Would you leave your well-paid job to follow your passion? Two former oil and gas workers, Gillian Craig and Graeme Masson, left their secure positions in the midst of the oil downturn to re-train in hypnotherapy – and neither would go back.
The duo, who have a combined almost 50 years of experience in oil and gas, met each other when they worked together for the same company.
They saw first hand what the stress of the downturn, the lay-offs and the lack of job security was doing to their colleagues and made a conscious decision to do something about it.
Gillian said: “Hypnotherapy was something we had both tried in the past.
“I used it about 15 years ago to stop smoking and
Graeme also had it for his chronic insomnia. It worked.
“We both wanted a change and had a conversation over coffee and hypnotherapy was also on Graeme’s shortlist.”
Graeme continued: “Our jobs were fine but I started thinking that this was not what I wanted to do at this stage in my life and started looking into doingsomething to benefit other
people .
“I had gone through a long bout of insomnia years ago and hypnotherapy was something which stuck in the back of my mind.”
Although friends and colleagues might have looked at Graeme as if he had two heads for turning down a steady income in exchange for a new business, it was a risk the 50-year-old felt had to be taken.
For 46-year-old Gillian, as a single mum, the risk was just as high. With most of her family in London, the prospect of juggling
re-training and child care was daunting.
Gillian and Graeme were careful about choosing the right course for their re-training and picked one in Edinburgh where they could travel down every month.
After completing their course, the duo built up their client base for a year and created the building blocks for their company.
At the beginning of this year, One Life Hypnotherapy opened its doors in the heart of Aberdeen at Rubislaw Den.
Graeme said: “It is unique because we offer the chance to see a woman or a man.
“Or if you are nervous about rocking up to people’s homes for treatment, we have created an environment that is
completely safe.”
Gillian and Graeme are confident about treating everything from stopping smoking and weight loss to anxiety and phobias.
Gillian continued: “We also work in group sessions aimed at helping people.
“Our new careers have led to us helping and making a difference.”
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