Fiona Laing Therapies

30/06/2025

I’ve always valued my role as a therapist - I see it as a privilege. Why, because clients are opening up to their fears and worries that have perhaps been there for a very long time. It’s up to me to create that safe and professional space for communication.

Establishing rapport and trust quickly is fundamental to enable me to use my skills. I never follow a one size fits all because we are all individuals with different needs and aims.

When I receive a testimonial, it’s humbling and delightful to know my bespoke therapy makes a difference. It’s why I’m still passionate about doing what I do.

My heartfelt thanks to this lovely client who took the time to describe the incredible emotional shift they made and for taking it forward.

If this resonates with you, please do drop me a wee DM - I would love to chat to you. I always offer a free consultation as it’s important we find out if we are a good fit to work together.

21/05/2025

Have you ever found yourself talking to the TV or Radio when something said hits you? Well, that’s what happened to me when I was watching BBC Countryfile this week.

It was a section about the issues of mental health of farmers. A new charity has been set up by 2 farmers who have experienced their own struggles with mental health. In their county their aim is to provide a 24 hr support help network and access to counselling within a week. What a vital support in a very stressful industry.

Their patron is HRH The Prince of Wales who’s very open in his support for the nation’s mental health.
Well, here’s when my revelation came in as he talked about everyone having access to their own Self-help toolbox with various tools for various situations.

Wow I’ve been an advocate of this for about 20 years when I first started designing and running stress management workshops (no webinars then!). I run them with many varied groups.

One of my “WHYs” is the importance of and how to take “Emotional responsibility” for yourself. This can take many forms but the first is recognising you need help and support. This a strength not a weakness. If we continue to ignore symptoms and worries, it’s unlikely they will disappear, more likely they will get worse and may erupt. I know from personal experience how important it is to reach out for help.

What can you put in your “Self-help Therapy Toolbox?” Here’s some examples to get you started.
1. Contacts of people you know and trust you can rely on to help you, e.g. who you can have a chat with when you need it.
2. Self-help techniques such as breathing control when anxiety strikes
3. Your training shoes to get outside when the indoor walls and technology are dominating. Fresh air is a vital rebalance and reviver for mind and body.

Building this is a key resource I teach people I’m working with, as it gives you back direction and choice in your life. Through my therapy sessions, old habits, beliefs, fears, anxiety and stress no longer have a front row seat in your life. You are in the director’s chair of your life. This is empowerment.
If you would like to find out more, please drop me a wee DM. I’m always happy for a chat and to help.

Here’s a photo of one of my wee escapes. Even 15mins can make a difference especially with my wee MHPT (Mental Health Personal Trainer)

08/05/2025

Ah the sequel- same or different? I like to think same theme but different useful information.
I’m referring to my video I’m sharing today. Yes, it’s another from my wee break in Cairngorms but instead of just me doing the filming and voice over which I find the easiest, I embraced the camera this time. When I first watched it back, I thought I’m not using that because it really is a bad hair day😂 Watched it again and saw the reason for making in first place, where I was at that moment moved me. Why?
1. I’m back at water and I find water scenery uplifting, calming, inspiring, and rejuvenating to name a few.
2. When I make videos like this, I don’t have a “script” in my head. I just let my emotional state of being there find the words and I trust in the flow.
This is what I call “Relaxed Focus.” It describes a key feature of Clinical Hypnotherapy. It allows you to distance yourself from what is bothering you at the time and then be able to view it differently and allow you to make positive changes. You are able to change the emotion that is driving the thoughts and behaviours. It’s why I teach self hypnosis to most people I work with.
I’ve included one of my wee messages and techniques about releasing stress in it. Hope you can spot it? Clue, it refers to the waves🤔. I would love to know whether it resonates with you. Thank you.
Enjoy the video (it’s only 57 seconds!) 🎬

02/05/2025

Beginning of this week I had a wee break to a favourite place of mine in the Cairngorms. A chance to recharge the batteries and get out in the fresh air which was much needed.
When there, I’m always inspired to make wee videos. Surprisingly, I do them in 1 take unlike when I’m doing them at home. Why? Well probably due to:
 Change of scene, feeling more relaxed with clearer focus so less pressure
 Mind -body connection working in positive balance.

