Open Skies Hypnotherapy

06/06/2026

Good morning from Open Skies HQ. I am continuing with my Pride month posts today, with some advice for other therapists seeking to work with the LGBTQIA+ community.

There are a number of issues that are specific to our community and I would always recommend specific training is undertaken in GSRD before working with us. Whilst it can be important for LGBTQ+ clients to receive validation from a heteros*xual therapist, there are a number of things of which you should be aware to ensure you are offering the best support and dealing with any unconscious bias you may have.

As a starting point, the National LGBTI Health Alliance of Australia has published this useful list of self-reflective questions you should ask yourself prior to commencing work with our section of society.

"Think about your own socialisation. Thinking about your own socialisation and your own attitudes to s*x, s*xuality and gender is essential.

Questions you may ask yourself include:
What views of LGBTI people did you grow up with?
What were some of the sources of these views?
When and how did they change?
How and when did you decide about your
own s*xuality?
If you are heteros*xual did you make a conscious
choice?
When did you ‘come out’ as a heteros*xual, bis*xual
or homos*xual?
How do you understand the links between biology and
s*xual orientation and gender identity?
What do you believe about bis*xuality and why?
What makes you think of yourself as a man
or a woman?
How do you think about the role of gender in your life?"

I encourage this self-reflection in all therapists seeking to offer services to the LGBTQIA+ community.

05/06/2026

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH from Open Skies!

We've always had the interests of the LGBTQIA+ community in our thoughts, standing together against discrimination, hatred, ignorance and persecution. We've watched in horror as rights continue to be rolled back, both for our wonderful trans community and more generally with the banning of flags and ceremonies by Reform and Restore Britain MPs.

That's why we are investing more money this year into fully accredited GSRD (Gender, S*x and Relationship Diversity) training. We want to be safe, ethical practitioners in this field, offering gay affirmative therapy to the highest standards.

If you are looking for a gay affirmative therapist, please ensure they are safe to practice in this area. The Association for Le***an, Gay and Bis*xual Psychologies has published guidance on the questions you should be asking your GSRD therapist BEFORE you commit to any sessions. These are:-

1. How long have you been in practice?
2. How would you describe your approach?
3. What is your training? Was any of it about s*xual orientation? (Note: many courses do not offer this in any depth!).
4. Please tell me about your Code of Ethics.
5. Do you have regular supervision and/or therapy?
6. Have you worked on your own s*xuality?
7. What work have you done with LGBT clients before?
8. How do you regard the le***an or gay part of yourself?

Even if the therapist doesn't answer every question, it will stillgive you some feeling for how caring, trustworthy and competent they are.

Stay safe, enjoy Pride month. It feels more important, more poignant, this year than it has done for some time.

We stand together. And we won't be silenced. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Photo from Norwich Pride 2025. I will have a stand at Norwich Pride 2026 so do come and see me!

05/06/2026

I have always been of the professional opinion that superficial, "quick fix" hypnotherapy does not work. I have been proved right on several occasions, but the most striking incident was just a couple of weeks ago.

A client, who I had treated previously, returned to me for help with weight loss. He had been on weight loss injections but they hadn't worked. I had recently completed some training in VirtueBand, which is a virtual gastric band installed installed during hypnosis. He expressed an interest in the programme and booked on.

Throughout the weeks, I could sense resistance in the client and I tried to adapt the sessions to work with this as much as possible during the short duration of the programme (4 weeks).

We reached the final session of the programme and he told me that there had been no changes. He still felt he was eating the same amounts and had not seen any difference at all in his weight.

I advised him he had two options. He could either seek weight loss support from elsewhere, or he could continue to work with me using IFS-informed therapy. I had a feeling this was what he needed. This is deeper work where we look at the part that is snacking and drinking alcohol and we work with that part rather than trying to shut it down - shutting it down does not work and in fact can do more harm than good.

He agreed to keep working with me. This week he has been for the first IFS-informed session and for the first time, I saw him cry in my chair as the emotions of his younger self came flooding out.

