Melanie Cook

Insomnia and the Overthinking Mind

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Many people believe insomnia means the body cannot sleep.

More often, the body can sleep but the mind won’t allow it.

You may feel exhausted all day then as soon as you go to bed your thoughts begin.

You replay conversations, plan tomorrow, imagine problems and remember things you hadn’t thought about for years. You check the clock. You try to force sleep. The harder you try, the more awake you feel.

This is one of the most common experiences people bring to hypnotherapy.

Why the Brain Stays Awake

Sleep is not something we consciously do.
It happens when the brain feels safe enough to switch off.

Your brain has a protective system designed to keep you alert when needed. When stress builds up work pressure, family responsibilities, anxiety or emotional strain and then that system remains active.

The brain believes:
“Stay awake, we still have things to solve.”

At night there are no distractions, so thoughts surface. The brain attempts to process the day but becomes stuck in a loop instead of entering REM sleep.

The 3am Wake-Up

Many people wake around 3-4am.

This is when the mind tries to process emotional experiences. If stress levels are high, the brain activates instead of settling. You wake alert and unable to return to sleep.

This leads to a cycle:
less sleep → more stress → busier mind → worse sleep

The problem becomes not sleep itself but a mind stuck in alert mode.

Why Forcing Sleep Doesn’t Work

Trying to make yourself sleep often increases frustration and anxiety. The brain interprets this as a problem needing attention, so alertness increases further.

Sleep returns when the mind no longer needs to stay vigilant.

How Hypnotherapy Helps Insomnia

Solution-focused hypnotherapy guides the brain into a relaxed trance state similar to the REM processing stage.

This allows:

  • thoughts to organise
  • emotional load to reduce
  • the nervous system to calm

When the brain processes during the day, it no longer needs to do it at night.

Clients commonly report:

  • falling asleep more easily
  • fewer night wakings
  • reduced racing thoughts
  • waking clearer and more rested

We are not teaching sleep.
We are helping the mind feel safe enough to sleep.

Support Available

Hypnotherapy sessions are available in Bath, Paulton, Midsomer Norton and online.

If your mind becomes busiest when the world goes quiet, your brain may simply need support processing what it has been holding.

Sleep often returns once the mind no longer has to stay on guard.

Healing space and time for body and mind…

Trapped Grief: When Loss Doesn’t Move On

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We often think of grief as something that slowly fades with time.

People say “it gets easier” or “you learn to live with it”. And sometimes that is true. But sometimes grief doesn’t soften, it becomes stuck.

You may be functioning, working, looking after others and doing everything you are supposed to do. Yet something inside feels heavy, flat or disconnected.

This is often what people describe as trapped grief.

What Trapped Grief Can Feel Like

As well as sadness grief can often appear as:

  • emotional numbness
  • irritability
  • anxiety
  • sleep disturbance
  • feeling detached from life
  • guilt for moving forward
  • difficulty remembering positive moments

Many people feel confused because they believe they should be “past it by now”. Sometimes the loss was recent. Sometimes it happened years ago.

The mind, however does not process loss on a timeline.

Why Grief Gets Stuck

Grief needs space to be processed but often at the time of a loss we have to keep going.

We organise, support others, return to work, manage practical responsibilities and try to cope. The brain prioritises functioning and survival over emotional processing.

Instead of being felt and integrated, the experience becomes held.

The brain stores the emotional memory but cannot file it away. So it remains active in the background affecting mood, sleep and emotional responses.

People often say:
“I don’t feel like myself anymore.”

The Protective Mind

Your brain is trying to protect you from being overwhelmed.

Sometimes the mind keeps emotions contained because at the time you could not safely experience them. Years later when life is quieter, those feelings can still sit beneath the surface.

This can lead to:

  • sudden tears without clear reason
  • strong reactions to small events
  • avoiding reminders
  • difficulty feeling joy

You are not doing grief wrong.
Your mind simply hasn’t had a chance to process it.

How Hypnotherapy Helps

Solution-focused hypnotherapy helps the brain enter a calm, focused state similar to REM sleep, the natural processing stage of the mind.

