MysticMag chats with Elizabeth Laing, founder of Your Power Within, who began her professional journey as an actress before fulfilling a lifelong dream of opening her own café. Known affectionately as “the therapy café,” her warm, welcoming space became a haven for customers to share their emotions and life challenges over coffee and cake. Navigating her own struggles with grief, relationships, and insomnia, Elizabeth eventually discovered the transformative power of Hypnotherapy and Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT). Today, she channels her deep empathy and love for helping others into guiding clients toward healing and empowerment—offering not just expert support, but a safe space, a listening ear, and yes, still a comforting cup of tea and a hug.
How does your therapeutic approach differ from more traditional forms of therapy or hypnotherapy, and what specific benefits have you observed in your clients as a result?
I guide people back to the root cause of their emotional issues—because if we don’t fully process an experience when it happens, especially when we’re young or powerless, those unexpressed emotions don’t simply disappear. They get trapped in the body. Maybe you were too young to understand, maybe you were taught to respect authority and didn’t feel safe speaking up, or maybe the moment passed without a chance to express what you truly felt. Whatever the reason, those emotions become stuck, and the body holds onto them.
Over time, these unresolved feelings start to surface in other ways—through repeated patterns, behaviors, and emotional reactions that mirror the original trauma. It’s like the body keeps trying to replay the event so the feelings can finally be acknowledged and released.
What I do is gently guide you back to the initial moment—not to relive it, but to review it. We don’t spend long there. It’s about allowing that emotion to finally be felt and released—whether that’s through tears, a physical sensation, or a sudden awareness. Once it’s acknowledged, it can let go.
The subconscious mind doesn’t operate like the conscious mind. It doesn’t reason or assess the present. It simply remembers what helped you survive. If you got through something traumatic at age seven, your subconscious thinks, “This works—we’ll stick with it,” even if that means recreating unhealthy situations. Joy and freedom, while desirable, might not feel familiar enough for the subconscious to believe they’re safe. So it pulls you back into what it knows—even if it’s pain.
That’s why, even when you consciously want happiness or success, your subconscious might resist. It’s not sabotaging you; it’s trying to protect you based on outdated programming. My role is to help you update that internal programming.
For example, I once worked with a client—an actress—who had bulimia. When we explored the root, she saw her eating disorder as something that had once protected her. But she was now ready to say, “Thank you, I don’t need you anymore.” In her mind, she even visualized this part of her putting on a little top hat and walking away through a door—it was powerful.
Another client saw a dark shadow lingering outside a window. She told it firmly, “I want you to go.” And when it left, she felt a deep and lasting shift.
But here’s the thing—nature abhors a vacuum. Once you release something, you must fill that space with what you truly want. That can be the hardest part. Most people are very clear on what they don’t want—stress, fear, being stuck—but they struggle to envision life without the problem.
So before I ever put someone into hypnosis, we get crystal clear on what they do want. What would your life look like if you were free? Who would you be? Once that vision is defined, we can program it deep into the subconscious. And then I provide recordings to reinforce that vision and build the neural pathways needed to make it your new reality.
Just recently, I received a beautiful message from a client who said she felt an enormous shift. For the first time in her life, things feel open and possible. Before, she would get close to success and then everything would collapse. Now, she feels visible, strong, and grounded.
I know this work is powerful. It might even feel like magic. And in a way, it is. The Hebrew word abracadabra means, “As I speak, I create.” That’s the essence of what I do—helping people release what holds them back, reclaim their voice, and speak their truth into reality. Because ultimately, our thoughts and words shape our lives. But first, we must believe we’re safe enough to think and speak to them with kindness and trust.
What is your process for helping clients uncover deep-seated limiting beliefs, and how do you guide them in transforming those beliefs into more empowering ones?
I believe the subconscious mind holds the key—because it truly knows everything. It knows exactly where our beliefs were formed, even the ones we aren’t consciously aware of. In hypnosis, I simply ask the subconscious, “Please take us back to the original scene that created this limiting belief,” and it always does.
Often, we find ourselves back in a school setting, being bullied or shamed. And it’s there that the belief took root—maybe something like “I’m not good enough” or “It’s not safe to be seen.” Once we reach that memory, I help you see that it’s not true anymore. You’re no longer that child, trapped in that classroom without a voice.
Today, as an adult, you do have a voice. If someone spoke to you that way now, you could speak up. You could walk away. You have power, logic, emotional maturity—all the things that weren’t available to your younger self. That belief served a purpose back then, but it’s no longer useful. In fact, now it’s making you exhausted, not keeping you safe. So we acknowledge that it helped us survive at one point, and then we thank it, and we release it.
By the time people come to me, they’re usually at the point where they know something has to change. They’ve hit a wall. That’s actually the hardest part—becoming aware. At first, you’re unaware, moving through life on autopilot. Then, awareness dawns: you start noticing the patterns, the repeated behaviors, the limiting thoughts. Even if you’re still doing them, you’re now observing. And from that place, you can take responsibility. Then comes the deeper knowing: “I can change this.”
One analogy I love to share comes from a poem I once heard. It goes like this:
I walk down the street. There’s a hole in the road. I fall in. The next day, I walk down the same street. There’s a hole. I fall in again. The day after, I walk down the same street, see the hole… and still fall in. Then one day, I walk down the street, see the hole, and walk around it. And finally, I walk down a different street entirely.
That’s how healing unfolds. At first, we keep falling into the same patterns. But eventually, we see them, we navigate around them, and finally, we choose something entirely new. That’s where change becomes possible—not just from an intellectual understanding, but from an energetic decision: That’s no longer who I am.
