James Hands Awaken Therapy

It wasn’t your fault. Bringing in adult understanding of our childhood wounds.

➡️Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session 
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

In this video, I want to talk about trunk level healing — the second stage in the Healing Tree model.

If the roots are where we process raw emotional material from trauma, the trunk is where we bring in our adult self — our psychological understanding, our life wisdom, and tools like hypnotherapy.

Most trauma happens in childhood, when we don’t have the brain development to process it properly. Those experiences go straight into the subconscious — and often leave us stuck in confusion or self-blame.

Trunk level healing is about helping those younger parts understand the truth: it wasn’t your fault. That pain was never about you.

We use modern psychology and deeper modalities like hypnotherapy to bring that awareness down into the body — to reach the parts that need it most.

Next time, we’ll head up into the branches.

James Hands
Holistic Psychologist
Spiritual Hypnotherapist
Author and creator of Awaken Therapy
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.

Clearing the residue of our childhood wounds

➡️Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session 
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

In this video I talk about the Healing Tree — and why we start at the roots.

The root system is where the heavy lifting happens. It’s where we meet the raw material of our pain — the unprocessed emotions, memories, and beliefs stuck in the body and mind.

Healing means facing that residue with support, compassion, and curiosity. It’s not about fixing or rejecting parts of ourselves — it’s about embracing them so they can shift.

The work can be intense. Old emotions, even violent fantasies, can surface. But that’s just energy trying to move. It doesn’t make you a bad person — it makes you human.

Go gently, stay steady, and get support when you need it. This is the work that will change your life.

James Hands
Holistic Psychologist
Spiritual Hypnotherapist
Author and creator of Awaken Therapy
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.

The Great Transition, Earth Ascension, New Earth, the timeline split....

➡️Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session 
www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

I've had a lot of people asking about the shift we're in right now—this time of transition that’s stirring up so much in us and around us. I won’t pretend to have all the answers, but I wanted to share my current understanding, in case it helps you feel a bit less alone. 

From what I can tell, we’re living through a kind of energetic split—an intensification between light and shadow, both globally and personally. You might have noticed how much more amplified everything feels lately—when it’s good, it’s amazing… when it’s hard, it’s confronting. It’s like we’re being asked to choose which direction we’re leaning into: love or fear, connection or separation, old patterns or new ways of being. 

The inner work we’re doing matters now more than ever. This isn’t about being perfect, it’s about showing up—being willing to face what’s in us, heal what we can, and stay grounded through it all. I believe we’re on the biggest ride in the park right now, and the more we surrender to it, trust it, and stay connected to what truly matters—nature, community, creativity, love—the more peaceful and empowered we’ll feel. If this resonates with you, I hope it reminds you you’re not alone. We’re in this together.

James Hands
Holistic Psychologist
Spiritual Hypnotherapist
Author and creator of Awaken Therapy
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.

Same. Same. Same. A fascinating principle of the subconscious mind.

➡️Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session 
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

There’s an incredible principle that operates in the subconscious mind — I call it “same, same, same.” That means when we live something, see something on a screen, or even just imagine it vividly, our subconscious experiences it as the same.

That’s why worry, negative thinking, and overexposure to distressing media can have such a powerful effect on our body-mind system. It’s not just psychological — it creates a real physiological response. Our nervous system reacts as though it’s actually happening, even when it’s not.

The good news is, this also works in reverse. When we visualise something peaceful, loving or empowering, our subconscious experiences that as reality too. This is where deep healing becomes possible — not by pretending the past didn’t happen, but by changing the internal residue it left behind.

That’s why I’m so passionate about this work. Inner child healing. Hypnotherapy. Guided visualisation. These are tools that help us shift from fear and wounding to freedom and wholeness — even if our external circumstances haven’t changed yet.

In this podcast, I take you through a short guided process to show you exactly how this works. You’ll create a peaceful sanctuary in your imagination — and notice how quickly your nervous system shifts in response. It’s a beautiful demonstration of just how powerful the subconscious mind really is.

