Caroline Sutton Hypnotherapy- anxiety specialist

14/11/2025

If you are supporting a young person who is struggling with anxiety related to school, or you simply want to understand more deeply , you are welcome to stay connected to my substack. Here i share weekly posts on EBSA , teenage anxiety , neurodiversity and all things related to mental health and wellbeing . I would love to hear your opinions about my posts and any thoughts on the topics you would like me to discuss .

Why “just make them go to school” isn’t the solution people think it is.

02/11/2025

Lately I have noticed how tired I am. Not the sort of tired a good night’s sleep fixes, but the kind that comes from holding a lot, caring a lot and not stopping for long enough to reset. If you are feeling that too, you are not alone.

With that in mind, we are hosting a restorative weekend retreat from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 November in a beautiful luxury venue near Brimham Rocks. It is peaceful, surrounded by nature, and designed for people who need real rest and gentle nourishment.

You will have a stunning, comfortable bedroom and every meal is prepared by our private vegetarian chef. No planning, no cooking, no rushing. Just time to breathe and settle.

Across the weekend we will enjoy
• Gentle yin yoga
• Guided trance and deep rest practices
• A calming sound bath
• NLP and quiet reflection by the fire pit under the stars
• Walks in nature and time to switch off

This is not a high intensity retreat. It is soft, supportive and welcoming. A space where you can exhale and just be. You do not need any experience with yoga or meditation. You only need to be tired of feeling tired and ready to look after yourself for a weekend.

We are offering a 20 percent early booking discount for a limited time. If your body and mind are asking for a reset before winter fully arrives, this may be the gentle pause you need. I know I do.

If it speaks to you, send me a message and I will share the details. You deserve this time.

Itinerary. Day One 17:30 - 18:30 - arrival & check in18:30 - 19:30 - welcome circle19:30 - 20:30 - dinner20:30 - fire pit gathering under the stars Day Two 07:30 - 08:00 - Candle-gazing meditation08:00 - 09:00 - Morning sauna & steam09:00 - 10:00 - Breakfast10:30 - 11:30 - NLP & trance11:30 - 12:30....

02/11/2025

I’ve taken a small but exciting step today and started writing on Substack.

I’ll be sharing thoughts and reflections on mental health especially young people’s experiences and the pressures they are facing right now. There is so much noise and blame in this space, and I want to add calm, compassion and understanding.

If this is something you care about or want to learn more about, I’d love you to follow along and join the conversation. It feels important that we shine a light on what many families are facing and make space for honest, supportive discussion.

Here is the link if you’d like to read the first post and subscribe.
Thank you for being here and for caring about our young people. 💛

Teenage anxiety is rising.

23/10/2025

Just brilliant and how education should be .

🐴🌱 A Very Special Week at Sowing Seeds! 🌱🐴

We’ve had lots of amazing visitors at Sowing Seeds over the years — both human and non-human — but this week was a first!

One of our students brought their horse right up to our front door to meet Stacey (our manager) and Becky (their tutor)! 🐎💚

We have visited and gone on wonderful outings with our students’ and their horses, dogs and other pets as part of our learning and wellbeing activities, but we had a surprise when we opened the door earlier this week! It was a lovely reminder of just how unique our community is and what our students and their families have helped us make at Sowing Seeds.🌿

And, that’s not all! Today, Nick, one of our Preparation for Adulthood coaches was off site again with a student at Tropical World as part of their Animal Care course and project 🐢🦜🐠 — another amazing hands-on experience full of curiosity, confidence, and independence.

At Sowing Seeds, we offer so many services and we’re not like other tuition centres in the daytime and evening. Alongside teaching subjects like Maths, English, Science, Art, Media, Animal Care, Computing, Enterprise, Environmental, Expressive Arts, Gardening, Sport (and so many more!), what matters most to us are the relationships we build and the trust that grows between our students, staff, and community — two-legged or four! 🥰

We have so many updates to share over the next week about what to expect over the next few months! 🤩

And it’s moments like these remind us why we do what we do. Here’s to more learning, discovery, and connection — together - no matter how many legs you have! 🥰

23/10/2025

Are you a teacher or someone involved in supporting young people in education?
Do you want to understand more about why so many young people are becoming anxious about school?

I have worked with many children and teenagers experiencing this complex and often misunderstood condition, and I have seen first-hand how anxiety can be misinterpreted as defiance or lack of effort.

Last week I launched my new ebook at Gather in Baildon, where parents, young people and professionals came together to share their stories. It was an incredibly powerful evening that highlighted just how needed this conversation is.

