, be sure to verify that it meets all the required Australian Privacy Principles. Client confidentiality and data security are paramount, and it’s essential to stay informed about the technology that supports your practice. Embracing AI is not only about improving efficiency but also about ensuring that we maintain the highest standards of care in our work.
AI-powered platform for therapists to streamline session documentation and client management.
Footnote: Med students are using AI to learn...I have seen doctors use AI for complex medical issues, so it really is the new generation of skills.
Lynne Gardner
Experiential hypnotherapy: An offering of value
“People come to therapy for an experience, not for information.”
- Jeffrey Zeig, paraphrasing psychotherapist Frieda Fromm-Reichmann (The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, 2012)
Why experience matters in hypnotherapy
How often have you heard someone say to you, “I went to a hypnotherapist, but I don’t know if I was hypnotised” or “they were lovely, but I just didn’t feel like anything changed” or something similar? Over the years I have heard this many times. In gently probing peoples ‘experience I can often tell that the hypnotherapist in question was doing good work, but they perhaps hadn’t taken time to give their clients an experience to build confidence in their hypnotic responsiveness …and consequently, confidence in their ability to achieve change. By experience, I mean a thing that occurs in the hypnotherapeutic session that can be felt, and remembered, and thought about –something that affirms the ‘realness ‘of the work that we are no doubt attending to with our clients.
Making hypnosis accessible
It is true that people are sophisticated these days, and that some of the old-fashioned hypnotic techniques may be seen as pedestrian or outdated or unnecessary … but as we adapt and change our practices for a new era I don’t think we should forget who we are and what we do: we owe our clients the experience of hypnosis.
In our practice in Brisbane, we assume that people who book a hypnotherapy session are seeking change, but we also assume that they want an experience of hypnosis. So, we aim to provide some kind of experiential session that our clients can walk away from, thinking, “something happened there”.
Embracing an opportunity
When someone asks for our help using hypnosis we are presented with a unique opportunity. Psychiatrist Irvin Yalom - surely a hypnotist in all but name - said it well: “The here-and-now is the major source of therapeutic power, the pay dirt of therapy” (Yalom, 2002, p. 46). An experience that utilises some kind of hypnotic phenomena, such as an arm levitation, or eye catalepsy, or anything that is a little outside of the norm, can be exactly what is needed to
promote positive expectation of the other, perhaps more important, changes that our work is seeking to promote.
Of course it may not take the form of hypnotic ratification processes; not everyone needs that. But it needs to be more than just an intellectual agreement of ‘next steps” or a cognitive understanding of a new idea; ultimately, we want to ensure that people have some kind of felt-sense experience, and this can take many forms. Consider what Bill O’Hanlon (1992) says here:
My goal is not to go for an explanation of your problem, not to reprogram you with what I think will be good positive beliefs for you, but to give you an experience of something that’s a resource for you, something that could change the situation for you. I think that’s the difference between therapy that really has an impact on people and therapy that is just a bunch of clever, good ideas. (O’Hanlon, 1992, p. 119, emphasis added.)
Re-associating experience
Many of us will have sat with a person telling their story and have felt the relief that occurs when someone recognises, through our actions, and the therapeutic intervention that is offered, that they have received non-judgmental acceptance and attention to their uniqueness. We know that careful attention and observation circumvents the need for us to be the ‘expert’
Hypnosis educator Lawrence Gindhart reminded us that our clients will inevitably present a map of their world, inclusive of their "understandings, beliefs, perceptions, logic, reasoning, truth - they reveal their pathways of rigidity” (Gindhart, 1985, p. 113). It is not our job to help people understand why they do what they do –this rarely matters as a starting point to change. Nor is it our job to know the path; our job is to accept that the map presented is not the territory, and (to continue the metaphor) to help find a way for a new path to be revealed.
Gindhart (1985) goes on:
The promise of hypnotic psychotherapy is to produce experiential relief. Give patients a foundation of reassociations of their experience and they will alter their personal epistemology themselves, in accord with their distinct requirements as individuals, rather than the requirements of a theory of personality. (p. 113)
This “reassociations of their experience” is what I’m speaking of in this article. This is something that is revealed to a person through more than just cognition, or intellectual understanding, but rather through something that provides for a functional understanding –something that happens in a session.
The gift of experience
The gift of hypnosis is that this is not so hard to do. To help a person experience hypnosis, and its associated ‘reassociations of experience’s what we are, supposedly, experts in. As we move forward in modernising the practice of hypnotherapy we must never forget this simple truth.
When someone has exhausted all of their mental reasoning –their theorising, their left-brain logic –in an attempt to change, that is usually where we are invited in. When we offer people a simple experience of what it is to be hypnotised or show them a glimpse of that shift in perception that arises from what we might term ‘trance logic’ we offer more than simply hope of change … we offer evidence of it.
REFERENCES
Gindhart, L. (1985). Hypnotic psychotherapy. In J. K. Zeig (Ed.), Ericksonian psychotherapy: Clinical applications (pp. 110–33). Bruner Mazel.
O'Hanlon, B., O'Hanlon, W. H., & Martin, M. (1992). Solution-oriented hypnosis: An Ericksonian approach. W. W. Norton & Company. The Milton H. Erickson Foundation. (2012, August 15). Dr. Jeffrey Zeig - Exploring the genius of Milton Erickson [Video]. YouTube.
Yalom, I. D. (2002). The gift of therapy: Reflections on being a therapist. Piatkus Books
Rachel Kennedy
Bookings & Enquiries: 07 3354 4555
Rachel Kennedy has worked exclusively in the hypnotherapy profession since 1995. She is the owner-operator of Brisbane Hypnosis Centre, a multi-therapist practice that was first established in 1997. She gained a Diploma of Clinical Hypnotherapy in 2000, and also holds Bachelor of Arts (English & Communication, 2001) and Complementary Medicine (2022).
AI was not used in the composition of this article.
How hypnotherapy heals the scars of rejection
By Julie Makin
Rejection often feels like a relentless shadow hovering over every part of our lives. It can ignite anxiety and addictive behaviors as we seek quick relief from the pain, fuel searing anger that sometimes bursts into uncontrolled outbursts, and even lay the groundwork for dangerous patterns in intimate relationships. When a voice or a door is shut, when efforts go unrecognized or are dismissed, deep discomfort builds until the body and mind cry out for change. The challenge is not simply to pause and breathe during these moments of intense emotion but to help the body and subconscious understand that these reactions can be healed and managed with proper support.
Take for example the struggle many face with addiction. When moments of rejection are experienced, the lure temporary relief from alcohol, drugs, or compulsive behaviours can seem like a sanctuary from the hurt. But this escape often sinks into a cycle where the more we rely on these shortcuts, the deeper our feelings of emptiness become. Similarly, anger can course through us like a fire that, if left unchecked, may scorch relationships at home and work. When anger is bottled up without being understood, it spirals into outbursts that can harm our connections, sometimes even escalating to domestic violence. In these intense situations, the very pain of rejection transforms into a heavy burden one that isolates us from those who might otherwise help lift the weight.
Australia is experiencing a concerning rise in addiction, anger, and domestic violence. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2021) reports that nearly one in five Australians now struggle with substance addiction, a trend that has grown steadily over the past decade. In parallel, domestic violence incidents have increased by roughly 15 percent in urban areas, highlighting a disturbing pattern in family and intimate partner relationships. Community surveys have also noted a significant upswing in uncontrolled anger, often linked to broader social and economic stressors, which in turn potentially contributes to further incidents of violence. These statistics underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions, enhanced support services, and coordinated policy responses to address these intertwined issues and mitigate their long-term impact on society. (Reference: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2021)
Social isolation frequently accompanies rejection. The sense of being cast aside can nudge one into silence, creating a gap were loneliness and physical stress blend dangerously. Constant self-questioning coupled with the drift into isolation can eventually pave the way for worsening health issues high blood pressure, digestive troubles, and a weakened immune system. In our bodies, lasting stress sends signals that something is very wrong, how often has a pounding heart or an upset stomach been the body’s cry for healing?
Many people have found that the key to shifting this recurring pattern, finding lasting relief, comes when we reach out to specialists who work with the body and the subconscious mind. Professionals trained in methods such as Hypnotherapy, NeuroLinguistic Programming, Resource Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, or Emotional Freedom Techniques can guide us to lower the recurring tide of painful emotions. These experts help us address the source of our distress rather than merely dousing the sparks temporarily. In sessions that focus on calming the body’s tension and reframing the repetitive inner dialogue, subtle changes can occur that build a long-lasting calm and security.
In practice, many people have experienced healing from patterns of rejection when they engaged with these body-based therapies. For someone caught in a cycle of self-destructive behaviours due to a constant fear of being unworthy, a session of hypnotherapy can help access the subconscious space where these beliefs reside. And allow the body to let go of built-up tension that manifests as chronic stress and even physical illness. Over time, this approach not only calms the physical symptoms such as high levels of cortisol and muscle tightness but also encourages a fresh perspective on one’s capacity to grow and connect.
One cannot underestimate the importance of support from empathetic communities in this work. When individuals share their heartfelt stories of pain and recovery, they remind us that we are not alone. Whether it is in group sessions or supportive relationships with friends, sharing our journey of dealing with anger that once hurt others, addiction that once consumed us, or the loneliness that once isolated us can spark a shared energy of hope. This mutual care creates an environment where each person finds encouragement to take further steps toward a healthier state of being.
Courage, strength, and hope become the core of our journey. With every session, every conversation, and every mindful check-in that is paired with professional care, we choose to support our healing. The process is one of gradual change, where small self-care actions build into significant shifts over time, letting us step confidently into spaces that once left us trembling in fear.
For those who have felt the heavy ache of rejection manifest as anxiety, addiction, anger, domestic struggles, and isolation, know this: help is available, and you possess the strength to seek it. When you work with experts who understand the connection between mind and body, the recurring voices of self-doubt and pain can be calmed. This journey is a commitment to nurturing yourself with every tool available, creating spaces where healing becomes a natural state. With support that truly matters, our inner strength emerges, enabling us to live with greater courage, connection, and hope.
HypnoTech: The Transformative Power of VR, Sound Healing, and Neuroplasticity
By Joe Busutull
As hypnotherapy evolves, new technology can aid in subconscious healing. My work as a clinical hypnotherapist and counselor has given me an up-close look at the ways in which cutting-edge tools and methods of treatment are revolutionizing our understanding of the unconscious mind. I am now much more informed as a result of this. My practice at Equator Therapies is based on the premise that symptomatic treatment is insufficient for achieving lasting healing and personal growth. It is imperative that we investigate the intricate "programming" of our minds. In this journey from the past to the present, we will see how modern science and age-old knowledge may work together to empower individuals like you to face and overcome physical, mental, and emotional obstacles.