In this state, the brain can gently process emotional memories so they are no longer held as active experiences. The loss remains meaningful, but it stops overwhelming your present life.

You are not forgetting.
You are allowing your mind to carry it differently.

Clients often notice:

  • improved sleep
  • reduced emotional heaviness
  • more emotional stability
  • the ability to remember without distress
  • gradually, moments of peace

Moving Forward Isn’t Leaving Behind

Many people fear processing grief means letting go of the person or the importance of the loss.

It doesn’t.

Grief changes when the mind no longer needs to hold it in a protective state. Memories become softer and connection can be felt without pain dominating it.

Support is available in Bath, Paulton, Midsomer Norton and online.

Healing space and time for body and mind…

High-Functioning Anxiety: When You’re Coping But Still Struggling

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Some of the people most in need of support are often the least likely to ask for it.

They are managing life. They go to work, look after family, meet responsibilities and appear capable. From the outside everything seems fine.

Inside, it feels very different.

You may recognise yourself in this:

  • You think constantly

  • You struggle to relax

  • You replay conversations afterwards

  • You worry about getting things wrong

  • You feel responsible for everyone

  • You rarely feel “finished” with the day

This is often called high-functioning anxiety.

What High-Functioning Anxiety Feels Like

Unlike panic attacks or obvious distress, high-functioning anxiety is quiet. It sits underneath daily life and becomes normal.

Many people describe:

  • always being mentally busy

  • difficulty switching off

  • guilt when resting

  • irritability when overwhelmed

  • emotional exhaustion

  • poor sleep

You may be seen as organised, reliable and capable yet internally you feel under pressure much of the time.

Because you are coping, you may also feel you “shouldn’t” need help.

Why It Happens

Your brain has two main systems:

  • the thinking, logical mind

  • the protective survival mind

When the survival system stays overactive, the brain scans constantly for potential problems. This creates overthinking, worry and mental tension.

The mind isn’t trying to upset you.
It is trying to keep you safe but it’s working overtime.

Over time this can lead to:

  • burnout

  • emotional reactions

  • withdrawal

  • loss of confidence

  • feeling detached from enjoyment

Why Talking Alone Doesn’t Always Solve It

Many people with high-functioning anxiety already understand their worries logically.

They know they are capable.
They know the thoughts are excessive.
But the feeling remains.

This is because the response comes from the brain’s emotional centre rather than the thinking part. Insight helps but regulation helps more.

How Hypnotherapy Supports Change

Solution-focused hypnotherapy helps calm the protective system so the brain no longer needs to stay on alert.

Through gentle trance work and practical strategies, the brain learns it is safe to stand down. As this happens, thoughts become quieter and reactions soften.

Clients often report:

  • feeling calmer

  • clearer thinking

  • less overanalysis

  • improved sleep

  • better emotional balance

  • increased confidence

You don’t lose motivation or responsibility, you lose the constant tension behind it.

Hypnotherapy Support in Bath and Surrounding Areas

I work with adults and teenagers experiencing anxiety, overwhelm and stress in:

  • Bath

  • Paulton

  • Midsomer Norton

  • online sessions also available

The approach is forward-focused and supportive. We are not analysing everything that has ever happened, we are helping your mind feel steady enough to move forward comfortably.

You don’t have to wait until you reach breaking point to get support.

Often the people who look like they’re coping the best are the ones carrying the most internally and with the right help, that weight can become much lighter.

Healing space and time for body and mind.

Why Your Mind Won’t Switch Off at Night (and How Hypnotherapy Can Help)

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Many people come to hypnotherapy for anxiety but what they actually describe first is sleep.

They tell me they feel exhausted all day, then suddenly wide awake at night. The body is tired but the mind becomes active. Thoughts replay conversations, plan tomorrow, revisit worries or imagine problems that haven’t even happened.

You might recognise this:

  • You feel tired until you go to bed

  • The moment your head hits the pillow, your brain “wakes up”

  • You overthink past conversations

  • You lie awake predicting future scenarios

  • You wake at 3am and can’t settle again

This is incredibly common and most importantly, it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you.

