Open Skies Hypnotherapy

13/04/2026

Good Morning. The sun is shining and Open Skies is growing as I continue to invest in more training to support you. It's a lot of effort to run a business and commit to the expenditure of continuing professional development as well as all my other overheads.

For this reason, it is really upsetting for me when clients simply abandon their treatment part way through with no explanation. This has happened a couple of times lately.

I know that sometimes in sessions we touch something painful and this can be why clients do not return. But I want to say something about this.

Firstly, the fact we have got to the painful part means therapy is more important than ever. Dealing with painful parts of ourselves with no support can send us spiralling back into old behaviours.

Secondly, I am here to work at your pace and with your agreement. I will never push you to confront things you are not ready to or do not wish to face. These are your sessions and you are in control. If I'm touching something you feel is too much, bring the resistance into the room and we can talk it through.

Because of the continued no-shows I am thinking of changing the way I offer my sessions and more on this will follow once I have firmed up my ideas. Essentially it could mean paying for blocks of therapy up front rather than individual sessions, so that we can maintain commitment to your healing.

I'm not scary, I care about you all and I genuinely want to help you. Please help me in return by committing to your treatment.

12/04/2026

I'm very pleased to have attended a course on using IFS therapy to treat addictive behaviours.

Addictive behaviours are not just about drugs and alcohol. They also include things like compulsive spending, gambling, issues around food, self-harm, excessive gaming, OCD and many other behaviours.

It's really important to understand that the high relapse rate amongst clients presenting with addiction is partly because traditional therapy models only treat the SYMPTOM.

That tends not to work.

Think about it. If you have some trauma or pain that is too overwhelming for you to cope with, then of course there is a part of you that will want to numb that feeling immediately. How many of us reach straight for a paracetamol when we feel a headache coming on? It's the same thing.

With IFS we are looking at the motivation of the part that drives the addiction, rather than immediately trying to remove the behaviour.

I'm excited to add more IFS training to my business in the coming months but in the meantime, if you are struggling with addictive behaviours do reach out for a no-obligation chat about how I can help.

11/04/2026

I'm so excited to be offering a complete HypnoMenopause programme which can be used either alongside or instead of HRT.

This programme deals with physical symptoms, emotions, and the impact of menopause on your wider life. We are looking at the whole woman and providing support and practical tools to help ease the challenges of this time in our lives.

You don't need to suffer - help is available and even if you cannot take HRT for any reason, this is a safe, holistic alternative.

The programme lasts just five weeks, meaning you could feel significantly better by mid-May, in time for summer.

If it sounds like something you might be interested in, please do drop me a message on WhatsApp and we can chat further.

10/04/2026

I wonder what you were told about menopause, or what you may have read or seen about it in the media?

Research shows that our belief system affects the intensity of symptoms. If you are struggling and would like to join my HypnoMenopause five week programme, please get in touch. I have limited spaces now available.

07/04/2026

https://emmajaneoldershaw.substack.com/p/eight-years-eight-lessons-from-entrapment

Eight years ago this very week, my now ex-husband was arrested for being drunk in charge of my baby. He was more than 5 times over the limit.

In this piece, I discuss my healing journey and the eight biggest lessons I have learned in those eight years.

I hope it helps someone :)

I am currently working on a novel which centres around coercive control so please stay tuned for that. I also offer a service where I can accompany you to court and stay with you in the waiting room. You are not alone.

On surviving coercive control, rewriting your life script and finding self-belief

29/03/2026

https://emmajaneoldershaw.substack.com/p/the-gift-of-menopause

Hi everyone, I am back writing today and here is an essay about menopause. Do let me know what it brings up for you. I am a qualified HypnoMenopause Practitioner and always happy to provide support.

Norfolk Menopause

On finding a new inner voice, discovering the joy of self-honouring, and getting the most from mid-life

27/03/2026

Today I have been watching as social media floods with the usual end of term attendance awards in mainstream schools. In many schools, certificates have been handed out alongside Easter eggs for all those children who “achieved” 100% attendance, whilst everyone else was made to feel they were being punished and had somehow fallen short of what was expected.