A lot of people have the wrong idea about the power of their subconscious mind. The vast majority of our thoughts, actions, and emotions are quietly impacted by it every day. Many of our behaviors and core ideas have been ingrained in us from childhood and operate subconsciously. Our memories are stored there. To make a real and lasting change, we must first identify these patterns and then moderately alter our perspective on them. The scientific realization of the profound neurological consequences of hypnotherapy is gradually displacing the older perspective that hypnosis is a mysterious and possibly supernatural art form. By utilizing electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we can now demonstrate that hypnosis alters brain activity. Enhanced neuroplasticity occurs momentarily as a result of this. Being in this kind of environment primes the brain to learn new ways of thinking and form connections that increase its capacity.
Rapid innovation is taking hypnotherapy outside the confines of the conventional treatment room. An amazing confluence of digital tools is taking place, which will make treatment better and simpler to access, as technology continues to permeate every aspect of our lives. For instance, via telehealth sessions, I've connected with clients from all throughout Australia and beyond. Thanks to this, I no longer have to hassle with scheduling and attending in-person therapy sessions.
This allows the client to achieve a profoundly relaxed and concentrated hypnotic state without leaving their home. It becomes much simpler for the client to incorporate the new knowledge into their everyday life in this way. Virtual reality (VR) and other emerging technologies are also providing novel approaches to long-standing issues.
Envision yourself able to use hypnosis to access a personalized virtual environment where you can confront a phobia or overcome a traumatic memory. It would be the most considerate and secure thing to do. This multi-sensory experience has the potential to strengthen the hypnotic state and accelerate healing in ways that were previously believed to be impossible.
However, the true strength is in the integration of these technologies into people's healing processes, rather than solely in the technology itself. To equip you for life, my clinic offers a combination of solution-focused approaches, cognitive behavioral therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy. This approach isn't a quick fix; it's a way to strengthen your bond with your own thinking over time. Some of the practices that fall under this category are mindfulness, meditation, and breath-work. An essential protein for neuroplasticity, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels can be increased by these means. They help people relax, according to research.
They facilitate the formation of new habits and beliefs by "re-wiring" your subconscious mind, which you can do by incorporating them into your everyday routine. Shadow work and inner child therapy are integral parts of this process for many clients. When combined with hypnotherapy, these techniques can help us uncover hidden aspects of our personality. As you heal and rediscover aspects of yourself that you may have buried or lost, you may experience profound feelings of integration and self-acceptance; this process can be emotionally taxing.
Sound healing is a powerful tool that can complement and deepen a client's hypnotherapy experience. The specific frequencies and resonant vibrations from instruments like Tibetan singing bowls or tuning forks help to gently guide an individual's brain into alpha and theta brainwave states. These are the same states of deep relaxation and heightened awareness sought during hypnosis.
This process not only helps the client enter a receptive hypnotic state more quickly and easily but also works to quiet the conscious, analytical part of their mind. In doing so, therapeutic suggestions can be more readily accepted by the subconscious.
Furthermore, the vibrations can help to release stored emotional energy from the body, creating a more profound and holistic healing experience that enhances the overall effectiveness of a session. The ultimate aim is to make headway that extends beyond the alleviation of symptoms. To put your subconscious to work for you, it's all about empowering you to alter your inner reality and level of consciousness. Hypnotherapists today use these cutting-edge techniques and theories to help their clients overcome obstacles, heal from past traumas, and confidently and gracefully face the future with unwavering inner peace.
A contemporary hypnotherapist serves as a mentor and an assistant.
Joe Busuttil is a clinical hypnotherapist, counselor, supervisor, and life coach with a private practice, Equator Therapies, in Melbourne, Australia. He offers both in-person and online telehealth sessions to clients worldwide. With over 16 years of experience in the mental health field, Joe is dedicated to helping people overcome their personal challenges in a friendly and non-judgmental environment. Joe specializes in a solution-focused approach, drawing from various therapeutic modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and the work of Carl Jung, such as inner child and shadow work.
He also incorporates spiritual principles into his practice, promoting mindfulness, meditation, and breath-work to enhance emotional intelligence and awareness. A graduate of Deakin University in Education/Psychology, Joe holds diplomas in Clinical Hypnotherapy, Counselling, and Life Coaching. He is a member of the Guild of Australian Hypnotherapists and the Australian Counselling Association. Joe is passionate about assisting his clients in finding selfacceptance, healing from the past, and creating a fulfilling future.
MEMI: A Gentle, Groundbreaking Approach to Trauma Recovery
New paradigm in TRAUMA CARE
It was mid-November 2023 when I first attended introduction to Multichannel Eye Movement Therapy (MEMI). Fast forward almost one year and the very first Australian cohort embarked on its MEMI journey. It was around 15 of us from around Australia who was trained by Mike Deninger’s PhD – the very founder of Multichannel Eye Movement Therapy (MEMI) and Joachim Lee, MEMI principal trainer for Asia.
I was intrigued. It looked and sounded bit too simple to be true but I have obviously respected the knowledge and experience of my trainers. Few months later I got my certification and started implementing MEMI in my practice. It’s been almost a year since I started using this method and I am astounded by the results, which in most cases were achieved after only one MEMI session. I have successfully treated childhood SA in both men and women, other physical abuse, trauma from accidents, relatively fresh traumas and half century old ones….
What I liked about MEMI from the start, was its simplicity, very clear process but which also left room for individualised treatment and tailored verbal prompts. Having heard how clients can experience significant discomfort or even feel retraumatised when asked to retell their trauma story, I also greatly appreciated the fact that MEMI didn’t require such.
What Is Multichannel Eye Movement Integration (MEMI)?
MEMI is a brain science therapy that derives from Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) principles. Therapist guides trauma survivor through structured, multidirectional eye movements, while the client safely recalls traumatic experience in their mind. MEMI emphasises client’s comfort over exposure and utilises three specific safety mechanisms before and during treatment.
The aim of MEMI is not to erase memory but for the traumatic experience to become just that – a memory, which a client can access on his/her own terms without emotional charge.
It calms down limbic system and enables brain’s natural ability to reorganise the experience, so it is not haunting anymore. The images and sounds become less vivid, while visceral and emotional feelings not intense, both during and after treatment. What’s more, extensive clinical experience has shown that cognitive distortions resolve on their own without
focused attention in response to that desensitisation of the somatic and sensory reactions to experienced traumas.
MEMI vs EMDR
While EMDR is the most popular therapy that uses eye movement, MEMI offers significant differences, that makes it a truly new paradigm in trauma treatment:
• Multidirectional eye movements – traversing the entire visual field, and targeting all modalities (visual, emotional and visceral) for more effective trauma memories reorganisation.
• No need to tell trauma story – making it a very gentle and safe for a client.
• Somatic and sensory focus – cognitive distortions resolve in response to the desensitisation of the somatic and sensory reactions to experienced traumas.
• Strategic verbal prompts – MEMI includes such to stimulate down regulation of emotions and to help reorganise sensory information.
Deninger, Mike, PhD. Multichannel Eye Movement Integration: The Brain Science Path to Easy and Effective PTSD Treatment. Gracie Publishing. 2021
Multidirectional Eye Movement Integration
Empowering Parents, Changing Lives
An Introduction to the SleepTalk® Process
In this article, we explore what makes SleepTalk® such a powerful complement to hypnotherapy, and why it's worth your attention as a professional practitioner.
As hypnotherapists, we're always looking for ways to help our clients create lasting change. When working with children, however, the therapeutic process can be more complex, especially if the child is on the spectrum, anxious, resistant, or nonverbal.
We live in a world where children are increasingly affected by anxiety, overwhelm, and emotional dysregulation. SleepTalk® offers a powerful, non-invasive pathway to support them and their families — in building healthier foundations.
As an incredibly gentle, subconscious-based technique that aligns perfectly with the principles we use in clinical hypnotherapy. It empowers parents to work with their own child, building resilience, emotional balance, and confidence — all while the child sleeps.
Just what is the SleepTalk® Process?
At its core, the SleepTalk® process is a three phase, non-invasive, home-based process where parents learn how to deliver effectively a specific set of positive, emotionally charged statements to their child while they are in a sleeping state. Typically done after the child has fallen asleep, specific crafted suggestions are designed to bypass the critical conscious mind and communicate directly with the subconscious.
While the child remains unaware of the process, over the following weeks and months, parents consistently report, noticeable improvements for both minor and major childhood challenges.
The SleepTalk® Process has been used successfully for over five decades as it assists families from all over the globe, to improve and overcome a wide range of challenges, from mild tantrums to severe traumas and testing behaviours or attitudes.
The role of neuroplasticity:
Neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections in response to learning and experience, is central to SleepTalk®'s success. Young brains are especially plastic, meaning that repeated emotional and verbal reinforcement during sleep can reshape neural pathways.
By embedding new positive emotional charged patterns night after night, the child gradually internalizes these beliefs. For example, a child with separation anxiety may begin to feel more secure, confident, and emotionally grounded. It’s not magic — it’s neuroscience, activated through love, presence, and consistency. SleepTalk® doesn’t just reinforce positive affirmations — it rewires emotional memory.
Over time, those new beliefs begin to overwrite the old, often subconscious programming that may have been contributing to emotional imbalance or behavioural issues.
Outcomes for children:
The process has helped thousands of families with issues such as:
•Generalised anxiety and fears
•Nightmares, night terrors, and sleep disruptions
•Aggression, tantrums, and emotional regulation
•Low confidence or self-esteem, shyness, social challenges
•Speech delays or communication challenges
•Sibling rivalry or separation anxiety
•School-based stress or bullying
•Eating, speaking or toiletry issues
The most remarkable part? The child often isn’t consciously aware that the process is even happening. Yet they begin to respond differently to their world.
Why it resonates with hypnotherapy, NLP and other principles:
Its simplicity is very deceiving, yet its results are life changing. As with hypnotherapy, subtle consistency leads to profound results. The SleepTalk® process mirrors many of the core foundations of hypnosis like:
• Suggestion during a relaxed state;
• Repetition and emotional anchoring;
• NLP practices and structure;
• Positive language;
• Embedded commands;
• Future pacing, and
• Reframing aligns closely with NLP structures.
It taps into the brain’s ability to form new associations and dissolve limiting beliefs — but in a format parents can deliver gently and consistently.
Therapeutic connections extend even further with:
•elements of attachment theory,
•inner child work,
•emotional regulation, are subtly woven into the process.
