Awaken with Aly - Neuropsychology-informed Coaching

06/08/2026

This substack essay is dedicated to the memory of my beloved teacher Dr Carolyn Elliot.

And Why "Finding Yourself" is the Wrong Goal

03/08/2026

Most of humanity's suffering begins with our resistance to reality.

When we're lost in the movie playing in our heads, replaying the past, rehearsing the future, judging, fearing, defending, we disconnect from what's actually here. And That disconnection fuels anxiety, conflict, greed, division and the endless search for control.

Presence interrupts the cycle.

When we come back to presence, we experience life is unfolding. Our breath is breathing itself. Our heart is beating without our permission. Intelligence is moving through everything, including us.

From that place, we think more clearly, react less, create more, and connect more deeply with ourselves and each other.

Presence isn't just a personal practice. It benefits the collective by stopping delusion in its tracks. Perhaps it's one of the most radical solutions we have.

27/07/2026

Is the sunny weather making you feel happy, or is your brain constructing an experience of “happy” in response to the weather?

Neuroscience increasingly shows that perception isn't a passive recording of reality.

Your brain is constantly interpreting sensory information through the lens of prediction, memory, context and prior experience.

Which is why the same rainy afternoon can feel miserable to one person and magical to another. It's why particular circumstances cannot ever produce a 100% reliable experience.

Your experience of the same thing shifts when your thinking and perception shifts.

The event is real - this is not about gaslighting ourselves with the notion that "everything is in your mind". But the *experience* of the event is constructed by the brain.

And when my clients deeply understand this distinction in an experiential way, it has profound implications for how they understand their emotions, stress and wellbeing.

24/07/2026

Your brain doesn't simply react to the world, it actually predicts it.

In neuroscience, this is known as predictive processing. Your brain is constantly using past experience to predict what's about to happen and preparing your body before you've consciously made sense of it.

Studies have shown that even looking at emotionally charged images can change your heart rate, blood pressure and other physiological processes, despite the fact you're sitting safely and completely still.

In other words, your brain is continuously shaping your experience from the inside out. This is why understanding your mind isn't just a philosophical pursuit. It's the basis of good mental health.

I have a very affordable 9 week self-study course (Thrive level 1) that teaches you everything you need to know to be able to thrive, mentally, emotionally & physically. The reviews of it are stunning (check my website).

It's on special offer right now, link in bio.

23/07/2026

What estimated percentage of your day do you spend moving through life totally caught up in thought without knowing that you're thinking?

Meditation research demonstrates that most people have relatively little meta-awareness (awareness of the contents of their own mind) unless they deliberately train it.

And most of us don't suffer because we have thoughts. We suffer because we mistake them for reality.

The moment you can observe a thought instead of automatically believing it and acting on it, something changes. Space opens up and that leads to more choice, less reactivity and more freedom.

The mind's greatest trick isn't thinking. It's convincing you that you're not. And my skill is in helping you to wake up from the stories you unconsciously live inside.

Click the link in my bio for more, or schedule a free discovery call with me.

09/07/2026

“Aly, I wanted to let you know that our session almost immediately made a big change for me, it was wonderful and helped me so much.

I noticed all the little impulses very quickly the last few days and managed to stay in the present moment, recognized almost instantly when my mind was started to interpret, tried not to resist to what is etc.

I’m now in a really good place in my relationship overall. We’re being very honest with each other, we’re very present and grounded in the here and now. Wow! :) Thank you so much again!! This is such important work!”

Thank you Petra for your wonderful emails updating me of your process of transformation! This was after just 1 session of my guided 'Blind Spot Revelation' process.

For a limited time, I'm offering 20% off this 90 minute guided process where I help you to uncover the blind spots that shape the architecture of your unconscious processes and create patterns that you really don't prefer.

Click the link in my bio to schedule a session or DM me.

09/07/2026

Sometimes two hypnosis sessions can look like magic from the outside.

But it isn't magic. Nothing was "put into" this client or fixed from the outside.

The fear was already being created within her own mind and nervous system. My role was to help her see it differently, create the conditions for change, and guide her safely through the process until her own system let go of what it no longer needed.

That's why the therapeutic relationship matters. Feeling deeply seen. Trust. Humour. Patience. And just as importantly, what happens after the session. Real integration happens after the session, and how the change is supported makes a huge difference.

When people experience that kind of freedom, it can feel miraculous. But perhaps the real miracle is discovering that what once felt impossible was simply a misunderstanding of the mind.

I'm offering 20% off my hypnotherapy package for a limited time. If you'd like to schedule with me just click the calendly link in my bio.

02/07/2026

My zone of genius is uncovering the precise moment your belief system was built. 

Most of what we call reality is actually a premise we made a long time ago and then forgot we were the one who made it. 

We unconsciously form conclusions about what a moment meant, under pressure, at an age or in a state where we didn't have the resources to know it was just one interpretation among many.

And then it became the water we've been swimming in ever since. 

Effective change work is about finding the thing underneath the premise that was never previously examined, and turning toward it with enough curiosity that it stops being able to pass as fact. 

It can be very uncomfortable. But running the same old predictive loops and patterns over a lifetime is way more painful. 

If you're ready to have your blind spots revealed so that real transformation can take place, get in touch. There are several ways of working with me across all affordability levels.

02/07/2026

After hypnotherapy, it's not that the trigger disappears, or that you'll never encounter the thing again, but when you do, the brain simply doesn't run the same programme it's been running your whole life.

The pattern gets interrupted and there's a gap where the panic response used to automate. It doesn't necessarily mean you'll feel nothing.

Lital described being more confused by her own calm than by the snake itself. That confusion is actually the sign that a neural pathway has genuinely reorganised — the brain expected one thing, got another, and had to update its model of what's possible and survivable.

That's a whole different relationship with your own resilience. Once you've survived the "worst case scenario" and felt okay on the other side of it, how you move through the world also shifts. Not just around snakes, but everywhere that old fears used to set the terms.

🎥 Watch the full conversation by scanning the QR code — or link in bio.

If you struggle with phobias of any kind and it's affecting your quality of life, you don't just have to put up with it. Phobias are actually very simple to clear with the right guidance and intervention.

Feel free to reach out to me to book a session if you're ready to enjoy freedom.