From “Act Normal” to Hypnotherapist: How Anne-Marieke Dusseljee’s Training Helped Her Move Forward
If you had told Anne-Marieke Dusseljee ten years ago that she would one day work with hypnosis, she probably would have laughed out loud. Hypnosis? Wasn’t that that woo-woo stuff where someone in a low voice said strange things to you and made you walk around like a clucking chicken?
That perception has since completely changed. Anne-Marieke works alongside her mother at their practice, Hoofdmanager, located in Almelo, where she counsels children, adolescents, (young) adults, and parents. Hypnotherapy has become an important part of her work. Not because she always believed in it, but precisely because she first had to experience it for herself.
Working with children, adolescents, and parents
In her practice, Anne-Marieke works with people facing a wide range of issues. With children, these may include frustration, anger, learning difficulties, or challenges at school. For teenagers and young adults, common themes often include insecurity, anxiety, stress, or difficulty expressing themselves. She also regularly works with mothers who are struggling with questions such as: “Am I really worth it?” and “Why do I get overwhelmed so easily?”
“The requests for help are very diverse,” says Anne-Marieke. “But I work primarily with children, teenagers, and young adults—and, as a result, directly with their parents as well.”
When working with young children, she looks beyond just their behavior. Sometimes a child’s request for help is connected to what’s going on with the parents or to the child’s early development: the period before pregnancy, pregnancy, childbirth, or the period afterward. In such cases, she works with attachment sessions, among other methods.
Hypnotherapy as a Solid Foundation
According to Anne-Marieke, a bonding session is also a form of hypnotherapy, since it takes place under hypnosis. During this process, negative events surrounding the period before pregnancy, childbirth, or the immediate postpartum period are disconnected from the child. The mother (or father) then writes a renewed, positive version of these experiences, which is implanted under hypnosis.
“Your subconscious doesn’t need to know whether something is true or false, or a mix of both,” she explains. The bonding session is so wonderful to do because it often brings about a change in the child’s behavior without the child having to do anything themselves.
In addition to hypnotherapy, Anne-Marieke also uses methods such as Haveling, EFT, and the Matrix Method. However, hypnotherapy is often part of a treatment plan or session. She not only enjoys doing it but also sees that it delivers results. It is precisely this combination that makes it valuable to her in her practice.
At first, she found hypnosis to be rather woolly
Her first encounter with hypnosis wasn’t exactly a serious one. Her mother had taken a course at the Hypnosis Institute of the Netherlands and needed to practice. As soon as she started speaking in a lower, slower voice, Anne-Marieke—who was a teenager at the time—couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Just stop with your weird statements,” she thought at the time. “I thought it was way too woo-woo.”
That changed when she was studying psychology and, during a gap year, attended a masterclass on child hypnosis. Her mother was teaching that masterclass, and Anne-Marieke decided to go along because she was planning to study child and adolescent psychology. There, she saw people experiencing and doing things that piqued her curiosity. More importantly, she noticed that hypnosis had an effect on her personally.
She relaxed. She felt what it could do. And suddenly, hypnosis was no longer something strange, but something interesting.
A valuable complement to psychology
“I already had my doubts about psychology itself,” she says. “I wasn’t sure if that was the field I saw myself working in. So I just thought this was a nice addition.”
Of course, talking can help, but sometimes someone knows rationally exactly what’s going on, yet little changes in their feelings or behavior. For her, hypnosis touched on a different level.
That’s why she decided to take the course at the Hypnosis Institute of the Netherlands. First the 1.0 course, then the 2.0, and later the 3.0 as well. Her confidence in the method grew, especially because she experienced firsthand how quickly things could change. This made it easier for her to convey the method to clients later on.
The 1.0 and 2.0: live, online, and lots of practice
Anne-Marieke took the 1.0 course in person. At the time, she could sign up for individual themed days and decide for herself when to attend. It was a flexible way to learn, without a fixed group. She then took the 2.0 course partly online, because the COVID-19 pandemic began.
At first, she found working online strange. After all, how can you see everything clearly through a camera? How do you pick up on subtle physical cues? How do you guide someone when you’re not physically in the same room?
Yet it was precisely because of this that she discovered hypnotherapy can also work well online. “I thought: so this can be done online too,” she says. “This allowed me to help many more people from our practice or simply from home. I’ve even had the opportunity to guide a number of young people in Spain.”
That insight helped her professionally. Her sessions were able to continue, and she noticed that clients were also more open to online hypnotherapy. In her view, the effectiveness was certainly no less.