At its heart, it provides the child with a felt sense of unconditional love, safety — core requirements for any form of lasting change.
A Powerful Catalyst for Parental Change too One of the most unexpected benefits of the SleepTalk® process is how it transforms parents as well.
By committing to a nightly practice of calm, loving connection, many parents report a softening of their own attitudes. They become more aware of their language, tone, and how their own stress affects their child.
Over time, parents often shift from reactive to responsive. The regular delivery of heartfelt affirmations tends to cultivate empathy, mindfulness, and presence — which naturally extends into their daytime parenting.
Many parents report feeling less helpless and more empowered. This often leads to improved parent-child relationships, reduced guilt, and greater emotional stability in the home.
In this way, the SleepTalk® process becomes a dual-track intervention: shaping the child’s emotional world whilst improving their attitudes & behaviour at the same time.
Parent reviews:
The Bullying has Stopped.
Considering the changes in our lives in the past 6 months, and the worry and stress that has come with this, our son had coped amazing well and I truly believe the SleepTalk® Process had allowed him to do this. His confidence has soared and most importantly the bullying has completely stopped. The family as a whole are more united. This is the best result we could have hoped for. The process has also helped my husband and I to work as a team with our son and there is more communication, understanding and general harmony in the family unit.
Very happy mum - QLD
My son who has Autism, Pandas and high anxiety during covid experienced life changing results during the 6-month SleepTalk® program.
My first goal was to help him sleep as he often went for 3 nights in a row not being able to sleep for 24 hours due to anxiety. He would then go to sleep at 7am and had to sleep during the day and had no energy for school. This was causing sleep deprivation and stress for the whole family. Now John thanks to Sleeptalk can sleep through the entire night and goes to bed at a nice early time. I no longer need to buy expensive supplements. Our family life has become harmonious happy and calm. My second goal was to help him with bed wetting and urination during the school day which occurred 5 out of 7 days. I no longer need to buy nappies, and John feels so much more comfortable and confident at school.
John was so stressed during the Covid lockdown he used to bang his head during home schooling zoom sessions. This has stopped and now he has improved so much his teacher reported that he could follow more complex instructions and able to do simple math addition in class.
My third goal was to help him feel happy about going to school and we have succeeded by following the process and he now is socialising more and enjoyed school a lot more than before. John used to not like hugs or physical affection. Now he is saying he loves me and is hugging me, his father and his uncle. He was also afraid of going out into the garden and disliked loud noises but now he can help his grandfather mow the lawn.
The fourth goal that we are now currently working on is selective mutism and enabling John to speak clearly and more often with confidence. Thanks to and working consistently with him John is speaking more clearly and frequently.
The SleepTalk® process has brought all of our family closer together and we enjoyed a lovely holiday recently in a resort with a swimming pool which John really loved.
Malaysia
(courtesy of Anita Henderson from Fresh Start Hypnotherapy – Mornington Peninsula)
Suitability and safety:
The process is suitable for most children, particularly those aged 2 to 16 years of age, and can be used across a wide range of family dynamics. For children with significant traumatic histories, complex psychiatric diagnoses or under the care of a medical specialist, SleepTalk® professionals will always seek medical clearance or consultation first. That said, the SleepTalk® process is widely regarded as a safe, complementary process that integrates well with all existing therapeutic or medical plans.
How Hypnotherapists can use and recommend SleepTalk®:
As a hypnotherapist, there are several ways you can work with the process:
•Support parents by sharing details of the SleepTalk® Process to those who are struggling with emotional, behavioural, or family-related issues.
•Recommend (or on-sell) the SleepTalk® Processes resources to others.
Chai,
•Add the SleepTalk Modality to your practice by becoming a fully accredited Foundation Coach or a fully accredited SleepTalk® Consultant: enabling you to share and offer this life changing process to parents or carers in a professional capacity.
As a fully qualified SleepTalk® professional one can help, delivering workshops, group coaching or individual consultations alongside other modalities
SleepTalk® doesn’t replace your role as a therapist — it enhances it. It extends your influence, creating more harmony and connection into family’s home environments, where the realworld shifts happen, making a positive difference one family at a time.
To learn more about becoming a fully accredited SleepTalk® Professional or how to introduce the SleepTalk® Process to your clients, visit https://sleeptalktrainingacademy.com or reach out to us for a chat today.
Final thoughts
About the Author
Kerre Burley is a passionate parental educator and founder of the International SleepTalk® Training Academy. (ISTA) With over twenty years connection with the SleepTalk® process, Kerre has trained and supported hundreds of professionals and families across the globe.
Her mission is to bring the powerful, subconscious-based benefits of the SleepTalk® process into the wider therapeutic world and make it more accessible to therapists and their clients.
To connect with Kerre or learn more about professional training opportunities, you can reach her directly at kerre@sleeptalktrainingacademy.com
As hypnotherapists, we understand the power and sanctity of working with the subconscious. SleepTalk® is a beautiful extension of that sacred work. It gently reminds us that transformation doesn’t always need to happen in the therapy room — nor must it come directly from us, the therapist.
Sometimes, our greatest impact lies in what we teach and share. By equipping parents with this powerful tool, we hand them the ability to become the change agents in their child’s life.
And often, the most profound healing occurs quietly, in the middle of the night, wrapped in the safety of a parent's voice, grounded in love, trust, and connection.
Taking a holistic approach to weight loss
By Trish Dewberry
There is currently a great enthusiasm for the new appetite suppressant drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, brand names of the drug semalglutide. The much-publicised successes of celebrities and influencers have created widespread usage and acceptance of these drugs and might make some of us feel that hypnotherapy for weight loss is no longer needed in our practice.
The question is “Are these drugs the best way of controlling weight in the long-term? “Yes, they do dramatically reduce appetite, but there is also the potential for quite serious negative side-effects–nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation and fatigue, and possibly more serious physical issues such as pancreatitis and gall stones. Perhaps the risks outweigh the benefits.
As these drugs are quite expensive costing between $300 and $400 per month on average so long-term usage may not be feasible for most people. And anyone who has had any experience with the yo-yo effects of on again, off again dieting, knows that stopping the injections is likely to result in people regaining most, if not all the weight they have lost.
The essential problem is that the underlying causes of weight gain and poor self-care are not addressed by diets or injections. And this is where a holistic approach to weight loss can create real, transformative, long-lasting change for our clients.
So, what does a holistic approach to weight loss look like?
It is about so much more than how much people eat. A program that combines thoughtful and supportive counselling, with powerful and targeted hypnotherapy has a much greater chance of creating long-term positive changes. Our eating and drinking habits, and our feelings about exercise and self-care are affected by emotional and life-style factors. If we are going to successfully help our clients achieve long-term weight loss and better mental and physical health, we need to help them change their thoughts, feelings and behaviours, relating to food and self-care. So often weight loss clients come to us with a hopeless, helpless and even worthless mindset.
Exploring the mindset of the client and the factors that shaped that mindset helps us identify what unhelpful unconscious beliefs are holding them back, and what we need to focus on together to give them every chance of a happier, healthier future. Building a positive mind-set is essential to success. So, building hope and a sense of empowerment, while creating a strengthened sense of self underpins the holistic approach.
I have devised a Healthy Body / Healthy Mind Program, that targets the underlying emotions, thoughts and feelings that have led to weight gain, while also addressing behavioural change to create measurable success week by week.
The Healthy Body / Healthy Mind Program includes a blend of direct suggestion and powerful imagined experiences to:
• Identify what it is the client really wants and how they might experience the positive changes that they want
• Explore and change the conscious and unconscious beliefs that shape unhelpful behaviour and lead to self-sabotage
• Create a positive and empowered mind-set by ego-strengthening and creating a sense of absolutely deserving a happy, healthy body.
• Reduce client stress responses and build their capacity to cope in a stressful world
• Resolve negative emotional responses, often related to past trauma, that hinder progress
• Address problematic behaviours that lead to weight gain. Eg: target appetite control, overcome a sugar habit, manage drinking, and build enthusiasm for healthy exercise.
Generally, I see clients between eight to ten times over a few months to help create and embed the positive changes that are needed.
I have also begun to turn this into an online training program for hypnotherapists, supported by suggested scripts and training in various techniques for setting clients up for success.
“Long-term weight loss is about so much more than choosing between carrots and carrot cake”.
Trish Dewberry
What Hypnotherapy really is (and why It works)
By Karen Phillip
Ever wondered if hypnotherapy is just stage tricks and swinging watches? Spoiler alert: it’s not. Hypnotherapy is a scientifically supported, surprisingly down-to-earth way to help people feel better, think clearer, and even overcome major life challenges. Curious? Let’s dive in.
What Is Hypnotherapy, really??
Imagine this: you’re in a super relaxed state, somewhere between dozing off on the couch and zoning out during a good daydream. Your mind is calm, focused, and open. That’s kind of what hypnosis feels like. And hypnotherapy? That’s where a trained professional uses this relaxed, focused state to help you make powerful, positive changes in your life.
Hypnotherapy isn’t magic, mind control, or anything spooky. It’s a collaboration between you and a qualified therapist, helping you tap into the part of your mind where deep beliefs, habits, and emotions live. And guess what? That part of your mind is actually pretty eager to help you feel better, you just have to know how to speak its language.
Okay, but How Does It Work?
What we know is that it helps quiet your inner critic and lets you tune into your subconscious. This is where long-held habits, emotions, and memories hang out. Psychologist Dr. Michael Yapko says hypnosis is basically a way to help you develop your inner strengths and direct them toward your goals. Think of it as handing your inner self a map and a flashlight.
So when we talk about “clinical hypnosis” or “hypnotherapy,” we’re really talking about using this focused, receptive state to make therapeutic changes, like easing pain, reducing anxiety, or kicking bad habits.
So… what can Hypnotherapy actually help with?
Glad you asked. Hypnotherapy is kind of a multitool for the mind. Here are just a few things it can help with:
• Stress and anxiety – calm your nerves and shift unhelpful thought patterns.
• Sleep problems – fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
• Chronic pain – reduce pain perception and cope better with conditions like Fibromyalgia.
• Fears and phobias – from spiders to public speaking, hypnotherapy can help you rewire your fear response.
• Quitting smoking – a popular (and effective!) tool for kicking the habit.
• Boosting focus and performance – athletes, artists, and even students use it to get in the zone.
• Weight loss – helping clients make better food choices.
And that’s just scratching the surface. It’s also used for grief, depression, IBS, weight management, self-confidence issues, phobias, and more. The beauty of hypnotherapy is that it adapts to you.
But isn’t hypnosis just for entertainment?
We get it, hypnosis has a bit of a PR problem. All those TV shows and stage acts with people clucking like chickens didn’t help.
