Emma Heywood is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, a practitioner of Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT), Performance Mindset Coach, and a classically trained actress, performing on stage from North America to Europe. She has been on her own mental health journey since she was 12 years old. She knows what it’s like to struggle with depression, anxiety, and PTSD. She transformed her life using RTT, hypnosis, and the power of her subconscious mind. She went from living a life of trauma and low self-esteem to one of inner freedom, self-worth, joy, abundance, and embodying her purpose. And now she helps others do the same. You too can live a life free from self-doubt, fear, low self-esteem, and anxiety. You too can become the most powerful, liberated, confident version of you yet. Emma will be your guide: see you on the other side.
Emma Heywood, Clinical Hypnotherapist, RTT Practitioner, & Certified Performance Mindset Coach
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better. Hi! My name is Emma Heywood. I could start this off by listing all the things I do or about my work, but what I’d love to share first is more about my essence. I’m an energetic, vivacious, free-spirited, strong, powerful, emotional person. I lead with my energy. And that’s what I’m most proud of. Whether it’s clients, friends, family, when I’m with you, I’m WITH you. I have a powerful energy that truly is my superpower. This superpower took me years to embrace. I’ve had many people tell me I’m “too much.” But my too-muchness is deeply sincere. I have a big presence and my presence and energetic flair is what make me the powerful healer I am. I’m from Montreal, Canada but then moved to the United States as a kid, then moved back to Canada, back to the States again, so I feel very half/half. Though I am currently embracing a new way of living, as I travel about half of the year as a digital nomad and work online with my clients. Along with being a hypnotherapist, I am also a classically trained actor, performing in North America and Europe. My work as an actor greatly influences my therapy practice. I think everyone should take an acting class at least once in their life. It is some of the most expansive, challenging, healing work there is. Theatre has always been and will always be a significant part of my life. I am a lover of the outdoors! I grew up hiking, camping deep in the mountains and woods. But my favourite place in nature has always been water. The sea, the ocean are my happy places. I love to swim: to me it is the ultimate freedom. Swimming in the waves, flowing with the water, reminds me that we live in infinite possibilities. Spending time in nature has taught me resilience, patience, trust, and self-love. In my free time I love to read, I am constantly wanting to learn. I usually have 3 or 4 books going at once depending on what mood I’m in. I will be a forever student of life! I love to go to museums and galleries and feel like I’m time-traveling through history. In all ways I love to explore: whether it’s exploring the depths of our subconscious minds, exploring the great outdoors, or exploring artistic spaces; I live from a place of curiosity.
What inspired you to become a hypnotherapist, and how did you get started in this field? My road to becoming a hypnotherapist started because of my own mental health journey. I had struggled with mental health issues from about 12 years old. I battled severe depression, and later on anxiety and PTSD. I have been in many forms of talk therapy and explored many healing modalities over the years. A part of me always knew I wanted to get into mental health and wellness because having overcome so much, I wanted to support others on their journey. I had gone through an incredibly dark time and came out the other side; it felt like it was part of my purpose to help others do the same. I was deep into living the hustling actor’s life. There came a moment where I paused and was deeply honest with myself and admitted I wasn’t fully fulfilled. I wanted something more. That was when I experienced hypnotherapy myself and had one of the most profound experiences of my life; that is when I knew this was the modality I wanted to support others with too. I found answers to questions I had been asking for years in hypnotherapy and working with my subconscious mind, that I never achieved in decades of talk therapy. I experienced some of the deepest shifts in my life. It was through my own shifts that I decided, YES, this is the modality that was made for me, and the modality I wanted to support others with for their own transformation. I’ve always been a person who lives deeply. And there is nothing deeper than exploring the subconscious mind. It feels like this work was made for me. I trained in the school of Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) and became an RTT Practitioner and Certified Hypnotherapist, and have been helping others with their own deep transformations ever since.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today. I would say there are two pivotal moments that brought me to where I am today. One when I was a teenager battling severe depression, I almost didn’t survive it. There was a moment when I had to decide was I going to fight for myself and heal or was I going to give up. The years following were some of the hardest years of my life, but it was through my fight and showing up for myself in my own healing, that led me to be the person I am today. The other moment was when I was honest with myself that I wasn’t fully fulfilled acting and I decided to change my career. I could feel deep in my soul that I was here for something more. I knew I had overcome so many mental health struggles from a young age in order to help others heal down the road. It was in that moment that everything changed and has led me to where I am today. After completing my schooling I decided to uproot my life. Leaving my life in Canada, moving back to the States, and then eventually doing something I’ve always wanted to do, and that’s travel on my own. My own healing with hypnotherapy gave me the confidence and belief that I could do that. I now travel and work and live a life of freedom I had only ever dreamt of. Not to say it’s easy, but I have the tools now to get through anything. And it all came from that one moment of honesty with myself. That one decision and ever since then my life has been effortlessly transforming. I am now exactly where I was always meant to be.