If you would like deeper insight, practical strategies and a compassionate understanding of what anxiety in education really looks like, my ebook is available to purchase now. It’s written for both parents and professionals and offers a therapeutic, real-world perspective from someone working closely with young people every day.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FT6D74F3

20/10/2025

🌿 A Gift of Rest and Renewal 🌿

Restore Retreats are offering a fully funded place on their next weekend retreat for someone who is currently living with cancer and in need of deep rest, care and time to breathe.

So often, people going through treatment or recovery carry not only the physical impact, but also the emotional weight that comes with it. This gesture is a beautiful act of kindness – a chance to be held, supported and gently restored in a safe, nurturing space.

If you or someone you know would benefit from this, please reach out to Restore Retreats directly to learn more about how to apply or nominate someone deserving.

Sometimes the smallest window of peace can make the biggest difference.

💚

20/10/2025

How do you feel about masks ? I hate them ! I never understood why and just thought it was another of my little quirks. Recently I recognised it’s actually very common for neurodivergent people to dislike masks .

If you or your child don’t like masks it might help to understand why

🧠 Why masks can be distressing for some neurodivergent people

Many neurodivergent children and adults find masks, especially scary or character masks, very uncomfortable or even frightening. This isn’t about being “over-sensitive” it’s a natural nervous system response.

Masks hide facial expressions, which makes it hard to read someone’s intentions or emotions. For an autistic or anxious brain that relies on predictability and visual cues to feel safe, this uncertainty can trigger a fight-or-flight response.

Horror masks are especially difficult because they distort human features, often with exaggerated eyes, teeth, or colours. For someone with sensory sensitivity or hypervigilance, this can feel overwhelming or threatening, even when they logically know it’s not real.

It helps to understand that this reaction is about safety, not fear. The person’s nervous system is trying to protect them. Allowing them to avoid masks or preparing them gently with reassurance and predictability shows respect for how their brain processes the world.
I know many people enjoy Halloween and that’s great but it’s good to recognise that it’s ok to also not feel comfortable with it .

19/10/2025

I am so grateful to Rachel, who runs an alternative education setting, for coming to the launch and sharing her expertise and professional insight it meant so much to have her perspective in the room.

Last week, it was my pleasure to attend Caroline Sutton’s book launch about supporting children and families with school-based trauma, EBSA (I don’t like this term), anxiety and fear associated with school and the education system.

It was an emotional launch listening to the difficult journey both students and parents have experienced, often feeling lost and alone, as they battle the health, social care and education system to get a diagnosis, CAMHs support and support from their family to help get the urgent help their child needs especially when they are at crisis point. This launch gave them a voice and was the voice for so many children and parents who don’t feel heard right now.

This book is for parents and educators - a reminder for parents that you are not alone and that, unfortunately, many children can’t cope with the increasing demands of the current educational environment and system. It is not your fault and it is not their fault.

For educators, SENCOs and anyone working in a school, this will open your mind and give a different perspective to shift your mindset and consider your choice of language, strategic decisions and why children who have experienced trauma and/or children with a SEND ( diagnosed or not) with neurodivergent needs including autism, ADHD, PDA, Tourette’s, SPD, DLD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, OCD, mutism (and so many more…) need a compassionate approach to trust that the professionals that are meant to care and educate them understand their needs, their barriers and how to make learning and the school environment and experience accessible and adjustable.

A one size fits all approach does not work - and isn’t working. Well done and thank you to Caroline for writing this book to raise the profile of why EBSA, social anxiety and basrriers to attendance isn’t something that has a quick fix - it needs a compassionate approach led by all of us. ❤️

You can buy the book on Amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FT6D74F3?fbclid=IwdGRjcANiFJRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHmIzxODVfCtdHaysbmsd4Ws4YDgboCrRxH-fNJBFfSYi7BgAprV3PlXfFpHI_aem_8aNRTp-Js8Aws1Y1urVr9g

18/10/2025

I’m still processing the emotions from the book launch on Wednesday evening.
I wrote this book to shed light on a much misunderstood and complex situation. Young people who experience severe anxiety related to school and their parents are often misrepresented and isolated. Parents find themselves in an impossible situation watching their young people suffering from intense anxiety and burnout , but being blamed and judged for trying to support and understand them .
Wednesday evening bought together the most incredible group of young people and their parents, teachers , educators, friends and family.
If you would like to find out more about how to support young people’s mental health please help to spread the word by downloading and sharing my ebook

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FT6D74F3