Your Brain Isn’t Broken But It Is Stuck in Alert Mode

Your brain has a built-in protection system. When it thinks you need to stay alert, it keeps problem-solving and scanning for danger. That’s helpful during the day but at night it prevents the brain from entering its natural processing state.

Sleep relies on a stage called REM (rapid eye movement). This is when the brain sorts emotional experiences, files memories and reduces stress levels. It’s essentially the brain’s housekeeping process.

When stress, overwhelm or anxiety builds up, the brain struggles to enter this state. Instead of processing thoughts, it keeps holding onto them so they appear at night when everything else becomes quiet.

Many people assume their problem is insomnia.
Often, it’s actually an over-busy mind.

Why Night-Time Is Hardest

During the day you have distraction, structure and activity.
At night you have silence.

That silence allows thoughts you’ve pushed aside to surface. The brain is simply trying to process, but without guidance it loops instead.

This is especially common for:

  • busy professionals

  • parents

  • people experiencing life changes

  • ADHD adults

  • people who are “coping well” outwardly

You may function perfectly during the day but feel mentally overloaded by evening.

How Hypnotherapy Helps Sleep

Solution-focused hypnotherapy works by helping the brain access the same natural state it enters during REM sleep but while you are awake and relaxed.

During hypnosis you remain aware and in control but your mind becomes calm and focused. In this state the brain can process thoughts and emotions more efficiently allowing it to stop holding onto them overnight.

Clients often notice:

  • falling asleep faster

  • fewer night wakings

  • reduced racing thoughts

  • waking feeling clearer

  • improved mood and energy

The Knock-On Effect

Sleep is rarely just about sleep.

When the brain rests properly:

  • anxiety reduces

  • emotional reactions soften

  • concentration improves

  • confidence increases

  • coping feels easier

Many people initially come for insomnia and find other areas of life improve naturally.

Hypnotherapy in Bath, Paulton and Midsomer Norton

I offer solution-focused hypnotherapy sessions in:

  • Bath

  • Paulton

  • Midsomer Norton

  • and online

Sessions are calm, supportive and practical. You don’t need to revisit difficult past experiences, we focus on helping your mind move forward.

If your mind won’t switch off at night, it may simply need guidance on how to process the day.

Sleep is not something you have to force.
Often, it returns when the mind no longer needs to stay on guard.

Healing space and time for body and mind.

Creating Space to Breathe: Why Regular Therapy Can Be Preventative

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Many people seek therapy when life reaches a breaking point when stress, anxiety or exhaustion can no longer be ignored. But increasingly, people are discovering the value of regular therapy as a preventative form of care, rather than a crisis response.

Hypnotherapy offers a way to create space to breathe before burnout takes hold.

If you’re considering hypnotherapy in Bath, Paulton or Midsomer Norton, regular sessions can support balance, clarity and long-term wellbeing.

When Life Feels Manageable But Heavy

Life doesn’t have to feel unbearable to benefit from support. Many people function well on the surface while quietly carrying:

  • chronic stress

  • emotional overload

  • mental fatigue

  • poor sleep

  • constant responsibility

Over time, this steady pressure accumulates in the nervous system often leading to anxiety, burnout or low mood.

Preventative therapy helps interrupt this build-up early.

How Hypnotherapy Supports Prevention

Solution-focused hypnotherapy works by:

  • calming the stress response

  • supporting emotional regulation

  • reducing mental clutter

  • restoring perspective and balance

Regular sessions give the nervous system repeated opportunities to reset, making it easier to stay grounded even when life is demanding.

This approach focuses on what’s working, what you want more of and how to maintain steadiness rather than waiting for things to fall apart.

The Role of the Nervous System

Stress isn’t just mental, it’s physiological. Without regular rest and processing, the nervous system can remain stuck in a heightened state of alert.

Hypnosis supports the brain’s natural REM-like processing, helping emotional experiences integrate rather than accumulate. This is one reason many people report improved sleep, clarity and resilience after sessions.

