Becoming a hypnotherapist at the Hypnosis Institute Netherlands: the story of Marciano van Hemert
For many people who start hypnotherapy training with the Hypnosis Institute Netherlands, this is preceded by an intensely personal quest. So too for Marciano van Hemert, whose quest began years earlier.
In 2014, Marciano lived mostly in his head. Fear, uncertainty and a constant inner turmoil were constant and kept him from truly living the way he wanted to.
"I felt I wanted more, but my head kept sabotaging me," he says. "That made me deeply unhappy."
What felt like a tough time at the time later turned out to be the beginning of his calling as a hypnotherapist.
In search of real change
In his quest for recovery, Marciano first turned to mainstream counseling. Soon medication was suggested, but that didn't feel right to him.
"I didn't want to become dependent on pills," he says. "I wanted to understand how to help myself."
So he decided to take matters into his own hands. He attended group trainings, worked with coaches, did breath work, awareness programs and individual coaching. For years, he invested in his personal development. Yet he kept looking for something that not only provided insight, but also brought real, lasting change.
Through social media, he came in contact with someone who was training at Hypnosis Institute Netherlands. That piqued his curiosity. He started studying hypnosis and the vision of Edwin Selij.
"I was looking for the fastest and most effective way to further deal with anxiety," he says. "At HIN, I immediately felt: this is right."
In 2022, he began training in hypnotherapy at the Hypnosis Institute Netherlands. Between 2022 and 2025, he earned all three diplomas there.
Studying at HIN: coming home to like-minded people
For Marciano, training at Hypnosis Institute Netherlands was much more than technical training. It felt like coming home.
"I felt much more understood by other people because they thought the same way I did about many things,'' he says. Because students brought in personal themes and allowed themselves to be vulnerable, deep connections quickly emerged . Marciano kept valuable friendships from the training.
During the corona period, he often felt alone in his way of thinking. He was concerned with questions of meaning, consciousness and personal growth, while many people around him were not. At the HIN, he met people who looked at life the same way.
"It was a double investment," he says. "In my profession as well as in myself."
Discovering the power of hypnosis
What particularly touched Marciano about hypnosis was its direct effect on the subconscious mind. He noticed how quickly beliefs, patterns and emotions could change.
"You don't just change behavior," he explains, "but also what's happening deep inside."
In addition, Edwin Selij 's vision played a major role. The conviction with which he spoke about hypnosis gave Marciano confidence in the method.
"He demonstrates that change can be fast and sustainable," said Dr. K. K., who is a member of the company.
It became clear to Marciano that hypnotherapy is not a woolly alternative, but a practical and effective tool for true transformation.
Living between two worlds
During his education, Marciano was still working in logistics as an assistant foreman at a meat warehouse. A work environment where personal development was less of a focus.
"By day I was on the shop floor, by night I was a therapist in training," he laughs.
That contrast taught him that mental challenges are everywhere. Stress, anxiety and uncertainty are not tied to one industry. This is precisely why he feels connected to people from all backgrounds.
Have your own practice as a hypnotherapist
After his training, Marciano started his own practice, primarily online. This fits well with his training program, which took place largely online.
"People sit at home, in their own environment, with earbuds in. They can feel safe, relax easily and completely cut themselves off from the outside world for a while."
His practice focuses primarily on people with anxiety symptoms, fear of failure, insecurity, separation anxiety and tension problems. From his own experience, he understands well how crippling these complaints can be.
For future students, his story is a great example: after training at HIN, you can actually go into professional work and build your own practice.
Letting go of fear AND learning to be with it: ''I don't want to create people who depend on therapy,'' he says. ''My goal is for someone to feel: I can do this myself.''
In his approach, Marciano combines two key elements. On the one hand, he helps people reduce or release anxiety. On the other hand, he teaches them to be with feelings without being overwhelmed by them.
"An emotion often lasts only a short time," he explains. "But through thoughts, we sustain them. Once people stop making everything personal, fear often naturally loses its grip.''
Clients learn with him to recognize feelings, be with them and release them again, without getting stuck in the head. "The goal is for people to become independent," he says. "That they can carry themselves."
Results that continue to amaze
During his work, Marciano already experienced many special moments. For example, he guided a woman with separation anxiety who dared to change her life after one session. Another client had been in therapy for years, but felt liberated from her problem after one hypnosis session.
"Moments like that validate why I do this work and how powerful the techniques I learned at HIN are," he said.
What prospective students can expect
According to Marciano, training at Hypnosis Institute Netherlands is distinguished by its strong practical focus, personal guidance, scientifically based methods and great attention to personal development.
"You don't just get trained as a therapist," he says. "You also grow as a human being."
This makes the training suitable for people who not only seek a new profession, but also want to know themselves better.
Living and working from the now
The most important lesson Marciano learned from hypnosis is the importance of presence.
"I lived in my head for years," he says. "That's not where you find happiness."
Looking back, Marciano sees how fear often used to stop him from making choices. Not so much by what he did, but by what he allowed.
"I have found that regrets are often not about mistakes," he says, "but about opportunities you didn't have the courage to take."
Hypnosis helps people break free from brooding thoughts and reconnect with the moment. From that calmness comes confidence.
"Then you no longer live from control, but from relaxation." Sometimes growth is not adding something new, but letting go of what you are not.
A moment that confirmed everything
During his 3.0 exam, Marciano guided a client who could not even recall her original problem afterwards.
"It just disappeared," he says. "I'll never forget that."
That moment confirmed for him that he had made the right choice.
Are you considering hypnotherapy training?
His story shows what is possible after training at HIN: personal growth, professional development, a private practice and real impact on clients' lives.
Unsure if training at Hypnosis Institute Netherlands is right for you? Then Marciano's story is a powerful example.
He started with anxiety and uncertainty, found his way through HIN training and built a professional practice. Want to learn more about his practice? Click here.
Like Marciano, would you like to develop yourself with hypnosis and help other people?
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.
The schedule for these sessions fills up quickly around the start of each group. Is there still a time slot available that works for you? Then book it now.