Tommie Visser: From Skeptical Elite Athlete to Hypnotherapist with a Full Practice

During the day, Tommie Visser trains six horses, gives riding lessons, and sometimes sees two clients in a single day in between. You’d think he’d collapse on the couch, exhausted, afterward, but that’s not the case: “People sometimes ask how I manage it all, but I get so much energy in return.”

A few years ago, Tommie would probably have raised his eyebrows at this story himself. Hypnosis? To him, it sounded mostly like a bunch of mumbo jumbo. Now he has a busy practice with a (short) waiting list. “I think it’s fantastic when people are able to achieve something for themselves using what I’ve taught them.”

Top athlete and hypnotherapist

When you ask Tommie what he does, the answer doesn’t fit neatly into a single category. “I currently have a full-time job as a hypnotherapist, but I’m actually also a full-time elite equestrian athlete.” It’s a combination of two worlds that may seem worlds apart at first glance, but in practice share surprisingly many similarities.

Tommie previously competed in the Netherlands for the Olympic team and was recently a reserve for the Belgian team during the World Dressage Championships.

“My goal is the Olympics in two years.” His horse competed in her first Grand Prix just a few months ago, which has caused everything to gain momentum in a short period of time.

Yet for Tommie, it’s not just about the end result. Precisely because of his experiences in elite sports, he knows how important it is to also enjoy the journey along the way. That insight now plays a major role in the way he guides his clients.

Suddenly, the nerves set in

His first encounter with hypnosis came from an experience in equestrian sports. Tommie had already competed in countless competitions when, during a minor event, he suddenly became incredibly nervous . He couldn’t make sense of it. “I thought: Tommie, just act normal. You’ve already competed in two million competitions, so why are you suddenly acting all nervous now?”

During the same period, his partner was struggling with stress. She searched online for help, found a hypnotherapist, and was enthusiastic about the experience. He then suggested that Tommie make an appointment as well. At first, Tommie wasn’t very convinced. “I said, ‘No way, that whole woo-woo stuff isn’t for me.’”

Still, he decided to give it a try. After a few sessions, his perspective changed completely. Why didn’t anyone know this?

A diploma on the wall showed the way

Tommie attended his sessions with Sylvia Verburg in Belgium. During a visit, he saw her diploma from the Hypnosis Institute of the Netherlands hanging on the wall. “I saw that diploma, then googled it, and that’s how I ended up at the HIN. It was actually very simple.”

Although the content appealed to him right away, he hesitated for a long time. The course required a significant investment, and he wasn’t yet sure exactly what he wanted to do with it. “I thought: I can keep worrying about it, but in the worst-case scenario, it won’t do me any good. At least I’ll have tried.”

It turned out to be the beginning of a completely new field of work. Not because Tommie had drawn up a detailed business plan in advance, but because his curiosity kept taking him further and further.

From online learning to your own practice

Tommie completed the first course ( Hypno Principles) entirely online. Wearing headphones while sitting at his computer, he was able to concentrate fully. “I think they’ve put together a fantastic program at the HIN. When you take it at home, it’s just like being in the classroom.”

At first, he therefore thought he would eventually offer only online sessions. During the Hypno Playground 2.0, however, he opted for the hybrid format and also attended in-person sessions. “When I participated in person, I thought: Wow, I actually really love this too.”

He still makes use of that flexibility today. Clients can see him both in person and online. Sometimes the first session takes place at his practice, and follow-up sessions are conducted online. This is convenient, for example, for people who have to travel a long distance.

Thanks to the hybrid training program, Tommie feels completely at home in both situations.

Don’t wait—just get started

“I had absolutely no intention of starting a practice. That idea hadn’t even crossed my mind beforehand.” Still, sitting still wasn’t in his nature. “The day I received my certification, I immediately created a profile and got started.”

The first clients soon began to arrive. Interestingly, they weren’t just people from the equestrian world. Clients with very different backgrounds and needs also came forward.

That gave Tommie the confidence to move forward without hesitation with Hypno Playground 2.0 and Hypno Pathfinder 3.0. In about two and a half years, his practice grew into a thriving business with a waiting list. He hadn’t planned that success in advance. It came about because he recognized opportunities, immediately applied new knowledge, and was willing to figure out what did and didn’t work for him.

The Hypno Pathfinder 3.0: Getting Lost to Find Your Own Style

Tommie thought the 3.0 course was “absolutely amazing,” though the learning process wasn’t without its moments of confusion. Halfway through, he even felt for a moment that he didn’t understand any of it anymore. “At one point, I thought: I’ve completely lost track, I really don’t understand any of this anymore, and I can’t do a thing with it.”