In reality, hypnotherapy is a well-researched, clinically backed practice. And no, you can’t be made to do anything you don’t want to do. You’re not asleep or unconscious, just deeply focused and aware. You're in the driver’s seat the whole time.
Another myth? Only “certain” people can be hypnotised. Nope, most people can, with the right environment and therapist.
Is it safe?
Totally. When practiced by a trained professional, hypnotherapy is very safe. Side effects are rare and usually mild, maybe a bit of emotional release or feeling extra relaxed afterward (which honestly isn’t so bad). ...cont.
The real power: combining hypnotherapy with other therapies
One of hypnotherapy’s superpowers? Teamwork. It works especially well when combined with approaches like cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). This combo has shown great results in treating anxiety, depression, and trauma. It can even speed up recovery and help people gain deeper insights faster.
Because it’s so adaptable, more psychologists and counsellors are training in hypnotherapy and recommending it to their clients.
Why isn’t it more common then?
Honestly? Old myths die hard. Some people still think hypnosis is weird or “woo-woo.” But the science keeps piling up, and more therapists are seeing the results first hand.
Studies have shown that hypnotherapy can:
• Improve mental health
• Ease physical symptoms like pain and nausea
• Support addiction recovery
• Help manage chronic illnesses
Still, more public awareness and therapist training are needed. When people understand what hypnotherapy really is, they’re more likely to give it a try and benefit from it.
Could hypnotherapy help you?
If you’re struggling with stress, anxiety, pain, sleep issues, or simply feeling stuck, hypnotherapy is certainly worth exploring. It’s not a cure-all, but for many people, it’s a gentle, empowering way to make real change that you want. It is not about what the therapist thinks you need because you are in complete control and in-charge of the direction the therapy goes.
Just be sure to work with a qualified hypnotherapist (you can find one on the HCA Register!), someone trained, experienced, and ethical. Look for memberships in recognised associations and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Final word
Hypnotherapy is more than just relaxation, it’s about unlocking the deeper parts of yourself, your inner mind that controls your thoughts, emotions and feelings. Hypnotherapy is used to heal, grow, and thrive. Whether you’re curious or committed, it’s a fascinating, evidencebased option worth considering for your wellness.
Anyone interested in learning more about hypnotherapy or becoming a hypnotherapist to help so many that need help, please visit the Hypnotherapy Council of Australia to find a registered college.
by Karen Phillip of the Australian Hypnotherapy College.
For enquiries: https://www.australianhypnotherapycollege.com.au/
We
have all heard about its powers... But what is Resource Therapy?
By Professor Gordon Emmerson
Resource Therapy (RT) is a type of therapy developed by Professor Gordon Emmerson in 2014. It is built on the simple but powerful concept that we all have different parts of ourselves like little inner team members (think about the movie Inside Out) that show up in different situations. These parts are called Resource States, and they each bring their own strengths, struggles, and personality quirks.
RT helps people heal, grow, and feel better emotionally by working directly with the part that’s stuck, hurting, or acting out. It’s like giving each part of you a voice and a therapist can talk with each voice.
The Basics
What’s the big idea?
We don’t have just one personality we’re made up of lots of different “states” or parts. Each one developed during our childhood and brings its own skills. There's no "main character" here; it's a team effort.
How does it work?
RT talks directly to the part that's having a tough time. There’s a set of tools and steps for helping that part heal especially if it’s stuck in fear, rejection, or some outdated way of coping.
What can it help with?
RT has been helpful for things like trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, addiction, eating issues, and even relationship problems. And often, people start to feel better pretty quickly.
So… how exactly does RT work?
Imagine your personality is like a house. In each room, a different version of you lives a sporty version, a caring
one, maybe one who’s great at public speaking (and one who would rather hide under the bed).
These rooms your Resource States hold specific memories, emotions, and ways of handling things. Most of the time, they work together fine. But sometimes, a state gets overwhelmed (called Vaded), or stuck in the past bad behaviour (Retro), or barges in at the wrong moment (Dissonant). That’s when things go sideways.
RT helps identify which part is struggling and then works with it directly often by revisiting a key moment...or core of the issue from the past (known as an ISE, or Initial Sensitizing Event). The process helps that part feel heard, feel supported and really seen and finally move on, often with surprising speed.
Why it’s effective
Because RT talks directly to the part of you that’s hurting, it skips the long detours. No more analysing every dream or dissecting your entire life story. You get to the root fast and gently, and real change can happen.
For example, someone scared of spiders might discover that their fear actually started with an early memory of being swarmed by ants. Deal with that memory, and the spider fear disappears.
Personality Theory (it’s simple)
RT builds on an idea that’s been around a while that we all have parts. But RT goes further by saying there’s no central self in charge. Every Resource State matters. One is front and center (what RT calls Conscious), others are quietly observing, and some are completely switched off and unaware of what’s going on.
Each part carries its own emotional memory, too what RT calls Sensory Experience Memories (SEMs). These aren’t logical “this happened” memories they’re emotional echoes that still tug at us, even if we don’t know why. RT helps reconnect those emotions to where they started, which often brings big relief.
Eight types of Struggling States (a.k.a.
what’s going on inside?)
Here’s a quick rundown of the most common types of stuck states RT works with:
State type What’s happening? Looks like How RT helps
Vaded with Fear
A scared part from the past is still on high alert Phobias, panic, anxiety
Vaded with Rejection Feels unloved or not good enough Relationship struggles, low selfworth
Go back to the original fear, shift the perspective, offer support
Bring in unconditional love from a nurturing state
State type
Vaded with Confusion
Vaded with Disappointment
Retro Original
Retro Avoiding
Conflicted States
Dissonant States
What’s happening? Looks like
Overthinking and mental clutter
Feeling stuck in grief or loss
Using old coping habits that no longer work
Avoiding feelings through addictive habits
Two strong parts pulling in opposite directions
A part showing up at the wrong time
A real-life example: Spider Phobia
Rumination, can’t sleep
Depression, low motivation
Anger, detachment, personality issues
Addiction, OCD, self-harm
Indecision, anxiety
Inappropriate reactions
How RT helps
Help the part make sense of things and calm down
Help that part let go and open up to joy again
Update the behavior to something more useful
Deal with the pain that’s being avoided, and find better options
Help them negotiate and respect each other
Switch to a more suitable state for the moment
A woman had a big fear of spiders. Turns out, it all started when she was 8 and had ants crawling all over her legs. The therapist worked with the scared part, reframed that old memory (the ants are no longer real), and brought in a nurturing state to offer comfort. Later that day, she took a spider she found inside and put it outside. Fear gone.
How RT connects with mental health diagnoses
RT isn’t about labelling you it’s about helping the part of you that’s in trouble. Still, here’s how it can relate to common diagnoses:
• PTSD/Trauma: Often involves Vaded with Fear or Rejection. RT goes right to the root.
• Depression: Usually involves a Vaded with Disappointment state.
• Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID): RT helps states reconnect and build cooperation.
• Addictions: Often a Retro Avoiding state trying to keep deeper pain at bay.
• Eating Disorders: Can come from competitive or rejected parts needing care.
• Unwanted Voices: These are often misunderstood inner parts or introjects RT helps them transform or relocate.
The bottom line
Resource Therapy gives therapists a clear, structured way to work with the exact part of the client that needs help. It’s fast, deep, and respectful of the client’s inner world.
With more therapists using RT around the world and an international conference in Bali in 2025 this approach is gaining serious momentum. This is a therapy that feels more like getting your inner team in sync, rather than going to war with yourself?
To find a qualified Resource Therapist or Trainer: https://resourcetherapy.com/
W hy Can’t I Sleep ?
By Madeleine Seppelt, Good Thinking Hypnotherapy
You’re exhausted. You’ve done all the right things. No caffeine, phone off early, maybe even a magnesium supplement. But the moment your head hits the pillow; your mind turns on like a floodlight.
Sound familiar? Whether it’s over thinking, anxiety, replaying conversations, or just a deep sense of restlessness, sleeplessness is often not a problem in itself.
It’s a signal.
A symptom of something deeper running in the background, patterns of thought, emotion, and unmet needs that never got switched off when you did.
I’ve worked with many clients who come in saying, “I just want to sleep,” but what they’re really saying is, “I need help turning off everything that won’t let me rest.”
Sleep is not something we achieve by effort. It’s something that happens when our system feels safe enough to let go. And that requires more than blackout curtains and a sleep tracker. Let’s unpack what’s really going on and why it’s not your fault.
The brain that won’t switch off: The overthinker’s dilemma
One of the most common reasons people can’t sleep is simple to name and hard to live with: overthinking. You lie down and your brain begins its nightly shift, replaying the day, listing tomorrow’s tasks, revisiting conversations you had (or wish you’d had).
This isn’t just a bad habit. It’s a strategy, a way your mind tries to create safety. By staying mentally active, you’re trying to prepare, predict, and problem-solve. This is especially true if you’ve had experiences in life where you had to stay on high alert to feel safe. But the problem is: you’re solving the wrong problem at the wrong time. Nighttime isn’t for problem-solving. It’s for surrender. And surrender can feel impossible if your mind has come to believe that thinking equal’s control.
What keeps people stuck is not just the thoughts themselves, but the belief: “If I stop thinking, I’ll lose control. Something will go wrong.”
The real work here is not to stop the thoughts through willpower it’s to shift the job description your mind has given itself. We reframe it, we retrain it, and we teach it that it’s okay to rest
When the Body Won’t Let Go: Anxiety and Hypervigilance
Even if the mind feels quiet enough, the body sometimes refuses to follow. Even if the mind feels quiet enough, the body sometimes refuses to follow.
You might find yourself tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable. Your heart feels like it's beating just a little too fast. Your body won’t sink into the bed, it feels tense, alert, like it’s scanning for danger. This is the experience of hyper vigilance: when the nervous system is stuck in a mild (or sometimes strong) state of fight or flight.
This pattern often shows up in people who’ve had to be “on guard” in life, who’ve had unpredictable environments, responsibilities beyond their years, or unresolved trauma. The body has learned to stay alert. It’s not broken. It’s being loyal to your past.
We don’t see this as a disorder; we see it as a strategy that has outlived its usefulness. Your body learned that being vigilant kept you safe. And it’s doing its best to help. It just doesn’t realise that now, rest is safe.
Sleep isn’t just physical; it’s neurological permission to let go. And letting go doesn’t happen because you want it to. It happens when your system believes it’s safe enough to do so.
The good news? Safety can be rebuilt. Not just externally, but internally, through strategic therapy, hypnotherapy, and re-patterning your nervous system’s responses over time.
