She lives in Bliss

There’s rarely been a time when my mind wasn’t overflowing with thoughts. Overthinking seems to have been a part of me for as long as I can remember. Conversations being replayed, second-guessing every decision, worrying about things that may never even happen. It wasn’t just a habit – it felt like my default setting. And with it came the familiar weight of anxiety. Sometimes subtle, but often not, it lingered like background noise I could never quite turn down.

I’ve explored so many tools over the years in an attempt to gain some sort of control over this – meditation, journaling, long walks, herbal teas. Each brought moments of calm, small pockets of relief. But still, something deeper remained untouched. It felt to me like it was no longer about simply managing my anxiety. I needed to heal the root of it.

That quiet, persistent desire for true healing led me, gently and almost unexpectedly, to hypnotherapy.

I know what you might be thinking. Hypnotherapy? Isn’t that the stuff from TV shows with swinging watches and people being told they’re feeling sleepy, very, very sleepy? But I can assure you, this was certainly not the reality. As I began researching it more thoroughly and talking to people who had already experienced it, hearing their real stories, the more intrigued I became.

What I learned shifted everything: hypnotherapy isn’t about losing control, but rather quite the opposite. It’s about quieting the conscious mind long enough to connect with your inner world, the part of you that’s often drowned out by the mental noise of everyday life. It’s about listening to the subconscious, the space where so many of our beliefs, habits, and emotional patterns quietly reside.

And that’s exactly where I needed to go.

I’ve discovered that hypnotherapy is a deeply healing, profoundly empowering journey into the self. It’s not about being “put under”. It’s about waking up to the stories we’ve been carrying. It’s about gently reclaiming control over the thoughts, emotions, and patterns that have felt automatic for so long.

I wanted to share this beginning with you, my beautiful She Lives in Bliss readers, because I know I’m not alone. So many of us are navigating the tension between doing and being, between striving and surrendering. We’re craving peace. Longing for clarity. Desiring a life that feels soft, intentional, and aligned.

This is the start of that journey for me. And maybe, in some way, it could be the start of something for you too.

Why Hypnotherapy?

Over the last few years, I’ve done a lot of inner work, all of which has helped. But there were certain patterns I couldn’t seem to shift. Self-doubt still whispered as soon as I tried to step outside my comfort zone. A sense of “not enough” lingered, especially in quiet moments. I realised I wasn’t just dealing with thoughts; I was dealing with beliefs. Deep-rooted ones, reinforced over time.

Hypnotherapy, I learned, works directly with the subconscious – the part of our mind where those old beliefs live. It gently guides you into a relaxed state where your conscious mind steps aside, allowing you to access and reframe those core stories. It’s like getting into the operating system of your mind, with love and intention.

Getting started

I found my hypnotherapist, Ciara Foy (https://www.ciarafoy.net/), through the Hypnotherapy Directory website (https://www.hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk/). This helped me to narrow down my search to my local area, and see what particular topics each hypnotherapist specialised in.

Going into my introduction session, I was curious and hopeful. Ciara had a calm, grounded presence that immediately put me at ease. We began by talking about my personal goals, my blocks, and what I hoped to gain from the process. We discussed my previous journey with counselling, and while that was effective at the time, Ciara pointed out a key difference between the two; counselling was much more focused on understanding and healing the past, whereas this was all about looking forward and creating a life from a future vision.

As she began to share more about how the brain works, I felt an incredible sense of validation in how I’d been feeling for such a long time. Ciara explained that my primitive brain had been in control for far too long. This meant that I was constantly living in a state of high alert with my default responses being fight, flight, or freeze. It was time for my intellectual brain to take the reins. Everything resonated, and it was as if I had finally been seen and understood. It was at this point I felt this could really be something for me.

Each session with my hypnotherapist is split into two parts – the first part allows the space to talk through things with the future always being the focus (what do I want my life to look like?), while the second is time for relaxation and trance. During my first full session, when it was time to enter hypnosis, I simply closed my eyes and followed her voice as she guided me into a deeply relaxed state. It wasn’t sleep, but it also wasn’t full awareness. My body felt weightless, like I was floating – calm, safe, and deeply connected to myself. And from that place, we began to explore. Memories surfaced, emotions came and released, and visions looking forwards were more prominent.

When the session ended, I felt lighter. Not like everything had changed instantly and all my problems had been solved, but like something had shifted and created a sense of inner-peace. That I could cope with anything from a place of calm and ease. The seed of a new belief had been planted.

What I’m Learning

I am still in the fairly early stages along my journey into hypnotherapy, but already I feel more attuned to my inner world. I’m noticing my reactions with more awareness, more mindful of how I outwardly respond to situations. I’m catching the thought patterns that would have led to prolonged anxiousness before they can develop and cause me to spiral. And I’m moving with a subtle, but noticeable, new level of self-confidence I’ve not felt before.

I’m learning that healing doesn’t always have to be hard. It can be gentle. It can feel like lying on a comfortable sofa, wrapped in a blanket, listening to the truth of your own soul speak through the quiet. And that kind of healing? It resonates. It anchors. It transforms.

Living a More Blissful Life

Hypnotherapy is just one tool, but it aligns beautifully with the She Lives in Bliss philosophy: living with intention, choosing beauty and wellness not just on the outside, but within, and allowing purpose to flow from a place of peace.

We don’t always need to hustle our way to growth. Sometimes, we need to soften into it. Sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is close our eyes, take a breath, and listen to the voice inside that says, “You are already enough”.

If you’ve been feeling stuck or like your mind is working against your heart, hypnotherapy might be worth exploring. Take your time – do your research, find a practitioner who feels aligned, and most importantly, trust your intuition. It’s not about fixing yourself. It’s about gently uncovering who you’ve always been beneath the noise, the conditioning, and the self-doubt.

And that, to me, is the essence of bliss.

With love,
Malissa x