At the same time, it was precisely that experimentation that made the 3.0 program so valuable to him. Tommie already had a practice and applied every new technique immediately.

It wasn’t until the year after he graduated that everything really clicked. The individual techniques came together as a whole, and Tommie developed his own style. “It’s actually the same as driving a car: you don’t really learn to drive until after you’ve gotten your driver’s license.”

Now, he no longer has to think extensively in advance about what he’s going to do. He sits down, listens, and trusts everything he’s learned. It wasn’t until later, when he served as an assistant in a new Hypno Principles 1.0 group, that he realized just how much he himself had grown.

From “this isn’t possible” to amazing results

One of the most impressive moments during the training took place during the module on pain management. Tommie had been quite skeptical about it beforehand. He could understand that beliefs could influence behavior. But reducing pain this way? “I thought: this is way too simple. That’s just not possible.”

During a demonstration, however, he saw how a fellow student—who had previously been practically crawling on the floor in pain—experienced immense relief. A week later, he asked her if the effect was still there. “She said it was incredible and that she simply didn’t feel the pain anymore. Then I thought: Wow, how is that possible?”

Later, he also saw remarkable results in his own practice. For example, he worked with someone whose nerves had been damaged by chemotherapy. This client wanted to be able to ride a horse pain-free again. He is now able to ride for an hour without pain. For Tommie, these are the moments that reveal just how much people can change on their own with the right guidance.

Behind different stories often lies the same truth

Tommie works with people facing all kinds of issues, including horse enthusiasts, competitive riders, elite athletes, and people who are afraid to get back on a horse after a fall. For example, just before the world championship, he worked with a Polish rider, who then enthusiastically took her place at the starting line.

He also helps people outside the equestrian world. After all, when you peel back all the stories, he often encounters the same underlying themes among his clients. “Whether you’re competing in a show, working in the business world, or taking care of two children at home: ultimately, it often boils down to the same thing.”

One person competes at the international level, another experiences stress at work, and yet another doubts herself as a mother. Beneath these different circumstances, the same fears, beliefs, and needs often lie.

Rediscover the joy of the journey to the finish line

Many people feel that achievement must always come at the expense of enjoyment. For athletes, this often means they can only be satisfied if they win or reach a certain level.

But that’s not how it started. “We start something because we enjoy it, but along the way, we become convinced that it has to lead to some kind of achievement.”

According to Tommie, that’s an exhausting way to live. People can experience their entire lives as a race and focus solely on the finish line. As a result, the journey itself becomes one long struggle. Tommie helps them rediscover a sense of lightheartedness, even when there are major bumps along the way.

After a good game, you might be happy for an evening. After a bad game, you might be bummed out for two days. Then life goes back to normal. “Why get so worked up about it? You’re better off enjoying what you’re doing and just doing your very best.”

Skeptics, in particular, are welcome

Tommie reaches many people who initially don’t believe in hypnosis. He understands this well, because he started out just as skeptical. “My strength is that I can help people see that hypnotherapy isn’t at all ‘woo-woo.’”

His reputation in the equestrian world helps with this. People have been following him for some time, are familiar with his communication style, and know that he doesn’t just make claims without substance. As a result, they are more open to his explanations about hypnotherapy.

After three sessions, one client put it in a way that Tommie still finds brilliant: “I still can’t believe it, and I don’t know how it’s possible, but it really does work.” That’s exactly the kind of response he loves to hear.

Two full-time passions that energize me

Tommie now juggles two demanding careers. He trains horses, teaches, works toward his Olympic dream, and also sees clients every day. On paper, it almost seems like two full-time jobs. “Sometimes I train six horses during the day, teach a class, and then see two more clients afterward.”

Still, hypnotherapy doesn’t feel to him like something that’s purely draining. When people use what he’s taught them to bring about significant change on their own, he actually gets a tremendous amount in return. “When people can achieve something like that on their own, I think that’s fantastic. It gives me an incredible amount of energy.”

His practice is called Conscii, inspired by the Latin word for consciousness. The name reflects what Tommie aims to achieve in his sessions: bringing something that plays a role unconsciously into conscious awareness so that it can change.

What began with unexpected nerves during a competition eventually grew into a second great passion. Tommie now helps elite athletes, equestrians, mothers, professionals, and skeptics to view their stories in a different light.

Click here to visit his website.

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