SPRING ROAD HOLISTIC
Practical Hypnotherapy and Spiritual Direction
TRUST YOUR TRANSFORMATION
Hypnotherapy and Spiritual Direction
for Peace and Well Being
On this page you'll find an overview of services. Please fill out a short form and I will contact you to schedule an initial conversation.
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Personal Tea Ritual - Tea Ceremony Practice
Develop an embodied awareness practice inspired by Japanese Tea Ceremony to increase focus, ease, harmony, respect, and tranquility in day to day living. Designed for comfort and intended for adults at all levels of tea and meditative familiarity; it does not require kneeling on tatami. Sessions include appreciation and use of traditional tea ware, single-origin loose leaf and/or powdered teas, seasonal considerations, and foundational Japanese Tea Ceremony concepts that naturally dovetail with Zen and Taoism. Note: Tea choices will vary; this is not a traditional Chado training, thoughI am an advanced level Urasenke practitioner.
Hypnotherapy
Tap into hypnosis as a powerful tool for personal growth, new awareness, deep and lasting change. It is a relaxing process with remarkable efficiency. Release what hinders you and step naturally into a more joyful life. Change can take effect rapidly and even one session can establish practical, appreciable benefits. We will agree upon a meaningful set of sessions designed to produce outcomes you can stand behind. Please review the Hypnotherapy section on this site for more information.
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Spiritual Fluency Mentorship
This private mentorship is designed to increase “spiritual fluency” - the ongoing practice of communion with the world, bridging interior and exterior awareness, leading to a deeper sense of peace, presence and purpose. The mentorship supports your unique evolution within your own spiritual framework, whether that looks like a major faith tradition, alternative spiritual practices or no faith orientation. Since we function in a left-brain culture, our focus here is on right-brain strengthening to balance head and heart, body and spirit. Discover and utilize tools and practices to increase optimism, tap potential, expand creative expression, open communication and express joy in your life. Some approaches may be new and others may be old friends, such as meditation, art making, nature contemplation, writing, visualization. When the timing is right for you, this may be some of the most meaningful work you undertake.
Zen Buddhist Vows - Taking Refuge
Explore Zen Buddhist vows with teacher support. Designed for lay people living everyday life, you'll be asked to feel into the Ten Precepts, Great Vows and Three Treasures to discover their personal meaning and expressions in concrete terms. This is not a theoretical, philosophical or intellectual approach - we're looking for tangibles that you can chew on, aka: first-person, real life material that matters and is specific to you.
Self-Image Coaching
Coaching sessions focused on strengthening your values and motivations so they take shape in the world. This is done by introducing and practicing beneficial habits, practices and thinking. We take a holistic approach to light up the mind, body and spirit with meditation, qigong, journaling and more. The approach is customized for each individual.
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Please fill out a short form to help guide our initial conversation which will be scheduled by phone.
ABOUT HYPNOSIS
What does a session look like?
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Every session includes a combination of conversation and hypnosis. Together we identify the beneficial change you seek, along with any related habit you wish to release. Using hypnotic language as a gateway, you enter into an especially receptive and relaxed mode where you easily absorb suggestions for the changes you know are valuable.
Gently returning to your waking state of mind, you feel refreshed and wonderful! Upon completion of the session, you continue to integrate and act upon the suggestions you find most useful, which reinforces meaningful change.
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What is hypnotherapy often used for?
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Hypnotherapy has a long history of use in areas of
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Increasing feelings of well-being and confidence
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Heightening physical and public performance
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Pain management
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Habit/craving relief
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Cultivating focus
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Overcoming fears
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Increasing flow states
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Releasing creative blocks
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Reducing stress, anxiety
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Originally, hypnotherapy was developed to address war-related PTSD in an era when the condition was relatively unfamiliar, even mysterious. Suddenly, there was a pressing need for relief and hypnosis offered results.
What is hypnosis?
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Hypnosis fosters a calm, receptive state of mind through which you can establish lasting, beneficial changes. In this state, your mind naturally focuses inward towards the quiet self, rather than projecting outward through the ego.
Whenever you relax, daydream, exercise or get "lost" in a piece of great music, you are experiencing the natural state of hypnosis. During a hypnosis session, you are both relaxed and aware in a similar way. And, since there is nothing to manage, the part of your mind that habitually "takes care of business" can take a backseat to your powerful subconscious mind. You remain in full control the entire time, without question. Many clients comment on the dream-like, even spiritual quality of a hypnosis session.
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What does change feel like?
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Change may be rapid, subtle and without drama. You may feel lighter and more focused. You may notice habitual responses have quietly and simply shifted: you no longer have a craving or see a problem. Think of lifting a rock from a stream. Because the stream is designed to flow, it simply does so without looking back at the rock.
About Me
Hi. I am a Zen teacher living in Santa Rosa, California, who offers spiritual direction, ceremonial services, hypnotherapy, and qigong. My teaching centers around the experience of reality, innate compassion, beauty, connection, and the greatness of the unknown. I'm interested in how thoughts and emotions affect our sense of what is actually possible in the world, in our communities and in ourselves.
My personal journey has taken me from being someone who did not particularly want to be here, to being someone who feels the generosity of life and is immensely grateful to be a part of the tapestry. Photos of me as a toddler show an exuberance completely absent in pictures a few years later. I survived a life-threatening illness as a child, developed an intense form of stage fright which was completely at odds with my creative path, and suffered from depression seated in childhood trauma. As a young adult I struggled with intense spiritual longing, the meaning of life, my purpose, all of it. This naturally turned my life towards inner, contemplative quests for meaning, extensive counseling, journaling, and reflection.
I've tried many ways to feel whole, and I understand the strong drive to heal. At this point, here's what I can say: We are intelligent, resilient, creative beings with the capacity to imagine and dream. We both create and release suffering. It's worth asking yourself, how do I find and hold my true center during difficulty and release undue suffering? How do I know who and what I am? How do I respond when I notice myself repeating the same patterns despite my best thinking? Do I have useful tools and relationships to navigate my personal experiences and tendencies? Am I willing to explore something new, to keep experimenting? Is there joy in my life?
In 2022, my ongoing interest in navigating the mind lead me to take up hypnotherapy training.​​ My style of both hypnotherapy and spiritual direction is informed by long-term Zen meditation, teaching and Taoism, along with formal training in holistic fields including Intrinsic Coaching, medical qigong, and interfaith spiritual direction. My spiritual foundation includes decades of formal practice, study, and experience with both contemplative Buddhist, Christian, and shamanic traditions. Creative arts and Japanese Tea Ceremony are also significant in my life.
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My husband and I have been married for over 30 years, living in Sonoma County. We heartily appreciate this beautiful place and our caring, resilient community.
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It would be my pleasure to help you explore your true and expansive nature, to release what burdens you, and discover your spiritual fluency. Spring Road represents a new path to freedom, integrity, and contentment. Now is the best time to live your best life!
Shell Brandt
Founder
Hypnotist and Hypnotherapist, Zen Teacher
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Certifications and Training​
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Hypnotherapist - American Council of Hypnotist Examiners Registered: HR 122-021
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Zen Teacher authorized by Rachel Howlett, Roshi 2015
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Certified Intrinsic Coach - Intrinsic Solutions International
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​Interfaith Spiritual Director - The Chaplaincy Institute
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Medical Qigong Certification - American Integrated Medical College
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Japanese Tea Ceremony (Urasenke), Kyoto, Japan
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Home Hospice Volunteer - Hospice VNA​