From physician's assistant to Hypnosis: Wendy's story

Sometimes things don't fall into place until later. That certainly applies to Wendy Vermeij from Ridderkerk. She works as a hypnotherapist, is also active as a doctor's assistant and combines that with her role as a mother and grandmother.

She herself keeps it simple: "I am a hypnotherapist and, in addition, I still work as a physician's assistant." But behind those words is a woman who has been working with people all her life. "I have many qualities," she says, and precisely these are now coming together in her work.

What immediately stands out when speaking with Wendy is her way of looking at things. She doesn't just look at what someone says, but what's underneath. In fact, she's always done that.

"In my work, the technical actually always went along with working with people," she says of her previous work, "but it was never just technical. She was all about people. You have to touch the pain points of what people need," she says. That's exactly where her strength lies.

A path that wasn't straight, but was right

Wendy grew up in Lisse and was creative and musical from an early age. "I played flute, saxophone and bassoon in a band and a wind band," she says. She stood on stages and enjoyed performing. "I still love doing that." You can still see that sensitivity and expression in how she works.

In school, things didn't come as naturally. "I wasn't a great student," she says. "I found learning difficult." Still, she found her way through a fashion school in The Hague. Then she worked as a tailor in the corporate clothing business, fitting and adjusting people's clothes. "If someone is crooked, how do you straighten a garment?" she says with a laugh.

That statement is almost symbolic of what she is doing now: seeing how something can be made fit for someone again.

When her children were small, her work changed again. She went to work in home care and stayed there for 10 years. "I learned so much there," she says. "You see how people live, what relationships are like, what's going on." Right there, she began to feel that there is more than just what is visible. "You really experience sweetness and suffering," she says. And something else also became clear: "How do you keep your own energy with yourself?"

The interest was there, but the moment was not yet

Long before Wendy began her training with Hypnosis Institute Netherlands, she was interested in alternative forms of care. "I've always been into alternatives," she says. Among other things, she visited a foot reflexologist and a homeopathic doctor. When she attended a lecture by Edwin Selij around 2010, she immediately felt it appealed to her. "I thought: this is something I want to do."

Still, it didn't materialize at the time. "I had small children, it was hard to plan," she says honestly. Her environment also played a role. "My partner at the time didn't like it at all." The desire remained, but the moment wasn't there yet.

That changed during the COVID period. Wendy was working as a physician's assistant at the time and saw Edwin passing by again. This time the training could be taken online. "That's when I decided: I'm just going to do it." For the first time, it felt both feasible and right. "I could do it from home and that's when I signed up. I got my first degree in 2021," she says. "Online through Zoom." What began as an online course quickly grew into real connection. "Many people I met online, I later met live."

The foundation that carries everything

For Wendy, the Hypnosis Institute Netherlands is where her foundation was laid. "What I learned at HIN is my foundation," she says. And she still takes that foundation with her every day. "Those steps you learn are incredibly important."

The 1.0 was followed by the 2.0, which gave her more freedom in the way she works. "You start playing with it more," she says. That created more confidence. "Then you really become more confident." Still, she consciously chose not to do everything in sequence right away. "I thought: get experience first, do sessions, get flying hours."

Only later followed the 3.0, which she completed live. "That's where you really go into even more depth," she says. She learned to look at family lines and underlying patterns. "You just understand more and your sessions get better." At the same time, she remains down-to-earth. "You're not done after training," she says. "You have to keep evolving."

For her, that means peer review, training and continuing to learn. "You always want more knowledge," she says, "but ultimately you also have to discover what suits you." That balance between learning and applying is essential to her.

Her own way of working

In her practice Hypnote, Wendy combines everything she has learned. The basics of HIN are the core, but she adds other techniques. "I make a combo of everything I've learned," she says. She herself calls it her "own sauce."

She focuses partly on medical topics, but deliberately keeps it broad. "With hypnosis you can actually address anything," she says. For her, it's all about asking: what is someone really struggling with? "You have to hit the pain points."

Wendy doesn't work to one set pattern. She looks at what is needed on a person-by-person basis. "If it doesn't go left, then do it right," she says. That flexibility makes her approach personal. She combines hypnosis with other insights, "I also work energetically," she says, "and that can sometimes make just the difference."

She prefers to work with pathways. "Then you can really make strides," she says. But she also sees people who want one session or have already visited several therapists. "You also have shoppers," she says soberly. That's part of it.

The bridge between two worlds

What makes Wendy special is that she combines her practice with her work in mainstream healthcare. She still works as a physician's assistant on a temporary basis. "I can schedule my own schedule," she says. That gives her freedom as well as security.

In the medical world, she also sees the limitations. "Everything has to be done quickly," she says. "There is little time." She notices that not everyone fits into that. "Not everyone can be that fast," she says. That's precisely where she sees the value of her work.

For example, she regularly helped people with prick anxiety. "A lot of people I helped with that during the pricking itself," she says. She also notices that people experience her differently. "They feel you do things differently," she says. She says that's in attention and commitment.

At the same time, she notices that there is little room in mainstream healthcare for what she sees. "Then I think: there's more going on here," she says. But you can't always name that. That makes it clear to her how valuable hypnosis can be as a supplement.

What hypnosis has brought her personally

For Wendy, hypnosis is not just work, but something that has changed her own life. "I have solved a lot with it myself," she says. For her, that's very concrete. For example, she is no longer allergic to cats and dogs. "I can just cuddle them now," she says.

She also cites her sleep apnea as something that has changed. But perhaps even more important is how she feels now. "I'm much more confident," she says. "I just feel better." Hypnosis has helped her understand herself better.

She also stresses how important it is to keep doing sessions yourself. "You can do self-hypnosis," she says, "but someone else always goes just a step further." Precisely because someone else is watching, you get to deeper layers. "You dissolve pieces of yourself all the time."

This also makes her a better therapist. "I understand people better," she says. Because she has experienced it herself, she can empathize better. That makes her work personal and genuine.

More than a profession

In addition to knowledge and skills, hypnosis has brought her something else: connection. "I have gained a very large circle of friends from it," she says. She speaks with warmth about colleagues and the atmosphere within the HIN. "It really feels like a kind of family."

That connectedness energizes her. "There's just a certain atmosphere," she says. It motivates her to keep growing and developing. "You keep learning," she says. And she wants to.

For Wendy, hypnosis is now more than work. "It has become a way of life," she says. It has changed her view of herself and others. "Hypnosis has changed my life for the better," she says. "Because I understand myself better, I can also help others better."

Helping people who really want to

In her practice, Hypnote in Ridderkerk, Wendy works with people who are willing to look at themselves. "They have to want to do it themselves," she says. That motivation, she says, is essential. Without that willingness, change remains superficial.

She helps people with a variety of questions: fears, blockages, physical complaints or recurring patterns. Whatever it is, she always looks at the core. "What's underneath?" is the most important question for her.

Wendy's strength lies in her combination of experience, feeling and knowledge. She knows mainstream care, has gone through processes of her own and continues to evolve. "You have to discover what works for you," she says. She has done just that.

Hearing her story, it feels like everything comes together. "I just make a combo of everything," she says. And maybe that's exactly why her work fits so well. Not because she follows one method, but because she works from who she is.

Want to learn more about Wendy and her method? Check out her website here.

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