Who Benefits From Regular Therapy?

Preventative hypnotherapy can be especially helpful if you:

  • have a demanding job or caring role

  • live with ADHD or a busy mind

  • notice early signs of burnout

  • want ongoing emotional support

  • value proactive mental wellbeing

Rather than waiting for a crisis, regular sessions help maintain balance and perspective.

Local Hypnotherapy Sessions in Bath, Paulton & Midsomer Norton

(Regular hypnotherapy sessions are available:

  • Practice Rooms, Bath

  • Elm Hayes Surgery, Paulton

  • Zen Rebel Studios, Midsomer Norton

  • Online via Zoom

Many people choose block bookings to create consistency and protected time for themselves.

Making Space for Yourself

Preventative care is not indulgent, it’s practical. Creating regular space to pause, reflect and reset can make all the difference to how life feels over time.

If you’re considering hypnotherapy as ongoing support, you’re warmly welcome.

🔗 Book hypnotherapy sessions here.

Healing space and time for body and mind…

Living With ADHD: Finding Calm, Focus and Balance Through Hypnotherapy

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Living with ADHD can feel like holding a whirlwind of thoughts, emotions, ideas and responsibilities all moving at once. For many adults, teenagers and families, ADHD isn’t just about attention; it affects emotional regulation, sleep, confidence, relationships and daily life.

Hypnotherapy offers a calm, supportive approach to managing ADHD helping the nervous system settle, the mind slow and balance return.

If you’re looking for ADHD hypnotherapy in Bath, Paulton or Midsomer Norton, this gentle, solution-focused approach may offer the support you’ve been searching for.

Understanding ADHD Beyond Focus

ADHD is often misunderstood as simply a difficulty with concentration. In reality, it can involve:

  • emotional overwhelm or intense reactions

  • difficulty switching off or relaxing

  • sleep problems

  • low self-esteem from years of feeling “different”

  • burnout from constantly trying to keep up

Many people with ADHD live in a near-constant state of mental and physical tension, even when life appears outwardly “fine”.

How Hypnotherapy Supports ADHD

Solution-focused hypnotherapy works by calming the nervous system and supporting the brain’s natural ability to regulate emotions and process stress.

During sessions, hypnosis helps guide the brain into a deeply relaxed, focused state similar to daydreaming or becoming absorbed in music. In this state, mental clutter softens and emotional regulation improves.

For ADHD, hypnotherapy can help with:

  • reducing overwhelm and anxiety

  • improving sleep quality

  • strengthening emotional regulation

  • building confidence and self-compassion

  • supporting focus without force or pressure

Rather than trying to “fix” ADHD, this approach works with the brain supporting balance, clarity and resilience.

ADHD-Informed Coaching & Therapy

Alongside hypnotherapy, ADHD-informed coaching can be used to gently support:

  • planning and organisation

  • time management

  • navigating busy schedules

  • adapting tools that actually work for your mind

Sessions are tailored to each person, recognising that no two ADHD experiences are the same.

ADHD Support for Young People & Families

Children and teenagers with ADHD often experience anxiety, frustration or low confidence particularly around school, exams or social expectations.

Hypnotherapy offers young people a calm, non-judgemental space to build emotional resilience and coping strategies. Often, when one person in a family feels calmer and more supported, it creates a positive ripple effect for everyone.

Local ADHD Hypnotherapy in Bath, Paulton & Midsomer Norton

In-person ADHD hypnotherapy sessions are available at:

  • Practice Rooms, Bath

  • Elm Hayes Surgery, Paulton

  • Zen Rebel Studios, Midsomer Norton

Online sessions are also available, offering flexibility while maintaining the same supportive approach.

A Kinder Way Forward

Living with ADHD doesn’t mean you need to try harder or push yourself further. Support can be about slowing down, understanding your nervous system and learning to move through life with greater ease.

If you’re ready to explore ADHD support through hypnotherapy, you’re very welcome to get in touch.

🔗 Book ADHD hypnotherapy here.

