Pen Freeman

I’m Pen, a qualified clinical hypnotherapist with more than 20 years’ professional experience working with people through some of the most significant and challenging periods of their lives.

My background is in midwifery, health visiting and working as a specialist perinatal mental health midwife. Alongside this, I trained in Solution-Focused hypnotherapy and have continued to develop my understanding of stress, anxiety, the nervous system and therapeutic approaches.

Although I no longer practise as a midwife, that experience continues to shape the way I work: calmly, practically and without judgement.

You may be experiencing anxiety or feeling overwhelmed, struggling with a fear or phobia, lacking confidence, or finding yourself caught in a pattern or response that you would like to change.

Sometimes we understand something perfectly well at a rational level, but our automatic response seems to have other ideas.

Hypnotherapy offers another way of working with those responses.

My approach is collaborative, practical and tailored to the person in front of me. I don’t believe in forcing people into a particular therapeutic model, and I don’t expect you to arrive knowing exactly what kind of help you need.

We can work that out together.

Anxiety, stress and feeling overwhelmed:

Anxiety and ongoing stress can affect how we think, sleep, feel and respond to everyday situations.

You may find yourself overthinking, anticipating the worst, struggling to switch off or reacting strongly even when part of you knows that you are safe.

Hypnotherapy can help us work with some of those automatic patterns and rehearse different ways of responding.

The aim is not to promise that life will suddenly become stress-free. It is to help you develop more useful responses and a greater sense of confidence in your own ability to manage what life brings.

Fears and phobias:

I particularly enjoy working with fears and phobias, helping adults and teens to combat these issues.

These can range from very specific fears - such as needles, flying, or particular situations - through to responses that have become increasingly restrictive over time.

A phobia can feel completely irrational and yet produce a very real physical and emotional response.

Through hypnotherapy we can work with that response, rather than simply telling you that there is nothing to be frightened of.

Confidence, habits and unwanted patterns:

Sometimes people come to hypnotherapy because they feel stuck.

You may know how you would like to behave or feel, but find yourself repeatedly returning to the same habits, thoughts or reactions.

Our work can focus on what you would like to be different, identifying the resources and abilities you already have and helping your brain become more familiar with another way of responding.

Pregnancy, birth and becoming a parent:

Pregnancy and birth are a particular area of professional interest for me.

I spent more than 20 years working in maternity care, including specialist work in perinatal mental health, and I bring that experience into my therapeutic work with women preparing for birth.

My approach is not about promising a particular kind of birth or creating pressure to remain perfectly calm.

Birth is unpredictable and it can be hard work.

Hypnotherapy can instead be used over time to work with anxiety and fear, practise focused states of attention, develop self-hypnosis skills and help the nervous system become familiar with responding differently to stress.

For some women this forms part of my wider Birth Empowerment work; others may simply want therapeutic support around a particular fear, previous experience or anxiety about birth.

How I work:

Hypnosis is not something that is done to you.

You remain aware and in control, and you cannot be made to do something you do not want to do.

I primarily work from a solution-focused perspective. This means that while we acknowledge what has brought you here, our work also pays attention to where you would like to go and what may help you move towards it.

Sessions may include conversation, hypnosis, guided imagery, relaxation, self-hypnosis and practical strategies you can use outside our sessions.

Different people respond differently, so I adapt the work rather than expecting everyone to fit the same process.

You do not need to be good at relaxing, good at visualising or particularly suggestible to come and see me.

You simply need to be willing to explore whether a different response is possible.

Online and in-person hypnotherapy:

I offer hypnotherapy to both men, women, teens and children.

Sessions are available online, which means I can work with clients throughout the UK, as well as in person in Kent.

Many people are surprised by how naturally hypnotherapy translates online. You can attend from your own home without travel, while still having a structured therapeutic session and the opportunity to learn techniques you can use for yourself.

Free discovery call:

If you are wondering whether hypnotherapy might be right for you, I offer a free 15-minute discovery call.

It is simply an opportunity for you to tell me briefly what you would like help with, ask any questions and get a sense of whether working together feels right.

There is no obligation to book afterwards.

Sessions are available online or in person.

If you are unsure whether hypnotherapy is appropriate for what you are experiencing, you are welcome to get in touch and tell me a little about what you would like support with.

My healthcare background means I am accustomed to working with people during periods of vulnerability, uncertainty and significant change.

It has also taught me something that remains central to the way I practise today: people do not need someone else to take over their experience. Good support should help them reconnect with their own capacity.