Quick fixes are not, in my opinion, value for money. They either hold for a few months and then wear off, or they won't work at all. I always caveat any request for a quick fix with a statement that I feel deeper work is needed to address the root causes of the issues, if indeed that is the case.

It's what any responsible therapist should do.

Whilst VirtueBand and other quick fix programmes have a place, it must always be offered with a full assessment of the client having been conducted first. If the therapist feels the programme won’t be effective, we need to explain why.

The deeper work with this client is only now beginning.

04/06/2026

Another client finished with me today. This one has really touched me. They came to me with an outlook of not really having done much with their life and a sense of regret. Today, after just a few weeks together, they left with a new lease of life, having joined some new groups, taken up new classes, made new friends, and even talking of selling their house and moving after many years in the same place! This is the power of therapy, when the conditions are right. I asked, as I always do in my closing sessions, what the client would take forward into their new life.

"Courage, the courage I have found here to look at my stuff and reframe it."

This client is a beautiful soul inside and out, and I genuinely shed a tear of happiness to watch her sail off with a spring in her step and a sparkle back in her eyes. Even her hairdresser told her she is glowing lately.

What I do - it's not about money, it's not about competing with other therapists for work, it isn't about who can get the most Google Reviews. I am not selling anything, I am not touting for business. This is not about that.

I saw something of myself in this client. A lot of myself, if I am honest. And because of that, I desperately wanted to give her the tools to find her own path. Because it's never too late to start again.

This work is in my soul. And I care. I am so thrilled we got to work together and that I had the pleasure of meeting her. Another emotional day at Open Skies, but for all the right reasons.

04/06/2026

I took a lovely and much-needed break over half -term, to be with my daughter, We attended a Home Education Circus Camp where she had great fun learning new skills and meeting up with old friends from last year, and I enjoyed Tai Chi each morning and started learning to juggle.

Despite the safe and welcoming nature of the camp, and the fact that we were among friends, I still felt something holding me back from trying out some of the adult taster classes.

Juggling...yes, let's try that.
Whips...oh, go on then.
Aerial....here is where I felt that conflict between wanting to do it and feeling I couldn't.

Sound familiar?

This would have been the perfect place to try it. Among people who I would not have to see for a whole year if I made a fool of myself. Among people who wouldn't laugh at me and would encourage me no matter what.

But the obstacles started appearing - nausea, feeling anxious, feeling like I'd be ridiculed, worrying whether I would be the odd one out like I was at school - always on the sidelines, never quite able to do what the other kids could.

That critical voice came crashing in. You're too old, you're not flexible enough, you're too fat, get a grip and stop pretending to be young - you're middle aged for crying out loud.

I didn't do aerial. And sitting here now, I regret not giving it a go.

I am trying to reframe my thoughts by looking at the things I DID do - Tai Chi, juggling, whips, a meditation group with other women. But there will always be that regret in my mind now.

And I wonder, I'm curious - what does your past stop you from doing in the here and now?

And what would happen if we could change that pattern?

Because I am not going to let the past and those old narratives stop me from doing what I want, regardless of age, body size, or anything else my mind might try to put in the way. And nor should you.

Let's begin.

Photo of my fearless daughter as I try to break the cycle and allow her to live freely.

04/06/2026

I am immensely honoured to have joined forces with Laura Darby at The Life Skills Mentoring Academy!

I’ll still be running Open Skies and continuing my private therapy work as usual, but I’m also now part of Laura’s team working with young people and their families to provide compassionate, creative therapy tailored to what they need right now.

This has been a collaboration I have wanted for some time - Laura and I are very much on the same page with our approach to therapy. We want to be safe, ethical and accountable. That’s why we invest heavily in our practice and have very robust safeguarding policies.

I’m so excited to get started!

🏳️‍🌈 Pride Month & Mental Health 🏳️‍🌈

This June, we're celebrating identity, inclusion, and belonging- and we're standing firmly with LGBTQIA+ young people and families.

