Work at the Level That Actually Creates Change
From Identity by Default to Identity by Choice
A practical training for for Hypnotherapists & practitioners working with trauma, anxiety and functional neurological symptoms.
Learn how to move beyond Behaviour and beliefs and work with Identity
Dates:
Weekend 1: 6th–7th June 2026
Weekend 2: 13th–14th June 2026
(Two weekends. Four full training days.)
Working with trauma and functional neurological symptoms changes how you see people.
Because when someone experiences trauma…
or develops a functional symptom…
👉 it doesn’t just affect what they do
👉 it changes who they believe they are
- Not feeling safe
- Not able to do what they once could
- Struggling to cope
Over time, this becomes identity.
And once something becomes identity…
👉 it drives everything else.
Not all identity is shaped by trauma.
Sometimes it’s built slowly…
- through repetition
- through environment
- through what becomes familiar
But whether it’s formed through intense experiences…
or everyday patterns…
👉 the result is the same
“This is who I am.”
About This Training:
In this training, we explore a simple but powerful idea:
Identity is not something we are born with…
it’s something we build… through experience, repetition, and meaning
And if identity is built…
👉 it can be rebuilt
In working with trauma and functional symptoms, one thing becomes clear:
Identity is not fixed…
it is built through experience, meaning, and repetition
And if identity is built…
👉 it can be rebuilt
🔹 WHY THIS MATTERS FOR FND
Functional neurological symptoms are real.
But they are not caused by structural damage.
They are driven by:
- nervous system responses
- learned patterns
- meaning attached to experiences
Which means they are deeply connected to identity.
When someone believes:
- “my body doesn’t work properly”
- “I can’t trust myself”
- “this is just how I am now”
👉 the system reinforces that pattern
So if we want change…
we have to work at the level those patterns are built
🔹 WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT
Most approaches to trauma and functional symptoms focus on:
- managing symptoms
- regulating the nervous system
- changing thoughts and behaviours
All of which are useful.
But often…
👉 the identity remains unchanged
This training focuses on the level those patterns are built from.
🔹 My APPROACH
This work is based on a simple model:
Identity is built layer by layer…
- environment
- behaviour
- meaning
- beliefs
- values
- identity
And once it feels true…
👉 people stop questioning it
🔹 LITTLE STAR
At the centre of this training is:
The Little Star Process
A structured way to:
- step outside the identity shaped by past experiences
- reduce the emotional hold of the past
- update the meaning attached to events
- reconnect clients with real resource from their own lives
- bring forward coping, resilience, and lived experience
- open up new possibilities that actually feel natural
This is not about “positive thinking”
👉 it’s about changing what feels true
🔹 HOW THIS IS DELIVERED
This work is grounded in a trauma-informed approach.
Which means:
- clients are not pushed into content
- the nervous system is respected at all times
- change happens safely, without overwhelm
- we work with how the system has adapted… not against it
Because when working at identity level…
👉 the approach matters as much as the method
🔹 WHY CLIENTS DON’T CHANGE
Most clients don’t struggle because they don’t know what to do.
They struggle because:
- they are running familiar patterns
- they are reinforcing old meaning
- they don’t change how they see things
- they haven’t experienced anything different
You can’t choose something you’ve never experienced
So change isn’t just letting go…
👉 it’s learning something new
🔹 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
- How identity is formed (Lighthouse model)
- The role of meaning in shaping response and behaviour
- The two main paths to identity (trauma & repetition)
- Why clients stay stuck (even when motivated)
- How to work at identity level safely and effectively
- The Little Star process in practice
- How to help clients access new experiences, not just new ideas
🔹 FORMAT
4-day practitioner training
Includes:
- live teaching
- demonstrations
- guided processes
- practical application
🔹 WHO IT’S FOR
- Hypnotherapists
- Therapists and coaches
- Practitioners working with trauma or functional symptoms
- Anyone wanting to work at a deeper level of change
🔹 ABOUT JOHN
John Scanlon is a hypnotherapist and trainer
working with trauma, identity, and functional neurological symptoms
He is the founder of the Irish Hypnotherapy Conference
and has trained practitioners internationally
🔹 CTA
Learn to Work at the Level That Drives Everything Else
👉 Join the next training
