I’m often asked how I got into hypnotherapy so let me clear up that little mystery for those of you who may be interested.

I wanted to study psychology when I finished high school, but being only 17, the Uni told me I’d need to defer for a year and come back when I was 18.  So, in the meantime, I moved to the big smoke and got a job in the banking sector.  The foreign exchange to be specific.  While I was there, I watched a lot of people burn out or melt down, while others were sucked into a whirlpool of drugs and alcohol.  But what really stirred my curiosity was the people who successfully adapted to this high-pressure workplace, and what they did to cope.

Studying psychology was put on the backburner as I read more and more about it and spoke to several practising psychologists who, back then, told me they basically administered a questionnaire to determine what personality type their patient was, and then listened as they talked about their problems.  A couple of them were even changing professions as they were ‘sick of listening to patients whinge’, in many cases, for years.

Fast-forward a few years and I found myself back in a smaller town, working in a mining related industry, for a company who were very good at fostering the strengths of their staff.  I tried out various roles, and eventually found myself responsible for workplace health and safety.  At this stage I looked once more into studying psychology, and after an interview at the nearest Uni, I resolved it wasn’t for me.  Instead, I did a science degree with majors in occupational and environmental health.  I particularly exceled in the investigative field of epidemiology.

I was just stepping into the area of workers compensation and the rehabilitation of injured workers, when an explosion killed 11 of my work colleagues.  Again, I observed and marvelled at the coping mechanisms some people successfully engaged, myself included, and I also pondered how to best motivate and assist those who were struggling.

It was the parents of one of the 11 who convinced me to make a permanent move into injury management.  Their son had just turned 21 when he lost his life, he and I were the same age, and they told me I had given them great comfort in the compassionate and honest way I carried out my duties at such a difficult time.  They were especially surprised and grateful when they found I had driven 13 hours out of my way, on my own time, to return some of their son’s salvaged belongings.

I later took the advice of those lovely people and decided to try my hand in the justice arena, where I spent 13 years guiding injured workers through the trials and tribulations of recovery and returning to work.  This quite often involved liaising with their family members, as well as treating medical professionals, as to the best outcome for them.  Fortunately for most they were returned to work, sadly for others, they could not be.

It was this job, and the research that I was able to undertake, that cemented my belief that individuals battling emotional disorders made a swifter and more durable recovery when they were able to reframe their mindset.  Meaning, if I could help them to envision a time when their suffering would be over, and they could begin to richly imagine what that would look like, and how it would feel, then they recovered quicker.

The hours spent looking for how to do this in the shortest possible time, led me to hypnotherapy.  I shouldn’t really have been surprised; I had been fortunate to see the amazing hypnotist Martin St James at work twice while in my senior year at high school.  Believe me, this was an awe-inspiring opportunity, that even caused me to personally try hypnotherapy out for myself, with great success.

It was then I set about finding the best hypnosis and hypnotherapy teachers I could find, and began reading and learning as much as I could.  I studied a Diploma of Clinical Hypnotherapy, then a Diploma of Clinical Hypnosis, and next an Advanced Diploma.  Determined to explore as many pathways as hypnotherapy offered, I became qualified in past life regression, between lives hypnotherapy, power hypnosis, hypno-coaching, hypnosis for cancer and psychosomatic conditions, energetic hypnosis, parts hypnotherapy, Mesmerism and Magnetism (the original hypnosis, with no words at all!), esoteric hypnosis, stage and group hypnosis, and more…  I also completed a dual diploma in complementary therapies and holistic counselling, as well as exploring various energy healing modalities, which believe it or not, has a direct link to hypnotherapy.

I backed up all this knowledge too, by honing my practical skills at places like the local markets, where I would trade a brief hypnotic experience for a donation to dog rescue.  Even though I couldn’t use hypnotherapy directly on my injured workers, I found that I could use some of what I learned to their great benefit.  It became a running joke that in even the most difficult of cases, somehow the planets would align for me, and I would be able to build enough trust to get things progressing in the right direction.

It was a great job in an everchanging environment, but sadly emotional and mental trauma was prevalent and never ending.  Eventually I was restructured into a redundancy, giving me the perfect opportunity to hang up a shingle and practise as a full time professional Hypnotherapist/Hypnotist.  I started out as a generalist, because I wanted to help everyone who sought me out.  Somehow though, the universe had other plans and I began to notice an increasing number of my clients were displaying trauma symptoms such as stress, anxiety, panic attacks, depression and/or PTSD.

Not convinced I really wanted to specialise, I actively avoided it, until one day I found myself searching for the best training I could find, in the capacity of a hypnotherapist, that dealt with trauma, and yes, ta-da!, I now specialise in trauma hypnotherapy, or hypnotherapy for dealing with life’s distressing events.  Why am I convinced this is the best way I can help people?  Because, for almost a decade I have seen first hand hypnotherapy work wonders for the most emotionally debilitated people.

To describe it simply, with the application of trauma hypnotherapy, clients have been able to turn off those recurring thoughts, emotions and behaviours, bringing them a sense of safety, as well as emotional, mental and physical relief.

Who are my clients?  They are people battling emotional and mental trauma, experiencing symptoms such as stress, anxiety, panic attacks, depression and/or PTSD.  Often, they are medically undiagnosed women and men who have experienced distressing events, and include police, ambulance and hospital staff, defence personnel, and DV and other violence survivors.

How would I describe my work and what I do?  It’s part science, with a sprinkle of art and a dash of magic.  Remembering I am also a scientist, I believe if it is good enough for the likes of eminent scientists such as Dr Bruce Lipton (Biologist 1944- ), Marcel Vogel (Research Scientist 1917-1991), and Nikola Tesla (Inventor 1856-1943), to name but a few, then it most certainly has some merit.  How much, is ultimately up to you.

About Us

Imagine.  Believe.  Become!

You can find out more at www.whisperedwisdom.com.au, like us on FaceBook, email lee@whisperedwisdom.com.au or call M: 0427 431 567.