First, gain experience; then, deepen your knowledge
After completing versions 1.0 ( Hypno Principles) and 2.0 ( Hypno Playground), Anne-Marieke decided to gain some experience first. She worked primarily with children and young people and felt she had a solid grasp of the material. At that point, she didn’t feel the need to take version 3.0 ( Hypno Pathfinder). She also thought that to take it, you’d need to have a full practice and see clients nearly forty hours a week.
Later, that changed. She realized she wanted to make her initial consultations more concrete—to get to the heart of the matter more quickly. She also wanted someone to observe her sessions and provide feedback. Because she knew this was part of the 3.0 program, she started to feel that itch again.
“At one point, I thought: I’d like to try something new again,” she says. “And I really wanted to make my initial consultation more concrete and get to the point faster.”
The 3.0 as a Professional Accelerator
Version 3.0 gave Anne-Marieke exactly the depth she was looking for. She submitted sessions, reviewed her own work, and received feedback. That was exciting, but above all, very educational. She soon noticed that the core of a session was sometimes apparent much sooner than she thought.
The feedback made it clear that she could have identified the root of the problem sooner. “Then I thought: Okay, so that really could have been done much more quickly.”
That insight changed the way she worked. She learned to get to the heart of the matter more quickly, making her sessions more effective. Not because she hadn’t been working well before, but because she could now see more clearly where she could save time and where the real breakthrough lay.
She also found it valuable to observe other therapists. The 3.0 program included experienced practitioners, each with their own style, metaphors, and approach. This allowed her to see just how broadly hypnotherapy can be applied.
Learning from Each Other
For Anne-Marieke, one of the biggest differences from previous courses was the sense of community. The 3.0 course was held live on-site. This allowed her to talk to others, share experiences, and learn outside of class time as well.
“You learn a great deal from each other, because you watch each other’s sessions and can discuss cases together,” she explains.
She is still in touch with a number of participants. There is a group chat where questions, case studies, or referrals are shared. That network has lasting value for her—not only as a therapist, but also as a person. You feel less alone and can continue to exchange ideas with people who understand the same field.
Personal growth through the training program
The training not only advanced Anne-Marieke professionally; hypnotherapy has also meant a great deal to her personally. During the training courses, she was able to resolve personal issues herself, ranging from minor irritations to larger patterns. As a result, her confidence in the method—and in herself—grew.
“I’ve really become a lot more confident,” she says. “Before, I had trouble putting myself out there in groups.”
Speaking in front of a group can still be nerve-wracking, but it’s no longer so overwhelming that it keeps her awake at night. She now has tools to bring her anxiety back down to a normal level. Letting go of control has also become easier. She’s better able to let things be.
In addition, she is less likely to doubt her own abilities. If a session doesn’t quite yield the desired result, she takes it less personally. She sees more clearly that results always come from both sides: the therapist and the client.
How she experienced the HIN
Anne-Marieke looks back positively on her training at the Hypnosis Institute of the Netherlands. What she appreciates most is that the trainers are experts and, at the same time, each brings their own experience, vision, and style to the table. As a result, you not only learn a technique but also how differently you can apply it.
“At the HIN, all the trainers are highly skilled,” she says. “They also all have their own stories, their own experiences, and their own vision.”
That, she says, is precisely what makes the training program so interesting. You learn the basics, but then discover how to use hypnotherapy in a way that suits you. Especially in the 3.0 course, she felt just how much more was still possible.
From Experience to Conviction
Anne-Marieke would recommend the training to people who want to work on their personal development and/or who work with others in coaching or therapy. “At the very least, take the Level 1.0 course,” she says, “if only to experience for yourself what hypnosis does for you.”
“Hypnotherapy has simply done so much for me,” she says. “You can grow tremendously as a person and as a therapist.”
What began with skepticism grew into an important part of her life and work. Hypnotherapy made her more confident, gave her additional professional tools, and helped her guide clients on a deeper level.
Does she still think hypnosis is a bit woo-woo? No. She now knows from personal experience that it can actually be very practical. And perhaps that’s exactly what makes her story so beautiful: sometimes you have to experience something for yourself before you can truly believe in it.
Would you like to learn more about what Anne-Marieke does? Then check out her website: Hoofdmanager.nl
Would you like to learn hypnosis, just like Anne-Marieke?
You can take the training in person or online. Would you like to have a no-obligation chat to see if this is right for you? Schedule a one-on-one consultation here. You won’t be speaking with a salesperson, but with an experienced HIN coach who works with this training program and clients on a daily basis. In 20–30 minutes, you’ll get a clear sense of whether this is the right step for you and which start date suits you best.
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