Hope you enjoy this one. It’s the “Green Lochan” aka “An Lochan Uaine” which to me has a tranquil and mystical feel to it. Clue, listen for the wee bit folklore.
I felt peace while there so I know I can watch my video anytime I want to experience it again.
I would love to know if you enjoy it too. What places do you have that gives you that feeling? Give yourself a moment to recall and enjoy. Your nervous system will thank you.

01/05/2025

Well done to Sarah Laing Sings for your time and dedication in bringing these events together. Both in your role on the committee and being the performer spreading your talent and joy of your singing and chat.

First one was so uplifting and enjoyed by all who were there.

Well done. 👏

I'm so excited to be performing at the next Pentland Tea Dance at Pentland Community Centre next month. These events are free to attend thanks to the charity receiving funding from the The City of Edinburgh Council Community Grant and are held with the aim of reducing social isolation within the community.
Visit Pentland Community Centre page for all event information and to reserve your place today.
Hope to see you there!

22/04/2025

Hi I’m delighted to share that I’m going to be a speaker at networking event tomorrow Wed 23rd April. It is with Marti Jeremiah-Shelley at her event called Coffee& Chat.

It’s a privilege to be asked to speak at another business owner’s event. My chat will be about -
“ Does your self talk harmonise with your Mind-Body Connection” If you have seen any of my posts you will recognise that the mind-body connection is a key part of my therapy business.

Marti hosts a very friendly event through her own enthusiastic, upbeat and supportive personality. To be able to have sell out gigs is quite something. It definitely links to my belief of “Good chat is always good therapy.” The coffee is fab too which is a big tick for me as I’m a full strength caffeine black coffee gal!

If you have managed to get a ticket to Marti’s event I’m really looking forward to seeing you there. Thank you Marti for asking me.

10/04/2025

Do you regularly put others needs in front of yours? This could be from:
• Family
• Friends
• Work colleagues
• Clients

How do you feel when that happens?
• Annoyed?
• Upset?
• Frustrated?
• Sad?
• Put upon?
• Don’t know how to change it?

Do you find it hard saying “No” and end up saying “Yes” almost by default or out of habit? Then the cycle starts again.

Here’s the cruncher – how you feel and what you desire is important and healthy. I’m not saying we don’t have to make compromises or negotiate, it’s great to be able to help and support. That helps us benefit psychologically and physically and it’s part of human nature. However when the balance is constantly being skewed in an unhealthy way towards us, then it’s time to navigate this.

Using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with Clinical Hypnotherapy, I can teach you self care therapy techniques and provide tailored therapy, so that you start prioritising your needs and choices and still be able to help and support others.

If this is something you want to explore more, please drop me a wee DM for a free initial chat.

04/04/2025

Now that the sun has decided to grace us with her presence after a long winter – well I’ve found it a long one- it’s natural to want to grab as much of it as we can. Moving into Spring I feel an uplift. Emotionally it can feel like a new beginning, where physically we are more inclined to do more and that’s working with natural cycles.

So before we all go out and embrace the new season with full gusto, here’s a wee nugget of information to help you get the most out of it:

As the temperature increases it is vital to pay attention to your fluid intake, in particular plain water.
As human beings, the main chemical compound found in us is water. It’s vital that this is maintained at a level that allows the body systems to work within their optimum balance to avoid illness developing. Here’s some reasons we lose water content:

• Perspiration through exercise and in being in the heat
• Not drinking enough water
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Infection, fever
• Tummy upsets

Just being aware that whether you’re enjoying a seat in the garden or flying off somewhere on your holidays remember that it is important to keep yourself topped up so that your body systems can maintain the balance they require. This is called homeostasis. The higher the temperature, the harder our systems have to work to maintain this balance.

By not letting yourself get thirsty you’re working to promote this equilibrium and you’re not putting your mind and body under unnecessary strain. What’s the advantages?:

• More energy
• Concentration maintained
• Less likely to develop a headache
• Ankles and feet not swollen
• Toxins and waste flushed out

Since my early days as a massage therapist I always gave clients a glass of water after every treatment. Now doing my sessions of Clinical Hypnotherapy online I still advocate a glass of water after every session to help the process of change and hydration.

How you can do this:

 As it’s an important liquid don’t just save your posh glasses for Christmas, use them everyday.

