Meet Katherine Bolton, a seasoned practitioner in holistic well-being who seamlessly blends her experience as a former Samaritan, nature enthusiast, and skilled therapist. Through signature treatments like Mind Full to Mindful™ and Stress to Serenity™, Katherine tailors her approach to address the unique needs of her clients, creating a harmonious fusion of mind and body. In her exclusive MysticMag interview, she shares insights into her journey, the inspiration behind her treatments, and the transformative power of hypnotherapy in fostering overall well-being.
How did you get into Holistic well-being and what sparked your interest in it?
I first got interested in complementary and holistic therapies as a young child. I always felt at home with nature and animals, and when I suffered from bouts of ill health as a child I always responded excessively to mainstream treatments. My family have always had a very intuitive instinct and my Mum sought out a Reiki Practitioner to help me. With my first treatment, I was amazed at how at ease I felt and I also realised that what the therapist was doing to me was what I had been doing naturally to my animals. I was lucky enough to give up a corporate lifestyle and go and live in the middle of nowhere in Brittany, France where we renovated derelict old barns, turned an unloved and uncared-for woodland into a natural habitat for wildlife and I opened my retreat to guests.
I started off by bringing in therapists, while I concentrated on renovating and being as self-sufficient from the land as possible, but slowly I started to study various styles of complementary therapies including Reiki, Massage, and various styles of counselling including NLP, EFT and CBT. I was a Samaritan about 30 years ago and had always been aware of how important our emotional wellbeing is alongside our physical wellbeing. Holistic therapies just suit me perfectly as it is a marriage of mind and body. I have been a member of the Complementary Medical Association and even was awarded their prestigious Clinic Status which meant that even during lockdown I could remain open to help people with their physical and emotional health.
What can you tell me about your two signature treatments, Mind Full to Mindful™ and Stress to Serenity™?
I came up with these two treatments based on the needs of my clients. Too often, when it is about our emotional and physical wellbeing, it is not a one-size-fits-all. I like to tailor my treatments depending on how the client is on the day. Stress to Serenity combines up to three various treatments during one session, the most popular option being a full body massage, reflexology and some Reiki. The same goes for Mind Full to Mindful but with the concentration being more on the emotional wellbeing of the client. It means that rather than booking in for a hypnosis session, counselling, or CBT, I will tailor the treatment to the client, and sometimes that can include various aspects of good old-fashioned listening skills counselling, alongside Emotional Freedom Techniques (Also known as tapping) and maybe some hypnosis or mindfulness. Again, everything is tailored to how the client is on the day.
What ideas do you base your life coaching on?
I listen deeply to my clients and what they are going through, and then I will use a shopping basket approach as to what is the right direction to help them. What I mean by this is, that they might benefit from learning some CBT tools to help them in difficult situations, or some mindfulness techniques to help with stress and not getting to sleep, and also working out what goals are achievable and how to work towards them in a healthy and methodical way. With my love of nature, if I am ever taking someone on a guided relaxation, hypnotherapy or mindfulness session I usually incorporate as much imagery to do with natural surroundings as possible. It does help that my wellbeing centre is only a few steps away from the beach, and I incorporate the sea, waves and beach as much as possible for people who come to visit me in person.
How can hypnotherapy contribute to a person’s well-being?
It most definitely can. I originally got into hypnotherapy as a patient, as I needed help to control my reaction to the pain I was suffering. I have a very academic mind, so when I realised how amazing my results were, I then went on to study it and hone my craft over the years. Quite often I will work with a mindfulness session and bring in the benefits of hypnosis whilst in a calm and tranquil state. The results of hypnotherapy can assist in many aspects of our lives. We automatically think of weight loss or stopping smoking, but it can also help with improving confidence and letting go of past traumas.
How do you combine your services to achieve the best possible results for your clients?
By listening, and also by asking what they have tried in the past and what has worked or not worked. By asking the very basic question “why” I can learn a lot about someone so that I can then tailor the treatment for them and how they are on that day. It is this approach which has ensured that I have won many awards, including Holistic Therapist of the year (devon) twice, and also Massage Therapist of the year. However, the downside of this is that I am always very busy and it is upsetting when people can’t get to have an appointment with me when they want one. It is that reason that I am in the process of launching a new business called Stress to Serenity Ltd, so all my sessions will be available online to purchase. I am enjoying going into the recording studio and doing the voice-over work, and the music is amazing and has been written and played by my husband Michael. All of this will be available on the new website www.stresstoserenity.co.uk
We are starting off by offering some wellbeing products, our music and a guided relaxation recording and hypnotherapy sessions for both Weight Loss and Stopping Smoking. The music is perfect for relaxing at home but also is designed for the professional situation as well. Each track helps with time management for therapists and yoga teachers as it is exactly one hour in length, divided into four 15-minute tracks. This means that if you are running an exercise class you can time your warm-up, stretching, deep asanas and cool down, and for therapists, it means you know what your time schedule is without having to look at a clock.
To learn more about Katherine and the Pebble-Moon Holistic Wellbeing Centre, you can visit
www.pebble-moon.co.uk
