Rewiring Trauma: Healing Emotional & Physical Patterns Through Hypnosis

Exploring the Mind-Body Connection in Adoption Trauma & Functional Neurological Disorder

Trauma isn’t just something we remember—it’s something we live. It shapes how we think, feel, behave, and even how our bodies function. Whether it begins before birth, as in adoption trauma, or results from life-altering events, like accidents leading to Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), trauma embeds itself deep in the unconscious, driving patterns we may not even realise are there.

This presentation explores how trauma rewires the brain and nervous system, influencing emotions, behaviours, and physical health. It explains why someone with early trauma may struggle with trust, abandonment fears, or identity, while another develops functional symptoms like seizures, tremors, or paralysis – all without an obvious medical cause. Trauma leaves its mark, but crucially, it is not permanent.

While research into hypnosis for both adoption trauma and FND is still developing, there is growing evidence of its impact on nervous system regulation, trauma processing, and functional recovery. More importantly, I have seen firsthand in my practice how hypnosis helps clients reprocess trauma, regulate emotional responses, and restore physical function.

Using real client experiences, neuroscience insights, and practical hypnotherapy techniques, I will demonstrate how hypnosis can rewire trauma-based patterns, create new neural connections, and facilitate deep healing – emotionally and physically.

John Scanlon is the founder of the Irish Hypnotherapy Conference and a recognised specialist in pre- and early childhood trauma, adoption-related hypnotherapy, and Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). With a successful practice in Wexford and online, he is committed to advancing hypnotherapy’s role in emotional and physical healing. As a trainer, John helps therapists develop their skills and deepen their understanding of trauma-focused hypnotherapy, ensuring more clients benefit from effective, client centred interventions.