Hypnotherapy in Bath, Paulton & Midsomer Norton: Support for Anxiety, Stress and Sleep

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Life can feel full in so many ways. Many people reach a point where anxiety, stress or poor sleep begin to affect their day-to-day life, yet they’re unsure where to turn for support.

Solution-focused hypnotherapy offers a calm, practical and effective approach to improving wellbeing. Whether you’re based in Bath, Paulton, Midsomer Norton or looking for online hypnotherapy, this approach can help you regain balance, clarity and a sense of control.

What Is Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy?

Solution-focused hypnotherapy is a modern, evidence-based approach that focuses on the present and future rather than analysing the past. It combines talking therapy with guided relaxation (hypnosis) to support the brain’s natural ability to process stress, regulate emotions and restore balance.

Hypnosis is a deeply relaxing, focused state similar to daydreaming or becoming absorbed in a book or film. In this state, the mind is more receptive to positive change, allowing unhelpful thought patterns to soften and new, healthier responses to develop.

Where appropriate, EMDR therapy may also be used to support trauma, flashbacks or distressing memories in a safe, gentle way.

How Hypnotherapy Can Help

People seek hypnotherapy for many different reasons. Some of the most common include:

Anxiety and Overwhelm

Persistent worry, racing thoughts and feeling constantly on edge can be exhausting. Hypnotherapy helps calm the nervous system, reduce anxiety levels and support clearer, more balanced thinking.

Stress and Burnout

Long-term stress particularly work-related stress  can lead to emotional fatigue, irritability, low mood and physical tension. Hypnotherapy supports relaxation, perspective and nervous system regulation, helping you move out of survival mode.

Sleep Difficulties

Poor sleep is often linked to stress and anxiety. By supporting the brain’s REM process and reducing mental clutter, hypnotherapy can help improve sleep quality and restore natural sleep rhythms.

ADHD and Busy Minds

Living with ADHD can feel like holding a whirlwind of thoughts, emotions and responsibilities. Hypnotherapy and ADHD-informed coaching support emotional regulation, focus, sleep and self-compassion working with the brain rather than against it.

Panic Attacks

Panic can feel frightening and unpredictable. Hypnotherapy helps reduce the underlying anxiety response and supports confidence in regaining control.

Low Mood and Motivation

Low mood often develops when stress builds up over time. Hypnotherapy helps reduce negative thought patterns and supports a return to motivation, clarity and emotional balance.

Why Local, In-Person Hypnotherapy Can Be So Supportive

While online sessions are available, many people value the grounding experience of attending sessions in person particularly when dealing with anxiety or overwhelm.

In-person hypnotherapy sessions are available at:

  • Practice Rooms, Bath

  • Elm Hayes Surgery, Paulton

  • Zen Rebel Studios, Midsomer Norton

Having access to local hypnotherapy can make support feel more accessible, familiar and rooted in everyday life especially for those juggling work, family and other commitments.

Who I Work With

I work with adults, young people and neurodivergent clients in a warm, non-judgemental and supportive way. This includes:

  • adults managing anxiety, stress or burnout

  • teenagers experiencing school-related anxiety or confidence issues

  • people living with ADHD

  • parents and carers

  • men seeking support with mental health

  • those navigating life transitions or emotional overload

Often, when one person in a family or system feels calmer and more resourced, it creates a positive ripple effect for those around them.

Booking Hypnotherapy in Bath, Paulton, Midsomer Norton or Online

If you’re feeling stretched, overwhelmed or simply in need of space to reset, hypnotherapy can offer gentle, practical support.

Sessions are available:

  • In person in Bath, Paulton and Midsomer Norton

  • Online via Zoom

Whether you’re seeking support for anxiety, stress, sleep difficulties, ADHD or emotional wellbeing, you’re very welcome to get in touch or book directly.

Book your session here

Healing space and time for body and mind…

Mindfulness Coaching: After Therapy, Before Burnout

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For many people, therapy marks a turning point.
A space where understanding grows, patterns shift and life begins to feel lighter and more manageable. But what happens after therapy? When things are “better” yet life is still busy, demanding and full?