Can you describe the types of issues or conditions you commonly address with hypnotherapy and how it can benefit your clients?
What I love about my practice is that it consists of a few different issues I support people with. I specialize in performance mindset and work with athletes and artists in building deep confidence and consistency in their performance. I also work with groups and corporate teams for optimal performance and team building. As a theatremaker and subconscious mind expert, merging these two practices are incredibly powerful. The other core issue I support people with is low self-worth and confidence. Low self-worth is the number one core wound I transform for folks. And once you overcome this deep wound, that is when everything else in your life transforms. How you view yourself, what you deem yourself worthy of, is directly related to what you will live out. If you don’t believe you are worthy of love (on a subconscious level) you won’t attract it.
You’ll keep attracting the same relationship in a different body. If you don’t believe money and success is available to you, that you deserve it, you won’t receive it. Your life comes down to your subconscious beliefs. And feeling unworthy of receiving what you want to receive is the thing that is blocking you. So that has become my other speciality in my practice. Taking people from feeling not enough, feeling deeply unworthy, lacking self-belief to completely transforming their sense of self from the inside out. Client after client tells me how much my work has changed their lives. Because again, when you feel worthy in the core of your being, and fully embody and own your innate worth, that is the antidote to feeling good and attracting external levels of success – in essence, transform the inside to receive the outside. The great thing about hypnotherapy is it really can support you with any problem you’re facing. That’s what I love about it! I work with people in overcoming anxiety, depression, procrastination, weight loss, physical pain, insomnia, PTSD, etc., but the thing I support people with most is developing healthy self-worth and authentic confidence.
What specific techniques or approaches do you use in your hypnotherapy practice, and how do they differ from other methods? The work I do is called Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) developed by world-renowned therapist, Marisa Peer. RTT combines the most beneficial parts of Hypnotherapy, Psychotherapy, NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and Neuroscience. What makes RTT unique is that it’s designed to find the root cause of your problem. It solves most deeply rooted issues, often in just 1-3 sessions, because we’re working with your subconscious mind. Before I plant new suggestions for my clients (that really is all hypnosis is about: being suggestible), I first help them uncover where their problem came from in the first place. When they understand why they have this block, that brings them the most liberation. There is such power and freedom in understanding why you have a problem before you change it. It makes it easier to transform and not come back.
Now, in my practice at Emma Heywood Hypnosis, we go beyond just RTT. Along with RTT sessions, you also get coaching sessions, embodiment tools and practices developed from my acting experience. Something that actors have always known and that the wellness industry is just waking up to, is that it’s all in the body. The body is the key in transformation. The subconscious mind and body are the same. Working in my programs gives you a full transformation of your life from the inside out: on a subconscious level, a somatic level, a mental and emotional level. You can either work with me in my 3-week container or my 3-month container, depending on what level of transformation you’re ready for.
