From Midwife to Hypnotherapist: How Dineke Bokkers Found Her Own Path Thanks to the HIN
You start with a short self-hypnosis course for ten euros, and a few years later, you have a completely new career. That’s what happened to Dineke Bokkers, who, after more than thirty years as a midwife, decided to delve into hypnotherapy as well.
She now runs her own practice, Flow in Flow, where she helps people with anxieties, traumas, and emotional issues. She has also developed a unique application of medical hypnosis for IUD insertions.
She never expected that it all started with a promotional video during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Then you’re just caught in his trap,” Dineke laughs, recalling her first encounter with Edwin Selij from the Hypnosis Institute of the Netherlands (HIN).
She has now completed all three courses and looks back on her journey of discovery with great pleasure. “I had a really great training experience, enjoyed it, gained a different perspective on the world, and learned a tremendous amount.”
After thirty years in midwifery, Dineke wanted to help people on a deeper level
Dineke Bokkers has over thirty years of experience as a midwife. During that time, she supported countless women through their pregnancies, childbirth, and the postpartum period. In doing so, she frequently noticed that women were struggling with much more than just physical symptoms.
Some women had experienced a traumatic childbirth, others were struggling with grief after a miscarriage, or were dealing with the aftermath of sexual abuse. These are all issues that can affect how someone experiences pregnancy, childbirth, or motherhood.
“People would come to me with their stories, but I never really had the time or the tools to delve deeper into those issues,” says Dineke.
Yet the idea wouldn’t leave her mind. She wanted not only to provide medical care to women but also to support them in processing traumatic experiences.
“I felt the need to learn techniques to handle those conversations more deeply and effectively.”
This laid the foundation for a new direction in her career, one that would ultimately go much further than she had initially imagined.
A promotional video during the pandemic changed her career
Sometimes a big change starts with something very small. In Dineke’s case, it was a brief moment of scrolling on her phone during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She watched a video about self-hypnosis on Edwin Selij and, out of curiosity, decided to take an inexpensive online course.
“I thought: Wow, that’s cool—let me check that out. And back then, I think you could buy one of Edwin’s courses for just ten euros.”
The course made a strong impression. Dineke discovered that hypnosis was different from what she had expected and that there were interesting opportunities to guide people.
Because she loves to learn more whenever something piques her curiosity, she decided to sign up for the first course offered by the Hypnosis Institute of the Netherlands.
The online classes also worked out particularly well for her. In addition to her work as a midwife , she had little time to attend in-person classes.
“If it hadn’t been online, I wouldn’t have done it, because I didn’t have time for it. So this was a stroke of luck for me.”
What began as an experiment driven by curiosity became the start of a completely new professional journey.
The lighthearted nature of the HIN training took some getting used to
Anyone who has worked in the medical field for years is used to protocols, guidelines, and a serious approach to teaching. So the training style at Edwin Selij came as quite a surprise to Dineke.
Humor, enthusiasm, jokes, and even music: it was all different from what she was used to.
“I come from a world of medical stuff, and that’s all very responsible and serious. You don’t just start with a song like that!”
At first, Dineke had to get used to the way Edwin conveyed his knowledge, but the more weekends she attended, the more she discovered why his approach fits the course material so well.
She became increasingly fascinated by the techniques and the possibilities for guiding people from a different perspective.
The enthusiasm and accessibility were particularly impressive. The lessons were educational, but also just a lot of fun.
“I was pleasantly surprised. I was always looking forward to it and was really amazed at how much you can learn online.”
Her enjoyment of learning led Dineke to decide to go beyond just the initial training course.
Hypnosis 3.0 gave her the confidence to start her own practice
Although Dineke was enthusiastic about Hypnosis 1.0 ( Hypno Principles), she still didn’t feel sufficiently prepared after that course to start working independently as a hypnotherapist.
That’s why she also took Hypnosis 2.0 ( Hypno Playground) and eventually Hypnosis 3.0 ( Hypno Pathfinder). The latter course, in particular, proved to be important for her development.
“I think it was during the 3.0 course that the penny really dropped for me, and I got the feeling: I can do this!”
She had already learned a great deal during her first two courses, but she continued to doubt whether she had enough knowledge and experience to properly guide clients.
This was also related to her medical background. People in her circle often reacted critically to hypnosis. As a result, she wanted to be extra confident in her skills.
Hypnosis 3.0 changed all that. The in-depth content, exercises, and additional techniques helped her feel increasingly confident.
“I felt like I had enough tools in my backpack and thought: bring it on.”
For Dineke, this training marked the moment when her interest in hypnosis turned into the confidence that she could actually make it her career.
From skepticism among colleagues to her own hypnotherapy practice
Not everyone in Dineke’s circle was immediately enthusiastic about her new interest.
In fact, some of her colleagues in obstetrics were quite skeptical about hypnosis.
“I had some very skeptical colleagues who would practically fall out of their chairs just at the mention of the word ‘hypnosis.’”