The reality is stark: LGBTQIA+ youth face significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts compared to their peers. Discrimination, rejection, and social isolation take a real toll on mental health and emotional wellbeing.

But here's what we know: every young person deserves to feel safe, understood, and valued exactly as they are. That's why we're here.

We're thrilled to introduce Emma Oldershaw to our team - a trauma-informed hypnotherapist who brings both clinical expertise and genuine care to her work with young people. Emma is currently gaining her accreditation as a GSRD (Gender, S*x and Relationship Diversity) therapist, deepening her specialization in supporting LGBTQIA+ clients with creativity, compassion, and evidence-based practice. We are so proud to be able to offer this specialist support.

Through our one-to-one sessions, group work, and family support, we create spaces where young people can explore their emotions, build confidence, and feel truly heard. We work with the whole family because we know that acceptance and understanding at home changes everything.

Book your free 30-minute consultation today. You matter. Your young person matters.

🏳️‍🌈 You are valued exactly as you are.

29/05/2026

Hi everyone - just a quick post to say if you’ve emailed me since Tuesday I won’t have seen it just yet, as I am away for half term. I’ll be back at work on Sunday evening picking up emails and will reply to them all on Monday.

Many thanks

26/05/2026

200 followers!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Thank you so much to everyone who continues to support my small business.

I’ve been truly blessed to have met so many wonderful people on this journey. Here’s to the next chapter as Open Skies continues to grow and evolve ☺️

26/05/2026

Since I first trained as a therapist, I've always been of the view that the current regulation of this profession is unsatisfactory. Here is why:

❗️Anyone can go online and take a course lasting 12 hours (or even less!) and call themselves a hypnotherapist.
❗️There is no requirement for supervision unless you are registered with one of the regulatory bodies such as the GHSC, so many hypnotherapists are not subjected to ongoing supervision and accountability.
❗️Too many hypnotherapy courses are using scripts to train their students. Some of these scripts are now AI-generated. When you use a script with a client, you are:
⚠️Not authentic
⚠️Not monitoring the client's physical reactions to the hypnosis because you are too busy reading
⚠️Monotone
⚠️Not using your voice in the correct way to embed the suggestions
⚠️Not connecting with the client
⚠️Showing a lack of understanding and a lack of confidence as a therapist which will have a negative impact on the client

Here's what I can tell you about me:

✅I am accredited by the General Hypnotherapy Standards Council (GHSC)
✅I invest in ongoing supervision and accountability to provide the best service to my clients
✅I invest heavily in CPD (continuous training) to allow me to use a combination of approaches and select the ones I think are best for your unique circumstances
✅I do not use scripts and have never done so. In fact my training provider did not like scripts. I tailor every session to the client in my chair, and I use what you tell me to create a session of hypnotherapy that will work for you.
✅While you are in hypnosis I monitor changes in your skin tone and breathing to ensure your safety and comfort.
✅I am an accredited supervisor upholding standards for the profession and for those therapists who choose to come to me for supervision.

When you book for hypnotherapy, please make sure the therapist has undergone comprehensive training, is regulated by a professional body, and has ongoing supervision. You deserve the protection and reassurance of knowing you will be safe at a time when you are at your most vulnerable.

25/05/2026

Coming to Open Skies is a new service which will have limited availability.

Family Court Chaperone

I’ll be offering a service to accompany you to court on any family hearings (divorce, child arrangements, injunction applications).

Whilst I can’t come into the actual courtroom, I’ll be your calming influence for the day - a sounding board, a therapist on hand to provide relaxation techniques and deeper therapeutic techniques if needed, a reminder that you’re not alone.

I’ve lived through coercive control, an acrimonious divorce and a court battle concerning my daughter that ran for several years.

In my previous roles as a family law legal secretary I was exposed to the rules and procedures of the system and I have a working understanding of it.

If you’re worried about attending court alone, know that you no longer have to. Just give me a call, and let’s face this together ☺️