James Hands
Holistic Psychologist
Spiritual Hypnotherapist
Author and creator of Awaken Therapy
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.

A simple exercise to soothe your inner child when you’re feeling triggered

➡️Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session 
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

Lately, everything feels more intense — and there’s a reason for that. The energy on the planet is shifting. Things are speeding up, and with that, our unresolved wounds and trauma are being brought to the surface.

This podcast explores how “extra triggering” is showing up — not to punish us, but to help us release what we’re carrying. You might notice old pain rising, deep layers surfacing, or a sense of overwhelm. I’ve been feeling it too. The light is increasing, and it’s highlighting any density still within us.

In the podcast, I guide you gently inward — helping you connect with the part of you that’s still stuck in fear, pain, or trauma. We meet that part with love, presence, and support. This is how we heal. This is how we bring those lost or hurt parts of ourselves back into wholeness.

This practice is for anyone feeling overwhelmed, emotionally activated, or like your inner child is crying out for safety. You don’t need to carry this alone. Let’s go inward — together.

James Hands
Holistic Psychologist
Spiritual Hypnotherapist
Author and creator of Awaken Therapy
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.

How to find your purpose

➡️Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session 
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

So many people ask me, “How do I find my purpose?” For me, true purpose and meaning don’t come from chasing success or accumulating things. They come from something deeper—our soul. When we’re connected to our spiritual self, when we remember who we really are, we begin to experience real joy, peace and fulfilment.

In this video, I talk about what it means to live on the vertical axis—not just surviving the daily grind, but awakening to the deeper truth of who you are. Whether your journey starts in trauma recovery or a quiet yearning for more, that longing for purpose is a call from your soul.

This is about plugging back into Source, expressing your gifts, and helping others wake up—just by being who you truly are. If you're on that quest for greater meaning, I’m excited for you. That’s your soul calling you home.

James Hands
Holistic Psychologist
Spiritual Hypnotherapist
Author and creator of Awaken Therapy
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.

The rollercoaster ride of healing from trauma

In this video, I explore how healing isn’t a linear process. It doesn’t just move in a smooth upward line. Inner work tends to happen in cycles—what I call rinse cycles—where something difficult or unresolved comes up for healing. You might feel triggered, emotional, or completely in the muck of it. It’s messy, uncomfortable, and very real.

But if you stay with it—if you face it, feel it, and work through it—something powerful happens. That energy shifts. You come out the other side lighter, freer, with more space in your system. That’s progress. And it tends to follow a pattern: shadow work, then a sense of relief or expansion… then the next layer rises. It can feel like going in circles, but if you zoom out, you’re actually spiralling upward.

It’s completely normal to feel like you’ve gone backwards when you hit a tough patch. But you haven’t. It’s just the next layer. Each round brings deeper healing and greater freedom. It’s not always pretty—but it’s always growth.

➡️Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session 
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

James Hands
Holistic Psychologist
Spiritual Hypnotherapist
Author and creator of Awaken Therapy
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.

Attending to the unmet needs of our inner child

➡️Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session 
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

In this week's video I’m talking about something that affects us all—our early dependency needs and how they shape us as adults. As babies, we’re completely dependent on others for survival, and if those needs weren’t consistently met—through touch, presence, and responsiveness—it can leave deep imprints that show up later in life as anxiety, neediness, or difficulty in relationships.

In the video, I reflect on the ways unmet childhood needs can lead us to unconsciously seek that same care and security from partners, bosses, even spiritual beliefs—when in fact, no one else can truly fill that space for us. That’s why learning to re-parent ourselves is such a vital part of healing.

We do that by turning inward, using our adult strengths—our capacity for love, patience, wisdom—and offering them to the parts of ourselves that still feel stuck or scared. 

James Hands
Holistic Psychologist
Spiritual Hypnotherapist
Author and creator of Awaken Therapy
https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.