Bottled-up emotions and the night-time reckoning
Emotions we suppress during the day often flood in at night. Therapy helps create emotional space earlier in the day, so bedtime doesn’t become the only moment for emotional release. Have you ever had a day where you felt totally fine – busy, distracted, productive - and then, the moment you finally stop, it all floods in?
The worries, the grief, the things you thought you’d dealt with, or hoped you’d buried deep enough? This is incredibly common. In fact, many of us use the momentum of the day to avoid what’s sitting underneath. We’re emotionally intelligent enough to cope. But at night, when there’s nothing left to distract us, our mind offers us the unprocessed emotions we’ve been postponing.
In therapy, we often see sleep deprivation that trace back to unresolved sadness, frustration, or conflict. Sometimes it’s unspoken relationship dynamics. Sometimes it’s grief that’s never
had a voice. Sometimes it’s anger that’s been swallowed for so long, it’s hardened into tension.
The pattern becomes:
“I hold it together during the day… but at night it all spills out.”
This isn’t weakness it’s actually a sign that you need a safe space to process what’s real for you.
Sleep is vulnerable. It requires emotional spaciousness. Strategically, we help people make space before bed, not during. Because if the only time your system gives you to feel is at 11pm, your mind will take it.
In therapy, we open that space earlier, so that by bedtime, your system isn’t demanding an emotional audit.
Perfectionism, productivity, and the myth of “earning” rest
Another surprisingly common reason people can’t sleep? They don’t believe they’ve earned it. You lie down at night, and a quiet (or loud) inner voice whispers:
“You didn’t do enough today.”
“You forgot to reply to that email.”
“You were impatient with the kids.”
“You should have gone for that walk.”
This voice isn’t just pointing out tasks; it’s measuring your worth. And in doing so, it turns rest into something conditional. This is the trap of perfectionism and performance-based selfworth.
Strategically, this comes from a deep belief like:
“If I stop doing, I lose value.” If I’m not productive, I’m falling behind.”
People with this pattern tend to carry a huge mental load and invisible pressure, often highachievers, careers, or those who had to prove their worth early in life.
But here’s the thing: rest isn’t a reward. It’s a biological need. It’s what allows you to keep going.
And it’s something you’re allowed to have even when the to-do list isn’t done. In therapy, we gently challenge these beliefs. We teach the system that rest isn’t something to be earned; it’s something that’s deserved simply because you exist
We don’t wait until you’ve perfected your life to allow sleep. We make rest part of the process of healing and living.
Unmet needs and the role of safety, control, and connection
When sleep won’t come, we often look at symptoms: the racing thoughts, the tight chest, the inability to switch off.
But beneath all of that are unmet needs. Not flaws. Not weaknesses. Just unattended-to parts of being human.
From a strategic psychotherapy perspective, all problems — including insomnia — are maintained by patterns. And those patterns often form in response to needs that were never safely met.
Here are a few key human needs that, when unmet, can make sleep feels impossible:
Safety: Without a felt sense of safety, the nervous system stays alert. It doesn't feel “off duty” enough to allow rest.
Control: For people who feel out of control during the day, the mind tries to regain control at night through over thinking, planning, or review.
Connection: Loneliness, disconnection, or unresolved relational tension can create emotional unease that disrupts sleep.
Purpose and contribution: Without meaning or direction, the mind wanders into existential thought loops often at night, when there’s quiet to fill.
Significance: If you feel invisible or unacknowledged, your mind may try to earn worth through endless productivity and self-criticism.These aren’t just abstract ideas. They show up as physical tension, intrusive thoughts, fatigue that doesn’t resolve, and a feeling of “always being on.”
The work isn’t to shame you for not sleeping.
The work is to gently meet the unmet needs, interrupt the old patterns, and teach your system that it’s safe to let go.
The path to rest: reframing sleep as a skill, NOT a reward
What if we’ve been taught to misunderstand sleep?
We treat it as something we’re supposed to “fall into” naturally like a switch that just flips. When it doesn’t, we panic. We label ourselves as broken or insomniac. We reach for more tools, more effort, more control.
But the truth is: sleep is a skill.
And like any skill, it can be gently reclaimed, through new frameworks, emotional processing, somatic safety, and therapeutic tools that work with the nervous system, not against it.
In my practice, I work with clients who’ve tried everything melatonin, podcasts, yoga nidra, screen-free nights, yet still can’t sleep.
What we do together isn’t just “relaxation.” We go deeper. We:
• Identify the thought patterns keeping the mind in motion;
• Explore the emotional blocks the body is holding;
• Uncover and meet the core unmet needs that keep the system alert;
• Reframe sleep as a natural byproduct of internal alignment; and
• Use clinical hypnotherapy and strategic psychotherapy to reset the system.
This isn’t just sleep therapy. It’s nervous system work. It’s self-worth work. It’s learning how to feel safe enough to rest, psychologically and physically.
Sleep doesn’t come through force. It comes through permission. And sometimes, we need support to give ourselves that permission.
Because rest isn’t something you need to earn.
For Enquiries: http://goodthinkinghypnotherapy.com.au/
Photo
Understanding grief – a heart-centered a pproach
By John Pemberton
“Grief never truly leaves us, but with compassion, we can learn to carry it more gently.”
At Hypnotherapy Training Australia (HTA), we live by a simple but powerful mission — to change the world one heart at a time.
We know our world can feel chaotic and uncertain. For many, fresh pain lands on top of old wounds. That’s why we train our students not only in technique, but in the art of truly seeing, hearing, and caring for those in grief. Because for someone facing loss, the right kind of support can make all the difference.
The Many Faces of Grief
Grief is more than sadness — it’s a full-body, full-heart experience that can touch every part of life. It can be sparked by:
• the loss of a loved one;
• the end of a relationship;
• a major life change;
• the loss of health, career, or identity
At HTA, we teach that there’s no single “right” way to grieve. Every journey is different, and every client deserves a space where they can simply be — without judgment or expectation.
The five stages – not a straight line
Renowned psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross described five stages of grief in On Death and Dying (1969).
While these stages can be useful, grief is rarely a neat progression. People may move back and forth between them, or experience several at once.
1.Denial – “This can’t be happening.”
A protective numbness that helps us survive the early shock.
2.Anger – “It’s not fair.”
Frustration or resentment, sometimes directed at oneself, others, or even the person lost.
3.Bargaining – “If only I…”
Attempts to negotiate, undo, or delay the reality of the loss.
4. Depression – “I can’t go on.”
A deep sadness and withdrawal as reality sinks in.
5. Acceptance – “It is, and I can live with it.”
Not the absence of pain, but a gentle turning toward life again.
HTA Teaching Insight
“Our students learn that these stages are guides, not rules. What matters is meeting the client exactly where they are — and holding that space with care.”
Where hypnotherapy fits in
Hypnotherapy is uniquely placed to support those in grief. It works with the subconscious mind, where emotions, memories, and beliefs are stored, allowing for gentle yet profound healing.
Through our Advanced Diploma of Clinical Trauma Hypnotherapy, HTA students learn to:
• Help clients regulate overwhelming emotions.
• Reframe painful thoughts into empowering perspectives.
• Use deep relaxation to release tension and restore calm.
• Guide self-reflection for greater personal insight.
• Equip clients with coping tools they can use every day.
Inside a grief-focused hypnotherapy session
• Gentle intake – Understanding the client’s story, history, and current needs.
• Induction – Guiding the client into deep relaxation.
• Exploration – Safely processing emotions and memories.
• Positive suggestions – Planting seeds of resilience and acceptance.
• Re-orientation – Returning to the present, grounded and supported.
HTA philosophy in practice
“We train our students to blend clinical skill with heartled presence. In grief work, the client must feel both safe and truly seen — only then can healing take root.”
Changing the World, one heart at a time
Grief is universal. But so is our capacity for compassion. When practitioners are trained to combine evidencebased techniques with deep humanity, we can help clients find their footing again — and sometimes even a new sense of purpose.
At HTA, every graduate leaves with more than just skills. They carry a commitment to care — a belief that one client’s healing can ripple outward, changing families, communities, and the world.
Because in the end, that’s how we change the world… one heart at a time.
John Pemberton Director of Training
Clinical Trauma Hypnotherapist & Psychotherapist
Hypnotherapy Training Australia www.hypnotherapytraining.net.au
References
• Kübler-Ross, E. (1969), On Death and Dying, New York: Macmillan.
• Smith, A. L., Johnson, R., & Williams, M. (2018). "The Effectiveness of Hypnotherapy in Grief Counselling: A Clinical Study." American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 60(3), 289–304.
• Johnson, L., & Williams, R. (2019). "Hypnosis Techniques in Grief Counselling: A Practical Approach." Journal of Counselling& Development, 97(4), 432–440.
Using 9D Breathwork as a complementary tool to Clinical Hypnotherapy
By Rachel Perry
This year I stepped fully into my career as a clinical hypnotherapist, and like many new practitioners I have been steadily building my practice while exploring tools that can enhance client outcomes. One of the most profound discoveries I have made has been 9D Breathwork.
I first experienced it earlier this year while visiting my son and daughter-in-law in Louisville, USA. I was immediately struck by the immersive soundscape and the way the session unfolded over a full hour. Breathwork on its own had never felt sustainable for me at that length, yet with the layers of sound, guidance, and hypnotic elements woven through, it became not only achievable but deeply moving. I recognised straight away how valuable this could be for my clients too.
9D is something that truly needs to be experienced to be understood, but here I will share how I have integrated it into my practice and why I see it as such a powerful complement to hypnotherapy.
What is 9D Breathwork?
9D Breathwork is a precisionengineered system that brings together breath, sound, frequency science, and subconscious programming in a way that creates truly transformative experiences. It has been carefully designed to help rewire the nervous system, release stored emotion, and reconnect individuals with their own inner power, all through a deeply immersive, multi-sensory journey.
At the heart of 9D Breathwork are nine distinct layers, woven together to create the depth and potency of each session:
1. 9D Multi-Dimensional Sound Experience: immersive soundscapes that move in and around the listener.
2. Somatic Breathwork: embodied breath patterns that shift tension and emotion.
3. Solfeggio Frequencies: tones used for balance and healing resonance
4. Binaural Brain Entrainment: sound frequencies that enhance mental clarity and calm.
5. Isochronic Brainwave Tones: rhythmic pulses that support receptive brain states.
6. 432 Hz Harmonic Tuning: sound tuned to a natural frequency of harmony
7. Subliminal Hypnotic Therapy: suggestions that influence the subconscious toward positive change.
8. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP): embedded language patterns for reframing and resilience.