Can you share any success stories or testimonials from clients who have experienced positive outcomes through your hypnotherapy services? Of course! Read below to hear some of my clients success stories: “My work with Emma was beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. Emma is extremely knowledgeable and truly dedicated to her practice. I have read, taken psychology classes, worked with a lot of therapists and alternative healing modalities and nothing compares to RTT and hypnotherapy with Emma. The experience is personalized from start to finish with detailed coaching sessions following and personalized hypnosis recordings. For anyone that hasn’t experienced therapeutic hypnosis before, it is euphoric. I truly had no clue what would arise from my subconscious mind during our session. After 32 years of trauma and searching, all of the answers were right there and within a month after my hypnotherapy session I was able to confront a close family member that I thought would take me 10 more years to be able to do. RTT is truly transformational and I hope from the bottom of my heart that everyone going through their healing journeys can experience it. I am beyond grateful to Emma for doing this profound work and for sharing her gifts with the world.” – Naomi “Before my RTT session with Emma, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I've had various hypnosis sessions, none of which seemed to have any effect on me. I think what made me want to give this a try with Emma was her authenticity & just this feeling of genuinely caring for others. Plus, I love that she’s got spunk, she’s not all goody-two-shoes, & that allows me to show up as my real self, too. When Emma led me into the hypnosis, I was still doubtful that it would work for me. But I went so so very deep. I couldn't believe it when I found myself in my mother's womb, but the experience was so real, so raw & so emotionally intense, it was completely life-changing.
Clarity, understanding, self-compassion, self-love and an immense feeling of inner power have emerged inside of me since the session. I feel such a huge weight lifted off of me. I think this is because Emma is genuine, quick-witted, strong, flexible & she’s wasn’t afraid to follow me to dark places. I feel so much gratitude for Emma, I feel like a completely different person, she is an incredible hypnotherapist. I honestly think this session was worth thousands of $$$. And I'm not exaggerating. Because that's how much I've dropped on various therapies that never got me nowhere. The insights I've gained from ONE session with Emma are more than 20 years of therapy together. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
– Barbara
“I have absolutely loved working with Emma. I have been in therapy for 20 years on and off and am a therapist myself. I have never experienced such a quick shift in my healing journey than the work I’ve done with Emma.”
– Christine
“It’s officially been 2 months since my RTT session with Emma, and I am genuinely amazed at how far I’ve come in this short while.
I would Cirst like to start off by saying that Emma is and has always been from our Cirst meeting so open, trustworthy, and kind. Working with her it is clear she truly cares, and is really in your corner. Your growth matters to her–and I truly believe that this is a huge part of why working with her WORKS.
At the 21-day point I truly did feel a ‘click.’Something had shifted for me—I’m not even sure how to explain it. The coaching sessions I had with Emma after that point just helped me to push forward into my new way of being,
My original concern with Emma was about body image issues and my relationship with food. Now 2 months after the session, I truly can explain it best as ‘I just don’t care’ about what used to consume me every day. And that is EXACTLY how I described to Emma how I would like to feel—what would make me feel free.
I feel like I’m in control of an area of my life finally that I could just never get a handle on for 30 years. I am Clourishing and I notice myself becoming more comfortable in my skin every day.“
– Angela "I came to Emma with a closed heart and a fear of being seen for who I truly am, looking to figure out the root cause of why I came to be this way. I have dealt with these intimacy and vulnerability issues my entire life and even though I had addressed them in talk-therapy before, I always came away from those sessions feeling like I was just exacerbating the issue and nowhere close to healing it.
There came a point where I decided that I needed to face the proverbially beast head on and that’s when I reached out to Emma. And it is no small thing to say that working with her has completely transformed the way I look at and talk to myself. I can finally recognize the belief systems and thought patterns about intimacy and vulnerability that no longer serve me and I am finally treating myself with the same kindness, empathy, and support that I try to give to others. And not only was I able to understand the who, what, and why of my emotional blocks, but I was given tools to be able to continue to support myself outside the session as well. Emma is so passionate and sincere in her mission to help you through whatever you are struggling with, and I have never felt so safe or so free to be my absolute best AND worst self. Emma guides you through the session with total acceptance, ready to catch you for anything, and she has this ability to just inherently and truly understand what you’re going through and then instill in you the strength and compassion to help you heal from it. I couldn’t recommend her and her practice enough. I honestly can’t imagine that I’d be where I am within myself right now without Emma’s program, I honestly can’t think of any other way I could have settled into myself more cohesively or more definitely. The speed of which I’m seeing changes and feeling the results are mind-blowing. I’m so, so so so thankful, so thankful that this has happened for me.” – Olivia “Working with Emma has been amazing! I have never felt healthier, stronger or more stable emotionally nor mentally. I wish I had found her years ago!” – Marilyn “Emma’s heart shines throughout her work and the approach she takes is filled with care and consideration. Emma takes time to understand what you need and will try to get as clear and specific with you. We worked on my core issue of lacking self-belief and self-worth. What I didn’t expect was that I had total autonomy and consent in this entire process. Hypnosis is a willful choice to be lead into the parts of ourselves we don’t even know are significant, let alone even remember sometimes. Emma is a very strong guide who balances tenderness with touches of toughness, just enough to let you know she won’t be fooled by the parts of us not wanting to be seen. She holds compassion with strength and curiosity.
