Melbourne Hypnotherapy & Counselling

 

You deserve to have a peaceful relationship with food and your body

 

At Freedom from Food we provide straight-forward and holistic treatment options specific to the needs of those struggling with their relationship with food.

This includes all presentations along the food and body image spectrum from body-image distress, chronic dieting, and food anxieties/preoccupation, to more disordered eating presentations and diagnosable eating disorders.

We also offer treatment for anxiety, depression, trauma, and addictions. 

 

How healthy is your relationship with food? Take this free quiz now to assess your needs

 

  

Take the quiz

  

 

Are you ready to jump right in and book your first appointment of hypnotherapy and/or counselling?

 

We can't wait to begin our work together. You can book appointments by clicking on the link below.

 

 

Book an appointment today

 

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Welcome to Freedom from Food

Hi, my name is Bianca. I am a clinical hypnotherapist, counsellor, and the founder of Freedom from Food, and I enjoy supporting people to true freedom and recovery. This might be from a diagnosable eating disorder or disordered eating. Or maybe it is simply from a lifetime of dieting, poor body-image, and preoccupation with food and weight which takes you away from living the life that you deserve to live. 

 

Why am I so passionate about what I do?

We live in a society and culture that is OBSESSED with food, weight, dieting, and obtaining the 'thin ideal'. Believe me, I have not been immune to the pressures of this myself. As a teenager and young adult I experienced both under and over-eating disorders, and my struggles were not unlike many others' in that they were multifaceted. They were driven by individual psychological factors such as anxiety, perfectionism, low self-esteem, and a desire to maintain control. They were also driven by the societal and cultural factors (the water we swim in!) which pressure us all to strive for a certain type of body, keeping us disatisfied from a very young age in these bodies that we have been given. I stayed in these destructive cycles with restriction, rebound bingeing, and weight fluctuations for almost 20 painful years.

Enrolling to study hypnotherapy and counselling quickly opened the door to learning many different therapeutic techniques not commonly found in most mainstream practices. I had always (and still do) love, value, and use traditional talk therapies; yet I found these techniques which use hypnosis to be deeply experiential and effective when it came to getting to the heart and core of some of the emotional pieces of the puzzle. 

Next was a series of flukes which finally saw me in contact with the right kinds of practitioners. Practitioners who loudly and proudly shunned the toxic, repetitive, and frankly, boring messaging and rehetoric from diet and wellness culture. This messaging resounded deeply; it felt like coming home. Finally, I had been offered real solutions and a philosophy to recovery (and life!) that was actually sustainable and really worked.

Which leads me to today. A place in my life where I can finally and honestly say that I am at peace in my body and with my relationship with food. A place I doubted many times that I could ever get to. I no longer restrict or keep searching for the next diet or ounce of 'willpower'. Nowadays, I even keep chocolate at home and forget its there! Finally, I am in charge of my relationship with food, rather than the other way around. 

My mission now is to arm you with the information that you need. Bust the myths around dieting, food, and weight that keep you stuck, frustrated, and confused. Then help you to reconnect with your body, and create a peaceful relationship with food which helps you to live a life that is rich, full, and meaningful for you.

 

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Hypnotherapy & Counselling Melbourne

Sean M

Sean M

I reached out to Bianca for assistance with my wife who was going through a very trying time with the arrival of our new baby girl and within weeks, the passing of my father in law. My wife was really struggling like never before with high anxiety and depression and Bianca was able to guide my wife through this very troublesome time. Bianca’s communication, professionalism and kindness made this whole experience that much easier by her guidance and confidence from the moment Bianca took on the concern. Thank you Bianca, I would have no hesitation in recommending your professional services.

Jane C

Jane C

My eating disorder was always something I couldn't change from the surface, it was so hard to wade through an ocean of conflicting emotions and thought to really address the negative behaviours and feelings I was having. Hypnotherapy was almost a last resort for me, but I remember leaving the first session and just feeling lighter. It was as though the weight was lifting slowly, and I could see more about the why I was the way I was. Through hypnotherapy, Bianca helped me sift through nearly 7 years of bad habits and negative thoughts to find a resilience within myself that I didn't know existed as I had shut it down myself. This helped me immeasurably in both the long and short term to develop my own voice and really stand up to my problems

Brooke B

Brooke B

Bianca has provided me with a professional service of hypnotherapy and counselling in a relaxed and safe environment. Her credentials and knowledge can be noted from the outset. She is gentle and non-judgmental but most importantly she has helped me to get the results I needed. I highly recommend Bianca for anyone who needs assistance with recognising that their low self-worth is affecting their day to day existence. Bianca will help you to put life into perspective and will provide you with the tools so that you can begin to enjoy your life to the fullest.

Jon S

Jon S

Bianca is very helpful, I had 4 sessions with her over a 4 month period. The combination of counselling and hypnotherapy has helped me with anxiety. I definitely recommend Bianca"s services and giving it a go.

