This Be The Verse
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
Sometimes the hardest roads in life lead us quietly towards where we were always meant to be.
My own journey into hypnotherapy was not something I mapped out in advance. It came through personal struggle, soul-searching, and a growing sense that even the most painful experiences in life can carry the seeds of something meaningful.
There was a time in my life when everything seemed to unravel. A failed marriage left me questioning who I was, where I was going, and what life was really asking of me. It was a deeply difficult period, one that brought me to a very low point emotionally. Yet, looking back, I can now see that what felt like the end was, in truth, the beginning of a very different life.
In time, I emigrated and started over in a new country. That fresh start led me to work in a psychiatric hospital, where I met people struggling with profound emotional and psychological pain. Their suffering was real, but so too was their courage. It was there that I began to see, in a very human way, just how strong people can be even in their darkest moments.
During that period, my charge nurse, Jim McGrath, introduced me to a course in Clinical and Pastoral Counselling. I gave it serious thought, hoping it might be the right path for me. But, in all honesty, it simply did not feel like the right fit. I could not really get on with it, and something in me knew that my direction lay elsewhere.
Then, a few months later, came the moment that changed everything.
I came across a newspaper advert carrying the words: “An investigation of mankind under the microscope of hypnosis.” It was only a small piece in the paper, but it had a powerful effect on me. Something about those words stopped me in my tracks. I felt drawn to them immediately, as though a door had quietly opened.
That advert became my introduction to hypnosis, and from there, a whole new world began to unfold.
I went on to train with the International Association of Hypno-Analysts (IAH) under Neil French, and that training gave me a deep grounding in Analytical and Clinical Hypnotherapy. Through the IAH, I was introduced to the work of Freud and Jung, as well as many other ideas and approaches that deepened my understanding of the mind. From that point on, I read everything I could get my hands on. I wanted to understand not just what people suffer from, but why they suffer, and what might truly help them heal.
What spoke to me most was the deeper nature of this work. So often, the difficulties people face in adult life are not just surface problems. Anxiety, depression, panic, low self-worth, relationship difficulties, and other emotional struggles can have roots far beneath ordinary awareness. Analytical hypnotherapy offered a way of working that respected that depth. It was not only about managing symptoms, but about understanding the person as a whole and gently uncovering what may lie behind the problem.
That understanding meant a great deal to me, not only professionally, but personally as well. My own life had taught me that pain is not always straightforward, and that real healing often begins when we are able to look beneath the surface with honesty, patience, and compassion.
Over the past 30 plus years, I have had the privilege of helping people from many different walks of life. Some come with anxiety or stress, others with depression, panic attacks, trauma, confidence problems, or a long-standing feeling that something inside them is keeping them stuck. My role is not to judge or to impress, but to listen carefully, to understand what may be happening at a deeper level, and to help each person move towards real and lasting change.
Looking back now, I can see that even the painful chapters of my life played their part. If things had not fallen apart when they did, I may never have searched as deeply as I did. If Jim McGrath had not first pointed me towards counselling, I may not have begun asking those important questions. And if that newspaper advert had not caught my attention, I may never have found the work that would become such an important part of my life.
What once felt like loss eventually became purpose.
Today, I remain deeply grateful for the opportunity to do work that matters. As an Analytical and Clinical Hypnotherapist, trained with the International Association of Hypno-Analysts, I help people explore the deeper causes behind their struggles and discover that change is possible, even when life has felt difficult for a long time.
I do not claim to have all the answers. But I do believe, from both personal experience and many years of practice, that people can heal, grow, and find their way forward.
And it is an honour to walk alongside them as they do.
If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.