With Emma’s leadership, I was able to recall memories long forgotten and a majority of these memories I had no idea held any such power over my life. Emma never made me feel in danger or alone. She handled any resistance my subconscious gave her with grace and kindness. Hypnosis is not something I expected to be as powerful, eye-opening, and healing as it has been. Right after the session with Emma, I felt very light afterwards and had a boost of mental clarity. I felt energized and renewed. With that result, hypnosis is a soul’s version of a combo massage and physio: you get deep relaxation with some work involved. Hypnosis to me feels like it has been filling in the gaps that years of therapy have not been able to unearth. If you feel stuck or like you’re hitting a healing wall, Emma is your person and guide to help you unlock the rest of your healing journey. Working with Emma is truly making an investment in yourself and your healing. An investment that will benefit you for the rest of your life.” – Bowen “Emma and I worked together to address core beliefs around feeling unworthy, abandoned and unloveable. This was the first time in my life I really felt true relief from these feelings. I have been able to move forward in my life and start creating the life I dream of! Releasing this old energy has created space for newer better things to enter my life. I believe the work Emma does is instrumental in changing subconscious beliefs. Talk therapy and other therapies are great but if you are NOT incorporating RTT therapy into your healing it’s really all in vain. RTT is the key to gaining conscious awareness and making different choices.” – Iva “Before working with Emma I was facing anxieties, lacked confidence, found the same type of relationship over and over again, unable to set boundaries and stand true to my worth. All while continuing the same pattern of ending or running away from my fears. Little did I know my search would find its way to Emma. That’s when I knew she was placed in my path for a reason. A true gem, an Angel on earth. Emma was truly one of the most amazing people I have ever worked with. She was non-judgemental, caring, and so patient. She helped me get to the root of the issues I've been carrying around since I was a young child. Her program has set me free of my own prison and allowed me to believe in myself. I am extremely grateful for her.” – Stacy
"Emma and RTT fit all of my criteria for continuing my mental training, and I was excited to start my RTT experience. Three months later, I can say that Emma exceeded every one of my expectations and RTT was the perfect fit for me. My core limiting beliefs have melted away and my game has expanded in every area.”
– Choosing to remain Anonymous
“I had the pleasure of working with Emma on an issue that I had been struggling with my entire life. I had been in toxic relationships since my teen years and I always ended up sabotaging them for reasons that were unknown to me... until I found Emma. She guided me through my past and helped me understand the question I had been asking myself for years – "why". With Emma's help, I finally understood how my past was connected to my situation and in that understanding I was free. The techniques that Emma used helped me release the old beliefs, thoughts, and emotions that I had been holding onto since I was a child. I rarely shed tears but I cried and it was such relief. Ever since my session with Emma I am confident, hopeful, and strong. But most importantly, I feel renewed and open to finally finding the love that I have been seeking my whole life and that's only because Emma helped me Cind that love for myself. I have never felt more comfortable in my vulnerability than I felt with Emma. She holds the space in a way that only true healers do which makes it the perfect environment to do the work. Thank you Emma, thank you so much!”
– Theresa Sanchez
“I came to Emma because I was struggling internally to accept myself, in my imperfections in my relationship. I felt that I needed to be perfect. Especially in the bedroom, I thought I had to look perfect, I had to act perfect, I had to do this perfect “thing.” If I couldn’t I would feel like I was a failure, stupid, and full of self-hatred. I wasn’t comfortable in my skin. I was struggling deeply with this and I came to Emma because I felt this draw, this connection to her. The way that Emma is is so kind, so non-judgemental, very open, hearing you, listening, and being there. She has this way of holding a deep space of compassion, love, and acceptance. What we uncovered in our session was so deep; I didn’t realize what came up was holding me back. I never would have gotten to the bottom of it without Emma’s help. And her hypnosis recording she made for me is angelic, so perfect, so eloquent yet so powerful. And so freeing! I felt so liberated. I would 1000% recommend Emma for anything she can assist you with, but especially if you’re having any self-love, relationship issues, love life, intimacy issues. Emma is your go-to girl because the way that she holds space, doesn’t pass any judgement, and allows you to express yourself fully. She understands you, she’s there to reaffirm you, and makes you know just how powerful you truly are and she does it in a safe, loving way.”