How do you see the role of integrative therapies like hypnotherapy evolving within the broader mental health field, especially as more people seek alternatives to traditional talk therapy?
Hypnosis is one of the oldest forms of therapy in the world. It’s even referenced in ancient traditions—from biblical times to the temples of Egypt. There are hieroglyphs and murals that depict people entering pyramids for healing, where others would speak to them—essentially acting as early therapists. That form of guided introspection is at the heart of what we do with hypnosis today.
What makes hypnosis so powerful is that it works directly with the subconscious mind—the part of you that controls nearly everything. Its job isn’t to make you happy; its job is to keep you alive. So, if you’ve survived a situation—even if it was painful or unhealthy—the subconscious stores it as a “survivable” pattern and repeats it, believing it’s keeping you safe.
That’s where hypnosis can be transformative. It allows us to bypass the analytical, conscious mind and speak directly to the subconscious. We can go to the root of a belief or emotional pattern—not to dwell there, but to release it. Unlike traditional talk therapy, which can sometimes reinforce the same thought loops through repetition, hypnosis guides you back to a memory just once. You visit it, you witness it, you reclaim your power—and then you shatter it. It’s done. That part of your story is no longer in control.
Yes, talk therapy has value, and it’s not about replacing it—but for many, it only scratches the surface. Hypnosis allows us to go deeper and faster. It can help release what’s been held in the body and mind for decades. And since the subconscious doesn’t distinguish between past and present, every time you rehash a painful experience, your body responds as if it’s happening all over again. That’s why I believe it’s important to visit the root just once, with purpose, and then release it.
The universal law of attention says: what you focus on, you get more of. So when you constantly revisit pain, you risk amplifying it. But when you enter hypnosis with intention, the process becomes about liberation—not repetition. And that’s when lasting change begins.
With growing awareness around trauma-informed care, how do you incorporate current best practices in neuroscience and psychology into your therapeutic work?
I’m an avid reader with a passion for neuroscience and understanding how the brain works—it truly fascinates me. I’m always learning, always growing, and I love weaving new insights into my work. Everything I discover, I integrate into my sessions and share with my clients, because I believe knowledge—when paired with intuition—can be deeply transformative.
I also come from a long line of healers, and I feel strongly connected to that lineage. Intuition plays a huge role in my work. I naturally tune in to what people are feeling and gently hold space for their pain, guiding them with grace and ease through their healing journey. My role isn’t to fix, but to facilitate release—to help people let go of guilt, reclaim their freedom, and remember who they truly are.
I merge ancient wisdom with modern understanding, combining scientific knowledge with soul-level insight to support powerful, lasting change.
What role do personalized recordings and follow-up support play in helping clients maintain their progress after a session, and how do you ensure long-term results?
The brain is wired through repetition—each time we think a thought, we strengthen the neural pathway connected to it. So if you’ve spent years thinking, “I’m not good enough” or “I always mess up,” that thought becomes a well-worn path in the brain. It becomes familiar, automatic.
In hypnosis, we bypass the critical mind and go straight to the subconscious—the part of you that’s been keeping you in survival mode, not necessarily happiness. That old belief once kept you safe, but now it’s outdated. My role is to help you find the exact root of that belief and guide you to release it gently.
In our first session, which is usually around three hours, we uncover the origin of the problem—where and why the belief first formed. Once we release that emotional charge, I help you install new, empowering beliefs using personalized hypnotic suggestions. I record this part of the session for you to listen to afterward, because consistent listening helps build new neural pathways—the ones that support the life without the problem. Just like training a muscle, the more you use this new pathway, the stronger it becomes—and the old one weakens.
Often, one core session is enough to create powerful change, but transformation is layered. As we shift one belief, other emotions or blocks may rise to the surface. That’s why I include two or three follow-up sessions—shorter check-ins to help you process and integrate whatever’s coming up.
I often say it’s like going to the dentist. First, we dig out what no longer belongs, then we fill and polish. The initial work is deep and lasting, but the follow-ups help smooth everything out, ensuring you’re aligned, supported, and truly free from what once held you back.
I offer sessions both online and in person—wherever you are in the world, we can connect.
How do the additional tools and resources you provide—like writing or education—enhance your clients’ healing journey, and what topics tend to resonate most with the people you work with?
There is no script or one-size-fits-all process. Each session is guided by what the client brings—what surfaces in the moment, what their energy reveals, and what their soul is ready to release. The work is about deeply listening, holding space with grace, and gently uncovering what lies beneath the surface.
When a client feels stuck or unclear—when they can’t see the path forward—they are guided to connect with a version of themselves who can. They are often invited to visualize and feel into the version of themselves who already lives the life they long for. What is this version doing? How does life feel in that state? That’s the identity they begin calling forward.
A simple but powerful practice offered to every client is this:
Spend 90 seconds a day connecting with the feeling of already being who they want to become.
If a client wants to feel abundant, they are encouraged to sit with the sensation of abundance already existing. To embody the knowing that everything they need is available. This brief daily practice helps make that desired state more familiar and more accessible.
It doesn’t require hours of meditation—just 90 seconds to begin. Over time, as that feeling becomes more familiar, clients often find themselves naturally expanding that connection. Through this repetition, they begin to build new neural pathways and reshape their reality from the inside out.
In addition to hypnotherapy, the work often incorporates principles of manifestation and quantum alignment. Because once old blocks are released—guilt, fear, limiting beliefs—the client is free to remember how much power they truly have. Joy, freedom, and abundance aren’t distant dreams. They already exist. This work simply helps the client step fully into that truth.
If you would like to find out more about Elizabeth Laing, please visit https://yourpowerwithintherapy.com/