9. Bioacoustic Sound Effects: additional tones that deepen immersion and emotional release
All 9D journeys are delivered through headphones, which is essential for the multidimensional sound design. This allows participants to experience the layers of sound moving around and through them, creating a depth of immersion that simply is not possible through speakers. When combined with wearing an eye mask, the outside world fades away, and participants are guided fully into their own inner experience.
Why I recognied its value for hypnotherapy clients
From the very first time I experienced 9D Breathwork I knew it would have a place in my clinical practice. What struck me most was how naturally it supported the same outcomes we seek through hypnotherapy.
Many clients arrive at sessions carrying tension, stress, or the weight of overthinking. While hypnotherapy provides a structured way to shift these patterns, I saw that 9D Breathwork could prepare the mind and body in a different yet complementary way. Within minutes clients are able to access their subconscious and allow the body to release what it has been holding. Clients often describe feeling lighter, more open, and more receptive afterwards, which is an ideal state for therapeutic change.
I also recognised its value as a tool for accessibility. Some people find it difficult to sit still or sustain focus during longer sessions. With 9D the immersive sound design and guided flow make the hour feel effortless. For those who may struggle with traditional meditation or breathwork, 9D offers a way in, a structured container that holds their attention and allows them to experience transformation without pressure.
Over time I have seen how weaving 9D Breathwork into my practice can accelerate progress, enhance resilience, and give clients a powerful resource they can return to again and again.
Integration into clinical practice
This is how I use 9D Breathwork with my hypnotherapy clients. At the initial session I explain
that I also facilitate 9D journeys and give a brief overview of what they involve. If I see that it could be helpful in their treatment plan and the client is interested, we may schedule two or three private journeys. This usually happens when they are on one of my four or six session hypnotherapy packs.
Alongside the breathwork I continue to provide weekly private hypnosis recordings. I send these on the same day as the journey, weaving insights from the session into the recording so it feels personalised and connected to their experience. My recordings are always layered over music, which I have refined to the point where it only takes me a couple of minutes to put together. Clients have come to expect that music is part of everything they do with me, and this makes the experience of 9D feel seamless within their overall treatment.
I also run group 9D Breathwork sessions and I find the client flow works both ways. Clients who finish a hypnotherapy package but have experienced 9D Breathwork now have the option to continue with group sessions. In group settings I also offer hypnotherapy to those who wish to explore a specific issue more deeply. I recognise that some people may feel comfortable attending a breathwork session but would not consider walking into a hypnotherapy office. To support this, part of my group integration email includes not only practical integration tools and links to free mini journeys, but also a free generic Nervous System Reset hypnosis I recorded. With twelve people in each group session, I am able to introduce hypnosis as an option to more individuals who may never have thought of it before.
As someone still in the early stages of building my practice, discovering 9D Breathwork has been an unexpected but invaluable addition. It has given me another way to support clients, to meet them where they are, and to open new pathways for change. What I appreciate most is how seamlessly it sits alongside hypnotherapy, each modality strengthening the other.
9D Breathwork is something that really needs to be experienced to be fully understood. Words can describe the layers and the intention, but it is the journey itself that creates the impact. For
this reason, I encourage my peers to be curious, to experience it first- hand, and to consider how it may expand what is possible in their own work.
For those who are interested in exploring 9D Breathwork further, including how it may be brought into clinical practice, I welcome you to contact me directly. More information can also be found on my website: soulshifthypnotherapy.com/9d-breathwork
Ph:1300 794 261
Rachel Perry, Soul Shift Hypnotherapy
Reframing the mind: the missing link in career transitions
By Cema Santos
Career transitions have always been moments of tension, marked by a mix of opportunity and fear. But in today’s Australian workforce, that pressure is sharper than ever. AI is reshaping roles, and industries rise and fall overnight; workers are repeatedly asked to reinvent themselves.
Most employment frameworks equip people with practical tools, such as writing a resume, practising for interviews, and networking with purpose. All of these matter; however, they don’t touch the quiet, often destructive dialogue that runs in the background of people’s minds.
I’ve seen talented, qualified professionals sabotage opportunities because of imposter syndrome, fear of failure, or the feeling that they don’t belong. And when the mind isn’t aligned, no strategy can help you move forward with confidence.
Why mindset matters in career change
In every career program I design, whether for international students, skilled professionals, or mothers returning to the workforce, I begin with internal exploration. Before we talk about resumes or cover letters, we pause.
Why? Because after disruption, whether through migration, redundancy, or even years in the wrong role, people’s confidence and sense of identity need time to catch up. Without addressing that inner story, career strategies often feel hollow or misaligned.
“A resume lacking clarity is merely a piece of paper. A career shaped with clarity transforms into an identity, a sense of belonging, and a purpose in action.”
Where hypnotherapy fits
This is where hypnotherapy deserves a seat at the table. Unlike the stage-show myths many imagine, hypnotherapy is an evidence-based practice that works directly with the unconscious mind, the place where self-doubt, fear, and limiting beliefs often hide.
In a safe, guided state of focus, clients can let go of old narratives and anchor new, empowering beliefs:
• “I am capable.”
• “I am prepared.”
• “I am ready for this step.”
And no, this isn’t about “fake it till you make it.” Masks eventually slip. Hypnotherapy isn’t about pretending; it’s about aligning inner beliefs with outer actions so confidence becomes authentic, sustainable, and grounded. When people genuinely believe “I belong here,” they don’t need to fake anything. They present themselves as calm, capable, and ready for opportunities
“Behind every successful career transition, there is more than a polished resume — there is a mindset that says, I belong here.”
Why professional guidance matters
Both career development and clinical hypnotherapy are real professions, guided by standards, ethics, and accountability.
In Australia, Career Development Professionals (CDPs) are supported by the Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA), which maintains the Australian Register of Professional Career Development Practitioners. To be recognised, a CDP must:
• Hold a formal qualification in career development;
• Maintain membership in a professional body;
• Adhere to a code of ethics;
• Commit to ongoing professional development;
Similarly, hypnotherapy requires proper training, ethical practice, and registration with recognised associations and is supported by the Hypnotherapy Council of Australia. These ensure that practitioners adhere to national standards and participate in ongoing professional development.
Just as you wouldn’t entrust your health to someone without medical training, your career and your unconscious mind deserve the same level of professional, qualified care.
Stories from practice
I’ve worked with individuals who had excellent qualifications but struggled to articulate their own strengths confidently. Through a combination of career coaching and hypnotherapy, they learned not only to craft compelling resumes but also to walk into interviews knowing they deserved a seat at the table.
One typical example is a senior professional in mid-life transition who came to me after facing numerous rejections. On paper, she had everything: qualifications, experience, demand. But her inner voice whispered, ‘You’re too old. You’re irrelevant.” Hypnotherapy helped her reframe those beliefs. Career development provided her with the tools to turn her experience into value for employers. Together, reason and mindset unlocked the role she once thought was out of reach.
“Reason shapes the plan. Mindset carries it forward.”
A Broader Perspective
Behind every successful career transition, there is more than a polished resume. There is a mind that says, “I belong here.”
And that’s where professional guidance, from both qualified Career Development Practitioners and Clinical Hypnotherapists, can make all the difference.
Because the future of work isn’t just about jobs, it’s about people: resilient, confident, and in tune with their own sense of purpose.
“Your career is not just what you do. It’s how you come back to yourself.”
About the Author
Cema Athayde Santos, MSc, is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Career Development Practitioner (CDP), and Epidemiologist based in Perth. With over two decades of experience designing career strategies for newcomers, students, and professionals in transition, she combines evidence-based career development with the healing power of hypnotherapy. Through her programs, workshops, and private practice, Cema helps people move beyond limiting beliefs, reclaim confidence and create meaningful future-ready careers.
For Enquiries:
LinkedIn | Instagram
Facebook | YouTube
www.cemasantos.com
Abstract: Hypnosis in the age of AI: what remains human?
By Ulrika Wolf
As artificial intelligence increasingly enters the world of hypnotherapy, through apps, static libraries, and “personalised” self-generated scripts, many practitioners are left wondering how to position their work. While structured programs such as Mindset Health demonstrate the evidence-based benefits of technology, the rise of AI-driven, self-referential hypnosis tools raises deeper concerns. Can an algorithm break the very loops that hold people stuck, or does it simply echo them back?
Drawing on my own explorations with AI as a creative ally (never a substitute), I reflect on what remains uniquely human in our craft: the strategic mapping of a client’s cognitive landscape, the timely challenge delivered with care, the resonance of language drawn from lived experience, and the immediacy of the therapeutic relationship itself. These are qualities no $5 app can replicate and they are what will keep hypnotherapy truly transformative in the age of AI.
About the author:
Ulrika Wolf is a psychotherapist-in-training and Executive Mind Architect, and Treasurer of the International Strategic Psychotherapists Association (ISPA). Based in Sydney, she explores the intersection of hypnosis, psychology, and emerging technologies.
Hypnosis in the Age of AI: What Remains Human?
When I began studying hypnotherapy and strategic psychotherapy, I imagined my greatest tools would be my voice, my presence, and my capacity to listen deeply. What I didn’t anticipate was how often I’d turn to artificial intelligence. Not to replace my work, but to sharpen it.
I’ve never delivered an AI-generated script to a client. That feels like handing over something lifeless, missing the spark of a real therapeutic relationship. But I have used AI in the background: to test metaphors, stretch my imagination, and build a mental library of ideas I can draw on in session. Sometimes it’s like sparring with a machine to strengthen my own creative muscles.
And yet, I can’t ignore what’s happening outside the therapy room. New apps appear every month, offering “personalised hypnosis” at the tap of a screen. For $5 a month, someone can listen to an AI-tailored session and believe it’s equivalent to a $250/hr consultation with a trained professional. That raises a question we all need to consider: what happens when clients conflate automation with expertise?
AI as a creative ally (not a substitute)
Used wisely, AI can be a helpful mirror. It can surface fresh metaphors, generate alternative phrasings, and jog a stuck mind. In that sense, AI broadens the palette. But the real work still happens in the room — in noticing when a client’s breathing changes, when their face softens, or when a pause lands heavier than words. That human responsiveness can’t be templated. It must be lived.
I’ve found that the best use of AI is preparatory and administrative: building my own mental flexibility and catalogue of ideas. When I bring those ideas into a session just as I do when I study through any other means, they are filtered through my presence, my voice, and my judgment. What works in the moment depends on the specific human being sitting in front of me, not on what a predictive algorithm thinks will “sound nice.”
The market reality
Technology is no longer on the periphery of our field. It is reshaping public expectations.
