Launceston Counselling and Hypnotherapy Services

20/12/2025

At the Year’s Turning

As the year winds down, many people notice a particular kind of tiredness settle in. Not the tiredness of a busy week, but the quieter exhaustion that follows months of holding things together. December often asks for momentum just as internal reserves are thinning. If that is how this season feels, it makes sense.

Christmas can bring connection and meaning. It can also bring pressure, old patterns, and a sense of emotional flatness once the pace finally slows. Both experiences can exist side by side. Whether you mark Christmas, another tradition, or simply the turning of the year, there is no requirement to perform this time in any particular way. It is allowed to be quieter than expected.

Right now, regulation matters more than resolution. This is not the season to fix everything or make major internal decisions. It is a time to pace yourself, protect energy, and notice when rest supports you more than effort. Small choices matter. Adequate sleep. Stepping back from depleting conversations. Being mindful with alcohol. Letting simple routines hold you when motivation dips. These are not indulgences. They support the nervous system so balance can return.

Christina Rossetti, a nineteenth-century UK poet, wrote that “a stable place sufficed”. When energy is low, steadiness matters more than striving.

A dip after the festive period is also common. The shift from intensity to quiet can surface feelings that were previously held at bay. Nothing has gone wrong if relief and heaviness arrive together. Allowing both often prevents unnecessary self-judgment.
I want to acknowledge the honesty and courage of those I have worked with this year. Clients and supervisees alike bring their inner lives, responsibility, uncertainty, and values into reflective space. That willingness to look closely matters, and it continues to shape the depth of this work.

August 2025 marks twenty years since I began clinical practice. Over time, my work has deepened, with increasing attention to the quieter inner dimensions of experience where patterns, meaning, identity, and values intersect. More people are now seeking work that addresses not only symptoms, but how they live with themselves over time.

Over the past year, my practice has expanded beyond Tasmania, with people working with me online across Australia and internationally. I currently have increased capacity for new clients and clinicians seeking supervision in 2025.

I will be away from regular sessions from 24 December to 3 January, returning on 5 January, and largely offline during that time. In Australia, Lifeline remains available on 13 11 14, with local emergency services available where relevant.

As the year turns, there is no need to rush. Integration often happens quietly, once pressure eases. When you are ready to reconnect, the work can continue at a pace that respects where you are.

Wishing you a steady close to the year and a supported Christmas period.

Luigi Romanelli MAASW

Launceston Counselling and Hypnotherapy Services: Suite 9, 144 Brisbane St Launceston TAS 7250 Tel: 0417 768 294 Email: launcestoncahs@gmail.com

15/12/2025

After Bondi: Making Sense of Shock

What happened at Bondi has landed heavily. Shock travels fast. So does fear. When violence erupts in a familiar public place, the nervous system searches for meaning, cause, someone to blame. That response is human. It is also the moment where care is needed.

People of all faiths and none were caught up in a tragic scene on what happened to be the first evening of Hanukkah. Innocent people were injured and killed. Families and communities were changed in an instant. Details are still being clarified, and speculation will not bring understanding or relief. Conspiracy, blame and premature commentary often deepen distress rather than contain it.

I was in Bondi in late July for training. On the Saturday evening, a small group of us spent time near the beach among throngs of others. It felt warm, safe and alive. A shared public space where people moved easily and enjoyed being together. That is the Bondi many people know and care about. That familiarity is part of why the impact feels so unsettling.

For those who live, work, or regularly spend time in the Bondi area, the impact may feel especially close. When a familiar place is disrupted, a sense of safety can take longer to settle.

As a Tasmanian, I am aware that events like this do not fade quickly. Their impact ripples for years, in visible and subtle ways. Public confidence, personal safety, community trust. These are shaped over time, and they are also repaired over time.

In moments like this, the mind seeks certainty while the body absorbs shock. Media saturation can keep the stress response switched on. Repeated exposure does not equal processing. Often it does the opposite. Stepping back from the noise is not avoidance. It is regulation.