Gail P

Gail P

I have seen Bianca several times now and she has made me feel extremely comfortable during the sessions. She exudes the perfect balance of gentleness and confidence, and has an obvious depth of knowledge that comes through in her responses and insights.

I highly recommend Bianca as a hypnotherapist.

Anita M

Anita M

Bianca made me feel so comfortable. I have never had this type of therapy before and didn't know what to expect. All I can say is Bianca made me open up and feel safe. I fee like I have learned so many tools for life and swear by this therapy. My eating disorder is now under control and I feel amazing. This was honestly a life changing experience for me. I would recommend Bianca to anyone and already have done so, she is very good at what she does.

Tina D

Tina D

We are so happy with Bianca's service. My mum has been seeing her for 6 months now and has come a long way. She is so much happier that she has been able to talk to someone about her issues and feelings. We are so grateful. Finding Bianca has helped mum a lot and in turn has helped the family with mum being so happy.

Maxine S

Maxine S

I completed 12 weeks with Bianca throughout the year, and highly recommend her. I felt very comfortable and relaxed each time i visited, and the lifestyle changes that have occured have been amazing. Thankyou!! :)

Tara S

Tara S

A big thank you to Bianca for helping me achieve so much with hypnotherapy. 6 months ago, I was lonely, depressed and very critical of myself. However, since seeing her, I am on the road to becoming a much happier and stronger person. I find that I am no longer overwhelmed by the small things and I’ve noticed that my levels of self-esteem and self-worth are continuously improving….seeing Bianca has really changed the way that I feel about myself and my life a lot

Ken W

Ken W

Bianca is an excellent counsellor and she made me really comfortable and I found it easy to talk to her. I feel really better now and highly recommend it

Christine L

Christine L

Bianca was very professional and thorough. She gave me what I needed. Will be going back again. She was very accomodating

Natalie P

Natalie P

I spent three weeks with Bianca and felt calmer and more centred after my very first appointment. She is knowledgeable, professional and creates a safe environment.

Ian B

Ian B

I had a consultation with Bianca. I wasn’t sure what to expect. She shares the space with my Chiropractor, so I thought I’d give it a whirl. I used to chew my tongue when I concentrated. In one session I have stopped. After the session I was aware when I started to do it, and after about a week I completely stopped. I can heartily recommend Bianca and her services.

Lee B

Lee B

I absolutely loved my sessions with Bianca and found them invaluable. I went in expecting just Hypnotherapy, instead I got a fantastic therapist in addition to the Hypnotherapy. Bianca helped me with strategies to move forward with what was bothering me and really helped. I would highly recommend Bianca to anyone needing help, in particular with weight issues like I did.

Linda M

Linda M

Bianca is an excellent practitioner. She is knowledgeable and was able to assist me with my concern both in the short and long term. I would not hesitate in recommending her. Thanks Bianca.

Bianka V

Bianka V

Bianca helped me discover a lot about myself. She is very calm and very knowledgable in her practice. I would highly recommend Bianca's counselling and hypnotherapy.

Blake T

Blake T

I am a very logical person and somewhat skeptical I was curious enough to try it out. After explaining thoroughly and answering questions I had, we did 25 minutes of hypnosis on basic relaxation (felt like 10). What was interesting was I felt fairly normal through most of the session. However once we stopped and Bianca “pulled me out” I realised how heavy and comfortable I felt. Like waking up from a long nap but without any grogginess. More like a ridiculously sense of warmth and the tension I didn’t realise was in my forehead was gone as well. Really hard to describe!! But if you’re at all curious I highly recommend having a try and seeing Bianca, you don’t need a “problem” as such to go and benefit hypnotherapy.

Kate A

Kate A

Really enjoyed my sessions - found them to be relaxing, professional and educational (also got really great results!)

Latest News

Eating Disorders, Addiction, and Belonging

Eating Disorders, Addiction, and Belonging

29th March 2024
Author: Bianca Skilbeck

“A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically and spiritually wired to love, to be loved and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don’t function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick”

Read More
What is “all in,” and should I try it?

What is “all in,” and should I try it?

19th March 2023
Author: Bianca Skilbeck

“All in” is a phrase that sometimes gets used in eating disorder recovery circles, and it refers to the recovery practice of physically, mentally, and emotionally committing yourself – “all in” – as it suggests, to letting go of disordered eating practices.

Read More
5 Myths and 5 Truths about Body Image, Food, and Weight

5 Myths and 5 Truths about Body Image, Food, and Weight

8th November 2022
Author: Bianca Skilbeck

There's a lot of myths and misconceptions out there about what body image is and how to improve it. There's even more well-worn advice that let's face it; just doesn't work. Therefore, I've put together this list to help you on your journey to improving body image. Enjoy!

Read More

Follow Freedom from Food on Instagram @thehaeshypnotherapist

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We would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people who are the Traditional Custodians of this land upon which Freedom from Food operates. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present of the Kulin Nation and extend that respect to other Indigenous Australians, past, and present.


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