Catherine Spence

I'm an accredited and registered psychotherapist, hypnotherapist and mindfulness coach based in Hackney, N16, London. I combine hypnotherapy and psychotherapy to help with anxiety, depression, insomnia, PTSD, relationship problems, self-esteem or self-control issues

I have over ten years of experience and thousands of client hours, with high success rates of supporting clients to transform their lives and reach their goals. I have a Master's degree from the University of Oxford in Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology and an Advanced Diploma in Hypno-Psychotherapy from the National College of Hypnosis and Psychotherapy. I'm a full clinical member of the UK Council for Counselling and Psychotherapy (UKCP), the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the National Society of Talking Therapies. I'm also a qualified yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance.

Areas I work with include: Anxiety  Stress  Panic Relationship or attachment issues  Adapting to changes in life Overwhelming emotions A general feeling of dissatisfaction that is hard to pinpoint Difficult childhood experiences PTSD or similar trauma symptoms OCD Limerence Insomnia and other sleep issues Phobias, including fear of flying or public speaking Social anxiety Diagnoses or suspicions of neurodivergence Developing healthy habits Developing a meditation practice Please note that I work only with those over 18.

II tailor my approach to suit you rather than trying to fit you to a standard therapy script and I use only evidence-based techniques. My academic background included neurophysiology and the study of neuroplasticity which underlies all my techniques and approaches. I also have my own personal daily yoga and meditation practice which borrows heavily from compassion-focussed and mindfulness-based philosophies. I believe that we are what we practice, and that with calm focus, self-compassion and a bit of time, we can all shift the neurological patterns that are our thoughts, feelings, behaviours and relationships, so as to live healthier and more fulfilling lives. A typical session with me would be half spent talking about your week or your feelings, and then the other half in a deep relaxation session, during which we can walk through situations you find tricky, as well as learn to be more relaxed in body and mind. The relaxed state is also excellent for developing focus and directing your energies on areas of your life that you feel would benefit from that. We can also use lighter trance states to desensitise and reprocess feelings and memories from your past which are not yet resolved. You will remain fully conscious and in control during hypnosis, and will not, under any circumstances, be made to cluck like a chicken! You may find, however, that change is surprisingly easy, once your subconscious is involved in the process. The trick is to find the sweet spot between relaxation and sleep, where your imagination is at its peak and you feel completely safe to explore new ideas. The positive associations that you form in this state will stay with you after the session. Psychotherapy can help you explore your personality, attachment styles and boundaries so that you can better understand yourself in relationships, and to help you develop your communication and relating styles. Learning how to identify and process different emotions can be done at any stage in life.  I also offer trauma-informed therapy, such as EMDR (eye movement desentisation and reprocessing), where there is traumatic tension stored in the body. Bad experiences can cause us to shut-down or dissociate, or leave us in a high state of anxiety or panic. Therapy can help to release that so that you can move forwards with clarity and vitality. Another technique we may use is IFS (Internal Family Systems) where we learn to understand your different internal parts, some may be protective, some vulnerable or dissociated, and they may be in conflict with each other. We would work to allow your core self to take a healing and leadership role within all your different parts.