– Tiani
“I worked with Emma for 3 sessions on anxiety. One for health anxiety, one to no longer care about being judged by others, and one for driving. The struggle with anxiety and panic attacks started when I was a child, but it really started to interfere with my daily life after my first child was born. I started taking medication, which helped but I knew I still needed something more. I instantly felt comfortable with Emma and talked to her about things I’ve never talked about. I had so many ah-ha moments and I have finally figured out the root cause of my anxiety. Emma genuinely cares and I loved that I could share my wins with her and she really cheered me on and I could also share my difficult moments with her with ease. The recordings by Emma were so effective. I looked forward to listening to them every night. Emma’s voice is so passionate, and her voice would carry with me throughout my day, which made me feel safe and confident. Before working with Emma, I struggled with finding out what self-care really meant to me and what truly helped me long-term. The recordings and working with Emma are exactly the self-care I was looking for and needed. I love taking the time for myself to listen to the recordings. This has truly been a life-changing experience. Daily tasks that used to take an enormous amount of effort, like driving, going to the grocery store, or anywhere outside of my home, are now effortless. My quality of life has improved drastically. I am amazed at how much I have grown after just 3 sessions. I will forever be extremely grateful for Emma.” – Haley
“What happened in RTT was really magical. The first couple days after hypnosis, I became a slightly but importantly different person – the person who I really am, underneath the trauma. I felt in control and free. I was overjoyed. That profound change went away, then returned, off and on over the weeks that followed. Emma helped guide me to use a hypnosis recording so that I could learn to stabilize my transformation more and more, and it worked. I am so, so grateful for Emma’s gifts.” – Paul Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far. When I think of my greatest career achievements I can say that it’s every time someone tells me that I’ve changed their life. That I have helped them heal, and ultimately that they are genuinely loving themselves and experiencing transformations. I just got off a call today where a client told me that we changed a part of her life that she NEVER thought she could change. She had thrown in the towel and said “this is just the way my brain is.” But after 6 months she changed. Something that used to control her no longer does. That’s really the greatest gift: people telling me they are experiencing the transformations they’ve always dreamed of.
Along with that, it’s working with folks all over the world. That’s the beauty of Zoom! And it’s reminded me how similar we all are as people and how we genuinely want the same thing. Internal peace, love, and happiness.
Another great achievement though is working with professional athletes and supporting their performance mindset. It’s such a great feeling witnessing someone win after the work we’ve done, and also witnessing them respond differently on court than how they used to, that’s when I see hypnosis working in real-time. It’s too cool.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
What I want people to know is that healing isn’t linear. It’s very normal to have all the ups and downs. Healing takes time. We live in a fast-paced world of instant gratification. That if we don’t see results right away we think we failed. It’s actually not about achieving an end result, it’s about how you show up for yourself every step of the way. It is a journey. There also isn’t a finish line to get to. That if you do all the work you’ll just arrive at a place called “HEALED” and voila, everything in your life is perfect and good forever, hah!
Healing is going to be a lifelong journey. The more you can accept and embrace that the more fun it will be. That’s another thing: healing can be fun! It’s not all heavy and dark, it gets to be fun and light too. And the more you can enjoy the journey and the process, the more fun it actually is.
Side note: one thing I REALLY want people to know is that hypnosis isn’t scary!! We’ve been fed so many images of what hypnosis is like through the media and Hollywood and I promise, it is not that at all. It’s not about mind control, not remembering anything, or being out of control in any way. You’re actually more alert in hypnosis. It is safe, gentle, and the most relaxing, natural state. It’s when you know how to tap into this natural, relaxed state that you truly have cheat codes to life!