Here in Australia, Mindset Health, a Melbourne-based company, has built clinically validated hypnosis-based apps for digestive health and sleep. These are structured, evidence-based programs created with healthcare partners, and research has shown their benefit. In these cases, technology is not pretending to replace the therapist, but rather to scale specific interventions in a safe, standardised way.
There are also extensive static script libraries and recorded hypnosis programs, which many practitioners use responsibly. These resources can be incredibly helpful for professionals and for clients who want to reinforce particular skills between sessions. Evidence supports their use when they’re designed carefully and integrated thoughtfully.
But alongside these structured tools is another wave: self-generated hypnosis apps and AIdriven promises of instant personalisation. These platforms invite users to input their goals and receive an automatically generated “personalised” session. While this can feel empowering, it also comes with risks that are less obvious to the public.
It is these self-referential, self-generated tools that I want to focus on here. Because while static libraries and structured programs may have proven value, self-generated AI hypnosis carries unique pitfalls, especially when people try to break deeply entrenched patterns from within the same point of reference that holds them stuck.
Beyond suggestion: strategy, pacing and the client’s cognitive landscape
Hypnotherapy is not only evocative language; it’s strategic and analytical work. We are constantly mapping a client’s cognitive landscape. This includes their beliefs, defences, values, attentional style, and meaning-making patterns. We choose timely challenges that are within reach but not trivial, and we layer interventions so that what we say lands in the right order, at the right depth, at the right moment.
That means thinking on multiple levels at once:
• What is the client signalling verbally and somatically right now?
• Which metaphor will bridge their current belief state to a more flexible one?
• How much intensity can their nervous system hold today without tipping into overwhelm?
• Where is the edge between reassurance and necessary friction?
This is careful pacing. It’s the art of challenging without rupturing; of inviting change while protecting dignity. It’s how trust is built and maintained in real time. No static script, no matter how “personalised”, can do that on its own.
And this is why we must be cautious about the rise of self-referentially created self-hypnosis tools. When people try to break entrenched patterns using scripts generated from the same point of reference that holds them stuck, they risk reinforcing the loop rather than escaping it. A smoker who believes “I can only relax if I light up” may generate or select a relaxation script that
subtly affirms the very problem. Someone with performance anxiety might build a self-hypnosis routine around controlling their thoughts, which only deepens their tension.
In these cases, what’s needed is an outside perspective: a therapist who can interrupt the loop, introduce timely friction, and expand the frame of reference so genuine change becomes possible. Left on their own, clients risk circling the same problem with slightly different words.
The “Likeability” Bias in AI (and Why It Matters Clinically)
AI systems that serve consumers usually optimise for engagement and retention. Put simply, they’re built to be liked. That creates an inherent conflict with therapy’s aims.
Good therapy does not always feel good. Sometimes the most therapeutic move is to introduce friction—to name a pattern, to slow down, to hold silence, or to offer a hypothesis the client may initially resist. Those moments are not “likeable.” They are ethical and necessary.
Because AI lacks a genuine assessment of the living person in front of it, it must guess and approximate emotion, infer readiness, and default to safer, agreeable outputs. The result can be an echo chamber of pleasant suggestions and agreeable reframes that keep users returning but may avoid the precise, growth-edge challenges that catalyse durable change.
As practitioners, we’re aware of our own “likeability” pull, and we actively manage it. We learn to notice when the wish to be liked could dilute our clarity, and we take that tension to supervision. AI does not experience this ethical conflict, nor can it be held accountable for mistiming a challenge or bypassing one altogether.
Why presence still matters
AI can:
• Offer rapid drafts, metaphors, and structure.
• Increase access and convenience.
• Inspire practitioners with fresh ideas.
AI cannot:
• Read the subtle cues that determine when to challenge and how much.
• Co-regulate a nervous system in the moment.
• Hold and repair a therapeutic rupture.
• Carry ethical responsibility or respond to supervision.
• Replace the accountability that comes with professional practice.
• Shape language that resonates with the client’s unique life experience, utilising the images, idioms, and metaphors drawn from their own story.
• Utilise immediacy.
Among the most important skills a hypnotherapist brings are resonance and immediacy. Resonance means utilising language, imagery, and metaphors that connect directly with a client’s lived experience, such as a beloved sport, a childhood memory, a professional strength, in a timely and therapeutic manner. When the story is theirs and delivered with strategic care, the suggestion lands with depth and authority no AI can fabricate. Immediacy, meanwhile, is the ability to work with what is unfolding right now in the relationship like naming the subtle shifts, tensions, or openings that arise between therapist and client, and transforming the here-andnow into the site of change. Coupled with the capacity to step beyond a client’s self-referential loop and introduce a fresh perspective, these skills keep hypnotherapy authentic, strategic, and profoundly human.
Community and Professional Standards
When technology unsettles me, I return to community.
As a member of the International Strategic Psychotherapists Association (ISPA), I’ve been especially grateful for the guidance of ISPA supervisors, whose sessions have challenged and refined my practice in ways no machine ever could. Professional associations, supervisors, and mentors keep us precise and honest. They help us test language against outcomes, weigh ethics against convenience, and stay accountable to the standards that protect both our clients and our profession.
So how do we “compete” with a $5/month app? We don’t at least not on price or convenience. We differentiate on presence, trust, ethical responsibility, strategic pacing, resonance, immediacy, and our ability to break loops that self-generated solutions cannot touch. Those human elements become rarer and more valuable, not less, as the app landscape grows.
Closing Reflection
For me, AI is both a creative ally and a clarifying lens. It shows what machines do well and, more importantly, what they cannot do at all. By experimenting with AI, I’ve become more convinced that the heart of hypnotherapy is human: the courage to challenge at the right time, the humility to course-correct, the artistry of speaking in language that truly resonates, the immediacy of working with the here-and-now, and the steadiness to hold another person’s experience with care.
Self-hypnosis and AI tools may have their place, but the true gift of a clinical hypnotherapist is the offering of a professional mind, a human one, able to see beyond the client’s current frame and strategically open the way to new possibilities.
The task isn’t to fear technology. It’s to stay clear about our place within it. Because in hypnosis, what remains human is what makes the work truly transformative.
Ulrika Wolf Strategic Psychotherapist & Hypnotherapist
For Enquiries: treasurer@ispapsychotherapy.org.au
EMDR in Practice: A Friendly Overview
What Can EMDR Help With?
EMDR is incredibly versatile. It can be used to help with:
• Trauma and post-traumatic stress
• Anxiety and phobias
• Eating disorders
• Focus and concentration
• Persistent sadness
• Ruminating or intrusive thoughts
The applications are almost endless.
Setting clients up for success
By Amanda Dounis
Before starting, it’s important to ensure clients feel safe and supported.
A few ways we do this:
• Happy place: helping the client create a safe, calming place in their mind they can return to at any point.
• Container: giving them a mental “container” to hold thoughts or feelings that may come up between sessions.
• Permission to pause: reminding clients they can raise their hand to stop and take a break at any time.
As therapists, we often bring our own skill sets into the room whether it’s mindfulness, grounding exercises, breathing techniques, or NLP tools to keep sessions safe and effective.
How a session works
When a client comes in, they usually bring:
• A memory or mental image that’s distressing ;
• A negative belief or cognition tied to that memory;
• A sense of where they feel this in their body.
We first ask the client to rate their distress on a scale of 1–10. Then, using bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, pulsators, auditory cues, or even light bars), we guide the brain to process the memory in a new way.
As the process unfolds, distress ratings usually come down for example, from a 9 to a 2. Once the client feels more at ease, we shift the focus to positive beliefs. We explore what they would prefer to believe instead.
For example:
Negative cognition: “I’m not safe.”
Positive cognition: “I can handle this now.”
The client then rates how strongly they believe this new thought on a 1–7 scale, and we continue bilateral stimulation until the new belief feels strong and authentic.
Below I will share with you an example of two success stories:
1. Overcoming Anxiety
One young client had been struggling with overwhelming anxiety whenever she needed to present in class. Even the thought of standing in front of her peers made her feel shaky and certain she would fail. She carried the belief: “I’m not good enough.”
We worked on a memory of being laughed at in class, which she rated as 8 out of 10 in distress. Using bilateral stimulation, her distress dropped to a 2. She then identified a new belief: “I can speak with confidence.” By the end, she rated this at a full 7 out of 7.
Weeks later, she presented in class with confidence. While she still felt some nerves, she was able to speak clearly and even enjoy the experience. For her, this was a turning point — shifting from avoidance to empowerment.
2. Healing from Trauma
A young adult came to me after a distressing car accident. Even though she wasn’t physically injured, she kept replaying the crash in her mind and avoided driving. Her belief was: “I’m not safe.”
In EMDR sessions, we resourced her with a safe place and container, then processed the accident memory. Her distress dropped from 9 out of 10 to a 2 out of 10.
She chose the belief: “I am safe now,” and through continued bilateral stimulation, she grew confident in that belief.
Over time, she was able to travel in cars again and eventually return to driving. What once felt like an impossible barrier became a memory she could hold without being overwhelmed.
My experience with EMDR
In my practice, I’ve found that EMDR works very well. It’s effective across a wide range of issues and age groups, and I’ve seen many clients make significant progress with it.
I also find that EMDR blends beautifully with hypnotic experiences. By weaving in hypnosis whether through relaxation, guided imagery, or deepening techniques clients often feel even more supported in processing difficult experiences. The two approaches complement each other and create a safe, powerful pathway for change.
At its heart, EMDR is about helping people move from distressing memories and beliefs toward more empowering, positive ways of seeing themselves and their world. With the right preparation, creativity, and support, it can be a life-changing approach for clients of all ages.
Amanda Dounis is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Strategic Psychotherapist, Professional Counsellor, NLP Master Practitioner, and Early Childhood Teacher – running the Positive Thinking Clinic, where a range of approaches to support clients are combined.
One of my methods is EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing). I’d love to give you a friendly overview of what EMDR is, how it works, and why I find it so effective in practice.
Your phone rings. A local GP is calling. They've just referred one of their patients to you because they recognise the power of hypnotherapy in addressing anxiety, depression, sleep or gut health.
• No more chasing clients with endless marketing.
• No more struggling to prove your credibility
• Instead, you're a trusted partner in healthcare, with referrals flowing straight from the medical profession.
• This is not a dream. This is the future of hypnotherapy in Australia. And, it begins on Saturday, 26 October in Sydney at 10am.
Why this is the event of the year!
This is not another training course. It's a full day of immersive learning and tools that position you at the front line of a new movement: building lasting, professional alliances with doctors. Whether this is your first time attending or you've already experienced our four-hour class, this event offers brand new resources, guests and opportunities you won't get anywhere else.