Here’s the problem with this approach:-

1. The behaviourist approach to education in this country is not working. It does not take account of the multitude of reasons why children may not be at school. Bums on seats at all costs is literally costing some children their lives.

2. The rules are conflicting. On the one hand, you must stay away from school if you have sickness or diarrohea. Why then should you be punished for following that rule, by being vilified for not reaching the attendance goal? Make it make sense, please!

3. If a child is being bullied, they won’t want to go to school. In too many of our schools, bullying is either denied completely or the effects on the child are played down and misunderstood.

4. Exam pressure, including exams for young primary school children, is causing anxiety which in turn leads to a feeling of “might as well just give up” as the child feels they cannot cope with the demands placed upon them.

5. School is no longer a place to learn about the world but rather an institutionalised system where rules must be adhered to or you will be shamed in front of your peers.

6. Stabbings in schools are on the rise - including one in a Norfolk school just the other week. Many children were scared to return to classes.

7. Children are told they cannot go to the toilet in class time, I have heard tales of children having their skirts measured by a teacher with a ruler (which in itself is an assault if the teacher is touching them), being placed in isolation rather than being allowed to go home if they felt unsafe, and countless other horror stories from the children who come to my therapy room.

8. Children might well be there 100% of the time but not actually learning or applying themselves. Therefore an attendance of 100% doesn’t actually mean anything in practice.

9. I watched a SEN child being physically dragged kicking and screaming into a school one morning by a staff member. I shall not name the school. All I would say is that the memory of what happened that day will traumatise the child, and there is no Easter egg worth that.

I would rather buy my child 100 Easter eggs and make her a certificate to celebrate her achievements in the areas that matter - being kind, committing to her acting and dancing, and refusing to follow a system that breaks more children than it makes.

For every child left out today, remember You Are Enough. Always.

26/03/2026

COMING SOON to Open Skies! My final assignments are now in progress and I will have my official certificate in the next couple of weeks!

If you are struggling with the physical or emotional effects of menopause, please do get in touch. This complementary approach can be used even if you are also on HRT.

I cannot wait to use this!

24/03/2026

As my page has a number of new followers, I am just popping on to provide an overview of what I do.

I'm based in Dereham, Norfolk but can also work online with clients. I offer hypnotherapy and other therapies for issues such as anxiety, depression, addiction, anger management, self-harm, low self-esteem, OCD, fears and phobias, stop smoking, relationship difficulties and confidence building.

I am a qualified VirtueBand Practitioner for holistic weight loss, a HypnoMenopause Specialist and I am also qualified in diagnostic TFT.

My special areas of interest include trauma closing, inner child healing and working with those who have experienced coercive control.

I also provide AQA accredited wellbeing courses for children, as well as workshops for adults and organisations. I am the author of four self-help and wellbeing books all of which can be purchased online or from me directly.

Please feel free to message me if you would like to know more, I'm always happy to have a chat on the phone about what I do and how it could help you.

24/03/2026

Good Morning! It's been a busy weekend accompanying my daughter to a dance convention in London. It was a great weekend until I found myself experiencing hot flushes and having to remove my jacket, to then feel chilly once the episode had passed. There was also a distinct feeling of, "Why didn't I take these chances when I was young?"

This morning I have been doing some further training to be able to deliver more tailored menopause therapy and I realised that all of the things I felt this weekend are normal for someone of my age. There was a kind of relief, a feeling of "it's not just me".

I will be completing my menopause hypnotherapy training over the coming weeks and am excited to add this to my list of specialisms.

Do get in touch if you are interested in learning more.

18/03/2026

Well it's been an incredible day for client feedback. Just home from my Pilates class, checked my emails and found this anonymous review from a client who has just finished her treatment:

“I came across Emma’s business as I was hoping to get some help around nail biting. After a few sessions with Emma the nail biting has completely disappeared. I was a chronic nail biter and nothing else had worked for me. I throughly recommended Emma (Open Skies)”

Thanks so much for this - it was so lovely to be able to help. This lady did not deserve to be stuck in that cycle and I am really pleased to have made a difference.

If you are a nail biter or have another habit you'd like to break, please get in touch and let's get to work on it.