For some people, reactions may come later rather than immediately. Disturbed sleep, heightened vigilance, irritability, or unease can emerge days or weeks after the event. This is a common response to shock, particularly for those with previous experiences of trauma or loss.

There are already stories of extraordinary bravery and quiet kindness. Strangers helping strangers. People moving toward danger to protect others. First responders acting with courage and steadiness. These moments matter. They show what communities do under pressure and remind us of the goodness that still moves, even when the world feels fractured.

It can help to be intentional about what is taken in. Limiting the viewing and sharing of graphic or distressing content reduces harm, especially around children and those already impacted by trauma. Choosing familiar or gently uplifting music can also support regulation and restore balance.

It can help to mark what has happened in a simple, grounded way. Light a candle. Sit quietly. Spend time in prayer, meditation, or reflective silence in whatever form fits your life. Take a gentle walk. Feel your feet on the ground. Breathe slowly. Let the body settle before asking it to make sense of anything.

Strong emotions will move through different people in different ways. Anger, sadness, fear, numbness, confusion. None require fixing or broadcasting. They benefit from being expressed safely and respectfully. Speak with someone you trust. Write privately. Hold space for children without overwhelming them with detail.
What matters now is that people support each other and seek professional support when it is needed. This may be a brief check-in rather than ongoing therapy. Reaching out is part of taking care of yourself, not a sign of weakness.

If you or someone you know would benefit from additional support, help is available.

Lifeline is available 24 hours on 13 11 14.
Kids Helpline is available on 1800 55 1800.

Sydney, Australia, and people around the world have shown care before, and they are showing it again. It supports recovery and helps communities hold together.

09/12/2025

A Quiet Shift in the Process as Men Step Into Healing

Over the past few months some clients have mentioned that something feels different in the way the work unfolds. Sessions feel deeper. A quiet settling arrives earlier. People speak from places they have not touched in years. These shifts have not happened by accident. They are the result of changes that have been building quietly in my practice for a long time.

For many years I have worked with men and adults across Australia and overseas who wanted something real, often through telehealth when distance made in-person sessions impossible. Something deeper than advice or quick fixes. Many were navigating anxiety or men’s mental health concerns that had reached a point where they needed steadier support. Many reached out because something in their life had stopped working. Stress. Relationships. Sexual confidence. Identity. These turning points often bring someone to my door, usually after months of carrying everything alone. What helped them most was often the part of the work I spoke about the least. A quieter depth that has always guided how I listen and how I sit with people.

Many of the men who find their way to me are dealing with anxiety that feels hard to settle, strain in their relationships, a drop in s*xual confidence or trouble staying present during s*x, often after months of feeling stuck and unsure where to turn, or patterns like premature ej*******on, p**n stress or difficulty staying present during intimacy. Others feel stuck in old habits or find themselves wrestling with compulsive behaviours that no longer fit the life they want. Naming these experiences often brings a sense of relief. It also marks the moment the work begins to move. The body steadies. The mind clears enough for something real to take shape.

My work with men has always centred on the places where emotional strain, anxiety, intimacy concerns and s*xual worries meet the deeper patterns that shape how a life is lived.
That depth has grown stronger with time. After two decades in practice, the work feels more attuned, more grounded and more responsive to the places where change begins. The early years were built on technique, and those skills remain. Over time the practice has become a place where men can work through distress that has persisted despite earlier attempts to push on. Experience teaches you to trust what happens underneath the words. It teaches you to notice when the body holds a story before the mind names it. It teaches you to recognise the moment someone feels safe enough for something inside them to shift, often before they notice it themselves. The work continues to evolve as I do.

These shifts reflect changes I have been shaping quietly for some time, bringing the work into a steadier and more refined depth that clients are now beginning to feel. In that steadier space people often notice a quiet internal movement, the kind that signals the work is touching something real.

Most of this work now happens through telehealth, which has made it easier for men across Australia and overseas to begin when they are ready.

If something in this feels familiar and you sense it might be time for steadier support, you are welcome to reach out from wherever you are in Australia or overseas so we can explore what you need at your pace, either in person or via telehealth.