 If you’re unsure how much you’re taking- fill a large bottle and put it in the fridge and use this as a measure to see what you’ve consumed.

 Oh finally if you’re a black coffee drinker like me ( yes I’m full caffeine) – have a glass of water at the same time.

These are just some of my tips working holistically that I give you to put into your self care therapy tool box.

If this holistic therapy interests you, drop me a wee DM. Cheers

29/03/2025

A phrase I often finish my posts with, I thought I would explain why I came up with it & why I use it.

“Good chat is always good therapy”

I use it in business & personally as it really resonates with me. Why? - because by chatting to someone you are communicating on many levels. You could be providing them with info, empathising with them, offering to help in various ways, inspiring them, giving them “tough love” , making them laugh & so much more.

It’s quite poignant this week as the 5th anniversary of the pandemic lockdown. Our usual communication channels were all stopped & we had to find other ways, hence the boom of online. I had never used Zoom or any other platform before then. I’ve totally surprised myself that Zoom is a key part of my business. I can honestly say if the pandemic hadn’t happened it wouldn’t have been. I was practising Remedial and Sports massage then as well as Clinical Hypnotherapy & I worked from my clinic.

Due to those unprecedented times (another phrase I used to use a lot then) so much had to change. I’m the most untechnical person going but over these past years I’ve had to learn & adapt & it’s still a challenging path for me – always will be - but I’ve surpassed what I didn’t think I ever could.

So going back to “Good chat is always good therapy”, my business, including massage, from the very beginning has been based on communication:

 I give my client a safe space to tell their story & ask for consent to work with them
 I ask specific, searching questions to help them find the source of their problem & elicit their goals & outcome
 I explain & teach relevant information & self help techniques
 I carry out “talking therapies” to enable the client to make the changes they want to make.
 Clinical Hypnotherapy requires the therapist to be able to use their voice intonation & be able to tailor techniques to progress the therapy for the client.
 I’m a facilitator, a guide & a teacher.

In my personal life I’m one of life’s chatterboxes. If anyone got a telling off at school for chatting it was me ( yes I was in the days that a telling off was getting the belt!)

Having a blether with my pals is often the tonic I need & being a good pal for them is important to me. This camaraderie goes back generations and women have always been intuitive communicators.
I’ve been so grateful to the friends in my life who have seen me at my best & worst. Sometimes the chat is a hug which again was denied to us during Covid days.

So I’ll continue to use my phrase as it sums me up to a T! Talking of tea(& coffee) therapy- sitting down with a cuppa, scone or bacon roll, posh wee cake & a blether with your pal(s). Those of you who know me well, I’m honoured to have you in my life.

Working professionally, I’ll always see it as a privilege when a client trusts me enough to open up & talk so I can enable them to find a new way forward to the life they desire. It’s why I always offer a free initial session to see if they want to work with me & if I feel I can provide what they need.

If you would want to have a wee chat please drop me a wee DM. Thank you.

21/03/2025

In my role as a therapist, I always view being able to work with someone a privilege. Asking for help and support is not easy and it takes strength, often when you least have it.

To receive a testimonial from a client is very kind and rewarding. In all my years of practice, I have never received such a powerful and honest one as I have included here. This epitomised the privilege and trust in doing the role that I do. I felt so humbled that I was honoured to help.

Job satisfaction doesn’t come higher than this. Thank you to this very special lady.

14/03/2025

Hi following one from last week’s video I’ve made a sequel🎬.

This is one I want to de bunk some myths that often come up about hypnosis. Hope you find it interesting and informative.

If you would like to chat more about how I incorporate Clinical Hypnotherapy into my treatment services, please drop me a wee message. Always happy to chat or provide more info.

“ Good chat is good therapy”

PS if there is a topic you would like me to cover in a video or post please do let me know.

Thanks for watching.

07/03/2025

Hi when I’m talking about the main therapy that I practise it is Clinical Hypnotherapy, but what does that mean?

Well I thought I would do a couple of videos to help explain this. Here’s the first one. Hope you find it informative?

Clinical Hypnotherapy can help with so many conditions and events in life, I’ve only mentioned a few in the video. Cue for another video perhaps? 🤔

If you would like to have a chat more about how I can help, please drop me a wee private message or use the contact form in my website. I’ll pop the details in the comments box.

Thanks for watching. Enjoy the rest of your day.