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

Sometimes things don’t fall into place until later. That’s certainly true for Wendy Vermeij from Ridderkerk. She works as a hypnotherapist, is also active as a doctor’s assistant, and combines that with her roles 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.

School didn’t come as easily to her. “I wasn’t a great student,” she says. “I found learning difficult.” Still, she found her path through a fashion program in The Hague. Afterward, she worked as a tailor in the corporate apparel industry, where she measured and altered people’s clothing. “If someone is lopsided, how do you get a garment to fit straight?” 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 young, her work changed again. She started working in home care and stayed there for ten years. “I learned so much there,” she says. “You see how people live, what their relationships are like, what’s going on.” It was precisely there that she began to sense there is more than just what’s visible. “You really experience people’s joys and sorrows,” she explains. And something else became clear: “How do you keep your own energy to 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 work out back then. “I had young children; it was hard to plan,” she admits honestly. Her social circle also played a role. “My partner at the time didn’t like the idea at all.” The desire remained, but the time wasn’t right 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 of the Netherlands is where her foundation was laid. “What I learned at the HIN is my foundation,” she says. And she still draws on that foundation every day. “Those steps you learn are incredibly important.”

After completing Level 1.0 , she moved on to Level 2.0, which gave her more freedom in her approach. “You start to experiment with it more,” she says. That built her confidence. “Then you really become more confident.” Still, she made a conscious decision not to do everything all at once. “I thought: first gain experience, conduct sessions, and build up my hours.”

It wasn’t until later that she took the 3.0 course, which she completed in person. “That’s where you really go even deeper,” she explains. She learned to examine 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 the training,” she says. “You have to keep developing.”

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, Hypnoot, Wendy combines everything she has learned. The HIN curriculum forms the core, but she adds other techniques to it. “I combine everything I’ve learned,” she says. She calls it her “own special blend.”

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 a fear of needles. “I’ve helped a lot of people with that during the injection itself,” she says. She also notices that people perceive her differently. “They sense that you do it differently,” she says. According to her, that comes down to attention and engagement.

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 isn’t just a job—it’s something that has transformed her own life. “I’ve solved a lot of my own issues with it,” she says. For her, this is very tangible. For example, she is no longer allergic to cats and dogs. “Now I can just cuddle them,” 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 given her something else: connection. “I’ve gained a very large circle of friends through it,” she says. She speaks warmly about her colleagues and the atmosphere at 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.

Would you like to learn more about Wendy and her method? Check out her website here.

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