Angela Hurst – Dip. Hypnotherapy, Dip. Aromatherapy, Dip. Indian head massage, Dip. Stone Therapy, Dip. Sports Massage, Dip. Anatomy & Physiology, Dip. PTLLS.

Member of the International Alliance of Holistic therapists. Insured by BGI UK.

Following a hard day at work within a highly pressurised sales environment, I realised after ten years there must be more to life! Generally a very balanced and happy person, I found myself becoming highly strung & regularly stressed out and decided I wanted a more relaxed and calmer way of life.

My training began with Indian head massage in 2005. I relished learning and performing the various techniques and was practising on friends and family numerous times a week to perfect my art! I was thrilled by the positive responses I received and soon realised I had a real flair and passion for massage.

After qualifying in Indian Head massage, my thirst to learn more was strong, which led me into exploring Aromatherapy. I worked hard and graduated at Portsmouth University in 2008. It was then I knew that my future lay in helping others and my career was going to take a totally different direction and so..Simply Serenity was born! I continued my training for a further two years qualifying in Stone Therapy, Sports Massage and Anatomy and Physiology.

After finally finding the courage to leave my Sales career behind, I found myself following a very unexpected path when a good friend introduced me to Reiki. Whilst I knew that massage was a part of my soul, I didn’t think that I was particularly spiritual. But in the weeks following my departure I noticed some really positive changes in my attitude and outlook on life. I was smiling for more than two days in a row! I wasn’t dreading Sunday evening coming round and the anticipation of going back to work on a Monday! I enjoyed just walking in the open air and noticing the pretty colours of the leaves on the trees!

Was I going mad, I asked myself? I was turning into my lovely mum, appreciating trees and wildlife!! I felt so emotionally free, relaxed and happy for the first time in years and found a desire to become a more spiritual and open person. It was then I took my Reiki One qualification. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed learning this, opening my mind to other aspects surrounding Reiki, and practised on friends and family often. I was also pregnant during this time and loved giving Reiki to my baby. He also seemed to love it, bouncing around inside whilst my hands were on my tummy!

After my son was born, both business and Reiki were put on the back burner whilst I juggled life as a mummy. Despite continuing to perform Reiki occasionally for family and friends, it wasn’t until the end of 2012 that I found myself being strongly drawn back to Reiki again. That year I took my Reiki Two Practitioner qualification so that I could eventually give this beautiful treatment to my clients. I was not prepared for how life changing this would be for me!

I was performing Reiki in some way or another almost daily and it had opened up a spiritual side of me that I never imagined. Whilst performing Reiki on a friend, it transpired that I was in fact a psychic medium. One of her friends in spirit showed himself to me; army boots, uniform and his name and wanted me to let my friend know he was ok. This was a huge shock to me as I previously knew nothing about him and in all honesty, I really had no idea what I was doing! She encouraged me to go with what I was feeling and so I did! Whilst mediumship is not an official part of my service and I have had no formal training, I don’t discourage spirit to come through if they so wish to make themselves known and my clients are open to the experience. I continue to marvel when a loved one or friend comes through during Reiki to let the recipient know that they are well and happy. I feel very privileged to have such a wonderful gift.

As I advanced in my career I was desperate to take my Reiki Master level so that I could enhance what I had already learned. It was at this point that I knew Reiki would become a very big part of my life. In fact I felt such a very strong desire to pass on to others this beautiful healing gift that I took my Reiki Teacher training alongside my Reiki Master course. I loved teaching my very first Reiki One course and I felt very proud watching my students perform Reiki on each other at the end of the course and seeing their excited faces as I proudly presented them with their certificates!

After teaching Reiki for a year or so, I knew that teaching was a part of my soul and so in 2013 I started my teacher training, PTLLS (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector) so that I could teach other aspects of my business alongside my Reiki training. I have taught many various therapies to people of all ages and abilities and I absolutely love it!

Just when I thought I couldn’t love my work any more or give more than I was already giving, in early 2017 I trained as a Hypnotherapist. After listening to my mum (a Hypnotherapist and Counsellor) talking so passionately about it for years, it really was the next natural step for me. She and I would discuss hypnotherapy for hours, psychologising, breaking things down, analysing them and putting them back together again, I just knew I had to learn this wonderful skill. I studied hard and passed with a Distinction and I have to say I think that was my proudest academic achievement to date. I knew that becoming a Hypnotherapist was going to be a life-changing experience not only for my clients but for me too.

My first client will always stand out for me not only in terms of personal and professional development but also because of the profound effect it had on her. She had suffered debilitating anxiety whilst travelling on public transport and as a consequence would never go away with her friends and family. She came for two sessions of Hypnotherapy and a couple of weeks later she took a childhood dream trip of a lifetime to New York. She sent me a picture standing in the middle of Times Square with a caption that said “Yess, I did it!!”. It was at this moment that I knew I was born to help others to help themselves in a completely different way.

I feel so blessed and privileged that my clients entrust their heart and soul into my care and, being an empath, I really feel and understand their anguish and suffering. My client’s joys and triumphs are also mine and I find it an uplifting and quite magical experience all round and look forward to working with many more of you in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to read a little about me. I wish you much love and laughter on your journey through this beautiful gift that is life x.