This is often the space where mindfulness coaching becomes invaluable not because something is wrong but because life still needs to be navigated.

When Therapy Has Helped… But Life Is Still Full

Therapy can bring clarity, healing and relief. Yet many people reach a point where they’re no longer in crisis but also not fully resourced for the pace of everyday life.

Workloads increase. Family responsibilities return. Old habits quietly re-emerge. And slowly, without noticing, stress begins to accumulate again.

Mindfulness coaching sits in this important in-between space after therapy, before burnout.

It’s not about revisiting the past or reopening old wounds. Instead, it’s about learning how to stay regulated, present and balanced within the life you’re living now.

What Is Mindfulness Coaching?

Mindfulness coaching combines practical life skills with nervous system awareness and deep relaxation.

Sessions offer space to:

  • reflect on current challenges

  • plan realistically and compassionately

  • build habits that support calm and focus

  • learn how to respond rather than react

  • notice stress early before it becomes overwhelming

Unlike traditional mindfulness courses, this work is tailored to you so your schedule, your nervous system and your capacity.

Why the Nervous System Matters

Many people understand what they should be doing like resting more, slowing down, setting boundaries but struggle to actually implement change.

That’s because stress isn’t just cognitive. It’s physiological.

Mindfulness coaching sessions include a gentle hypnosis or deep relaxation element, allowing the nervous system to settle so that insight and planning can be absorbed rather than held in the thinking mind alone.

Without this integration, even the best plans can feel unfinished or hard to sustain.

Who Is Mindfulness Coaching For?

Mindfulness coaching can be especially supportive if you:

  • have completed therapy and want ongoing support

  • feel functional but close to overwhelm

  • live with ADHD or a busy, fast-moving mind

  • struggle with work-life balance

  • want tools to stay regulated during demanding periods

  • notice early signs of stress or burnout returning

It’s also helpful for those who want continued growth and reflection without needing intensive therapy.

A Different Kind of Support

Mindfulness coaching isn’t about pushing through or optimising productivity at all costs. It’s about learning to live with steadiness, even when life is full.

By combining reflection, planning and deep relaxation, sessions create space for insight to land helping you move forward with clarity rather than pressure.

This work supports resilience not by hardening but by softening and learning how to meet life with awareness, flexibility and compassion.

Moving Forward With Support

Burnout rarely arrives suddenly. It builds quietly, through long periods of over-giving, under-resting and holding too much alone.

Mindfulness coaching offers a way to notice those patterns early and gently change course.

If you’re looking for support that bridges the gap between therapy and everyday life, mindfulness coaching may be a powerful next step.

Sessions are available in person and online.
To find out more or book, visit:
melaniecookhypnotherapy.com/book-now

Healing space and time for body and mind…

Rest Isn’t Just for Summer: Building Regular Breaks Into Busy Lives

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We often come back from holidays feeling lighter, calmer, and more ourselves. But how do we keep even a little of that feeling once we’re back to work, school runs, and long to-do lists?

Rest doesn’t have to be reserved for annual leave or school breaks. Small, regular pauses throughout the year create space to recover, reflect, and reset. This is why I offer ongoing Gong Meditation sessions and Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy to help you stay connected to your wellbeing, not just when you’re overwhelmed but as part of your natural rhythm.

Why Does Holiday Calm Feel So Good?

Holidays naturally allow us to:

  • Slow down the nervous system
  • Disconnect from constant demands
  • Enjoy simple pleasures
  • Sleep better and move more freely

These are things we can integrate in smaller, more intentional ways throughout the year to avoid burning out before the next break.

7 Tips for Carrying Calm into Everyday Life

1. Book Small Breaks in Advance Don’t wait until you’re exhausted to pause. Schedule long weekends, single days off, or even a peaceful morning for yourself every month or two. Having something in the diary helps create breathing space.

2. Make Rest a Ritual, Not a Reward Rest is part of the cycle of being well, not a luxury you have to earn. Whether it’s a monthly Sound Bath, a hypnotherapy session, or just 15 minutes a day of quiet, these pauses keep you grounded and balanced.