Launceston Counselling and Hypnotherapy Services: Suite 9, 144 Brisbane St Launceston TAS 7250 Tel: 0417 768 294 Email: launcestoncahs@gmail.com

03/12/2025

There’s more to share before Christmas as this next chapter in my clinical work unfolds.

Opening New Paths in Mind–Body–Spirit Healing

I have recently returned from the Australian Hypnosis Conference after doing post-conference training in the Simpson Protocol and the Flow of Life approaches. The Simpson Protocol, created by Ines Simpson, uses deep-state hypnosis in a steady and collaborative way so clients can access their inner resources with clarity. Flow of Life, founded by Christophe Dierckx, brings a gentle focus to how emotion, energy and the body move together, encouraging deeper presence and intuitive awareness.

These approaches are rarely offered in Tasmania and they strengthen the way I support clients across mind, body and spirit. They add a gentle esoteric dimension for people who want grounded inner awareness, steadiness and meaningful personal growth.

The lead-up to Christmas is a good time to reset and set a calmer direction for the new year. If this feels right, you can contact me now or choose a time that suits your rhythm. Sessions are available in Launceston and online across Australia and overseas.

03/12/2025

There’s more to share before Christmas as this next chapter in my clinical work unfolds.

Opening New Paths in Mind–Body–Spirit Healing via Hypnosis

I have recently returned from the Australian Hypnosis Conference in Melbourne after doing post-conference training in the Simpson Protocol and the Flow of Life approaches.

The Simpson Protocol, created by Ines Simpson, uses deep-state hypnosis in a steady and collaborative way so clients can access their inner resources with clarity. Flow of Life, founded by Christophe Dierckx, brings a gentle focus to how emotion, energy and the body move together, encouraging deeper presence and intuitive awareness.

These approaches are rarely offered in Tasmania and they strengthen the way I support clients across mind, body and spirit. They add a gentle esoteric dimension for people who want grounded inner awareness, steadiness and meaningful personal growth.

The lead-up to Christmas is a good time to reset and set a calmer direction for the new year. If this feels right, you can contact me now or choose a time that suits your rhythm. Sessions are available in Launceston and online across Australia and overseas.

Call now to connect with business.

29/10/2025

The next Launceston Mental Health Professionals' Network (MHPN) meeting is on Tuesday, 25th November 6-8 pm at The Art Room, School for Seniors, 8 High St Launceston.

Guest presenter is Virginia Bower, principal podiatrist, owner of St Johns Foot Clinic. Topic: "When Feet and Mental Health Intersect". A light supper will be provided.

RSVP www.mhpn.org.au (Launceston Mental Health Professionals' Network)

We promote and celebrate multidisciplinary collaborative mental health care.

16/08/2025

Yesterday I celebrated 20 years since stepping onto the path of Clinical Hypnotherapy — the moment that changed everything.

In these two decades I’ve walked beside people as they reclaimed strength, broke free from old patterns, and created lives filled with confidence, purpose, and connection.

Through clinical hypnotherapy, counselling, s*x therapy, social work, and clinical supervision I’ve been honoured to support clients in Tasmania, across Australia, and internationally.

This milestone is defined by four words that capture the heart of this work: Healing • Confidence • Transformation • Trust.

Now the next chapter begins. Very soon I’ll share what’s coming — powerful changes designed to open even greater possibilities for growth and change. Stay close. The future starts here.

09/04/2025

Brief therapy from Cookie Monster

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/157QWgZbQs/

17/03/2025

Happy International Social Workers Day!

It was great to have breakfast with some local social workers at Local Hideout Cafe in Launceston this morning.

Many thanks to the Tasmanian Social Work Alliance for organising the breakfast, and the lucky door prize.

10/03/2025

14/12/2024

Here is a link to my Christmas message:

https://www.launcestoncounsellingandhypnotherapy.com/post/a-christmas-message-to-my-valued-clients

01/12/2024

Some genuinely inspiring and practical tips to enrich December and all its joy in the lead up to Christmas.🎄