ABOUT ME...
Hi there
My name is Heidi Gunter.
Born and raised in South Africa, and I still reside here.
I spent the first twenty years of my adult life working in the corporate world as an HR Executive.
During my first career, I worked for many diverse companies, including FMCG, Manufacturing, and finally, Global Mining Industries.
​You may be wondering why I switched careers and how I ended up in the Mental Health Arena.
​Truth be told, I have always had a fascination with the mind, an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and a driven passion to help people.
BUT..... That's not how I ended up here. Allow me to share a snippet of my story with you...
My Breaking Point...
As I mentioned before, I had built a career in Human Resources over the span of +- twenty years before I decided to resign from my Expatriate position in the DRC, move back to South Africa, and perhaps finally settle down in one place. Hopefully find the illusive peace I had always been seeking.
I had a rather rough childhood, as many people do, being raised by wounded parents who had their own internal battlefields, and as a result, I acquired many limiting beliefs and also installed numerous coping mechanisms to help me navigate this strange world we live in.
Slowly but surely these mechanisms started failing one by one. I had struggled with high-functioning depression and anxiety from early childhood but back in those days mental health was not a word I had ever heard, nor the option of seeing a professional. You just got on with life and managed as best you could or at times 'not'. As years passed, the cycles would fluctuate until fast forward to me, post-career, recently relocated, in my umpteenth failing relationship, and a single parent.
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You see, there were always clues of how distressed my inner world really was, but I was so efficient at wearing masks that I fooled even myself.
I was deeply entrenched at this point, relentlessly holding on to my victim story, feeling utterly helpless but also hopeless that these mysterious emotions called joy, calm, and peace would ever be within my grasp. My inner world was a dark place on most days. Over the years, I had sought professional guidance but always felt worse afterward, and the numerous medications I was prescribed had intolerable side effects and often made me worse - I was labeled A-Typical (not a good candidate for meds).
Let's fast forward a few years - I am sure you know where this is heading....
I am sitting on the bathroom floor with a handful of pills, feeling absolutely defeated. I was determined to end my lifelong suffering and release my loved ones of the perceived burden I had become. I had a plan. A very 'well thought out' plan of execution. I had written all of the letters, being extra clear to communicate that there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent this.
Sitting there staring at the content in my one hand, a glass of water in the other, the tiled floor of the bathroom felt so cold. I was slowly listing all of the reasons this was a good idea and my only option. Tears streaming down my face. Strange how the body never stops producing tears, I wondered. Surely the well runs dry eventually...
I heard a soft voice whisper gently in my mind amidst the other harsher conversations going on. The voice whispered again, "Don't do it today, wait until tomorrow." But tomorrow I may not have enough courage, I whispered back. A short conversation ensued until I agreed to postpone until the next day. I was exhausted and cold at this point, so I climbed into bed and eventually drifted off.
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My Break Through...
The following morning, I woke up in the midst of a panic attack, as I did every morning. I reached for my phone as doom scrolling would distract my mind and ease the anxiety. An advert appeared on my feed about Rapid Transformation Therapy and how to train as a Therapist. I clicked on the link to do some research as my mind fixated on the word Hypnotherapy. My understanding of hypnosis up to this point was people on stage barking like dogs and making total fools of themselves or movies that depicted people being controlled and manipulated by a person swinging a pendulum and speaking in a rather creepy voice.
This was different. I watched a few videos on the website and was astounded by this portrayal of how hypnosis is used to reprogram the mind, heal emotional wounds, end mental suffering, and even cure physical ailments. I spent the rest of the morning going down the hypnotherapy rabbit hole. A spark of hope ignited inside me that there was perhaps a different way my story would end; this could be the way I could fix all that was 'broken' inside of me.
As luck would have it, the training was now being offered online, which made it available to me. I signed up for the 1 year virtual program. During this time, I received life-changing sessions from my peers, and finally, after a 4-hour theoretical exam and practical submissions, I qualified as an RTT Practitioner. I enrolled for another year to acquire my Clinical accreditation. The day I saw the advert was the day my healing journey began, and it has not stopped - it's a journey that evolves from healing to growth, a continuous cycle of transformation.
When I started this journey, my main objective was to 'fix' myself, but it soon introduced me to my life's purpose. Throughout my healing process and numerous studies, I selected bits and pieces of various teachings that I found to be the most impactful in the shortest amount of time and this eventually evolved into my Heal~Grow~Transform Program.
My mission is to provide a space of healing to as many people as I can reach in the time I have left on this round ball floating in the galaxy.
Since my qualification, I have been rather addicted to learning as much as I can in various modalities and I continuously update my knowledge, skills, and service offering.
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A thought that I would like to leave you with: I was never 'broken'; I just had wounded programming given to me by various wounded people. I wasn't born like that, and neither were you! When you heal the wounds and reconnect with your authentic self, your reality shifts in the most fantastic way. You get to experience life the way it was always meant to be experienced.
Life is painful - that's inevitable. But suffering is optional! When you hold onto your wounds, you give yourself a life sentence of suffering, and nobody deserves that. It's time to set yourself free!
Are you ready to break free from the senseless suffering and start living the life you absolutely deserve?
Connect with me to arrange a free, no-obligation Discovery Call.
I will explain my process and answer any questions you may have, and then you can decide if this resonates with you.