What you'll gain:
Practical tools
• Updated practitioner toolkit including personalised GP introduction letters and structured assessment forms doctors will value.
• Exclusive brochures for GP's and patients - professionally designed materials that explain hypnosis clearly and credibly.
Insider Opportunities
• Be part of GP training - learn how we are going to be delivering education directly to doctors and discover how you can contribute.
• Exclusive web platform launch - be the first to access a new GoAH resource hub for practitioners and GP's Advanced Learning
• Next level communication skills - proven ways to earn doctors trust and open referral pathways.
• Client assessment frameworks - advanced tools to provide structured, professional feedback to healthcare providers.
• Special guest sessions - hear from additional voices in medicine and hypnotherapy who will expand your thinking and strategies - massively!
The day at a glance
• 9:30 am – Registration & networking
• 10:00 am – Opening session with Sheila Granger & Nina Alling
• Morning Training – Building credibility with medical professionals
• Lunch Break – Connect with peers and speakers
• Afternoon Training – Advanced communication, assessment frameworks, GP toolkit strategies and special guests
• Special Guest Panel – Expert perspectives and Q&A
• 5:00 pm – Close
You will leave with a complete set of tools and strategies ready to use the very next day.
Early Bird Bonus – brochure pack upgrade
� � � Register before the Early Bird deadline and unlock an exclusive upgrade to your Practitioner Toolkit!
Early registrants will receive a special pack of professionally designed brochures to use with GP's and their patients.
• Present hypnotherapy as a credible, evidence-based therapy
• Address the top referral issues (anxiety, sleep, gut health, depression, pain)
• Give GP's patient-friendly resources they can share instantly
• Position you as the trusted professional in your community
� Only available to early bird registrations.
Once the deadline passes, the brochure pack will not be included.
Secure your seat now and leave with twice the tools to impress GP's and win referrals.
Meet your Presenters
Nina Alling – Accredited Mental Health Social Worker & Hypnotherapist
25+ years’ experience in trauma, depression, anxiety and relationship therapy.
Registered hypnotherapist, EMDR practitioner and cancer support group facilitator.
Mentor and supervisor across Australian professional bodies
Passionate about bridging hypnotherapy with mainstream health care.
Sheila Granger – international hypnosis trainer & awardwinning practitioner
Creator of the world renowned Virtual Gastric Band Programme
♥ Hypnotist of the year (IMDHA)
♥ Business of the year (UK, 2020)
♥ Author of three best-selling books
♥ Trainer of more than 3,000 practitioners across 16 countries.
Special Guests
Additional experts will join us live, bringing unique perspectives on building GP alliances and strengthening hypnosis in healthcare.
Frequently asked questions
I already attended the 4-hour training, what's new here?
This full day event includes new resources and expanded learning, such as brochures for doctors, advanced assessment tools, live guest sessions and involvement in GoAH's doctor training initiative.
Do I get a new toolkit?
Yes. The full day practitioner toolkit is upgraded, including brochures, updated introduction letters, and new resources not included in the 4-hour class.
Will there be overlap?
Some foundations are re-visited, but this is designed as the next level of training, much deeper, more practical and interactive.
Why should I attend in person?
Because this is more than training, it's about networking, involvement, and shaping the future of hypnosis in healthcare. Live attendees also get access to the exclusive web launch and early bird bonuses.
Investment
• GoAH members: $130.00
• Non-members: $150.00
Early bird registrations close: Wednesday 1 October 2025 Register now!
Seats are limited and this event will sell out quickly.
��� Walk away with the tools, strategies, and resources to establish yourself as a credible partner to doctors.
��� Be among the first to access GoAH's new initiatives for medical training and professional partnerships.
��� Gain exclusive early bird resources that will set you apart in your community.
Sydney, 26th October – One Day. Endless Opportunities.
Live Streaming:
We've had many queries about whether we will live stream or not and we are working towards this being a reality. Until we can definitely confirm though, we are creating a waiting list for interested parties and if it goes ahead, we will let you know the cost and how to register for the live streaming.
Please email admin@goah.com.au to go on the waiting list.
10 days of world class Training in this amazing life changing modality
October 2025 Training Dates
Two days foundation training: Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 October.
Day 3 – Friday 24 October
Day 4 – Saturday 25 October
Day 5 – Sunday 26 October
Day 6 – Saturday 1 November
Day 7 – Sunday 2 November
Day 8 – Saturday 7 November
Day 9 – Sunday 8 November
Day 10 – Saturday Graduation 9 November
Trainer: Kaz Field Anderson
Why learn Resource Therapy?
Resource Therapy (parts therapy) is a very rapid way to isolate the parts of you and your client that are blocking progress. It is a wonderful way to empower your client to know that the
wrong part may be taking the lead role in the conscious, and through Resource Therapy, bring the chosen part into the conscious for breakthrough & relief.
Resource Therapy is a Psychodynamic therapy. That means it sometimes focuses attention on the memories of incidents in order to attend to the cause of current issues.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy focuses on re-framing and behavioural homework and does not attend to memories of the past. It attempts to lessen the impact of unwanted symptoms on the clients.
Attending to the Cause
Resource Therapists believe that attending to the cause is better than attempting to lessen the impact of the symptoms, because when the cause of an issue is attended to the symptom will disappear and so the client will no longer carry the unresolved confusion from the past.
Working with the right part
Resource Therapists believe the personality is composed of parts and it is important to locate and attend precisely to the ‘Resource State’ that has the issue. Working directly with the part that needs change is the most direct route to resolution. Continuing to spend time talking with another part is a waste of therapy time.
Understanding pathology
Resource Therapists learn there are 8 pathologies that underpin psychological distress. They learn precise treatment actions that attend to pathological states; so that each state can return to a normal condition.
Having the right tools
Resource Therapists have clear guidelines for working with issues that clients bring to therapy. It is important for Resource Therapists to learn the types of pathologies, and to learn the associated treatments in order to feel competent to handle the various issues presented by clients.
Learning Resource Therapy
Learning Resource Therapy is a process of learning about the formation and nature of Resource States. Learning about the 8 pathological conditions states can be very beneficial. For example by learning the correct actions to attend to each condition and learning how to apply those actions so that pathological states can return to a more ‘normal’ condition.
Learning Resource Therapy is about learning to understand, and it aims to directly address the issues clients present.
Course breakdown
Units in Resource Therapy Clinical Qualifications
Unit 1 – Days 1 & 2 – Foundation Certificate x 2 days
Unit 2 – Day 3 – Working with Conflicted States
Unit 3 – Day 4 – Diagnosis of the eight Pathologies, Working with Dissonant States & Anchoring in a Mature, Empowered State
Unit 4 – Day 5 – Resource States Vaded with Confusion
Unit 5 – Day 6 – States Vaded with Fear or Rejection, Vaded with Disappointment (Depression)
Unit 6 – Day 7 – Retro States & Their Interventions (Addictions)
Unit 7 – Day 8 – Using Anchors with Dissonant States
Unit 8 – Day 9 – Working with Pain & Somatic Issues
Unit 9 – Day 10 – What Lies Within – The Separation Sieve & OPI’s
Unit 10 – Day 10 – Resource States Mapping & Ethics
For more details: 0466 043 611
Book & Pay Online: https://www.hypnotherapytraining.net.au/product/resource-therapyfoundation-training-clinical-qualification/
Trainer – Kaz Field Anderson; Resource Therapy Trainer at Hypnotherapy Training Australia.
9D Breathwork Workshop
Title: Experiencing 9D Breathwork – An Introduction for Hypnotherapists Facilitator: Rachel Perry, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Strategic Psychotherapist, Licensed 9D Breathwork Facilitator
Learning Objectives:
Participants will:
Duration: 90 minutes (flexible for 60 minutes if required) Format: Live online via Zoom - Headset & Eye mask required Cost: $75, HCA members $35 ($40 off)
Overview: This experiential workshop gives hypnotherapists the opportunity to participate in a 9D Breathwork journey, designed to demonstrate how structured breathwork can influence nervous system regulation and complement hypnotherapy practice. The session provides an introduction to breathwork as a tool for shifting state, enhancing receptivity, and supporting integration after therapeutic work.
• Experience a full 9D Breathwork journey in a safe and supportive setting
• Understand how state regulation can enhance hypnotic responsiveness and integration
• Explore the practical benefits of combining hypnotherapy with structured breathwork experiences
• Learn the difference between facilitating and training, including the scope and licensing requirements for 9D
Outline:
1. Introduction (15 minutes): Framing breathwork as a tool for nervous system regulation. Explanation of scope, safety, and ethics.
2. Experiential 9D Journey (60 minutes): Participants take part in a down regulating or balanced journey.
3. Integration and Debrief (15 minutes): Group reflection, Q and A, and discussion of clinical applications.
Resources Provided:
• Participant handout with safety considerations, integration tips, and resource links
• Contact information for further exploration of 9D Breathwork training (official channels only)
Important Notes:
This workshop is not facilitator training. It is an experiential introduction. Only licensed 9D facilitators can deliver 9D journeys, and training is available exclusively through 9D Breathwork.
Looking to showcase your business or services to a targeted and engaged audience?
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What does GoAH have to offer YOU?
What is different about GoAH?
The Guild of Australian Hypnotherapists is different from many associations in a number of ways.
Firstly, our defining document is our Statement of Values
How we act and interact with each other, the values we hold as important will always be the defining characteristic of the Guild of Australian Hypnotherapists. If we have to take our constitution out to settle problems it simply means we haven’t learned to effectively communicate and this doesn’t augur well for professionals whose work is communication. We’ll probably have differences of opinion and we’ll settle these through our values and compromise.
Secondly, we’re focused on the future and not the past
As we tell our clients, the past is set in concrete, it can’t be changed. However, the future is a blank slate on which we can build a unified community of hypnotherapists that has real and lasting influence in Australia. We can raise the level of discourse and of our profession. Why not join the future and be part of the change you want?
Thirdly, we’re focused on people and community
All associations are made up of people with common goals who’ve gathered together to reach a common objective. Those members make up a community and at GoAH our commitment will always be to members and community. While proper process is always important to the running of an association, our promise is that members and the community will always be our priority.
Join GoAH, be part of something new – we’re keen to welcome you!
Information
Application forms
HCA Approved List of Accredited Hypnotherapy Training Schools
Hypnotherapy Training Australia
(https://www.hypnotherapytraining.net.au/)
Hypnotherapy Training College Australia (Mind Care QLD)
(https://hypnotherapytrainingcollege.com.au/)
Academy of Hypnotic Science / Stirling Institute of Australia
