My name is Amanda and I qualified as a Hypnotherapist in January 2020 with Evolve Hypnotherapy. I’m in the process of setting up my own company so I can support others on their own journeys to improve their mental health and well-being. I can honestly say that completing this course changed everything and gave me the confidence and skills to take this next exciting step. But it wasn’t always this way. Have you ever got to the point where you’re exhausted, feel like you have tried everything to turn things around but are scared to take the step of actually going to the doctors through fear of the stigma about mental health? Worried about what people will say? Will it affect me at work? These are some of the many things that were going through my head at the time, then after talking to a colleague who seemed to have some amazing skills with the subject of mental health she suggested Hypnotherapy. At first I was sceptical; the closest thing I’d seen was Derren Brown or hypnotists in films and on TV. But I thought hey I’ve tried everything else so why not give it a go. It started with a quick phone call with Angela, who was lovely and really made me feel at ease and more comfortable with the whole process and before I knew it, the first weekend was upon me. Now, I’m a life-long learner, I love learning new things and building my knowledge but at that point in my life I was tired and let’s face it a bit scared but thinking of the reasons why I wanted to do this gave me the push I needed. The venue was great, really spacious, professional and the desks were set up so we could easily see everything and each other (no hiding at the back of the room for me). Looking around the room we were all in the same boat, looking a little nervous, not knowing what to expect and everyone was there for their own reasons. We got started with the usual introductions and off we went, the weekend flew by, I learnt a lot and even volunteered for the demo. I couldn’t believe what a difference that one Hypnotherapy session did, I was amazed and wanted to learn more and couldn’t believe I had not heard of this earlier. From that point onwards I decided I was going to sign up, not only for the course but for Hypnotherapy sessions to work on me. I spent about a year getting myself sorted and at the first opportunity signed up for the course. Even doing that first weekend again was great and I picked up on things I had missed the first time round, it was fascinating. The new group was a lovely mix of people from all different backgrounds and walks of life. When doing a course like this it’s as much self development as it is learning and we became a close knit team, bonding over our shared experiences and each of us working on ourselves and building the confidence to know “yeah we could do this as a business”. There were laughs and tears but we all came out stronger and we keep in touch and have grown now we have joined the Evolve School of Hypnotherapy Community. Angela our teacher was amazing, she used humour, stories and facts to get her points across, adapting her classes to meet everyone’s learning styles, the classes were a good mix of theory and practical experience and the last lesson is a hoot, as we said ‘see you later,’ rather than good bye. We were confident in finishing the course knowing that we have the Supervision Group, 1:1’s and the Evolve Community for support and with the opportunity to network and develop your skills further. The day we got our certificates and registered with the governing body (GHR) was one to be proud of, and I now have lots of opportunities ahead of me as there are so many careers you can go into with this training. So if you haven’t tried Hypnotherapy before, want to learn more, change your career or even work on yourself I would highly recommend Evolve School of Hypnotherapy, I only wish I had done this sooner. You will meet some amazing people, gain lifelong friends and see the world in a whole new light once you realise how the brain works. So come along and join us, check out when Evolve’s next free weekend is and give it a go.