3. Build Slow into Your Routine Slow breakfasts. Slow walks. Slow moments without your phone. Create small pockets of time where you intentionally resist rushing. They quickly add up to more calm.

4. Incorporate Sound Healing as Maintenance, Not a One-Off Regular Gong Meditation supports the nervous system in the same way exercise supports the body. Making space for regular sound healing helps you maintain resilience and clarity long-term.

5. Prioritise Connection (With Yourself and Others) Make time to connect meaningfully. Whether that’s a friend over coffee, a journal entry, or simply sitting with your own thoughts, connection helps us feel steady.

6. Bring Nature into Your Everyday Natural settings calm our nervous systems. A walk, time in the garden, even noticing the sky can help recreate that spacious, holiday mindset.

7. Reframe Productivity Notice when you’re falling into the ‘always busy’ mindset and challenge it. Rest, pause and gentle activities are just as productive as crossing things off a list — because they sustain you.

Sound Healing & Hypnotherapy: Your Tools for Ongoing Calm

Gong Meditation and Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy aren’t just tools for moments of crisis, they’re gentle ways to stay balanced, focused, and connected to your wellbeing.

Your Next Opportunities to Pause:
12th September – Midsomer Norton
19th September – Hope House, Radstock
26th September – Southdown, Bath

And from September, I’ll be offering a Direct Debit option for regular Sound Baths, making it easier to keep this rhythm of care part of your routine.

You don’t need to wait for another holiday to feel rested and whole.

Let’s bring that calm into your everyday life.

Supporting Young People – July’s Focus on Hypnotherapy for Teens & Families

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As we move into July and the school year winds down, many young people (and their families) begin to feel the weight of change. Whether it’s the transition to secondary school, the anxiety of returning in September or ongoing challenges like low confidence or ADHD, these summer weeks can bring both relief and new layers of stress.

This month, I’m focusing on how solution-focused hypnotherapy can support young people and their families through these complex and often overwhelming times

Helping Teens Navigate Change

Adolescence is a time of growth, but also uncertainty. Hypnotherapy offers a gentle, forward-looking space where teens can:

  • Reconnect with their inner calm
  • Build confidence and emotional regulation
  • Process anxiety without having to ‘talk it all through’ if they’re not ready

From school-based anxiety and low confidence to emetophobia or worries about returning after summer, hypnotherapy offers a calm, forward-focused way to gently process emotions and build resilience. Parents: you’re not alone, and neither are they.

When They’re Not Ready to Talk

Some young people aren’t quite ready to work with a therapist directly and that’s okay. In those cases, I work with parents to help them:

  • Understand their child’s emotional responses
  • Model calm and confidence at home
  • Learn practical tools to reduce stress in the household

Sometimes the first step is working with the parent. You don’t have to wait for a crisis, or wait for your child to be ‘ready’ – support can begin with you.

 

Supporting Specific Challenges

Each young person is unique, but I regularly work with teens around:

  • School-based anxiety: panic, avoidance, shutdowns
  • Emetophobia: intense fear of vomiting or illness
  • ADHD: emotional regulation, sleep, confidence
  • Self-harming: building safer coping tools

School should feel like a place to grow not somewhere to survive. Hypnotherapy can help calm the nervous system, reframe unhelpful thought patterns, and build confidence gradually and safely.

Emetophobia can deeply affect eating, school, socialising and more. Hypnotherapy offers a calm, supportive way to gently release this fear at your child’s pace.

Living with ADHD can be a whirlwind. I work in a neurodivergent-friendly, strengths-based way to help teens (and parents) manage the overwhelm.

 

And To Every Parent Reading This…

You’re doing better than you think. Parenting through emotional struggles isn’t easy, but you are not alone.

Whether your child is ready to talk or you simply need support to guide them gently – I’m here to help.

Interested in Exploring Hypnotherapy for Your Teen?

I offer a warm, neurodivergent-friendly and solution-focused space for teens and families.

Sessions are available in Bath and online.

Message me to learn more or book a first session.

 

Let July be a month of gentle forward movement – for you and for them.