That made it difficult for her to combine her new knowledge with her existing work. Dineke would have liked to incorporate hypnosis into her midwifery practice, but she wasn’t given enough opportunity to do so.
Yet that resistance did not make her doubt the direction she wanted to take. On the contrary, she became increasingly motivated to show what she believed hypnosis could achieve.
Eventually, she decided to leave the partnership and start her own practice.
“Because they were so against it, I became even more motivated to do it,” said Dineke.
This is how Flow in Flow, her home-based practice in Nijkerk, came to be. She now combines hypnotherapy with mindfulness and EMDR. To do so, she completed additional training, including child hypnosis and Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP).
The training at HIN marked the beginning of that journey.
Through “Flow in Flow,” Dineke helps people cope with anxiety, grief, and trauma
In her practice, Flow in Flow, Dineke helps people with a wide range of issues, drawing heavily on her background as a midwife.
For example, she helps women who are afraid of childbirth, have experienced a traumatic birth, or are grieving after a miscarriage or the loss of a child.
In addition, she works with clients experiencing other trauma-related issues, including men and older women.
“With the techniques I’ve learned through hypnosis, it’s truly wonderful to be able to use them for healing.”
Her approach isn’t limited to hypnosis alone. Dineke combines various methods and assesses what each person needs.
Calmness plays an important role in this process. For example, clients are given meditations to practice at home and are encouraged to write down their experiences.
When it comes to complex trauma, she emphasizes that recovery can take time and require attention. “It’s not just about doing things quickly—a quick fix and then moving on. At least, not in my practice.”
What Dineke loves most is being able to guide people in rediscovering their own strength, so they can move forward with their lives.
Medical hypnosis for IUD insertion: a unique specialization
One application Dineke is particularly enthusiastic about is medical hypnosis for IUD insertions.
As a midwife, she regularly inserts IUDs and contraceptive implants. She therefore knows from experience that such procedures can cause tension, anxiety, and pain in women.
That is why she developed a protocol in which medical hypnosis is applied during the insertion of an IUD.
“So I use medical hypnosis to make the process as gentle as possible.”
According to Dineke, women who use this approach often experience less tension and pain. The goal is to break the cycle between anxiety, stress, and pain.
She is eager to share this knowledge with other healthcare providers and has therefore developed a course for midwives and family physicians.
In that course, participants learn how to apply hypnosis techniques during a medical procedure. Among other things, she uses the eye-lock technique.
Although some participants are skeptical at first, she notices that their curiosity grows as they practice. “Then they start practicing and think: Hey, this really does work.”
Her initiative even caught the attention of Omroep Gelderland, which visited her for an interview.
Dineke hopes that medical hypnosis will be considered more often in the future as a complementary option for reducing anxiety and pain associated with medical procedures.
Hypnosis and mindfulness help pregnant women develop greater confidence
In addition to individual sessions, Dineke also leads group sessions for pregnant women, sometimes together with their partners.
In her work, she combines mindfulness, meditation, and insights from hypnotherapy to prepare women for childbirth and parenthood.
It focuses on relaxation, physical changes, emotions, and how pregnant women can cope with stress.
“By meditating and relaxing, you develop resilience to handle the immense experience that pregnancy and childbirth entail.”
The groups typically consist of six or seven women. By practicing together, participants learn to be more mindful of their bodies and emotions.
Dineke believes it’s important that these skills remain useful even after giving birth. After all, parenthood brings new challenges, such as sleepless nights, uncertainty, and a crying baby.
That is why she sees mindfulness as a valuable complement to hypnosis.
“Mindfulness is more of a way of life. I always try to incorporate that combination a little bit.”
By practicing relaxation and mindfulness, she aims to help women approach childbirth and the postpartum period with greater confidence.
At Flow in Flow, clients are given space—both literally and figuratively
Anyone with an appointment with Dineke will find themselves in the countryside near Nijkerk. From her practice, clients look out over meadows and goats.
Nature also plays a role indoors. The practice is decorated in shades of green and has a calming atmosphere.
That environment fits perfectly with her way of working.
“As a result, they stay in the chair for a very long time and don’t want to get out.”
The name “Flow in Flow” refers to the rhythm of pregnancy, childbirth, and life itself. It’s all about creating space to get back into your own flow.
Her practice, therefore, has a fitting slogan: “Where silence creates space.”
“Sometimes you have to become very still to give your body the space it needs to answer the questions you ask yourself.”
That idea has since become the common thread running through everything she does.
Dineke’s most important lesson: follow your heart, even when others have doubts
Looking back, a lot has changed since that first promotional video during the pandemic.
Dineke went from being an experienced midwife with an interest in hypnosis to becoming an independent hypnotherapist with her own practice and a unique specialization in medical hypnosis.
What began with a curious click on an advertising video grew into a new career in which Dineke can combine her years of medical experience with her passion for personal coaching.
Want to learn more about Dineke Bokkers and her practice? Visit her website.
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